Are Crocs in this Yom Kippur? Are socks?

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Yom Kippur certainly produces a variety of footwear. Why do people settle for Converse, paladiums, Nike, Teva sandals and other such footwear? Is this appropriate? What about crocs?!

For a summary, skip to the conclusion below. Otherwise, here is a quick guide through the process of Jewish law to answer our question...

The Sources
The Torah teaches (Leviticus 16,29) that on Yom Kippur, we should 'afflict our souls' - in Hebrew 'te'anu et nafshotaychem'. What though does this actually mean, practically?

According to the Mishna, the great body of Jewish law, in section Yoma 8:1, this verse is the basis for five things that are proscribed on Yom Kippur. They are: 1. eating/ drinking - yes, this is where it comes from! -, 2. bathing, 3. annointing with oils 4. marital relations and 5...something called 'neilat hasandal' in Hebrew.

Today, we'll look at neilat hasandal. We will discuss the others in a forthcoming post. all being well.
Is neilat hasandal to be taken literally and specifically, meaning 'wearing of a shoe or sandal', baring in mind the shoes of the time? Or does it mean a general kind of shoe?

The Explanations
Enter the Rishonim to clarify matters (I am generally loath to use Wikipedia but this is a short Wiki piece that looks fairly accurate). The Rishonim were amongst the most important Rabbis and scholars in Jewish history, including household names like Rashi and Rambam (well, I hope they are household names!). Like lawyers and judges today, they took the primary legislation in the Talmud (the name for Mishna and the Gemara which comments on it), codifying the laws and applying them to everyday situations.

Here is how some of them line up:

1. Rosh, Rambam, Rif suggest that the prohibition is specific. It applies to a leather shoe.
2. Rashi suggests that the prohibition is specific but applies to a wooden shoe - tough one for any Dutch guys reading this!. (Ask me if you want to know why wood).
3. Tosafot and Ba'al Ha'maor suggest that the prohibition is general and applies to anything which is regarded as a shoe, whatever it is made of. This seems to be because on Yom Kippur we reduce our physical comforts.

The Shulchan Aruch, the major code of Jewish law, holds like Rosh, Rambam and Rif, so that leather shoes are not be worn on Yom Kippur, unless they are necessary for medical reasons.

Conclusion
The reason for the profusion of shoes is because leather shoes are proscribed on Yom Kippur. This is because they are considered to be the most elegant and comfortable, generally speaking. Since Yom Kippur is a day which demands self-introspection without external trappings, halacha (Jewish law) gently steers us away from some actions which may distract us from the aims and ambitions of Yom Kippur.

The differing opinions of the Rabbinic jurists also enlighten us as to the nature of this law. A person could wear Nike Air Max trainers on Yom Kippur, but if they do so to feel super comfortable or to avoid the message of Yom Kippur, then they have lost an opportunity that Yom Kippur presents.

Therefore, crocs are in for Yom Kippur as they are made of plastic...as long as they are not bright pink etc! I'm planning to wear mine (with socks, see the postcript).

Converse boots are also in.

Postcript - As a postcript, I think it is preferable to wear socks with crocs on Yom Kippur. Whilst this might be the biggest fashion faux pas of the year, Yom Kippur is not a day for fashion. Wearing socks to cover bare feet shows more respect for the day of Yom Kippur, the sanctuary that we pray in and also might move our comfort level down just a notch to help us get this Yom Kippur message better.
Ps- Yishar Koach (high fives, or 'shkoyach' if that means more to you!) to Rachel S for asking this questions and thanks to Menachem Kagan of http://cbey.org/aboutus.html for his ideas.