Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses a unique aspect of ritual impurity relating to a house that has been declared “leprous” (as described in Vayikra 14:35). Vessels, clothes, and utensils which are brought into such a house are rendered impure immediately. However, a person does not become ritually impure until he remains in the home for the amount of time that it takes to consume a half loaf of bread. Apparently, some aspect of dwelling is required for a human to contract this impurity, and the dwelling is defined as this period of time to consume a meal.

Consequently, if clothing was worn by the person, it only becomes impure if he remains in the home for that period of time. Ironically, if he was holding the clothes in his hands, the clothes will be rendered impure immediately as the other utensils that are brought in. The difference being, when he is wearing the clothes, they become subsumed and categorized within the totality of the person, and not a standalone object. Therefore, they are subject to the process of impurity that occurs to the person, which requires remaining in the home for the above stated period of time.

Tosafos (ibid) elaborates on this distinction and explains that even though animals also have coverings and clothing in a certain way, and we see that they are viewed as clothes when it comes to the laws of Shabbos (Mishna Shabbos 5:1), the clothes do not become subordinate to the body. The meaning of clothing for an animal is different than the meaning of clothing for a human. In certain circumstances, animals require different vessels, saddles, even ornaments. In such cases, perhaps they are subordinate to the body of the animal. But the concept of clothing as covering is distinctly human. Therefore, in the case of entry into the leprous house, the clothing that is worn becomes subordinate to the human’s body only, and therefore is only subject to the impurity that the body contracts which requires remaining in the home for a period of time and is not instant.

Humans are unique in the way in which they use clothing to express and maintain dignity and their nature. How did this come to be?

The teleological explanation for clothing is introduced to us from the Torah in 3 stages. First, primordial man and woman are naked without any embarrassment, apparently due to their innocence and lack of sexual lust, as described in Bereishis (2:25). After they eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they now contract an awareness of their sexual desires, and are overcome and embarrassed, and use, literally, fig leaves to cover this up (ibid 3:7). However, this is temporary. Eventually, possibly as a sign of reconciliation, God provides them with “tunics of leather” (ibid 3:21).

On a simple level, the narrative takes us through three stages. Stage one is total innocence, where no clothing is required. Stage two is primordial man’s attempt to compensate and protect himself from overwhelming impulses by covering himself with an immediate and primitive cloak made from fig leaves. And finally stage three, where God provides a more durable, so to speak, manufactured form of clothing, the tunics of leather. The final stage seems to indicate an acceptance and assistance from God to adapt to their new existence within the world. God is saying, “I get that you need to protect yourselves and compensate for the overwhelming new awareness and feelings that you have. I will help you do this with something more sophisticated than hasty and primitive material. I’ll provide you with durable, sturdy clothing.” Meaning to say, I will give you the intellect and the inspiration to adapt and develop better and more sophisticated compensations now that you must live in the world.

Symbolically, clothing represents civilization. In this story, clothing is both an asset and a compensation. Once Man is doomed to live within the material world of desire, physicality and lust, he must create his compensation. First, he grabs something that is immediate, but not necessarily durable. It’s primitive. It’s a fig leaf. But there is a chance to do more. He can manufacture, he can use technology, he can overcome. This is what God offers within the salvation of the gifts of human intellect and divine inspiration. These are the second clothes that he gets, notably at a time where the consumption and the killing of animals is forbidden despite being described as leather (see Sanhedrin 59b and Bereishis 9:3). These leather clothes were truly miraculous and a gift from God.

What happened that man suddenly merited this extra divine inspiration and guidance so that he was able to be granted this new form of covering? One reading might be that it’s all part of the story and is in metaphor. God gave man the intellect and inspiration to adapt and overcome the immediate crisis. First he had primitive clothing and then he developed the technology to do much better. This too is divine inspiration, though less direct and less miraculous seeming; human intellect is itself a miracle. Compare this to the literal text of Devarim (8:18) versus Onkelos’ translation. The verse states, “Remember that it is Hashem your God who gives you the power to get wealth…” However, Onkelos translates it as, “Remember that it is Hashem your God Who gives you counsel to acquire wealth…” Onkelos adds a key word, “counsel,” that is God provides the intellectual inspiration for the person to acquire wealth and success.

That is one way to read it. But the text on a simple level states that God miraculously granted these leather cloaks as a gift. If so, why did they merit it beyond God just being merciful? Bava Metzia (59a) offers a beautiful explanation. When a man gives honor to his wife, he brings blessing to his home. The chronological order of the verses is that Adam recognizes Chavah (3:20) as the matriarch of all living beings. Immediately after that, in the next verse, God provides the leather tunics. The juxtaposition is not an accident. Rather, the Gemara says that in the merit of honoring his wife, blessing came down to his home; Adam was granted the material wealth and success of the durable leather clothing. So too, any man who honors his wife will receive material blessings.

Integrating the metaphoric and Aggadic explanations with psychology, the divine blessings of intellect and technology that allow us to adapt and overcome the vicissitudes and rigors of the material world follow more easily after we build our homes. After we create relational contexts and act with kindness and love toward our spouses to build a loving and emotional context, we will then succeed at greater technological adaptations and benefit from divinely inspired ideas to accrue material wealth and stability.