The angel of Hashem appeared to [Moshe] in a flame of fire inside of a bush.... Moshe said, "Let me approach and have a better look at this awesome sight -- why is the bush not burning?" ...Hashem called to him from within the bush and said... "Remove your shoes from upon your feet, for the place upon which you are standing is holy!"

(Shemot 3:2-5)

Wherever the Divine Presence of Hashem appears, it is forbidden to wear shoes; similarly, Yehoshua was told [by the angel of Hashem that appeared to him], "Remove your shoes!" (Yehoshua 5:15), and the Kohanim (priests) serve in the Holy Temple barefoot.

(Midrash Shemot Raba, end of 2:6)

There are a number of subtle differences between the story of Moshe and the story of Yehoshua, though. First and most obvious, Moshe was commanded to remove "his shoes," while Yehoshua only removed "his shoe" (singular). Second, the verse in Yehoshua continues, "And Yehoshua did so" (i.e., he removed his shoe as commanded). In the story of Moshe and the burning bush, however, we are never told that "Moshe did so." Why not?

The great Shelah (17th century Poland/Israel) poses these questions (Torah shebi'Chetav, at the end of this week's Parasha; most of his words on this subject appear to be based on Rabeinu Bachye's interpretation of this verse). In order to answer them, he delves into the broader subject of why it is at all necessary to remove shoes in the proximity of the Divine Presence.

At face value, removing shoes when treading upon Terra Sancta would seem to be a simple act of courtesy; shoes are often dirty on their undersides, it is inappropriate to bring mundane dirt into a holy place. The Shelah explains, however, that there is a much deeper symbolism to the removal of shoes.

A person commonly wears two types of skin: (1) Shoes, which are made from leather, or the skin of animals; and (2) his own skin. A person's own skin represents the fact that as long as he is flesh and blood, he cannot come to a full appreciation of Hashem in this physical world. Shoes represent the fact that in this physical world, one builds up yet more dividing membranes between himself and Hashem by becoming accustomed to "animalistic" traits and tendencies.

Before approaching the Divine Presence as it appears on earth, one must "remove his shoes," that is, strip himself of these dividing skins. Normally, however, it is impossible to strip one's self entirely of physical qualities. One's skin must remain in place. Therefore Hashem told Yehoshua to "remove his *shoe* (singular)," i.e., just his "outer" layer of skin. He should remove his footgear, symbolizing perfection of his character.

Moshe, however, would actually leave behind all physical qualities, for a time, when he would ascend Mt. Sinai and remain in heaven for 40 days and nights (Shemot 34:28). Hashem therefore asked him to "remove his *shoes* (plural)," implying that he would not only remove his footgear, but Hashem would help him to leave behind all physical qualities as well. However, this was not something that Moshe did immediately, while standing before the burning bush. He did not totally strip himself of physical qualities until he went to receive the Torah on Mt. Sinai, much later. That is why the Torah does not say that "Moshe did so," in the story of the burning bush.

On a deeper level, aside from the fact that the shoe is made of animal skin, the symbolism of the shoe rises from the fact that it is worn on the feet. The feet, the part of the body that is closest to the ground and farthest from the heavens, symbolize the lowest, most physical part of a person's character. The heel of the foot in fact has the thickest skin in the body. It contains lifeless, insensitive flesh (Tosfot, Nazir 51a DH Rekev). Similarly, the shoe is the hardest, thickest piece of apparel that a person wears.

Also, other clothes are worn to grant the human body distinction (Sanhedrin 94a), shoes are only worn for comfort, or to prevent the ground from digging into the feet (Shabbos 61a). For this reason, after thanking Hashem for providing us with clothes we make a separate blessing thanking Hashem for our shoes every morning. Shoes are not included in the category of "clothing"; they serve a more physical purpose than other clothes (Maharal, Devarim 8:4).

The Gemara tells us in Berachot (57b) that if a person sees, in a dream, a deceased person removing something from his house, it is a good sign. However, if the deceased removes a *shoe or sandal* from his house, it is not a good sign, since it implies that someone in the house is destined to pass away. Removing shoes symbolizes the removal of all physical barriers by joining the spiritual and passing away from this world. (This analysis is actually alluded to in the Midrash ha'Zohar, 3:179b.)

If a person dies without children, the Torah prescribes levirate marriage (Yibum) as a manner of "preserving the name of the deceased" (Devarim 25:6). If the levir (= [deceased] husband's brother) opts to forego this option, the Torah requires that a Chalitzah ceremony be performed. The wife of the deceased removes the shoe of the levir in front of a Jewish court (ibid. 25:9). By removing a shoe from the foot of her husband's brother, she is hinting that Chalitzah causes the last physical remnant of her husband to be removed from this world -- that is, it stifles her last hope to establish seed in the name of her previous husband. (See Zohar, ibid.)

When a person loses a close relative, he must observe seven days of mourning during which (among other things) he does not put on leather shoes. Aside from self-affliction, doing so reminds the mourner that his loved one has passed away from the physical realm to a non-physical, spiritual world. At the same time, it reminds the mourner that life has more to it than the physical, and that he should make it his own goal to strive for the spiritual. "It is better to go to the house of a mourner... that the living should take [the inevitability of death] to heart" (Kohelet 7:2).

In a different sense, the strange practice of a Jew who mourned for the loss of the Holy Temple can be explained through our newly-gained insight into the significance of shoes. Eliezer Zeira wore black shoes as a sign of mourning for Yerushalayim and the Holy Temple (Bava Kama 59b). In the Temple, not only was the service of the Kohanim done without shoes, but all who entered the Temple grounds removed their shoes (Berachot 62b). Before entering the spiritually elevated world of the Temple, people had to remove their shoes, as a sign of leaving behind their physical vices (just as Moshe and Yehoshua removed their shoes before the Divine Presence for this reason, as explained above). Eliezer, in order to display that he felt a sense of loss for the Temple, changed his shoes to black in mourning. By doing so he indicated that without the Temple, we do not have the opportunity we once had to be inspired to remove our physical "shoes" through watching the Temple service. (See Parasha-Page, Vayigash 5758 section II.) Our shoes must therefore express our mourning.

In a similar manner, on Tisha b'Av, the day that was designated as a time for mourning the loss of the Holy Temple en masse, we do not wear leather shoes. This is our way of saying that we have taken to heart the barrier that prevents us from properly serving Hashem. We are hoping and praying that Hashem will return to us the Holy Temple, that we may learn to remove the physical barriers and serve Him properly, with all our hearts!