Rav Elyashiv: Crocs Not Permitted Footwear On Tisha B’Av

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rav-elyashiv2On Tisha B’Av it is assur to wear leather shoes. Crocs are synthetic and do not contain any leather. However there is a Machlokes between Rashi and the Rambam if wooden shoes that are not wrapped in leather, are assur on Yom Kippur because since you cannot feel the ground they are like shoes even though they don’t have leather. The Shulchan Aruch (614:2) paskens like the Rambam who says that it is permissible while the Mishna Brura (5) says we should be Machmir like Rashi.
On one hand, Tisha B’Av is not as stringent as Yom Kippur, which is Min HaTorah, so maybe we need not be machmir. On the other hand, Crocs are worn by millions of people as shoes every day of the year. The Gilyon Halacha U’Maaseh asked the leading poskim their opinion.

Rav Elyashiv said that since Crocs are worn all year round you are not permitted to wear them on Tisha B’Av. Rav Moshe Shternbuch said that while technically you may wear them, on Tisha B’Av it is better not to. Similarly Rav Nissim Karelitz and Rav Meir Brandsdorfer held that it is not assur but Yirei Shamayim should not wear them.

{Matzav.com Newscenter/Revach.net}


19 COMMENTS

  1. Yes, Accordingly sneakers with a stiff bottom is also assur. It’s even worse than crocs because it hugs your feet. Don’t bother looking whether there is leather.
    But R Moshe did wear sneakers by Mincha on Tishe B’Av.

  2. What is the source of this Psak? Rav Elyashiv knows how to write when he wants to. Who or what is the “Gilyon Halacha U’Maaseh”?

  3. Thanks Matzav for posting it. I just called my rov to clarify and he said not to wear them. He said that Yom Kippur is even more chamur against wearing them than Tisha B’Av but one shouldn’t wear them Tisha B’Av either.

    I guess I’ll just have to wear my sneakers.
    It pays always to clarify with your rov either way.

  4. To Shia, I just called my rov again to ask about sneakers and he said they are ok, since they’re soft and you feel the ground.
    But to Simcha, sorry I didn’t ask him about the pink crocs 🙂

  5. I’d like to see the psak in writing, that is his own handwriting!

    All too often these pakim are misquotes!

  6. Each one should ask his Rov and whatever he says is the emesdik halacha – period. When I did ask my Rov, as a result of this news item being posted, he pointed to his feet and said I would see the same on Yom Kippur. He went on to tell me that he had looked into the issue when Crocs first came out.

  7. i think i remember some pics of a chassidishe rebbe being e-mailed around in his white crocs (prob photoshopped) on motzai yom kipper

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