That the prohibition against
leather shoes is really a prohibition
against comfort — rather than
stemming from some ritual prob-
lem with leather itself — is dem-
onstrated meticulously by Dr. Ari
Zivotofsky of Bar-Ilan University
in an article featured in Jewish
Action magazine in 2011.
Zivotofsky cites a wealth of
legal writings beginning with the
Talmud that address the problem
of what type of shoe ought to
be worn on Tisha b'Av and Yom
Kippur. The masters of the Talmud
variously sported shoes of bam-
boo, reeds or palm branches, or
wrapped simple pieces of cloth
around their feet. Maimonides
advised that whatever shoes are
chosen should be flimsy enough so
that the wearer feels virtually bare-
footed as they walk. In a similar
vein, the Ba'al HaMaor, a contem-
porary of Maimonides, includes
within the category of prohibition
any shoe that is especially protec-
tive of the feet.
Although many Jewish com-
munities continue to "sidestep" the
sneaker contradiction, some con-
temporary authorities have issued
rulings intended to rescue the
spirit of the law. Zivotofsky notes
the opinion of Rabbi Yaakov Ariel
of Ramat Gan, Israel, who adds to
the prohibited list any non-leather
shoe that one would commonly
choose to wear day in and day out
for their comfort, i.e. sneakers and
other leisure footwear.
Other legalists such as Rabbi
Chaim Kanievsky and Rabbi
Moshe Sternbuch uphold the "pro-
tectiveness" approach, expanding
the prohibition to any material
construction that functions as well
as leather.
On the other side, Rabbi Shlomo
Zalman Auerbach manages to
resolve the problem more leniently,
asserting that all modern people
fall under the Talmudic category of
istinis, roughly meaning "persnicke-
ty:' In Rabbi Auerbach's view, given
our very low tolerance for physical
discomfort, banning comfortable
non-leather shoes on Tisha b'Av and
Yom Kippur would be tantamount
to unnecessary cruelty.
Wishing all a mindful and
meaningful fast this Yom Kippur,
and remember: don't judge anoth-
er man's shoes until you've walked
a mile in them.

Yad Ezra

Feeding Hungry Jewish Families

Please join us as we celebrate the 24th anniversary
of Yad Ezra, the kosherfood gantry feeding
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Anita and Robert TC Waftaly,

honorees

Carol and Paul g-loo6erman, judi and
Dinner Co-chairs

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Seminary of America. He can be

reached at bkagedan@gmail.com .

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248-583-2476 EXT. 267

1949110

September 25 • 2014

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