Tzitzis, Advance and Retreat

There are two descriptions of the mitzvah of tzitzis. First, from parashas Shelach (and Qeri'as Shema):

... [T]hey should make for themselves tzitzis on the corners of their garments (bigdeihem) throughout their generations, and that they put on the tzitzis of each corner a thread of blue wool (techeiles). And it shall for you tzitzis, and you will see it and remember all the mitzvos of Hashem... (Bamidbar 15:38-39).

There are a few points I want to stress about this quote:

1- The term for garment used is beged. Hebrew has a number of terms for clothing. That it's called a beged rather than a kesus or a levush is significant. The uniform of the kohanim is called the bigdei kehunah. By saying the mitzvah is on our begadim is to cast the mitzvah in terms of the uniform for a role. (For an analysis of these terms with respect to bigdei kehunah and all the mentions of clothing in Megillas Esther, see "The Natures of Clothing", and with respect to the clothing of Adam and Chava see "Ki Arumim Heim".)

2- The term for the tassel is tzitzis. Tzitzis is actually an agricultural term, it means "sprout" or "small growths". Tzitzis implies human growth. It is associated with the idea in Menachos 39a that "the beauty of techeiles (meaning tzitzis in general -Rashi) is 1/3 gedilim (knotted cords), and 2/3 free."

3- Hashem describes techeiles as a thread of blue wool on the tzitzis. From this phrase, the Rambam and Raavad (as opposed to Rashi and Tosafos, see below) conclude that only one of the strings should be blue. The Rambam defines that as one of 8 string-ends coming out of the knotted portion. The Raavad, that it's one of 4 strings, i.e. two ends are blue. (The Vilna Gaon writes that he is convinced that one of these two positions should be followed, but couldn't determine which.)

From the Rambam's position, R' SR Hirsch explains techeiles as the Jew's higher calling. It is the eighth string, going beyond the six days of physical creation and even the seventh day of the sanctity imbued within this world. It is sky-blue, the primary color most associated with spirituality -- beyond the physical red (adom, red= adamah, earth= dam, blood), and even the green of growth.

The techeiles, then, imposes spirituality on the growth of the tzitzis. As Rav Hirsch describes it, human growth must be expressed freely -- represented by the 2/3 of free-string tassel, but only after it was channeled by that blue thread. )I discuss this idea in more detail in Toras Aish for parashas Shelach.)

4- Hashem gives a motivation and purpose to the mitzvah. It's a mnemonic device to remember not to chase aveiros, and to do mitzvos.

But there is a second presentation in the Torah of the mitzvah. The mitzvah is repeated in Devarim 22:2, to appear next to the laws of shaatnez. This teaches that techeiles, which is definitionally blue wool, is put on a linen garment despite the laws of shaatnez. There the Torah reads:

You shall make for yourself gedilim (cords) on the four corners of your covering (kesusekha), with which you cover yourself.

In this presentation, all three points that I stressed above are different.

1- The term for clothing is kesus, a cover. And in case we missed it, the pasuq continues by saying "which you cover (mekhaseh) yourself in it." As opposed to the uniform of the beged, this is clothing that one wears to hide. The beged is an appointment to a duty, the kesus, a retreat from shame.

2- There is no mention of the free strings of the tassel, only of the gedil, the knotted part. This is in concert with the notion of it being a kesus. There is no emphasis of human creativity and individuality.

3- It's from this pasuq that we learn there are eight ends of strings in each tassel. A gedil, a term for a cord or rope from the root /gdl/ - large, must be more than one string. Gedilim, in the plural, is therefore at least 2 pairs of strings, four in all, or eight ends. In fact, Rashi and Tosafos conclude from this pasuq that there is one gedil of white strings, and one of techeiles, i.e. two full strings (four ends) are blue.

The image of the mitzvah of techeiles, then, is that it's one of man's forces -- with no description to its role in binding and guiding the others.

4- Hashem doesn't say why we should wear it. Gedilim are worn simply because Hashem said so.

In R' JB Soloveitchik's terms, a beged is worn when one is in a state of advance, a kesus, when one seeks retreat. We're not looking at man advancing, but his withdrawing in order to re-aim himself at the higher goal. Thus, we only speak of the gedil, the channeling of forces.

