By Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim from mesora.org
Society is impressed more with man’s
appearance, than with his values. While
Judaism includes laws of dress, they must be
understood. Other than modesty, honor,
cross-dressing, and dressing as idolaters (as
they dress in their religious rites) G-d did not
include a dress code as a Torah law.
Dress & Appearances
Dressing for Sabbath and holidays is not to
“make the man,” but to give honor to the day.
In this fashion, man develops respect for G-d’s
chosen days and focuses on G-d’s acts which
we commemorate at those times. It’s all about
G-d. In no manner is this dressing up to honor
man. No one would suggest that by changing
one’s external garments, that he has perfected
his internal ideas and values. Prohibitions on
cross-dressing eliminate lewdness; prohibitions
of idolatrous dress break our identification
with this idolaters’ practices, and modest
dress removes the focus from ourselves so we
focus on G-d. This is all reasonable. Thus,
dress carries no inherent value. But within
Jewish communities, this is not the case.
Today, Jews categorize their own brothers
and sisters into superficial categories. “Does
he wear a black jacket or hat?” “What type of
yarmulke does he wear?” “Does she wear
jeans skirts?” “Does he have a beard?” These
questions are asked to determine the “hashkafa”
or outlook of the person. But I ask, what
type of “outlook” is related in any way to one’s
garments? This is truly superficial. In fact, it is
the flaw of insecurity that propels individuals
to associate with only those who appear like
them. If however, one was firm in his or her
Jewish values, such a person would care
nothing about what others say. They would
associate with upright Jews, regardless of their
dress. They would disassociate with corrupt
Jews, again regardless of their dress. Further,
one violates a halacha d’oraisa (positive
command) of “Viahavta l’ra-acha comocha”
(Lev. 19:18) – “thou shall love thy neighbor as
thyself” – when one passes these judgments or
prevents a shidduch (a match) if one is a
convert, divorced, black, not Sephardic or
Ashkenaz, and the like. This is a despicable
trait, which must be removed from one’s value
system.
As always, when one desires to follow what
is in accord with the Torah, one must look into
the sources, not to what people say, or what is
popularly believed or performed.
Jacob gave a gift of a coat of striped colors
(Radak, Gen. 37:3) to his son Joseph. Joseph as
well didn’t abstain from wearing that garment.
Both Jacob and Joseph realized that wearing a
colored garment is not a “religious” issue. Had
Jacob known the tragic outcome of demonstrating
his favoritism towards Joseph in this
manner, perhaps he would not have expressed
it. But this does not mean that Jacob felt that
the garment per se was a problem; the reaction
of the brothers was unforeseen. The priests as
well are commanded to wear colored
garments. We find in Exodus 12:35 the Jews
following Moses’ command to ask the
Egyptian’s for their garments. Rashi points out
that the clothing was valued by the Jews more
than the gold and silver vessels. It is clear: there
is no law concerning wearing types of
garments, even those of other nations (as long
as the garments are not of religious practice).
And we are not to add to the Torah by opposing
these sources and wearing specific
clothing as a “sign of religiosity.” In fact,
clothing cannot affect our perfection.
The conscious act of wearing “specific”
clothing to distinguish one’s self, is a violation,
and is not part of Torah. One who is truly
righteous, is humble, and does not seek an
audience or applause for his good deeds: “And
humbly shall you walk before G-d (Micha
6:8 ).” G-d is his only concern, for only G-d
determines truth and what is of value. His
sense of reality is not human applause, but
G-d’s word alone. Zephania 1:8 records
certain Jews who were punished by G-d due to
their wearing of “malbish nachri” (foreign or
strange garments). In his final interpretation,
Radak describes the sin of those Jews:
These men made themselves to look separate
and righteous, and they wore strange
garments, unlike the rest of their brethren, so
that they should be recognized through their
clothing as distinct individuals, but their ways
are evil.
Radak states that one is evil when parading
his righteousness. In Samuel I, 1:16, G-d tells
Samuel to go to Jesse, for “He (G-d) has seen a
king for Himself among his sons.” Interestingly,
G-d does not tell Samuel which son.
Why? G-d desired that Samuel learn a lesson
simultaneously with G-d’s selection of the
new king. Upon Samuel’s arrival at the house
of Jesse, Samuel admires Eliav. G-d tells
Samuel:
Do not look at his appearance or his height,
for he is despised, for it is not as man sees.
Mans sees with his eyes, but G-d sees what’s
in the heart.
G-d is teaching us not to pay attention to the
superficial information quickly assumed with
the eyes. This is not the real person. The
person, as G-d says, is what is in the heart.
Lineage
Kings David and Solomon descended from
Ruth the Moabite. Joshua married Rachav the
harlot. Moses married Zippora – a woman
whose father previously practiced every form
of idolatry. Ruth partook of greatness, as she
exemplified modesty to such a high degree.
G-d therefore selected her to be the mother of
our greatest kings. G-d never rebuked Moses
or Joshua for marrying people with such
backgrounds. At the time of marriage, these
individuals were living the correct philosophy.
That is all G-d is concerned with.
Imagine how much more peace there would
be if we studied the Torah and kept to the
teachings without distortion or projection,
instead of operating out of false, destructive
notions. We would have more ahava (love)
towards one another. Remember why G-d
destroyed Noah’s generation, and sustained the
generation of the dispersion. As Rashi stated,
“great is love, and hated is argument.” We
must stop fabricating false categories about
our own brothers and sisters. Instead of
looking for reasons to degrade a Jew, look for
reasons to love someone and appreciate their
real worth. Certainly, we must all abandon
false notions regarding dress.
G-d knows the perfect system for man, and
included in the Torah only those commands
which, if followed exactly, will yield the only
perfect life. Any addition or subtraction is a
defect in the system. Did the Creator of the
heavens and Earth, who designed every aspect
of the human personality, miss a point? Did He
forget to include something in the Torah? Of
course this is absurd. As there is no command
to wear specific garments, it must be a destructive
practice, as Radak teaches.
A person is what’s inside, not outside.
