Leather shoe made in accordance with Jewish law for performing "Mitzvat Chalitzah" [removal of shoe under Levirate law]. [Mid 20th century].
The Talmud and "Poskim" [adjudicative literature] contain many laws pertaining to a “Chalitzah" shoe. [For summary of laws of shoe see: Talmudic Encyclopedia, volume 15, pp. 722-752]. We will note, for instance, several Halachic details pertaining to this shoe: a shoe stitched with linen cannot be used for "Chalitzah" and according to majority of "Rishonim" all the shoe’s stitches and laces must be made of leather [therefore, buttonholes and hooks are made of leather]. Shoe must fit foot tightly and not be tattered [i. e., it must wrap the foot well and not be easily removed]; therefore tying straps are added. The shoe itself must be made of black leather and tying straps of white leather. Shoe should be crafted to fit right foot [to prevent mistakenly removing shoe from left foot]. Many other pertinent laws are stated in "Shulchan Aruch" and in" Poskim".
Each "Beit Din" must own a "Chalitzah" shoe and it is one of the objects which "Dayanim" must possess as mentioned in tractate "Sanhendrin" [7B]. Shoe must belong to brother of deceased childless husband and "Beit Din" grants him the shoe as a gift which he later returns. In fact, a "Chalitzah" shoe is rare, since very few "Batei Din" deal with "Chalitzah" whose laws are numerous and complex.
The Halachic tradition of craftsmanship of a "Chalitzah" shoe provides an authentic historical source of preserving the structure of shoes as crafted and stitched during period of the "Mishna" and earlier.
Maximal size: 30 cm. Height: approx. 23 cm. Very good condition.