To use another of R' Soloveitchik's models, we can say that Adam I, majestic man, is given begadim with which to accept the responsibility that comes with his ability, and to aim his mastery of the world in positive directions. Adam II, covenental man, is given a kesus with which to hide his needfulness, to help him retreat long enough to find G-d.

Therefore, in Bamidbar, the beged is associated with human creativity, with instructions how to sanctify it, and with a personal motivation for keeping the mitzvah. Whereas in Devarim, the focus is not on our sanctifying ourselves, but in our accepting G-d's role in sanctifying us.

Both relationships are true. As Rabbi Aqiva asked "Before whom do you make yourselves tahor, and Who makes you tahor?" There are times when we should take the initiative, and times when we are unable, and allow Hashem to do it for us.

In general, I'm trying to explore the concept of clothing, of uniform, and the proper use of chitzoniyus(externals). Like it or not, others do form their first impressions of us from our clothes. While we all know it's silly to judge people by their clothing, it happens preconsciously and we can't stop ourselves from forming that first impression. Nor can we change the entire human race from forming such impressions of us.

And there is no neutral clothing. Wearing a black fedora means that people's first impression of you is "he's yeshivish". Not wearing one, though, equally creates an impression, the person will conclude you're not all that yeshivish (assuming you're a man, of course). You're judged in comparison to the stereotype of people with similar clothing. To avoid wearing clothing of any particular subculture marks you as an outsider, an oddball. Etc... But the point is, you're always marked. There is no non-uniform.

The other contrast to a beged is a levush. (I'm using the terms as I see them in Tanakh. When Chassidim call their clothing "levush", it's obviously based on a different understanding of the differences in connotation between the words.) Achashveirosh's royal robes are "levush malkhus". Not begadim, because he wasn't inherently a royal person. Achashveirosh is portrayed in the megillah as a real follower, being lead around by his advisors, a drunkard, and not the swiftest thinker. Begadim help one assume a role. Levush helps look like they are in a role they really aren't.

We often end up viewing ourselves and trying to remake ourselves to live up to our clothing. That's the role of beged, raising our self-image to motivate us to improve. However, without knowing the proper time for begadim, one could try to don a beged only to have it devolve into a levush, a means of fooling ourselves into thinking we are holier than we are.

The key is knowing when is a time for advance, and when for retreat. Knowing that is knowing when we're using chitzoniyus constructively, and when not. But most of us are not in the habit of even noticing the choices we make, never mind working toward improving them. At risk of getting overly repetitive, I see no way of knowing when to don the beged and when the kesus without keeping a daily cheshbon hanefesh.

Modern Orthodoxy, Chareidism, and Mussar

Thinking about it, I don't think the whole Torah uMadah (TuM) vs. Torah im Derekh Eretz (TIDE) vs. "Torah Only" distinctions which have become the borders between our communities are really compatible with Mussar. To simplify, let's phrase the difference between Modern Orthodoxy and Chareidim as basically whether (1) chol is an opportunity whose risks must be mitigated or (2) it is a set of risks that ought to be avoided and only then we can look to see what opportunities remain of what's left. (TIDE and TuM then differ as to what the opportunity is, what one stands to gain from chol, and therefore what kinds of chol are more significant.)

Both are relatively remedial ways of addressing personal challenge. Methods usable for setting communal policy or for someone who doesn't really know himself. However, in a community of people who strive to know themselves and judge each situation accordingly, there is no need to rely on such blanket statements.

The current TuM/TIDE sociological groups do not include a TuM/TIDE plus tiqun hamiddos (repairing one's personality traits. Probably because they are founded on the thought of R' YB Soloveitchik, from Brisk ("you don't need any more Mussar than you get from the Shulchan Arukh"), and R' SR Hirsch, respectively. Modern Orthodoxy sadly collapses into Orthodoxy-Lite for so many of those who affiliate with that community because there is no such introspection. Without that self-awareness, the dangerous gets embraced long enough for the risks to blind the victim to themselves before anyone even thinks to ask the question of mitigating them.

