There are several reasons why a Jew should or should not commit an act: sometimes it’s not in keeping with halachah sometimes it violates a mussar precept.
Beyond halachah and mussar however we find another rationale for avoiding certain forms of conduct: “Es past nisht.” It’s inappropriate.
Parents may tell their children not to dress a certain way because “es past nisht” or not to associate with certain peers because “es past nisht.”
Although the concept of “es past nisht” is grounded in Torah thinking it should not be a weapon in the arsenal of an educator. When one is in the process of being mashpia trying to influence others in the ways of Torah life and says that “it doesn’t befit a person such as me to act in such a manner ” it becomes a counterproductive force in what that educator wishes to accomplish.
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