New Fabric Shoes or Old Leather Shoes for Mourning in Shiva
This question and answer were automatically translated using our trained AI and have not yet been reviewed by a qualified rabbi. Please treat this translation with caution.
go to original →
Question
A mourner who does not have fabric shoes, is it preferable for him to buy new fabric shoes during mourning, or to wear leather shoes?
Answer
It is preferable to buy new fabric shoes, and it is good to let someone else wear them first if possible.
Source
Responsa Halachot Ketanot, Part 2, Siman 139: "There is a doubt regarding fabric shoes called 'g' afinis', if they are made new from new fabric, whether it is permissible to wear them for the first time on Tisha B'Av: it is possible that since it is only a reminder of mourning, it is permitted, and it is good to wear them on Yom Kippur, and one who is stringent will be blessed". In practice, it seems that it is permitted in a case of necessity to wear them new, since they are worn due to the mourning.
If it is possible to give them to another to wear, it is certainly preferable.