Alternatively, I could say to a yeshivish person that what they need is a different kind of yeshivish, one in which tiqun hamidos tools are used to know when and how to protect oneself from today's degenerating society without missing out on its opportunities. That the currently pursued alternative, retreating into fortresses, is a position for the weak. And weakening the masses engenders the need for further retreat ad infinitum. But the resulting "yeshivish" would be something that is too new to simply fit within the current movement's umbrella.

And in fact, both this new Modern Orthodoxy and new Yeshivish would be identical.

The solution, in my humble opinion, is orthogonal to that whole axis. (Or perhaps I'm just one of the "newly converted" who just got a shiny new hammer and sees everying as nails...)

Charitzus - Decisiveness

The Cheshbon haNefesh opens his discussion of charitzus (decisiveness) by contrasting the human condition to that of a bird. If a bird is caught in a trap once or twice, it will reflexively avoid things that look like traps. The key term is "reflexively". There is no conscious decision process. Everything very Pavlovian. A dog, he continues, operates similarly. A dog is capable of more complicated deductive thought. However, it's still driven by stimulus-response, with no free will between them.

Human beings are unique in that we have the ability to rise above the Pavlovian level. An experimenter can evoke a Pavlovian response from a human subject. We may have animal natures, since we live within primate bodies, but we are not limited to that. We can make purposive decisions. We're free willed, in the image of G-d.

The key to being fully human, then, is to be able to concentrate on that decision-making ability, to focus on what we're doing to the world rather than what the world is doing to us.

Charitzus: To make decisions rapidly enough to be of use yet not simply respond without thought -- and then to stick to the decision to see it through to the end. The art of utilizing one's Image of G-d to be a creative being.

In a lunchtime va'ad that I participate in (in Midtown Manhattan; contact me for more details), we identified four key areas that interfere with our ability to be decisive.

1- Not Having Clear Priorities
Most decisions are difficult because they involve conflicting goals. Different choices would implement differing things, each of which are desirable. We're forced to rank our outcomes to know which we actually prefer. But that's only possible if we have a clear sense of our priorities.

This in turn has two parts:
A- Internalizing the right values: We can learn what are priorities are supposed to be by learning Torah. But to really internalize them, one needs to learn mussar behispa'alus, passionately.

B- Knowing one's own role: As we saw in "Different Parts of the Same Body", the Jewish people have one set of values, but each person brings different skills and personality to those values and therefore has a unique role to play that he alone can fill.

Mussar and self-help overlap in addressing this issue. In "Psyschology and Mussar" I suggest the following distinction. "One presumes that the person is his own best moral guidepost, and therefore the unwanted in one's life is certainly appropriate to eliminate. The other is based on the idea that the Torah describes for us an absolute objective morality. It's our job to study that terrain and live by ever-improving maps of it as we learn more over time." I therefore think it's appropriate to suggest an exercise offered by Stephen Covey in "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People."

Covey (pp 97-97) points out that we choose actions based on their goals. Therefore we should "Begin with the End in Mind".

In your mind's eye, see yourself going to the funeral of a loved one. Picture yourself driving to the funeral parlor or chapel, parking the car, and getting out. As you walk inside the building, you notice the flowers, the soft organ music. You see the faces of friends and family you pass along the way. You feel the shared sorrow of losing, the joy of having known, that radiates from the hearts of the people there.

As you walk down to the front of the room and look inside the casket, you suddenly come face to face with yourself. This is your funeral, three years from today. All these people have come to honor you, to express feelings of love and appreciation for your life.

As you take a seat and wait for the services to begin, you look at the program in your hand. There are to be four speakers. The first is from your family, immediate and also extended - children, brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents who have come from all over the country to attend. The second speaker is one of your friends, someone who can give a sense of what you were as a person. The third speaker is from your work or profession. And the fourth is from your church or some community organization where you've been involved in service.

Now think deeply. What would you like each of these speakers to say about you and your life? What kind of husband, wife, father, or mother would you like their words to reflect? What kind of son or daughter or cousin? What kind of friend? What kind of working associate?

What character would you like them to have seen in you? What contributions, what achievements would you want them to remember? Look carefully at the people around you. What difference would you like to have made in their lives?

