Jewish Fashion for the High Holy Days(TBZ)

An outer garment is called levusha, which is an acronym for lo busha, which means no shame, as one who is clothed is no longer ashamed. A broad outer garment is called gelima, an allusion to the fact that, by wearing it, one is transformed into an amorphous golem-like figure, as his limbs are indistiguishable. A beautiful coat is termed golta, which is an acronym for geli ve’eitiv, which means reveal, remove the coat, and only then I will sit, so that the coat will not get dirty.

(7) In the morning he would wear Pelusian linen worth twelve maneh; at dusk, Indian linen worth eight hundred zuz, the words of Rabbi Meir. The Sages say: in the morning he would wear [garments] worth eighteen maneh and at dusk [garments] worth twelve maneh, altogether thirty maneh. These [costs] were [borne by] the community, and if he wanted to add [to them], he would add from his own [assets].

They say about Rabbi Elazar ben Harsom, that his mother made for him a kutonet worth two thousand [maneh] but his brother-priests would not allow him to wear it because he appeared to be naked. Could you really see [through the fabric]? The Master has said it was a six-thread weave! Abbaya says it was like seeing wine in a glass. [ie the silhouette was visible]

Our teachers say: a rich person, a poor person, and a wicked person come to face judgement…..

And to a wicked person they say “Why did you not occupy yourself with Torah?” If he says “I was good looking and involved with my yetzer.” They would say “Were you better looking than Joseph?"

It’s said about Joseph HaTzaddik that every day the wife of Potiphar would seduce him with words [/things.] The clothes she wore in the morning she would not wear at night [ie she wore different ones] and those she wore at night she would not wear in the night.

She said to him “Surrender to me!” he said “No!” She said “I will put you into prison!” He said “God frees the bound”. She said I will bend you over”. He said “God straightens the bent”. She said “I will blind your eyes.” He said “He gives sight to the blind”.

She gave him a thousand silver bars if he would sleep with her, to lie with her, to be with her. But he didn’t want to listen to her, to sleep with her in this world, to be with her in the world to come.

Hillel is found obligating the poor, Rabbi Eliezer ben Harsom obligates the rich, and Joseph obligates the wicked.

Rav Huna said: If one has new garments into which they could change on Shabbat, they will change into those garments; and if one does not have garments into which they could change, they lets their garments hang down before Shabbat to beautify themselves in deference to Shabbat as it used to be the custom of wealthy people to wear their clothes loosely. Rav Safra strongly objects to this: Doesn’t this appear as haughtiness? The Gemara answers: Since every day one does not do so, and now in honor of Shabbat one is doing so, it does not appear as haughtiness. Rather it is apparent that one is acting in deference to Shabbat. On a related note, the Gemara cites what we learned with regard to the following passage: “If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, from pursuing your affairs on My holy day, and you call Shabbat a delight, the Lord’s holy day honorable, and you honor it by not going your own way, from attending to your affairs and speaking idle words” (Isaiah 58:13). The Rabbis derived from the words “and you honor it” that your dress on Shabbat should not be like your dress during the week, as Rabbi Yoḥanan would refer to his clothing as my honor, indicating that appropriate clothing is a form of deference. The words “going your own way” mean that your walking on Shabbat should not be like your walking during the week. “From attending to your affairs” means it is prohibited to deal with your weekday affairs and to speak about them on Shabbat. However, affairs of Heaven, i.e., those pertaining to mitzvot, are permitted. “And speaking idle words”