¿Wrap Yo Self or Naw?

One example of the above is the following: "The early wise men said: Anybody who becomes angry can be compared to one who worships an idol" [Hilchot De'ot 2:3]. What appears in the Talmud is, "One who shatters vessels in his anger can be compared to one who worships an idol" [Shabbat 105b]. Where did the Rambam see that this statement is true about "whoever becomes angry"? And just who are the "early wise men"?

Rabbi Reuven Margaliyot, the first director of the Rambam Library, was nicknamed "the minister of the Zohar" in view of his great expertise about this book. The edition of the Zohar with his notes "Nitzutzei Zohar" is a treasure trove of comparisons and references from the Zohar to all parts of the Torah. Rabbi Margaliyot wrote a series of articles on the subject of the link between the Rambam and the Zohar which were published in the journal "Sinai" in the years 5713-5714 (1953-54). With respect to the above halacha about anger, Rabbi Margaliyot shows sources in the Zohar, the Tikunei Zohar, and in Zohar Chadash (Midrash Ne'elam), in the Torah portions of Bereishit, Korach, and Pinchas. In all, he gives six sources where the phrase quoted by the Rambam appears.

Various modes of behavior are reserved for Torah scholars and the pious. When an ordinary person adopts manners of behavior associated with the righteous, he gives the impression that he, too, is part of that elite group. This is a classic case of yuhara, which Chazal forbade in a number of places.

• Shut Mahari Beruna (96) rules that it is forbidden for somebody who does not have rabbinic ordination to wear his tzitzis over his clothing. He adds that not only is this practice arrogant, but it is even bizarre, and should therefore be avoided.

Besides the concern for impersonating a Torah scholar, and the prohibition of yuhara in adopting stringencies where the general community is lenient, an additional category of yuhara applies to stringency in the presence of a Torah scholar who acts leniently.

• Citing from Mahari Abuhav, the Beis Yosef (Orach Chaim 11) notes a certain concern over the validity of the tzitzis we wear (concerning the number of strings), and suggests wearing two tzitzis garments, or making two sets of strings. The Beis Yosef writes that this should not be done, concluding that “one who is stringent on himself concerning this matter demonstrates arrogance.”

This example does not relate to an act associated with Torah scholars or the pious, but to a particular stringency in a matter that others are lenient. When the general community is not particular about a certain stringency, a person may not adopt the stringency, thereby demonstrating his ‘superiority’ to everybody else. This principle is mentioned in Teshuvos Ha-Geonim (Emmanuel, no. 161): “Because others do not refrain from this matter, and he refrains from it… it demonstrates yuhara.”

Having said this, it is important to note (as Teshuvos Ha-Geonim does) that the concern for yuhara applies only to non-obligatory stringencies. When it comes to a halachic obligation that the general public does not carry out (for whatever reason), a person should not have any concern about possible arrogance, and must fulfill the obligation irrespective of general practice. This principle is mentioned by a number of early authorities concerning the wearing of tefillin (see Ittur, Tefillin), and by the Maharil (Mezuzah 1) concerning affixing mezuzos to all doorways in the house.

So in conclusion:

There are two paths to take; if you hold like the Tur and Ramma, then there is definitely no cheiyuv to wear a tallit at mincha. The Tur and Ramma obviously interpret the gemara at face value. Explaining that one should wear nice clothing when you Daven. (At what times and what is considered nice clothing can be discussed later).

The second approach is the Rambam; he interprets the gemara to mean one should wrap himself in a tallit when he davens. BUT it's not that simple. Firstly, there are two ways to interpret this ruling the Rambam brings down. One can say that acc. to the Rambam it is a halacha to wrap yourself in a tallit during prayer, OR its just a stringency that enhances your experience. Secondly, the people that should do this, acc. to the Rambam, are talmedei chachamim, not us ordinary folk, but acc. to the Kef Hachayim he actually means ordinary people as well.

Rav Amital - Commitment and Complexity Page 41 - 30

I hear of Yeshivot Hesder where the students don tefillin for Mincha Prayers. Tefillin add holiness. Halakhically this practice is not arrogant or otherwise inappropriate; in fact, technically, the opposite is true. Bit I belong to a different generation. I have been fortunate enough to pray with some of our Gedolim: Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rav Yitzchak Weiss (author of Minchas Yitzchak), Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer and Rav Aharon Kotler, and I never saw any of them recite mincha wearing tefillin. No one in the previous generation would have considered wearing tefillin for Mincha when the Gedolim did not, despite what the technical halkha may suggest. Thirty years ago, I was told by Rabbi Bergman, the son in law of Rav Schach and a close disciple of the Chazon Ishe, that he once decided to build a sukka according to all the specifications of the Chazon Ish: a sukkah without any nails. On the eve of Sukkot, he suddenly thought, “How can I have a ‘mehudar’ sukka when my grandfather did not?” He

immediately took some nails and fastened them into his sukka.

Yuhara in Private

The sources above appear to demonstrate that there is no concern for yuhara where a person is in his own private domain. As noted, there is no concern for yuhara in refraining from work on Tisha Be’Av, because others will assume that the person has no job. This implies that the matter of yuhara is a public issue, and depends on the onlookers’ perception.

Shut Divrei Yatziv (Orach Chaim 173) thus rules that somebody who does not wish to rely on the local eruv is permitted to do so, even when the general community does rely on the eruv. His refraining from carrying cannot be perceived as a stringency, because it is possible that he simply has nothing to carry, or that he is in fact carrying in his pockets.

In the same vein, if there are others (who are not Torah scholars) who are partner to the stringent practice, one who acts stringently will not be prominent, and once again the concern of yuhara will not apply. This principle is ruled by the Beis Yosef (Orach Chaim 24) with regard to holding one’s tzitzis during kerias shema. Although the practice was initially reserved for the most pious, and for others to do it was considered arrogance, “today, when some [ordinary] people have adopted the practice, it is no longer yuhara.”

In the light of these sources, it appears clear that the concern for yuhara is only when a person does something before others (in public, or in front of Torah scholars). The concern cannot apply where a person does something only in private.