This exercise in what you want to accomplish will clarify your priorities. Everything you do should be measured in terms of what role in plays in at least one of those goals.

But again, in order to be mussar, one needs to work within that greater structure of Torah. Knowing what you want to accomplish, what role you see yourself filling, within the Torah's more general mission.


2- Uncertainty of One's Motivations
Everything we do, we do for a mixture of motives. So, we never really know if we're really acting for proper motives, or because our assessment of what it right is colored by ulterior ones (negi'os). This why keeping a cheshbon hanefesh is critical. With it, we get practice in watching ourselves and learn to see patterns in our behavior.


3- Doubt About Proper Tactic
This is a real problem. We can know what we want and ought to happen, but not know which choice is most likely to make it come about. The only productive response is to rely on bitachon, trusting G-d.

Life is like a game of backgammon more than a game of Chess. Even with perfect knowledge and strategy, we can only maximize our odds of success, not guarantee it. Sometimes "mentch tracht und G-tt lacht -- man tries, and G-d laughs." (Or: Man proposes, G-d disposes. Or: "The best laid plans of mice and men....") Whatever we do, even with no real decisions to be made, we can only try our best and rely on Hashem for success. Fortunately, we are only judged on how hard we try.


4- "Getting Distracted by Shiny Objects"
The Cheshbon haNefesh offers an interesting insight about our habit to change our minds. Here we have a constructive use for stubbornness! By doggedly sticking with a plan, we can raise the threshhold necessary to cause us to abandon it. We need to be stubborn enough to bring the process of second-guessing a decision close the bekhirah point, the point Rav Dessler describes as the battlefront where conscious decisions are made. Then we know we changed our minds for solid rational reasons, rather than as a response to a new stimulus.


So, how does one fulfill their potential, to fully be free-willed, creative beings? In short: Know your priorities, know yourself, have the confidence in the Creator and oneself to proceed with whatever is the most likely to work, and do not be distracted.

Perhaps this is the meaning of the famous quote:

Rav Yehudah ben Teima said, "Be as bold as a tiger, and light as an eagle, run like a dear and mighty like a lion, to do the Will of your Father in heaven." (Avos 5:4)

This mishnah is so central to our service that it's quoted as the first halakhah in the Shulchan Arukh!

The boldness of the tiger is necessary to overcome our doubts about outcome.

The eagle sees its destination well in advance. It knows its goal, and rapidly proceeds to them.

"As a hart longs for streams of water, so does my soul longs for You, G-d." (Tehillim 42:2) Unlike the swiftness of the eagle, which can see where it's going and passes through empty skies, the dear stays the course because nothing it passes can distract it from its longing.

Last, the lion is mighty, a gibor. But "Who is a gibor? One who conquers his inclination." (Ben Zoma, Avos 4:1) From the lion one learns to master misdirection from their ulterior motives.

Where then is the humanity? In the need for us to choose and learn these natures. In the animal kingdom, the animal is simply the way G-d made them. We can learn from their example and make ourselves.

Different Parts of the Same Body

We can draw a theme from parashas Bamidbar through the beginning of Beha'alosekha.

In Beha'alosekha, Moshe and Aharon count the Jewish People "according to their families, by their father's household" (1:2), divided by sheivet. Sheivet is defined patrilineally. Membership in the Jewish People as a whole is matrilineal, though. Why? We also find this asymetry in a law mentioned later in that parashah -- pidyon haben. While the father's oldest child gets twice the inheritance of his other children, when it comes to the sanctity of the firstborn, and the need to redeem it, it's the mother's firstborn that is holy.

We see a hint to the difference in a verse, "These are the children of Moshe and Aharon; the children of Aharon are..." The medrash explains that Aharon's children are the children of Moshe, their mentor, as well. (Unlike Moshe's own children, who did not follow their father as their mentor.) Fatherhood is captured by formal education. In fact, the mitzvah of chinukh, formal education, falls only on the father.

Mothers inherently teach, whether they wish to or not. They are the ones home, setting the tone that the children grow up within, the attitudes they absorb preconsciously. Deeper than formal education, the exchange of ideas, this is the exchange of culture, ideals, and values. In fact, a command to provide this education, which would necessitate formal and procedural "teaching" in order to fulfill this mitzvah, would get in the way of the true transmission of the instinctive culture.

