Q&A: Regarding Wearing Shorts During Prayer
Regarding Wearing Shorts During Prayer
Question
Hello Rabbi, I am somewhat familiar with the rulings that one should wear long pants, and I agree that it is preferable and ideally required. But I saw that you wrote here: https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%AA%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%94-%D7%9E%D7%9B%D7%A0%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A7%D7%A6%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%A4%D7%9B%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%9D/
that a person who is used to always going around in shorts is allowed to pray that way, so I have a few questions:
1. The Shulchan Arukh, etc., mention only local custom and respectful dress according to that, whereas you write according to a person’s own habit.
2. What about a case like mine: I am in a yeshiva high school, so there I wear long pants, but in the evenings and on weekends I always change into shorts, and during summer vacation I wore shorts every day without exception. Am I allowed to wear shorts for prayer? (Obviously it isn’t really forbidden; the question is whether it is completely permitted—while of course long pants are always preferable—or whether one needs to wear long pants.)
Answer
- Indeed. It is more accurate to say that this depends on what is customary in that place, not on the private individual.
2. If you (that is, in your place) also go dressed that way in respectable settings, then it is permitted.
Discussion on Answer
The Haredim really do wear every day what others call Sabbath clothes.
I don’t have a clear line to give you. Do what your common sense tells you. I think a family gathering is a good benchmark. Standing before a king is not a reasonable criterion for something done three times a day.
Thank you very much
The problem, in my opinion, is that we are influenced by the world around us. For example, from my perspective, in an “ideal” world everyone would wear shorts, because there is really no reason why not, but in practice, since people expect you to wear long pants in certain cases, you are forced to do so.
In my opinion, it doesn’t matter why that norm took root. As long as that is the norm, that is what is binding for prayer.
1. What counts as a respectable place? Anything I would do/go to, I would go in shorts, but when there is some kind of event I would wear Sabbath clothes altogether (long pants). If I went to a meeting with a minister or the prime minister—which is the example people like to give nowadays—then it would depend on the situation; I might wear either long pants or shorts. For a non-festive family event with my sister-in-law’s family, I really might change into long pants rather than shorts, and beyond that nothing special—but even that depends on the situation.
2. Sometimes this whole business of wearing long pants feels a bit hypocritical to me, because if you really want to wear what you would wear before a human being, then everyone knows it wouldn’t just be long pants but full Sabbath clothes altogether.