Rabbi's Blog

If you take a little time to observe birds, you would quickly realize (a)that none of them have shoes, and (b)they are always on their feet. Birds never sit or lie down; the only respite they get is by alternating which leg they are standing on. We, on the other hand, not only have the need to sit; we have the need to lie completely flat. After a long red-eye flight, sitting in a chair is not enough; we require a bed to stretch out on.And a good, soft pillow would be good, too. We Americans arriving home from a long, hard day at work have a need to "kick off our shoes and relax". But kicking off our shoes after a hard day's work was not the original intent of the saying. The original meaning of the phrase came about from the following situation: "When you can't fix the problem that you've made for yourself, you might as well kick off your shoes. You'll be here for a while, so you'd better get used to the view".

Every aspect of our lives, even what we wear, must be viewed within framework of the Torah. There are halachos as well as spiritual aspects regarding clothing and shoes.Shoes, however, differ from the clothing we wear. Shoes are not defined as articles of clothing but are rather something specifically made to protect our feet. While protecting our feet is only part of the reason we wear shoes, we must keep in mind that just because we have shoes does not mean we can walk, run or wander wherever we want!

Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, author of Bnei Yisaschar (1783-1841), gives wonderful insight into the Sneh - the burning bush - and Moshe's removing of his shoes per God's command. In Shmos 3:5 the Torah states: Vayomer Al Tikrav Halome, Shol N'alecha Mei'Al Raglecha, Ki HaMakom Asher Ata Omeid Alav Admas Kodesh Hu'. "HE said, do not come closer to here, take off your shoes from your feet for the place upon which you stand is holy ground". Rav Moshe Chagiz*, in his sefer Mishna? Hakhamim, writes in the name of the Sages of Hirmoz that we wear shoes so that our feet do not touch the ground. It was through the sin of Adam HaRishon and Chava that the earth was cursed. In Bereishis 3:17, the Torah states clearly that the adama, the ground/earth, was cursed because of man's sin. Therefore, we need to make a physical separation between our feet and the ground upon which we walk.

It is for this reason that Moshe is commanded to remove his shoes in this place of the burning bush. This ground is not cursed earth, it isAdmas Kodesh - Holy ground.It is no longer a place of curse but rather a place of blessed ground, thereby not requiring shoes. In fact, due to its holiness, it is a place where shoes must be removed. This is the very reason why the Kohanim perform the Avoda, the Temple service, barefoot: the place is holy and blessed.

There are a few sources whichsupport the significance of shoes that I would like to share with you. The Gemara Shabbos 129a states that since shoes create a barrier and a separation between the curses and the blessings, a person should even sell the beams of his house, if necessary, to buy shoes. A second example regarding the distinction of shoes is when the brothers sold Yosaif. Targum Yonasan ben Uziel, the Aramaic translation dating to the times of the Mishnah, states: "They sold Yosef to Arabs for twenty pieces of silver and bought shoes with the money."

In the morning blessings, Birchos Hashachar, we recite Brachos that correspond to our waking up in the morning: when we open up our eyes, we thank Hashem for giving us our sight; when we get dressed, we bless Hashem for clothing the naked, and so forth. The Bracha attributed to p putting on our shoes is the bracha "She'asa Li Kal Tzarki" - for performing all my needs. This is because the greatest 'need' of a person is to distinguish between a blessing and a curse. Once again, we realize that shoes are not worn for protection or warmth but rather serve as a separation of our feet from the ground.

There are two days in the Jewish calendar when we don't wear shoes: Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av. With this understanding of why we wear shoes we can understand a little better why we don't wear shoes on these two days. The day of Yom Kippur is a day of complete holiness; we actas angels in a holy manner by not needing to eat, wash, or anoint and have no need for physical pleasures. On the day of Yom Kippur the earth and the ground become imbued with sanctity and are taken out of the realm of cursed and into the realm of blessing. Tisha B'Av is the day we wait for Moshiach - Messiah - to come ; it is fortuitous because that's the day Dovid HaMelech was born and we have been promised that Moshiach will also be born on Tisha B'Av. The symbolism is to show us that Moshiach ben Dovid will remove the status of the ground/earth from curse to blessing. Because these days see the ground as holy, no shoes are required similar to Moshe not needing shoes at the burning bush.

Let us not forget the purpose of the shoe as we think about where we are going. Shoes today make fashion statements and are used or abused by the fashion industry. Keep in mind that the shoe is made up of a few different parts. Some shoes are slip-ons, some have buckles, and old-fashioned shoes even have laces. A shoe has a leather covering and, of course, a heel. But we should not forget that the most important part of the shoe is the 'sole' because its purpose is to protect our souls from the curse of the ground.

Ah Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky

*Moses Chagiz (1671 - ca. 1750) was a Talmudic scholar, rabbi, kabbalist, and author born in Jerusalem, Palestine. He was one of the most prominent and influential Jewish leaders in 17th-century Amsterdam. During Chagiz's lifetime there was an overall decline in rabbinic authority due to migration and assimilation. Chagiz devoted his career to restoring rabbinic authority. His most prominent talent was as a polemicist, and he campaigned ceaselessly against Jewish heresy in an attempt to unify the rabbinate.