The Beginner's Guide: Are There Special Rules for Clothing?

1. It is written: "Walk humbly with your G-d." A person should be modest in all their ways: when dressing or undressing, one must be careful not to expose their body, but should dress or undress while covered on their bed. One should not say 'I am in the privacy of my room and in darkness, who sees me?' For Hashem's glory fills the whole earth and darkness is like light before Him.

2. Do not follow the customs of the nations, nor imitate them, neither in clothing nor in hairstyle, and so forth. One should not shave or grow their hair like them, but should be distinct from them in clothing, speech, and actions, just as he is distinct from them in wisdom and beliefs. As it says: "And I have set you apart from the nations."

3. One should not wear expensive clothes, as this leads to arrogance. Nor wear very poor or dirty clothes, so as not to be despised by others. Rather, clothes should be moderate and clean.

4. The right side is important in the Torah. Therefore, when dressing and in other matters, always prioritize the right over the left, and when removing shoes and other garments, remove the left first (as this honors the right).

5. In tying, the left is more significant, because tefillin (phylacteries) are tied. Therefore, when tying shoes with laces we tie the left first: put on the right shoe without tying, put on the left shoe and tie it, and then tie the right, and similarly with other clothes.

6. One must be cautious not to put on two garments at once as this leads to forgetfulness.

7. It is forbidden to walk four cubits or speak words of holiness with an uncovered head.

8. It is forbidden to walk with an upright posture and outstretched neck, as it is said: "They walk with stretched necks," etc. However, one should not excessively bend their head, but rather maintain a moderate posture, so as to see what is before them and also their own footsteps.

9. One should be cautious not to walk between two women.

10. The mitzvah of tzitzit is great, as the scripture equates it with all the commandments, as it says: "And you shall see it and remember all the commandments of Hashem." Tzitzit in gematria equals 600, adding 8 threads and 5 knots equals 613. Therefore, every person should be careful to have a tallit katan to wear all day. It should be made of white wool and sufficiently large, namely three-quarters of a cubit in length and half a cubit in width, and some say a full cubit by a cubit.

The laws are from the halachic book "Kitzur Shulchan Aruch." To read the entire book, click here.