סימן ב - דין לבישת בגדים ובו ט' סעיפים

Siman 2: Laws of Dressing, containing nine seifim:

Recording: Seifim 1–9

1. Because a person is obligated always to have the awe of his Creator upon him, he should be modest in all his actions. For modesty and shame bring a person to humility before Hashem, blessed be He.

Therefore, one who sleeps unclothed, without a shirt, should take care when he rises not to sit up and only then put on his shirt, for as soon as he sits up he is uncovered. Rather, he should take his shirt and put his head and arms into it while still lying down, and so when he rises he is already covered^[1].

And he should not say: "I am in the innermost chambers, who sees me?!" For the whole world is filled with the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, before whom darkness is as light^[2]:

2. It is good for every person to be careful to wear his shirt the right way, so that the inside is not turned outward, showing the unsightly seams, and so that he not be made unsightly in people's eyes.

And if he was not careful and turned the inside outward: if he is a Torah scholar, he must take it off and put it on again the right way, so that he not be included in "כל משניאי אהבו מות" ("All who cause Me to be hated love death") (Mishlei 8:36), for people will say, how unsightly are those who study Torah:

3. It is good to take care not to put on two garments together at one time, because it is harmful to the memory.

And it is good to place the two sides of the garment in his right hand, and to put on the right and afterward the left, and to intend that everything is included in the right, and from the right it comes to the left:

4. Because we find that the right is significant throughout the entire Torah, with regard to the thumb and big toe at the inauguration of the kohanim and with the metzora, and likewise with chalitzah, therefore with putting on shoes too one must give significance to the right, and put on the right shoe first^[3].

And because we find that with the tying of tefillin the left hand is significant, for on it the tefillin are tied, therefore here too, with the tying of shoes, one must give significance to the left.

Therefore he should not tie the right shoe until he has put on the left one and tied it, and afterward he should tie the right one.

And with our shoes that have no tying, he should put on the right one first. For significance is given to the left only with tying, like the tying of tefillin:

5. When he takes off his shoes, he takes off the left one first, for this is the honor of the right:

6. When he washes or anoints, he should wash or anoint the right first.

And when he washes or anoints his whole body, he should wash or anoint his head first, because it is king over all the limbs:

7. He should rise and walk with his bearing bowed, because it is forbidden to walk with an upright bearing, even less than four cubits^[4].

As it is said: "מלא כל הארץ כבודו" ("The whole earth is filled with His glory") (Yeshayahu 6:3), which implies that the Glory extends and comes down below. And one who holds his bearing upright appears as if he is pushing it away^[5].

And he should not walk four cubits with the head uncovered.

And it is a trait of piety not to walk even less than four cubits, and not to sit at all with the head uncovered^[6].

And even for young children, it is proper to cover their heads, so that the fear of Heaven should be upon them^[7]:

8. Afterward he should check whether he needs to relieve himself, lest he need to do so in the middle of prayer.

The Sages said: "Whoever wishes to accept upon himself the complete yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven should relieve himself and wash his hands, and afterward read the Shema and pray"^[8].

And a person should always accustom himself to relieve himself morning and evening, at a time when people are not found in the marketplace, so that he will not have to go far away.

And even in a place where he need not go far away, such as when he has a bathroom in his house, he should nevertheless accustom himself to relieve himself morning and evening.

Because this is alacrity and cleanliness, and it brings to holiness:

9. The Sages said: "ובשפלות ידים, ידלוף הבית" ("And through idleness of the hands, the house leaks") (Koheles 10:18): through a person being too lazy to cover his body properly, "the house leaks", his body will break out in sores.

From this we learn that a person should cover his whole body.

And he should not go barefoot.

And the Sages further said: "One who withholds shoes from his feet is as if banned by the Omnipresent"^[9].

And a person should always sell all that he has and buy shoes for his feet^[10]:

Notes

1. Already covered: Mahadura Basra says: "So too, when he rises from his sleep, he should put on his shirt little by little under the sheet while still lying down, so that none of his flesh is uncovered needlessly, even for one moment" (Mahadura Basra 2:2; see note 5 there). And at the start of that seif there: "He should take care to cover his flesh little by little with a sheet under his shirt", while here it says "it is good to take care".

2. Darkness is as light: Following the verses "מלא כל הארץ כבודו" ("The whole earth is filled with His glory") (Yeshayahu 6:3) and "כחשיכה כאורה" ("darkness is as light") (Tehillim 139:12).

3. The right shoe first: At the inauguration of the kohanim and the purification of the metzora, the blood is placed on the right thumb and the right big toe; and in chalitzah the right shoe is removed. "When he puts on shoes, he puts on the right and afterward the left" (Shabbos 61a).

4. An upright bearing: "Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: It is forbidden for a person to walk four cubits with an upright bearing" (Kiddushin 31a). Mahadura Basra adds a measure: "The measure of this upright bearing is whenever his eyes cannot see downward near his feet"; "Nevertheless, he should not bend his body or his head too much, but moderately" (Mahadura Basra 2:5).

5. Pushing it away: "One who walks with an upright bearing, even four cubits, is as if he pushes away the feet of the Shechinah" (Berachos 43b).

6. The head uncovered: Mahadura Basra says: "But now, in our time, when everyone's way is always to cover the head, it is forbidden to walk or even to sit with the head uncovered, on account of modesty" (Mahadura Basra 2:6). See note 17 there.

7. The fear of Heaven: Following "Cover your head, so that the fear of Heaven may be upon you" (Shabbos 156b). On young children, see also Mahadura Basra 2:6, note 18, and the Rebbe's letters brought there.

8. The complete yoke: "Rabbi Yochanan said: Whoever wishes to accept upon himself the complete yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven should relieve himself, wash his hands, put on tefillin, read the Shema and pray" (Berachos 14b–15a).

9. As if banned: "Seven are banned by Heaven", and among them: "one who withholds shoes from his feet" (Pesachim 113b).

10. Sell all that he has: "A person should always sell the beams of his house and buy shoes for his feet" (Shabbos 129a).