You're Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile

Hey Dapper Dan, Hey Gentleman, you've both got your style, but brother, you're never fully dressed, without a smile...

If you couldn't guess, I'm a musical theater brat. I grew up listening to broadway records and going to local theater productions of, well, just about every musical that came through town. And, when I was old enough, I performed in those shows. Annie was one of my high school productions, and I played one of the Boylan Sisters, who sang in that number.

So, what does Annie have to do with Judaism? Well, actually, there are a lot of things we could link between the show and our religious traditions, but I'm going to stick with the link between this week's Torah portion and that song.

Burt Healy said "you're never fully dressed without a smile", and this week, God insists to Aaron the high priest, that he's not fully dressed without a whole host of items. The high priest's "uniform" was a linen tunic and breeches, covered in a colorful robe which had woven pomegranates and gold bells hanging from the hem. He then would wear an ephod (breastplate) with a belt and shoulder pieces, containing 12 gemstones on the front, and one each on the shoulders. On his head, he would wear a linen turban with a gold head-plate engraved with the words "Holy to God".

Why do you think God wanted Aaron to wear all this? What kind of message do these clothes send to the Israelites? To Aaron himself?

The message of "you're never fully dressed without a smile" seems simpler to answer. The setting of Annie is during the Great Depression,
and the song was meant to inspire a little bit of happiness in the world. If someone sees you smiling, they will feel better, and will probably smile too, and that smile will spread to others. As a result, people will feel happier, even with all of the negativity surrounding them (a timely message if I ever heard one!). Even the orphans get into the spirit of smiling!

But what is God saying by telling Aaron that he's never fully dressed without a whole set of complicated and impressive-looking clothing?

Certainly "impressive" is one reason - the clothing inspires respect. The message of "Holy to God" on the headpiece is certainly a reminder to the Israelites, and Aaron himself, that the role of the high priest is a holy one, and that God is "watching". Of course, in Jewish terms, Aaron's clothes conform to the requirements of tzniut - modesty. And there are probably a number of other reasons you've come up with as well.

My point is not to belabor what Aaron is wearing. What I want to do is discuss what messages our own clothing sends to others.

I am sitting here typing this while wearing a t-shirt and jeans. My t-shirt happens to say "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!". What are my clothes saying about me? Well, certainly the shirt tells you that I went to New York City to see Mary Poppins on Broadway (once a musical theater brat, always a musical theater brat). The t-shirt and jeans combo says I'm being casual and comfortable.

Would I wear this outfit to teach? No way.

Why not? Because in a school setting, this outfit is sending the message that I don't take the school and my teaching seriously. That my comfort in a t-shirt and jeans is more important than my role as a teacher.

I shouldn't have to explain further about clothing and roles. I'm sure you're all used to the concept of wearing business attire at work, suits to interviews, tuxedoes and gowns to a black tie affair, and pajamas to sleep. Everyone is familiar with the long list of occupations and organizations that require uniforms of its members, and why.

But, here's the question. Why do we have all of these messages (both Jewish and secular) that tell us that it is important to be careful of what we wear, but then at the same time, tell people not to judge others by appearances?

Even Shakespeare covers this in Polonius' advice to Laertes in Hamlet:

"Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not express’d in fancy; rich, not gaudy; For the apparel oft proclaims the man..."

"...This above all: to thine ownself be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."

How can one be true to themselves, and yet at the same time adhere to society's structure on how to dress, lest he be judged poorly by others?

Say a college student arrives to an 8am class wearing his or her pajamas. If I were the professor, do I think that this student doesn't
care about my class? Or should I think that the student woke up late, and rather than be late to class, came dressed as is?

The first reflects poorly on the attitude of the student, the second assumes that class is important to the student and gives him/her the benefit of the doubt.

The easy out to this question is to say that both are correct. That Judaism instructs us to be vigilant with our own demeanor and dress, but to easily forgive the faux-pas of others.

But, I'm not content with that answer, because it doesn't answer the question of how to be true to myself while satisfying social expectations.

If being true to myself means being the most genuine "me" I can be, doesn't that mean I should always wear clothing that expresses my personal style? If I am most comfortable wearing t-shirts and jeans, why shouldn't they be acceptable at work?

I have an answer, but now that we've had a few weeks together with most of you simply reading, I want to hear your answers first.

So - go ahead - what do you think?