| A Message from the Kalever Rebbe | |
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| Jewish appearance protects from spiritual challenges | |
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.png/:/rs=w:686) | The Ohel of Reb Meir of Premishlan |
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| "And he made for him a robe of fine wool." (Breishis 37:3) | |
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| The concept of fashion is absurd and illogical. | |
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| Every year a group of designers and marketers - in places like Paris - decide which styles and garments are considered "fashionable" and beautiful. Then, millions of people around the world rush to stores to spend obscene amounts of money on these clothes. They clear out their closest and discard perfectly good outfits from previous year. | |
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| Some of these new style are uncomfortable to even wear! Yet, they dress in them simply because they were told that this is what fashion is that particular year. | |
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| Beyond this absurdity, when a Jew wears the clothes that are fashionable according to the non-Jewish culture, this can cause him spiritual harm. I am not only speaking about the risk that women might dress immodestly. This concept applies to men as well. | |
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| Chazal taught (Sanhedrin 74a): a Jew must be recognizable by his clothing as a Jew, one who belongs to the legion of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. As it is written (Devarim 28:10), "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of Hashem is called upon you." Therefore, one must always wear distinctive garments that differ from the clothing of the nations of the world. | |
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| The Sefoirm HaKedoshim explain, that Jewish clothing, which is meant to increase the honor of Hashem in the world, are holy themselves. Therefore, when one wears holy Jewish garments around his body, he thereby adds holiness to his soul, because the body of every Jew is surrounded by a spiritual light, which is part of the soul within him that shines outward. | |
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| This is this reason that we find, that the kippah, which is worn on the head, and is the most prominent sign of Jews who serve Hashem, has a special segulah for fear of Heaven. As related in the Gemara (Shabbos 156b), that the mother of Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak warned her son in his youth that he should always cover his head in order that he should have fear of Heaven, and this indeed influenced him to overcome spiritual trials. Therefore, it is called yarmulke, which is derived from the Aramaic expression yarei malka—one who fears the King—because it brings a person to fear the King of the world. | |
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| Even from the perspective of human nature, the external Jewish dress guards one's inner self, preventing him from stumbling in matters that are not fitting for a Jew. | |
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| One who wears Jewish clothing, may be prevented from going to improper places, because he knows it would be a disgrace and a desecration of Hashem's Name. | |
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| He also cannot so easily assimilate among the nations of the world, since they regard him as a distinct individual. | |
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| In addition to this, many fashions are created by lowly non-Jews with the intention of creating a sense of frivolity and freedom from morality, and they are specifically designed to attract the attention of others, including people who sin and inspire others to sin, as Chazal taught (Sukkah 26a) "A breach calls to the thief." Consequently, one who distances himself from such garments protects his soul from these spiritual challenges. | |
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| Furthermore, in general, Jewish clothing causes others to relate to him as a Jew, so that they do not offer him forbidden foods or propose other prohibited activities. As a result, he is spared from many temptations. | |
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| Therefore, it is important for businessman to understand this concept clearly. Some people mistakenly think that if they blend in with the non-Jewish culture they will be more successful. They think that "looking" like a G-d fearing Jew will negatively impact their work. | |
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| However, nothing can be further from the truth. A person cannot lose or suffer from fulfilling Hashem's Will. In fact, you can only gain goodness and rewards. Not only rewards in the World to Come, but financial rewards in this world too. In fact, many people want to do business with Orthodox Jews who are pious, honest, and faithful to their religion. | |
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| Jews who are involved with kiruv, bringing Jews back to religion, need to also be careful. The Yetzer Harah sometimes tries to convince them that if they dress more fashionable, if they blend in more with the non-Jewish culture, then they will appear more approachable or have a greater influence on these distant Jews. | |
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| But the truth is, that they are forbidden to abandon their Jewish dress, and they will not gain from doing so. On the contrary, through the power of the holiness of Jewish clothing, they will receive greater Divine assistance to draw Jews closer and to increase the honor of Heaven. | |
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| R' Meir of Premishlan, of blessed memory, explained, that this idea is what we find regarding Yosef HaTzaddik, who would style his hair, in the manner of those around him, who invested in enhancing his appearance according to fashion. He thought this would help him walk in the ways of his forefathers by drawing people closer to him and bringing them closer to the Holy One, blessed be He. | |
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| But in the end, Yosef saw that by doing so he drew the wife of Potiphar toward himself and caused to face an incredibly difficult challenge. Then, "the image of his father appeared to him"—meaning that he understood, that the way of his father who haven't changed his appearance according to fashion, was correct, and that he should not have changed anything of the Jewish appearance in order to bring distant ones closer. | |
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| According to this, one can explain what we find in the verse, "And he made for him a robe of fine wool..." for Yaakov Avinu saw that Yosef HaTzaddik was engaged in bringing distant people closer, and therefore he made for him a ketones passim—a fine, clean white garment without any added colors or embellishments for beauty. The people of the surrounding society, who invested in outward beauty, did not wear such a garment. In this way, Yaakov instructed him to always wear special Jewish garment. | |
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| Accordingly, the intent of the allusion cited by Rashi is understood, that 'passim' is an acronym for P'otiphar, S'ocharim, Y'ishmaelim, M'idyanim. For although over time Yosef found himself among four different nations, each of whom wore different styles of clothing, Yosef HaTzaddik continued to wear at all times the tunic from his father's house. | |
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| Through the power of Jewish dress, Yosef HaTzaddik succeeded in guarding himself from trials, and after the episode with the wife of Potiphar he strengthened himself further to preserve the Jewish form. | |
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| In this, he became a guide for the Children of Israel on how to withstand the trials of Egypt, which was the most licentious of lands. Through this merit, they ultimately merited to be redeemed from Egypt. | |
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| This is a lesson for all generations, that the more your garments differ from the clothing of the nations of the world, the more you are protected from spiritual challenges. | |
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