{"id":8176,"date":"2016-02-04T00:03:31","date_gmt":"2016-02-03T22:03:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/?p=8176"},"modified":"2018-05-24T12:29:05","modified_gmt":"2018-05-24T09:29:05","slug":"03-04-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ph.yhb.org.il\/en\/03-04-03\/","title":{"rendered":"03. Getting Dressed and Putting on Shoes: The Practice of the Pious"},"content":{"rendered":"
The practice of the pious (minhag \u0125asidim<\/em>) is to begin with the right side in all matters, because the Torah attributes more importance to one\u2019s right side (as in the ritual of sprinkling the blood of a leper\u2019s guilt offering onto his right thumb and big toe). According to Kabbala, right signifies lovingkindness (\u0125esed<\/em>), and left signifies judgment (din<\/em>). By favoring the right, we help \u0125esed <\/em>overcome din<\/em>. Thus, the scrupulously pious eat with their right hands, wash and anoint the right before the left, and put on the right sleeve, pant leg, and sock before the left. When bathing, they wash the head first, and then wash the right arm before the left arm and the right leg before the left leg. When getting undressed, they first remove the article from the left side. 1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Concerning shoes, the law is more complex. On one hand, one should begin with the right side. On the other hand, we learn from the mitzva to tie tefillin<\/em> on one\u2019s left arm, that for all matters involving tying one is to start with the left side. Therefore, one first puts on her shoes, right before left, without tying them, and when tying the laces, she starts with the left and then ties the right (Shabbat<\/em> 61a; SA 2:4). 2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n One who is left-handed and left-footed begins with the right when she puts her shoes an as well as when she ties them. Since lefties tie tefillin <\/em>on their right arms, the right takes precedence for tying as well. 3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n The purpose of these practices is to ensure that everything we do, even a routine act like putting on shoes, is done mindfully and meticulously. After all, everyone puts on shoes every day, and if so, why shouldn\u2019t she do it in the most optimal way? Certainly, the order is not a sine qua non<\/em>; one who puts her shoes on out of order need not take them off to put them on again in the appropriate order.<\/p>\n Through these halakhot<\/em>, the Sages teach us to attribute value to every act we perform. This allows us to grasp all the details of the actions that make up our lives more deeply.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ↩<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n The practice of the pious (minhag \u0125asidim) is to begin with the right side in all matters, because the Torah attributes more importance to one\u2019s right side (as in the ritual of sprinkling the blood of a leper\u2019s guilt offering onto his right thumb and big toe). According to Kabbala, right signifies lovingkindness (\u0125esed), and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-03-04"],"yoast_head":"\n\n