Categories: In Print / Halacha & Hashkafa

Is It Proper To Wear Comfortable, Non-Leather Shoes On Yom Kippur?

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October 9, 2024, 2 AM ET

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In the time of the Talmud and even later, those shoes that were made of leather were more comfortable and hence were prohibited to wear on Yom Kippur. Today shoes are made from various materials and conceivably shoes that are not made of leather could be more comfortable that the leather shoes. However, the majority of our Sages nevertheless permit wearing these comfortable shoes not made of leather on Yom Kippur, which is in line with the original prohibition. – Rabbi Mordechai Weiss lives in Efrat, Israel, and previously served as an elementary and high school principal in New Jersey and Connecticut. He was also the founder and rav of Young Israel of Margate, N.J. His email is ravmordechai@aol.com.

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No, it is not proper to wear comfortable non-leather shoes on Yom Kippur – although it is not forbidden per se. Shulchan Aruch rules in accordance with the Rishonim who maintain that the prohibition against wearing shoes on Yom Kippur applies only to leather shoes. At the same time, it is clear that the meaning behind the prohibition is to experience discomfort; it is, after all, an inuy, like refraining from food and drink. Therefore, wearing non-leather shoes that are as comfortable as leather shoes goes against the spirit of Yom Kippur, and it is improper to wear such shoes. The fact that such footwear is not in violation of the letter of the halacha does allow for some leeway, though. For example, someone who regularly wears orthotic inserts can place the (non-leather) inserts into a plastic sandal or the like, and even though the result can be quite comfortable, leaving out the inserts can often cause significant pain, and there is no mitzvah to suffer pain, even on Yom Kippur. – Rabbi Elli Fischer is a translator, writer, and historian. He edits Rav Eliezer Melamed's Peninei Halakha in English, cofounded HaMapah, a project to quantify and map rabbinic literature, and is a founding editor of Lehrhaus. Follow him @adderabbi on Twitter or listen to his podcast, "Down the Rabbi Hole."

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While this is a matter of debate in the poskim and there is room for chumra (stringency), the overwhelming minhag of both Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews in Israel and North America is to be lenient. Many halachic debates are resolved by observing the accepted practice among observant Jews. As the Gemara (Pesachim 66a) says about the Jewish people, even if we are not prophets, we are [at least] the children of prophets and our religious intuitions have a voice. – Rabbi Chaim Jachter is a prominent rabbi who serves as the rabbi at Congregation Shaarei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck, and is a popular Torah teacher at the Torah Academy of Bergen County. He also serves as a Dayan on the Beth Din of Elizabeth and has acquired an international reputation of excellence in the area of Get administration. He has authored sixteen books on issues ranging from contemporary Halacha, Tanach, Aggada, and Jewish Thought all available on Amazon.

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There is an age-old debate as to the basis of the prohibition against wearing leather shoes on Yom Kippur. Many Rishonim contend that as leather constitutes a shoe (some bringing proof from the mitzvah of chalitza) then footwear made from anything else isn't considered a shoe and thus doesn't fall into the prohibition on Yom Kippur. Others argue that it is very much a comfort factor (inuy) and while shoes were once only made from leather, today shoes can be made from other materials and be equally comfortable and should therefore be included in the prohibition. According to Kabbalah wearing leather is reminiscent of the primordial sin committed by Adam and Chava, after which Hashem outfitted them in garments made of skins. So any synthetic shoes would then not be a problem at all. On balance I don't think sneakers, crocs or the like should be a problem. The reality is, it is out of the norm, nowhere near as comfortable as proper leather shoes, is not reminiscent of Adam and Chava's sin, there's plenty of halachic sources who permit it, and it will likely enhance one's kavanah when davening. – Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet is a popular Lubavitch lecturer and rabbi of London’s Mill Hill Synagogue.