Mazal tov to Rabbi Moshe Hauer, the new Executive Vice
President of the Orthodox Union. A
successful pulpit rabbi from Baltimore, for many years Rabbi Hauer has earned a
reputation as a ‘rabbi’s rabbi,’ having trained and mentored so many
up-and-coming rabbis in the world today.
One idea that Rabbi Hauer likes to share with young rabbis
is his vacation attire. While he admits
that he does not always wear his rabbinic garb when holidaying abroad, he
nonetheless never leaves home without a tie.
Because three times a day, he is obligated to daven (pray). No matter where he finds himself, even if
there are no other Jews for miles around, he will not begin to daven until he
dons his white shirt, tie, and suit jacket.
But, honestly, are all the formalities really so
necessary?
Mishnah: One
should only rise to pray with a reverential attitude. The early pious ones would contemplate for an
hour and then pray, in order to direct their hearts to their Father in
Heaven.
Gemara: What
is the source of this principle? Rabbi
Yehoshua ben Levi taught from here, “Bow to Hashem in beautiful (hadras)
sanctity.” Do not read the word as ‘hadras’
(beautiful), but as ‘chardas’ (reverent). Why must we reinterpret the reading? Perhaps the intent was always actually to
beautify the prayers, just like Rav Yehuda would do. He would dress in the finest attire and
only then pray.
Every occasion has an appropriate dress code. Dinner invitations indicate the manner of
attire the event calls for: formal, casual, smart casual, cocktail, the list
goes on and on. And then once-in-a-lifetime,
you are invited to an event that needs no explanation. When you
open that letter inviting you to dinner at Buckingham Palace or the White
House, you don’t start wondering whether you could get away with a pair of
designer jeans and your fanciest running shoes.
The attire is not stated on the invitation, because it doesn’t need to
be. Everyone knows that you dress in
your finest garments for a meeting of such stature.
If that’s how we would show up to meet a mortal monarch or
leader, it goes without saying that we must be appropriately attired when we
meet with the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He. It’s not that Hashem cares whether or not
your shirt is tucked in. It’s the
attitude you are maintaining towards this preeminent meeting that makes all the
difference.
Many businesspeople have the luxury of not needing to go
into the office every day. Some days
they can work from home, using their computers and mobile phones as remote
office tools. And yet, they will still
put on a suit and tie. Why? Because the clothes maketh the man. Not just in terms of the way others perceive
you, but in the way you perceive yourself.
When you’re dressed in a suit and tie, you suddenly find yourself
sitting more upright in the chair. That,
in turn, leads to a more formal posture and presentation when you make the call
to the potential or current client. Long
before Skype, it was not difficult to discern whether someone was sitting in a
pair of shorts by the pool or wearing a suit and tie behind a desk, simply by
the tone of their voice.
Likewise, when you prepare yourself for prayer by wearing
appropriate clothing, the entire tone of the conversation between you and G-d
changes. You’ve tangibly prepared for
this ‘meeting. You’re now going to put a
little more thought and effort into what you’re saying.
Nobody is suggesting you should adorn yourself in a tuxedo or
ball-gown dress. Your daily
communication with G-d is not meant to be formal and stiff. At the same time, however, it mustn’t be
casual and nonchalant. Rav Yehuda was
able to strike the right balance, ensuring that his prayer attire was ‘beautiful’
and appropriate for the important event called Shacharis (morning service).
Prior to becoming a pulpit rabbi, we lived in Brooklyn, New
York, where it was common practice to have a Shabbos shluf (siesta) and then
not bother to put your tie back on for Mincha (afternoon service). And so, while everyone was still adorned in
their suits, hats, and shtreimels, there was scarcely a tie to be seen for
miles around. As a rabbi, I continued
this ‘minhag’ (norm), thinking little of it.
But after a while, I began to notice that many people would arrive on
Shabbos afternoon in jeans and t-shirts, looking very casual and laidback. I was then that I realized that lowering my standards
of Shabbos-attire had a ripple-effect.
If the rabbi didn’t need to wear a tie, then why should I bother with a
button-down shirt?
Every occasion has its mode of appropriate attire. When the clothes themselves maketh the man, it
obliges you to reimagine the gravity of the moment. May you treat the Shabbos queen with
reverence and respect, and may you greet the King of kings in a state of
beautiful sanctity!
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