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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION
Siman ב׳ · The laws of getting dressed
Din Levichat Begadim — to discover and understand
סימן ב׳ · ו׳ סעיפים
דין לבישת בגדים
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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A first approach to the 6 seifim: vocalized Hebrew text, clear English translation, pedagogical explanations on tzniut and derech eretz from the moment one rises, with a section of practical cases.
Topic: The manner of getting dressed and conducting oneself upon rising
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן ב' · ו׳ סעיפים
Compiled by: Rav Yossef Haim Samama
DAAT · daattorah.com
📑 Study outline
1. Dressing with modesty — putting on the shirt while still lying down
2. « מלא כל הארץ כבודו » — not saying « who sees me? »
3. Wearing one's garments properly — not turning the inside out
4. The order of the shoes — put on the right first, lace the left first
5. Removing the shoes — take off the left first
6. Bearing and bodily modesty — covering the head, cleanliness
7. Practical cases and comprehension questions
1. Dressing with modesty
Original text (Seif 1)
לֹא יִלְבַּשׁ חֲלוּקוֹ מְיֻשָּׁב (טוּר) אֶלָּא יִקַּח חֲלוּקוֹ וְיַכְנִיס בּוֹ רֹאשׁוֹ וּזְרוֹעוֹתָיו בְּעוֹדֶנּוּ שׁוֹכֵב, וְנִמְצָא כְּשֶׁיָּקוּם שֶׁהוּא מְכֻסֶּה.
English translation
One should not put on his shirt (חֲלוּק) while seated [Tur], but rather he should take his shirt and bring his head and arms into it while he is still lying down — so that when he rises, he is found already covered.
חֲלוּק (chaluk) — the shirt, the body-garment worn against the skin. The halakha teaches to put it on before rising, while still lying under the cover, so as not to be left uncovered upon getting up.
The central idea in one sentence: from the very first act of the morning, one dresses with tzniut (modesty) — not out of embarrassment before a human gaze, but out of derech eretz, because one always stands before Hashem. This is the direct continuation of שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד of the preceding siman.
2. « מלא כל הארץ כבודו »
Original text (Seif 2)
אַל יֹאמַר הִנְנִי בְּחַדְרֵי חֲדָרִים מִי רוֹאֵנִי, כִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ.
Let him not say: « here I am in my innermost chambers, who sees me? » — for the Holy One blessed be He, His glory fills the whole earth (מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ).
The yesod of the siman: even alone, hidden from every eye, a person remains under the gaze of Hashem. The modesty of Seif 1 is therefore not a matter of social convention — it flows from the constant awareness of His presence. This is precisely the מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ already cited by the Rema in the preceding siman.
In practice: a person's conduct alone in his room should not differ from his conduct in public. True tzniut needs no witnesses: it is directed toward the One « whose glory fills the whole earth ».
3. Wearing one's garments properly
Original text (Seif 3)
יְדַקְדֵּק בַּחֲלוּקוֹ לְלָבְשׁוֹ כְּדַרְכּוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא יַהֲפֹךְ הַפְּנִימִי לַחוּץ.
He should be careful to put on his shirt the right way (כְּדַרְכּוֹ, « according to its manner »), so as not to turn the inside out.
כְּדַרְכּוֹ (ke-darko) — « as it should be », the right way round: the seam inside, the front outside. Wearing a garment inside-out is not a dignified manner of dress, and one takes care from the morning to dress correctly.
This detail extends the derech eretz of the siman: a Jew's attire, even in the privacy of rising, should be neat and dignified — not careless, not thrown on hastily.
4. The order of the shoes
Original text (Seif 4)
יִנְעֹל מִנְעַל יָמִין תְּחִלָּה וְלֹא יִקְשְׁרֶנּוּ, וְאַחַר כָּךְ יִנְעֹל שֶׁל שְׂמֹאל וְיִקְשְׁרֶנּוּ, וְיַחֲזֹר וְיִקְשֹׁר שֶׁל יָמִין. הגה: וּבְמִנְעָלִים שֶׁלָּנוּ שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם קְשִׁירָה, יִנְעֹל שֶׁל יָמִין תְּחִלָּה (תוס' פ' במה אשה דס"א).
He puts on the right shoe first — without lacing it; then he puts on the left and laces it; then he goes back and laces the right. Hagahah of the Rema: and with our shoes that have no lacing, one puts on the right first [Tosfot, perek « Bameh isha », fol. 61].
Why this twofold priority? The right (יָמִין) retains its precedence in the act of putting on — we honor it by doing it first. But for lacing, we begin with the left (שְׂמֹאל), out of regard for the place of the tefillin (which are bound on the left arm). Thus both the right and the place of the tefillin are honored.
| Action | Foot | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Putting on | Right first | Precedence of the right (chashivut ha-yamin) |
| Lacing | Left first | Regard for the place of the tefillin (on the left arm) |
| Shoes without laces | Right first | Rema: no lacing, so the right takes precedence (Tosfot Shabbat 61) |
The source: the Gemara Shabbat 61a establishes this order. The Rema clarifies that our modern shoes, without lacing, simply follow the rule of the right: the right foot first.
