Leather Is an Animal's Skin

One Friday night on Shabbat, I asked my Rabbi to pray Refuah Shlemah for me ( the Prayer of Healing). She did; and afterwards Adonai answered our prayer.

I had painful foot disorders. I suffered from blisters, bone spurs, Plantar Faciitus, and Achilles Heel in both feet--and I found it very difficult to walk--but had to walk anyway many miles per day because I was the owner of a dog walking business: Ginzberg/Pets: The Pet Walking/Sitting Business for Dogs and Cats. I tried numerous forms of foot pain treatments: ice, pain medicines, exercises, physical therapy, shoe inserts, doctor visits, etc.--to no avail.

Until one day...I relocated my home to the North Side of Chicago, IL USA and in order to do this I had to temporarily downsize the quantity of my property. I took only a good pair of athletic shoes with me and left all my leather shoes in storage. For three months I have been wearing only athletic shoes made of synthetic materials: no leather.

On the Jewish Holidays of Tisha Ba'av and Yom Kippur, and at a Shiva, we as Jews ritually do not wear leather footwear at all. We do this to respect and honor animals. Leather is made from the skin of a cow. A cow is a holy kosher animal. Adonai created animals on Day Five and Day Six when Adonai created the world.

"Adonai said: 'Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: cattle, creeping things, and wild beasts of every kind.' And it was so. Adonai made wild beasts of every kind and cattle of every kind, and all kinds of creeping things of the earth. And Adonai saw that this was good." ~Genesis 1:24=25.

Adonai commands Jews to treat animals humanely. This is written in more than one of the 613 Commandments that we are taught to uphold.

After not wearing any leather shoes for 3 months my feet improved greatly and are pain-free at the present time. I believe Adonai rewarded me in this way because of my faithfulness to Judaism and because my Rabbi prayed to Adonai for me.

One may ask: Do I miss the slickness, shiny surface and intoxicating smell of polished leather? My answer is no. Because I no longer have the guilt of stepping on a dead animal everywhere I go--and I believe therefore that Adonai has relieved my pain because of this goodness. This is a Torah-miracle in my life!

Todah rabbah, Adonai. [Great thanks.]