28 Nov SHABBOS SHOES

I. Shabbos Clothes
We greet Shabbos
and spend the entire
day clean and proper,
dressed in fine clothes.
Do we also need to wear
fine shoes that we have
designated for Shabbos?
The Gemara (Shabbos 119a) says that R.
Chanina and R. Yannai would wear special
clothes to greet Shabbos. The Gemara
(Shabbos 113b) quotes Naomi’s instruction
to Rus: “And you shall bathe, and anoint
yourself, and put on your dress” (Ruth 3:3).
R. Eliezer explains that Naomi told Rus to
wear her Shabbos clothes.
Based on the above, Shulchan Aruch
(Orach Chaim 262:2) rules that you should
strive to have special, nice clothes set aside
for Shabbos. If not, you should at least make
your regular clothes look nice. Should we
also have Shabbos shoes? For some people,
the cost of an extra pair of shoes for a large
family is within reach but difficult. Is there a
need to spend that much money on Shabbos
shoes or can people make do with one pair
of shoes and allocate the money differently?
This all boils down to whether shoes are
considered clothing.

II. Are Shoes Clothing?
Rav Ephraim Hacohen, a 17th century
rabbinic judge in Vilna (whose grandson
was the author of Chacham Tzvi), was
asked about someone who committed to pay
for his friend’s clothing (Sha’ar Ephraim,
no. 124). The friend assumed that this
includes shoes while the man who made
the promise refused to pay for shoes. Rav
Hacohen rules that clothing does not include
shoes. He brings proof from the Mishnah
(Sanhedrin 60b) that lists different forms of
worshipping an idol that are forbidden but
are not punished either execution. These
include: “one who hugs (an idol), kisses it,
cleans it, sprays water before it, washes it,
rubs it with oil, puts clothes on it (malbish,
or puts shoes on it (manil).” From the fact
that the Mishnah distinguishes between
putting clothes on an idol and putting shoes
on it, Rav Hacohen deduces that shoes are
not considered clothing. Although he admits
that this proof is not irrefutable.
Rav Ya’akov Reischer (18th cen., Germany;
Shevus Ya’akov 1:24) quotes other texts that
distinguish between clothing and shoes.
For example, “And they clothed them, and
gave them shoes, and fed them, and gave
them drink” (2 Chronicles 28:15). Similarly,

“Your clothes did not wear out
on you and the shoes on your
feet did not become tattered”
(Deut. 29:4). However, he
disagrees with this entire line
of argument. He explains that
shoes are a type of clothing.
They might be singled out for
emphasis but they remain an
item of clothing. The Mishnah
includes putting shoes on an
idol separately because putting
only shoes on an idol, without
putting any other clothes on it, is
enough to violate the prohibition. Similarly,
the Gemara (Eruvin 4a) says that: “One who
enters a leprous house, and his clothes are
draped over his shoulders, and his sandals
and his rings are in his hands, he and they,
immediately become ritually impure.” Rashi
(ad loc., s.v. keilav) explains that these are
all items of clothing but he is not wearing
them normally so they also become impure.
In the addenda at the beginning of volume
two of Shevus Ya’akov (no. 24), Rav
Reischer points out that we sometimes see
language of feeding and offering drink. The
above-quoted verse in 2 Chronicles uses such
language, as does the Gemara (Kiddushin
31b) about the obligations a child has to a
parent. Just like drink is a subset of food,
so too shoes are a subset of clothing (see
the variant text in the Ein Ya’akov, ad
loc.). Based on the above, Rav Reischer
disagrees with Rav Hacohen and rules
that someone who committed to pay for
his friend’s clothing must also pay for his
shoes.
Based on what we have seen so far, it
would seem that Rav Reischer would
require you to have special Shabbos
shoes, if possible, and Rav Hacohen
would consider them unnecessary.
III. Shabbos Shoes
Rav Yosef Chaim of Baghdad (20th
cen.; Rav Pe’alim, vol. 4, Orach Chaim,
no. 13) addresses this question directly
and does not quote the responsa above.
Rather, he focuses on the blessings
we recite in the morning. We recite on
blessing on clothing (“malbish arumim,
who clothes the naked”) and another on
shoes (“she-asah li kol tzorki, who has
provided me with all I need). The latter
blessing was instituted regarding shoes
(Berachos 60b). Since we have separate
blessings, shoes must not be considered
an article of clothing and therefore is not
covered by the blessing on clothes. Rav
Yosef Chaim also quotes the Talmud
Yerushalmi (Shabbos 6:2) which says
explicitly that it is not normal practice to
have separate shoes for the weekday and

for Shabbos. Therefore, Rav Yosef Chaim
rules that you do not need special Shabbos
shoes.
Rav Shlom Zalman Braun (20th cen., US;
She’arim Metzuyanim Ba-Halachah 72:37)
quotes Rav Ya’akov Moelin (Maharil,
15th cen., Germany), cited in Ba’er Heitev
(529:4). Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim
529:1) says that your Yom Tov clothes should
be nicer than your Shabbos clothes. Ba’er
Heitev adds in the name of Maharil that if
you cannot afford special Yom Tov clothes,
you should buy nicer shoes for the holiday.
Rav Braun infers from this language that
shoes are not considered clothing. Normally
you do not need special shoes for Shabbos
or Yom Tov but if you cannot afford special
clothes, you should buy special shoes.
Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky (cont., US;
Kovetz Halachos, Shabbos, vol. 1 1:32)
rules that you should have special Shabbos
shoes. Effectively, he follows Rav Reischer
and not Rav Hacohen, Rav Yosef Chaim or
Rav Braun. Rav Moshe Isserles (16th cen.,
Poland; Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat
248:11) writes that someone dying (shechiv
me-ra) who says that he gives all his clothes
to a certain person, that person acquires
anything called clothing, whether for the
weekday or for Shabbos. Rav Akiva Eiger
(19th cen., Poland; Glosses, ad loc.) quotes
Rav Reischer’s above responsum and says
that the dying person’s shoes also go to
the recipient because shoes are considered
clothing.