Parshas Ki Seitzei: Royal Garb, Designer Clothing & Pajamas

It was hard not to notice. But was he really doing anything wrong? As I was flying to wish my brother Mazeltov, on an airplane, I was sitting next to a fellow who was dressed rather in a laid back manner. Suffice it to say he was going in a. He didn't want to be inhibited by his clothing. He probably would give off the impression that he just rolled out of bed. I think he was wearing a t-shirt that had some character on it, that had the vision of it looking like he was sleeping wearing shorts. He was wearing crocs or uggs. His hair looked like the shaggy dog that the dog can't see out because the hair is in front of its face. He looked like he had just literally turned over, rolled out of bed and now put himself on an airplane, quite underdressed, undignified to say the least. But was he doing anything wrong? I caught myself before I went down this rabbit hole of thought about oh, society is so low these days. Where's all these stately and well dressed individuals with uphats and frocks? And was he really doing anything wrong, though? I don't know. And then I thought further what happens if I was to wear a t-shirt and shorts every day, but make sure to put a check box next to all of the 613 commandments. Would there be any issue with that? I did it and all of the mitzvos probably have a connection with Hashem at some level. So what, I'm not dressed like the chafetzchayim or the chazanesh, but I'm doing what Hashem asks of me. So what's the issue? Definitely there's a new fashionable trend to still wear the white shirt here and all the different yeshivos, but find one that's very comfortable, very laid back and maybe has a t-shirt feel. So we do Embrace. It seems like in some of the circles in my own circles comfort, relaxation. You don't want to feel stuck in your clothing and, furthermore, perhaps it even will help me to learn better and dive in better, and it's feeling better on my arm. So what's the issue? We all want to find the black sneaker that, at least in the yeshiva world, that can be worn at a wedding. You can play basketball in it and also wear it to shul every morning and to yeshiva. So you get one nice pair of black shoes, black sneakers. You're good to go. So everything's kind of casual, kind of go with the flow. Is that an issue? So I didn't really think much. I didn't have any proofs. It still didn't sit well with me. But then a post-it in this week's parasha, followed by a muster schmooze from the Heilige, quite hallowed maskiach of Y'shivas Mir during the roaring 20s. Rebi Ruchum Levavitz came In this week's parasha. It enlightened me and I want to share their perspective and perhaps hear what you have to think. Hashem Elokecha, miss Halech, bekherev, machanecha, parshashki, seitsei, perikchof, gimmel, postertess, vav, did you wish? People are going out to battle and Hashem says that Hashem, your God, is going. Miss Halech is walking, carrying himself, traveling, bekherev, in the midst, machanecha, of your camp, lahatsilcha. So now you will be saved because God's with you and that's kind of like a free power-up. You don't really lose any war when you have Hashem on your side. But also Y'sa'i Vecha L'Fon'echan, god's going to see to it that all the enemies will fall before you. And therefore, vahayah, machanecha, kaddush, make sure that your camp is Holy. V'loy'ira V'chah Eirvah's Dover. You shouldn't see any nakedness. V'chav Machanecha, and you shall turn away from it. So Hashem's here. I mean we already know the song Hashem is here, hashem is there, hashem is truly everywhere. So it shouldn't come as any sort of surprise. But when you really think about it, you read their words critically Whoa, hashem is here, as Halech the carav, Machanecha, god goes in our midst, in our camps. That seems to demand some sort of respect, perhaps some sort of sanctity and holiness to the environment, and maybe that's exactly what the Pusk continues when it says, therefore, vahayah Machanecha Kaddush. The camp should be Holy because Hashem's divine presence is here amongst us. The Gemara in fact gives us cadres, myriads of halachos pertaining to that of. You're not allowed to pray in the proximity of excrement, any fecal human waste. There should not be any uncovered naked animality that has been excreted from the human being. See to it that it is covered. Distance yourself in order to make Abrahah a blessing to speak words of Torah. Vahayah Machanecha Kaddush. God is with us, and there's a significant amount of depth here as to why the human waste represents something that is the antithesis of spirituality. Perhaps it's that there is this concept that the human beings, and specifically Jewish people that have been given the Torah. It's our job to shake off the laws of nature and to rise above the physical, to live a very metaphysical life and every sort of reminder of the slavery that the human body is shackled by, to the laws of nature, and specifically the crowning example of that being the excrement from a human being, the ultimate loss of potential and the loss of moral free will. It makes sense that that should be covered so that there is no Zekher of it. It's our job to remember. No, I have Bechira. I get to choose right over wrong and soul over body, but it seems to come from the idea that Hashem's in our midst, actually shocking that when it comes to the laws of Shabbos and the prohibition of talking about commerce and making business deals for increased profit on Shabbos, it's prohibited. Vdab Erdovor, you can't talk about it, even if you say Nisten, shabbos Gareda, it doesn't help, but you can't think about it. Lahalacha, you could. It's not encouraged, it's not a good practice to take up. It wouldn't start to spread that. But Lahalacha, it's not exactly prohibited. But in this