June 16 first through
5:25
As explained in an
earlier installment, the Arizal warned that putting on two articles of clothing
simultaneously could have an adverse effect on a person, causing him to forget
his Torah knowledge.
This gives rise to the
question of whether one may put on his shoes when they are inside rubbers. Often, in the winter, people take off their
shoes when entering the home together with the rubbers, keeping the shoes
inside the rubbers. Then, when they go
back out into the snow, they simply put the shoes with the rubbers on their
feet. Seemingly, this should be
discouraged, as one must refrain from putting on two articles of clothing at
the same time.
Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank
(Jerusalem, 1873-1960) cites a source claiming that the Arizal's teaching does
not apply to garments made from rubber, in which case there is no concern in
this regard. However, the Sitz Eliezer
(Rav Eliezer Waldenberg, 1915-2006) questioned this theory, noting that there
seems to be no reason to differentiate between rubber and other materials. The Arizal taught that when placing two
articles of clothing at the same time, the inner garment does not receive the
"Or Ha'makif" (supernal light) that surrounds garments to protect them from the
harmful spiritual forces. This concern
certainly appears to be relevant to rubbers no less than to garments made from
other materials.
Nevertheless, Hacham
Ovadia ruled leniently in this regard, and allowed putting on shoes that are
already inside rubbers. This is based on
a comment of the Aruch Ha'shulhan (Rav Yechiel Michel Epstein of Nevarduk, 1829-1908)
that the Arizal's teaching does not apply to shoes. The Aruch Ha'shulhan does not explain why
shoes would differ from other garments in this regard, but Hacham Ovadia
suggested that since the shoes touch the ground, which has impurity, they
cannot be protected from impurity, and so they do not receive the "Or
Ha'makif."
Socks, however, are
not treated as shoes. The Ben Ish Hai
(Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) ruled that although one who touches
shoes must then wash his hands, one does not require hand washing after
touching his socks. Some Poskim
disagree, but Halacha follows this view of the Ben Ish Hai. This lenient ruling yields a stringent
conclusion with regard to the question of putting on two socks at the same
time. Since socks are treated by Halacha
differently than shoes, the Aruch Ha'shulhan's leniency does not apply. Therefore, one who wishes to wear two pairs
of socks for extra warmth must put on one after the other, and may not wrap one
sock in the other and then put them both on together.
