Q. Hello Rav, I'm wondering if there is a problem of davening without shoes on? I've been in a few situations recently where there was a minyan in a house Motzei Shabbat and its winter in Toronto, so no one is wearing shoes inside the fancy house and they gather a minyan to daven Maariv and no one is wearing shoes.
I was once in a similar situation where the host regularly had a Maariv minyan at his home and he had slippers for everyone for davening. Obviously in our society, its preferable to have nice shoes on for davening, but do the feet need to be covered for davening M'ikar Hadin? (such as in this situation when you really can't avoid this minyan and you also can't put your shoes on in their house)?
thank you!
A. As mentioned in the above question the wearing of shoes in shul and during davening, has undergone a historical transformation.
Shulchan Aruch (O.H. 91: 5) rules that one should not enter a Shul with and uncovered head or feet, if the custom in that place is not to do so in front of great people. Mishna Berura (12) adds not to daven with boots on if the common practice is not to do so in front of leaders. (see also Maharam Mintz 38, Rashbash 285 and others)
Oruch Hashulchan (O. H. 151:9): rules “And there are Muslim lands where they go to the synagogue barefooted, but this is not a good custom, and they learned this from the Muslims, and it should be abolished”.
Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit'a opinion is that, as mentioned in Mishna Berura it all depends. If one would receive and encounter guest of importance while wearing the clothes and shoes one is, he can daven and enter Shul with them on.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller and Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit'a
Important Numbers