Sugiha, on this topic, when you're in the confines, the proximity of a mother changing a dirty diaper, in which now the baby's fecal waste has the din, something that is impure, yeah, you can't even think of holiness, the whole base measures. If a lotions there, it's got a close because the baby's getting its diaper change. Well, hi, I'm a hanecha Kados. Really remarkable, shocking. I'll sort of think about it in words of Torah Hi, I'm a hanecha Kados, the camp should be holy. And all this comes by way of the conclusion that I said that I am with you, I'm involved in your interpersonal life, I am in your camps. My mash, my mash, kipshuto. Literally, hashem is here, hashem is there, hashem is truly everywhere. Really, it's not a new concept. We say in Halil ha mashbili, liloish basho, maimuva, or it's that the Almighty lowers himself from the heavens To see what's going down here on earth. Furthermore, perhaps you've noticed that we say in really only two times believe in the liturgy that it is revealed before Hashem lift me, he say have a deck. We say it in a share, yotsar Blessing, after we go to the restroom that even in the restroom, it is revealed before the throne of glory that if the body didn't work right, we would basically have no life. Thank you, hashem, that you keep us healthy. And it is awesome, kind of an outline of the brochah. But it we mention the throne of glory, the villain, the gong, points out that Only other mentioning of this is by the hi holidays or shashani yom kipper, and everything is holy by a Jew, from the bathroom to Rosh Hashanah yom kipper. But the only going definitely gives us a significant idea in that talk, in that message, that even in the bathroom, god lowers himself to bring his presence in there with you. I'm a sect of Talmud and the shokhanar tells us that there's certain laws of modesty in the bathroom. Because of that, when you're allowed to expose some skin, and how one won't must clean themselves because Hashem alok ha ha mas, halakh beker ma'achanecha, he's here. You know what else? You know what's more, hither to, when there is somebody that is Holy in your midst, you tend to dress, to act and to carry yourself a bit differently, abur-rachim said. You know, the other day I was going out with the other rabbis of yeshiva smir to meet the Nasi Hamidina, the president of the State, the country. I don't know who it was at that time, but I noticed that we had all, all the rabbis that is, dressed our best, put on the Shabbos garb, give honor to the king, believe the halakh has, even to a nandjewish king. You give Honor, you say shalom, give respect and show dignity, act stately, dress Immaculately and a very imperialistic. So I was thinking, wow, the Shabbos ties the suits pressed, the hats up, all prepared to give shalom. What about the fact that Hashem alok ha ha mas halakh beker ma'achanecha. The Almighty is quite literally In our midst. How do we dov and how do we prepare for all of these different audiences? The goal here of this talk, the objective, is that we should see that Hashem is really here and therefore that obligates that. No, you can't necessarily carry yourself like an individual that just rolled out of bed and they look rather unpolished. But if God's in our midst, more is asked of us. We should at least dress the part as the Nakuda, the point that Rebi Urech makes. What would you do if you were going to meet the president? How would you dress if you're going to a wedding Interesting? Are you dressing up for the Chasen and the Kala? Are you dressing up for yourself or your seem to be giving honor just to the location, the event, basic dignity, the law of the location and the event governs a certain amount of class and the way that one gets dressed. Unbelievable, because Hashem, he lives with us. It's very, very personal. Imagine the Russia Shiva. The rabbi in your town gave a call and said and I'm looking for a place to stay for a couple days. Have any open bedrooms? Yeah, sure, of course, the rubs calling the Russia Shiva's calling. Of course they come over for Shabbat's. It's beautiful. The kids are all dressed Immaculately, everyone's prepared, dad's learning all the time, mom has has become the expert and Chesed. Everyone is up there. They're perfect and best, pristine behavior, trying to give honor and respect to the rabbi. What if the rabbi never left? Just imagine living life with the Russia Shiva in one of the bedrooms upstairs is in your midst, maybe slept on the couch in your living room. Hashem alokah, the God of the world, is literally in our camps. When you look at the way that the great ones of your, of antiquity, of the yesteryear, the great rush, yeshivas, of that of slob, but go and come, you see a certain stateliness, a Regality, not a beard, hair out of place, perfectly polished, the glasses Sitting exactly, perfectly on their nose, with a certain. They carry themselves like, like a God. They carry themselves with covered, seems like they know that Hashem is here. They carry themselves with that modesty, they carry themselves with that Class and definitely it's not by coincidence that a lot of the great ones carry themselves this way. It was just a couple parts years ago, was it last week? I can't recall. But we got a midst of lice is going to do. Even if one is mourning the loss of a loved one, do not Hurt yourself, do not carve your skin, do not cut yourself, do not peel back skin and make bruises. Why? Because bonnet matem, la shem, alokei ham, you are children of the Almighty Rashi says. You know why? There's this connection here where children and we're made in the image of Hashem. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and there were no him, no him. Be beautiful as you represent a cut asparah. Now it's up for us to discuss what exactly is beauty, what exactly is class? But you gotta dress like a mensch of some dignity, cause bon amateh l'ashem alokaihim. Dress like the altar of Slavadka, or at least step up closer to it. Real class, like a high enju. I can't help but think about my late Bubby, my Safda Ann Zuckerman. She was the best. Coming home from Yeshiva and off-shabba, coming home back to Virginia and seeing her. She was a great one. She would always like a great Jewish Bubby. She had endless food, biallies I don't even know, remember what that is or what it is olive oil and the pizza sauce and the chocolate chip cookies. I can see it and she would invite me in. And you want more? No, I had okay. No, you don't like my cookies. No, so have more. Okay, bubby, I'll have more, I'll have more. Fine, but I mean I have to stick in here. She would always say, oh, your Javrus is good. She was a sharp one. She knew. She always spoke her mind, spoke the truth. Is he good enough for you, yeshiva? He's good enough, he's good. She was great Mashkiah, but she had a class about her. I remember her mink coats on Shabbos. I remember her velvet bag that she would carry with her that said Shabbos on it on Shabbos, no plastic bags. My daughter of Hashem, I remember she would walk slowly. You can't run in the streets, eat fork and knife. I could never picture myself standing at a smorgasbord and just grabbing some barbecue ribbon, gnawing off a bite to eat at the wedding. No, I'd imagine. I betcha she would go, put it on a plate, take a seat. She held herself in such close proximity to Hashem with such a regality and such a self-worth. It was brilliant to watch. Where and what can we say about modern society now? It's one of the places that contemporary thought and Western philosophy seems to fight back, push back against and erode by the day that it's all about being casual, being relaxed, because who really cares? And why not? But maybe they forgot Hashem. Okay, I'll miss Halich, I'll be care of Makhanecha. Did you know that Rosh-Shmuel Kamenetzky, the Rosh-Yashiva of Philadelphia, yashiva, a man who knows all of Talmud-Bavli, with Rashi and Tosvos Pneishua off the top of his fingertips and that was only when he was much younger who can imagine what he knows now? He said that in all of my time spent at home I never saw my father, the great Slavudka Talmud, in Rosh-Yashiva, rabbi Yakov Kamenetzky, ever, I never saw him without a shirt on, I never saw him in his undershirt and sitsis I mean sometimes this is a way imagine, never like a father has to go out and put the coffee on or turn off the light, you know, t-shirt and sitsis. Rosh-shmuel never saw Rabbi Yakov without his white shirt on, never, just in sitsis, class, high end, dignified. An important connection to Hashem and the knowledge of Hashem is that the word is a word that is not a word, but a word that is not a word. Truthfully, the Halachos mandate this, based on the Pentecost and Amos, that Hichon le kras al-okecha, that we prepare ourselves to meet Hashem at an even more palpable way during davening, that one isn't allowed to daven barefoot or in some sort of large trench coat that isn't normal to be prayed in. Hichon Sounds like. Prepare yourself to meet Hashem in that real face-to-face type of way, because, definitely and clearly and we're forced to conclude because Hashem is here, hashem is there, hashem is truly everywhere and we should dress the part and carry ourselves with that self-worth and with that reality. Definitely, thank you. It's one of the quickest things to become. History in America Doesn't really matter. I can fly on an airplane. Why does it matter? If I'm just wearing some t-shirt and some shorts, it's all really okay. But perhaps we can say now no, you may just be. You know, like we said, if I wear a t-shirt and shorts and now I'm doing all the 613 mitzvahs, what's the problem with that? Well, maybe la hallacha, there isn't. But maybe I'll never have that realization that Hashem is in my mitts and maybe we'll never become real. It will just be a big book of laws that I'll be carrying out. But if you don't come to the realization that Hashem is here and that there's this very close and personal, intimate connection, well I ask you, what are you left with? So think about how you would get dressed up if you went to see an important person. Think about and look at the pictures of the way that the khosh of the important and significant characters of the European great Jewish world would dress and act and carry themselves. It is clear that they knew Hashem is in our mitts, he is here, he is literally becareful, and that mandate and dictates that certain laws of dignity should be kept. So, stride forth, like my Bubbie, stride forth, carry yourself the altar of Slabadka, like Rabbi Yeruchim Levavitz, like Rabbi Simchre Zisl Ziv Breida, the altar of Kelm. Stride forth, not in a lowly manner, maybe, I'll just say it, thinking that it's class to wear some sort of other designer label, that you're literally just a walking billboard of interlocking H's or G's or whatever their brand is that now you're just some flashing advertisement for them and now you believe that that is actually some level of class. But imagine that some real dignified class, some dignified representation of what a Jewish person is and where. That is your cloak, your garment of kingliness, that's something special. So, yeah, you are the children of Hashem al-Kahcha and, yes, hashem is here. So dress immaculately, dress dignified, dress stately. Repudiate the ways of just constantly keeping everything chill, blasé, you know, just hanging out unceremoniously. No, hashem is here and Hashem is there. And you know what Hashem al-Kahcha has, al-kahcha beker of machanachah, and therefore the haimachanachah kadosh. We dress the part, we act the part and we keep the camp holy.