שולחן ערוך אורח חיים ב:ג-ד
יְדַקְדֵּק בַּחֲלוּקוֹ לְלָבְשׁוֹ כְּדַרְכּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא יַהֲפֹךְ הַפְּנִימִי לַחוּץ. משנה ברורה: ויראו תפירות המגונות ואמרי החלוק. סעיף ד: ינעול מנעל ימין תחלה. משנה ברורה: שכן מצינו בתורה שהימין חשוב תמיד לענין בוהן יד ורגל ולכל הדברים שמקדימים הימין להשמאל
Outer Action The Shulchan Aruch teaches us that one should be careful to wear his clothing properly, without turning them inside out. The Mishnah Berura explains that this is because we don’t want the seam and stitchings of the clothing to be on the outside. In addition, when putting on your shoes, put the right shoe on first, although you should tie the left shoe first. The Mishnah Berura explains one should always give precedence to the right side before the left. (One should put his right arm into his sleeve first, and so on.)
Recap In the previous article, we learned that our clothing does more than simply cover the body. Just as clothing surrounds us physically, it also represents the holy makifin that surround our neshama, giving us the aspirations to grow in our avodas Hashem while protecting us from the makifei d’klipah that want to surround us with unholy aspirations. With this understanding, we can now appreciate several practical halachos in a deeper way.
Inner Intention
Just as our clothing surrounds our bodies, it also represents the makifin that surround our neshama. Every morning Hashem gives us a new day with a new avodah, together with new makifin that draw us toward spiritual growth.
This is the deeper meaning of dressing the right side before the left. The right side represents Hashem’s light as it manifests in the world, while the left side represents man’s actions. As we begin a new day and “dress ourselves” with our makifin, we first clothe the right side to remind ourselves that Hashem is the One Who accomplishes everything. So as I prepare myself for a day of serving Hashem, I am reminding myself that even as I act, it is not me; it is all Hashem. Our job is to become the proper vessel to receive His light and reveal Him in the world.
The ohr always comes before the kli, so we get dressed from the right side first. This is an important message to remind ourselves of as we start our day of avodas Hashem!
The same idea helps us understand the halacha to not wear our clothing inside out. Clothing is made to fit a person properly, and so too every person has his own makifin, the exact spiritual aspirations and lights that belong to him at his present level. Sometimes a person reaches for an avodah that is beyond where he is holding, causing him frustration and despair that he isn’t able to reach it yet. Other times he becomes so overwhelmed by the awareness of Hashem’s Presence that he feels he no longer needs to act at all, telling himself, “It’s all Hashem, anyway, so I don’t need to do anything!” In both cases, his makifin have become unbalanced.
When clothing is turned inside out, the seams are exposed, showing that the garment is not sitting on the person the way it was intended. Spiritually, this reminds us that our makifin should fit us properly. Being careful to put our clothing on the right way therefore reminds us to maintain the proper balance in our avodas Hashem.
This understanding also sheds light on two clothing-related practices. It explains why we wear simpler clothes as pajamas when we sleep. While we sleep, our primary avodah is one of bittul (nullification before Hashem), and not active spiritual growth. We still cover ourselves from the klippos, but we do not need the same expression of active makifin that we do during the day.
It also explains why one should change into fresh clothing each day. Every day brings a new avodah and new makifin. Putting on a fresh set of clothing reminds us that today is a new opportunity to connect to the spiritual aspirations Hashem is giving us today, and to bring them into our lives.
Moment of Mindfulness
As you put on your clothing (putting on the right side first, and making sure it isn’t inside out), think: “Hashem, thank You for giving me the exact makifin I need for today’s avodah. Help me receive them in the right way, remembering that You are the one really orchestrating everything, but at the same time I have a role to play in being a vessel to spread your light.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 95.