What Not To Wear?

The high holidays are just around the corner. For many people, this is the only time during the year that they will attend synagogue. One of their biggest concerns will be, inevitably, what to wear. If your synagogue is anything like the places I’ve been, here’s what you’ll see:

Trying to make the best impression on those they haven’t seen in a while, most women will wear chic but demure suits. Some will try to get away with dresses that are a bit too short or too tight. Men will be in their best tie and shirt combo, frequently picked out by their wives. And some older woman will walk in with a feather hat so high, the people in the row behind her can’t see the bima.

In yesterday’s Jerusalem Post, Linda Maurice wonders why the attire for services isn’t more colorful and less rigid:

But does “appropriate” attire only mean suits, jackets, button-down shirts, ties, stockings, and so on? Does it say anywhere in the Torah that prayer should not be a happy and perhaps “colorful” experience? (MORE)