5. Removing the shoes
Original text (Seif 5)
כְּשֶׁחוֹלֵץ מִנְעָלָיו, חוֹלֵץ שֶׁל שְׂמֹאל תְּחִלָּה.
When he removes his shoes, he takes off the left first.
The reversed symmetry: for putting on, we honor the right (we begin with it); for removing, we begin with the left — so that the right remains shod longer, its precedence preserved to the end. The right is thus honored in both actions.
To remember, right and left:
- Put on → right first (we honor it first)
- Lace → left first (place of the tefillin)
- Remove → left first (the right stays shod longer)
6. Bearing and bodily modesty
Original text (Seif 6)
אָסוּר לֵילֵךְ בְּקוֹמָה זְקוּפָה, וְלֹא יֵלֵךְ אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת בְּגִלּוּי הָרֹאשׁ, וְיִבְדֹּק נְקָבָיו. הגה: וִיכַסֶּה כָּל גּוּפוֹ וְלֹא יֵלֵךְ יָחֵף (א"ז), וְיַרְגִּיל עַצְמוֹ לִפְנוֹת בֹּקֶר וָעֶרֶב שֶׁהוּא זְרִיזוּת וּנְקִיּוּת (הגהות מיימוני פ' ה' מה' דעות).
It is forbidden to walk with a haughty bearing (קוֹמָה זְקוּפָה, an upright, proud carriage); and one should not walk four amot with the head uncovered; and he should attend to his bodily needs (נְקָבָיו). Hagahah of the Rema: let him cover his whole body and not walk barefoot [Or Zarua]; and let him accustom himself to relieve himself morning and evening, which is a matter of zerizut (alacrity) and nekiut (cleanliness) [Hagahot Maimoni, Hil. Deot ch. 5].
קוֹמָה זְקוּפָה — « the upright stature », the proud bearing of one who walks with his head high as though he were master of the place. It is the opposite of humility: recalling the מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ (Seif 2) forbids this posture of arrogance.
| Conduct | Teaching |
|---|---|
| Bearing | No komah zekufah (haughty walk) — humility before Hashem |
| Covering the head | Not walking 4 amot (≈ 2 m) with the head uncovered |
| Attire (Rema) | Cover the whole body, do not walk barefoot (Or Zarua) |
| Nekiut (Rema) | Attend to one's needs; accustom oneself to relieve oneself morning and evening — zerizut ve-nekiut |
The unity of the siman: everything converges toward modesty and derech eretz — covering the body, covering the head, walking with humility, attending to cleanliness. A person begins his day standing with dignity before his Creator.
7. Practical cases
Case 1 — Dressing with tzniut, even alone
Situation: one wakes up alone in his room, no one else is present. Must one really take care in the manner of dressing?
Conduct: put on the covering garments first — ideally, as Seif 1 says, while still lying down, so as not to be uncovered upon rising. And even alone, keep in mind that מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ (Seif 2): tzniut does not depend on the presence of a human gaze.
Case 2 — The order of the shoes in daily life
Situation: one puts on his shoes in the morning. With laced shoes, or without laces, in what order should one proceed?
Conduct: with laces — put on the right without lacing it, put on and lace the left, then go back and lace the right (Seif 4). Without lacing (Rema) — simply the right first. To remove them, begin with the left (Seif 5).
Case 3 — Covering the head and humble bearing
Situation: one moves about the house upon rising, the kippah is not yet on, and one is in the habit of carrying oneself proudly.
Conduct: do not walk four amot with the head uncovered (Seif 6); and according to the Rema, cover the whole body and do not walk barefoot. One avoids the komah zekufah, the haughty walk, and adopts the humble bearing of one who knows he stands before Hashem.
Case 4 — Hygiene and cleanliness of the morning
Situation: before the morning tefillah, one wonders whether there is a conduct to observe regarding the body's needs.
Conduct: the Rema teaches to accustom oneself to relieve oneself morning and evening, out of zerizut and nekiut (Seif 6). Attending to bodily cleanliness is part of derech eretz and of the dignified preparation to stand before Hashem.
Comprehension questions
Check your understanding:
- Why does the Shulchan Aroukh teach to bring on the חֲלוּק while still lying down?
- What does מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ mean, and what is its connection to the conduct « in the innermost chambers » (Seif 2)?
- What does Seif 3 require regarding the manner of wearing one's garments?
- In what order does one put on and lace the feet? What is the reason for the priority of the left in lacing?
- What does the Rema say regarding our shoes that have no lacing?
- In what order does one remove the shoes, and why?
- What are the conducts of modesty and cleanliness taught in Seif 6 (bearing, head, body, nekiut)?
To go further
If you want to delve deeper into this siman:
- 📚 Level 2 — Lamdan: for pilpul, the שיטות ראשונים and the nuances of the Acharonim on the yamin/semol order and kissui harosh
- ✨ Level 3 — Synthesis: for review and quick memorization
- 👑 Level 4 — Daat HaRav (the Alter Rebbe): the shitah of the Shulchan Aroukh HaRav on attire and tzniut upon rising
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סימן ב' · ו׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה
Talmid Chacham · Teacher of shiurim in halakha and Chassidut
סימן ב' · ו׳ סעיפים · Level 1 — Introduction
♥ Support DAAT