"Derech Eretz – proper behavior – came before the Torah" [Avot 2:2]. And that is why in the Torah the book of Bereishit comes before the giving of the Torah, because without Derech Eretz there is no Torah (Avot 3:17). The Rambam also wrote Hilchot Dei'ot on general practices and philosophy before the laws of Torah study.
One of the elements of Derech Eretz is the issue of clothing. Some people think that since the most important element for mankind is the internal essence and the actions and that the external appearance has very little importance. Their conclusion is that there is no problem in wearing sloppy and old clothing and that there is no need to make sure the clothing is clean. However, the Torah does not accept this approach.
"And Rivka took the precious clothing of her older son Eisav" [Bereishit 27:15]. It is written in the Zohar: "'A son honors his father' [Malachi 1:6] – this is referring to Eisav. No other man in the world honored his father more than Eisav. Rabban Shimon Ben Gamliel said, All my life I have served my father, but I did not reach a level one-hundredth of how Eisav served his father. I would serve him wearing dirty clothing, but when I went traveling I would put on clean clothing. However, Eisav would only serve his father while he wore royal clothing.
In last week's Haftara we read, "King David was very old, and they covered him with garments but he did not get warm" [Melachim I 1:1]. The sages explained this phenomenon in depth. "'David rose up and cut off a corner of Shaul's robe in stealth' [Shmuel I 24:5]. Rabbi Yossi Ben Rabbi Chanina said: Anybody who humiliates clothing will not derive pleasure from them in the end, as is written, 'David rose up...'" [Berachot 60b]. Rav A.Y. Kook explained the link between the shaming of the clothing and the fact that they would not warm David. After their sin, the Holy One, Blessed be He, dressed Adam and Chavah in garments. The main feature of the clothing is not to keep warm, which is something that happens to the other creatures naturally, using their fur and their skin. Why is man's situation worse than theirs? For man, who was created in the image of G-d, the purpose of the clothing is to enhance the respect for him and to cover his nakedness. This is the main purpose of clothing, and incidentally the garments also provide warmth. A man who disparages the ethical value of clothing is mocking the main factor, and then the secondary purpose of the clothing also does not take effect, and the clothing will not protect him against the cold.
The following was written by the Shelah: "'Cleanse yourselves and change your clothing' [Bereishit 35:2]. Clothing is meant for the body, and keeping the clothing clean will lead to a cleaner body. And a clean body will awaken purity of the soul." [Chapter on letters of the alphabet, Purity].
The Rambam rules, "The clothing of a Torah scholar should be clean, and he must not have a stain or any oil on it" [Hilchot Dei'ot 5]. And Tiferet Yisrael writes at the end of the Mishna of Sotta that the cleaner a person's body and his clothing are the purer will be his innermost thoughts.
In Moreh Nevuchim, the Rambam writes, "you know that the Torah insisted on removing filth even in a camp in the desert, and this is certainly true even in the city... One of the goals of the Torah... is purity and keeping away from dirt and filth, so that man should not be like a beast. Keeping the clothing in good condition and washing the body to remove dirt are also part of the goals of the Torah." [Volume 3, 41).
It goes without saying that we must be very careful with our clothing on Shabbat, "and that your garments on Shabbat should not be the same as the garments during the week." [Shabbat 113a].
