Hat and Jacket for Prayers

The Aish Rabbi Replies

The common practice of many segments of the Orthodox community to wear a black hat today, especially for prayers, is a combination of Jewish law (halacha) and societal norms.

In terms of halacha, we are obligated to dress respectably when we pray. The verse states: “Prepare to meet your God, Israel” (Amos 4:12). The Talmud (Shabbos 10a), taking this phrase out of its simple context, derives that we must properly prepare ourselves before we pray, recognizing that we are about to stand before the King of kings. We must therefore dress as we would if we would be standing before an important person. This does not mean we must dress in our absolute best finery, but that we dress in a dignified manner – certainly not in shorts, swimwear, a robe, pajamas, etc. We must also wear socks and shoes (in societies where such is considered respectable dress – Shulchan Aruch O.C. 91:5). Several authorities describe the appropriate dress as how a respectable person would be attired while walking in public.

(Note that all of the above is referring to our daily prayers – and in particular its central components – Shema and Shemoneh Esrei. For brief prayers and blessings we say throughout the day, such as blessings on food, it is sufficient to be much more minimally covered.)

In terms of a jacket, the Gemara we cited above illustrates the principle of “Prepare to meet your God” with a sage who would fully dress and “wrap himself” before praying (see similarly Shulchan Aruch 91:6). The apparent meaning is that he wore an extra layer during prayers. Recent authorities recommend that this best be fulfilled with a dress jacket (Laws of Daily Living, Vol. 1, p. 69).

What about a hat? R’ Avraham Danzig (1748-1820), the head of the rabbinical court in Vilna, in elaborating these laws, writes that one must pray wearing a hat – in the manner he would walk in the street (Chayei Adam 22:8). Mishna Berurah (91:12) follows this ruling, adding that we would never stand before an important person not attired in a hat. More contemporary authorities have noted that such arguments hail from a time in which a hat was considered proper attire – a mode of dress which went out of fashion in the 1960’s (see e.g., Laws of Daily Living, Vol. 1, p. 70). Nevertheless, in many religious circles such “fashions” have remained in practice until today – in part to maintain past traditions, and in part so as not to allow non-Jewish standards to determine proper Jewish dress. (There are also Kabbalistic reasons to have two coverings on one’s head, in particular during prayers.) Thus, in many Orthodox circles, hats and jackets are still very much in practice. Not only are they worn for prayers, but as a general mode of dress they are still very much de rigeur.

There is a final interesting halachic consideration regarding wearing a hat. The Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 98:4) writes that prayer is akin to bringing an offering in the Temple, and that just as the Temple Priests wore special clothes, so too a person should preferably have a set of especially nice garments to change into for prayer. (He admits that such would be beyond the means of many.) Thus, wearing a hat for prayers would be a way of fulfilling the custom of wearing a special garment for prayers.