The difference is summed up by Shelomo haMelekh: "Shema beni mussar avikha, ve'al titosh toras imekha -- Listen, my son, to what your father gives over, and do not abandon your mother's Torah." It's no coincidence that Chazal tell us "Do not read 'toras imekha' but 'toras umaskha' -- the Torah of your nation." Torah as orakh chaim, as the way the people live.

I analyze this aspect of things in more detail in Mesukim Midevash for Bamidbar. There are two aspects to Oral Torah which affects our understanding of the decline of generations in light of our progress to the messianic era, as well as explaining the need for mussar and the other derakhim that emerged in the late 18th and 19th centuries. I also wrote on this topic earlier, in an entry titled "The Fall of Mimeticism and Forks on the Hashkafic Road".

But here I want to look at what it says about the nature of the shevatim. We all share common values, which is why Jewishness is matrilineal. Our roles, our assigned duties, are those of our sheivet, and since this can be formally taught, it's patrilineal.

Parashas Naso continues this count down into the families of Leviim, and describing their duties.

In his Shabbos morning derashah, R' Ron Yitzchak Eisenman (the rav of my shul), repeated an interesting point he found in a seifer titled Yalqut Shemu'el by R' Shmuel Fine, a rav in Detroit in the 1930s. Among the coverings of the utensils of the Mishkan named when speaking of the duties of the Leviim to carry them form place to place were ones made of the leather of techashim. Tachash is the same kind of leather used in the top layer of the Mishkan's roof. The word "tachash" is difficult to translate. Some, following a comment in Yechezqeil that Hashem made us shoes of tachash leather in the desert, identify it with an aquatic animal, since Bedouins use that to make their shoes. Others translate it as a "unicorn". The Targum Unqelus defines it as "sasgona", which the gemara (Shabbos 28a) tells us is an animal that rejoices (sas) in its many colors (gona). The Tankhuma (Terumah 6) says it has six (sheish - sas) colors. Chazal also say the tachash was created once, just for the Mishkan, which would fit the unicorn or the sasgona. (See Rabbi Nosson Slifkin’s Mysterious Creatures pp. 74-79 for a complete inquiry into the identity of the Tachash.)

The Yalqut Shemu'el asks why the animal used must be one that is sas, rejoices, in his colors. The sasgona is not only a single creature of diverse colors; it takes joy in its diversity! This is a key ingredient to building the Mishkan and in fact of building any qehillah. We shouldn't merely tolerate Jews of other stripes, we should rejoice in their existence. Yahadus is stronger because we have Modern Orthodox Jews who take that Judaism to the streets, Yeshivish ones who are constantly raising the bar on the standards of Torah study, the chassidim who breathed life into America's kashrus industry, the Zionists who secured for us a homeland and the anti-Zionists who insure we don't worship it as an end in itself. Within the four amos of halakhah we need multiple expressions.

The tachash is not only identified with the sasgona, but also the unicorn. A kosher animal that had one horn, one qeren. "Keren" also means pride or power. As we say in Shemoneh Esrei "The sprout of David should sprout soon, and he will lift his qeren for your redemption." The tachash is not simply a plurality, it's a union of disparate parts, a synergy to make one greater force, one inseparable being.

We must learn to look at other forms of Torah observance as "different parts of the same body". Not to be tolerated despite their differences, but loved because of them. All come from the same toras imekha, the same basic worldview, values and aspirations. We differ, as did the shevarim, in mussar avikha, in the formal layer of education after that, where we learn our roles and where we fit in that greater mission.

This was the message Hashem gave Aharon in the beginning of parashas Beha'alosekha. Chazal write that when the heads of the shevatim brought their qorbanos (listed at the end of Naso), Aharon, whose role included being the head of Levi, was pained at not being able to participate. Hashem comforted him by pointing to the story of Chanukah. The chanukas habayis, the consecration of the Beis haMiqdash, by Aharon's descendents the Chashmona'im, was greater than the offerings of the nesi'im. Why?

Each of the nesi'im brought what was physically the same offering. However, each offering was distinct in intent. The Ramban itemizes the allusions each nasi could find in the same offering that relate to his particular tribe, to his particular ancestor. The offerings were colored by mussar avikha, by each sheivet's particularist role.

Aharon is then told, "When you cause the menorah [flames] to go up, toward the face of the menorah its lamps should burn." The menorah has one central trunk, from which emerge six branches. The flame atop each branch must point toward the middle. Each branch is a different wisdom, a different skill-set. They all emerge from the same basic Torah, from the mother-taught values that define our Jewishness. It is Aharon's job to remind us that they also must be channeled back toward that central core.

We all work toward a common goal. Knowing that each of us are unique, bringing unique thoughts and abilities, unique perspective and educational background, leads us not only to realize the full value of our own part in the greater whole (no man is "just another brick in the wall") but to treasure the contributions of others because they are so different than our own, and bringing something to the whole that we can't.

Attributes of G-d

When we describe an attribute of G-d, we can't mean "attribute" in the normal sense. If we said that G-d has properties that are not His essence, we would be saying He is divisible. Therefore, the Rambam takes these "attributes" to be one of two things: 1- descriptions of how G-d relates to man, or 2- descriptions of what He isn't.

Rav Saadia Gaon divides the Rambam's first category further. Hashem's actions are those we associate with given attributes, so we are really describing his actions. However, Rav Saadia allows for attributes of the relationship itself. Rachamim (mercy) can therefore describe either our perception of His actions, that they are actions we associate with merciful people. Or, it is an attribute of the G-d-man relationship. But this distinction is rather subtle, and not picked up by the Rambam.

In the Rambam's first category, we find such terms as Rachum (merciful), Chanun (kind, generous), Go'el (redeemer), etc... In the latter, there is Unity, Omnipresence, Omnipotence, Omniscience, and the like. The Rambam explains (Moreh I 58):

It has thus been shown that every attribute predicated of G-d either denotes the quality of an action, or... the negation of the opposite. Even these negative attributes must not be formed and applied to G-d, except in the way which, as you know, sometimes an attribute is negative in reference to some thing, although that attribute can naturally never be applied to it in the same sense, as, eg, we say, "This wall does not see."... Thus we say the heavens are not light, not heavy, not passive and therefor not subject to impressions, and that they do not possess the sensations of of taste and smell; or we use similar negative attributes. All this we do because we do not know the substance.

There are two ways to understand "infinite." Either we mean transfinite, large without end. Like the number of integers or the number of real numbers. The other is that the concept related to that limit is meaningless for the subject we are discussing. In the case of the unknowable, the Rambam insists that the second usage is intended.

The Rambam addresses Aristotle's opinion that the universe is infinitely old by denying the meaning of an infinite regress.

In Aristotle's and the Rambam's thought, the idea of a "completed infinity" had too many paradoxes. Instead they dealt with the "potentially infinite". Rather than saying X is infinitely large they would say that X is larger than any finite quantity you may happen to choose. For any finite sized rock, HQBH's strength is greater. That's a weaker claim than saying He has strength of limitless size. The latter also has the bigger problem of making Hashem divisible -- Him, and His Strength.

When we say that He is Omnipotent we don't mean that He has infinite power, rather that "potency" is not a meaningful concept with respect to G-d. Unfortunately, I can not even explain the previous sentence, which is why things are stated in their traditional forms.

Similarly, if we were to ask "where is '1+1=2'?" there are two valid answers, "everywhere" since "1+1=2" is true throughout the universe, and "nowhere" since the concept of location does not apply to mathematical truths. The Rambam clearly indicates that G-d's infinity is to be taken in this second sense. Thus it is true that G-d is everywhere, yet that he is also remote, in heaven - location is meaningless.

Ki Arumim Heim

"And the snake was [more] arum than all the animals of the field..." (Bereishis 3:1)

In this pasuq, "arum" is variously translated. JPS has "subtle". Others have "sly", "cunning", and the like. In Iyov (5:12), Elifaz describes Hashem as One Who "annuls the thoughts of arumim". In these contexts, it would appear that being an "arum" is no compliment. But in the very next pasuq in Iyov (v. 13), it is attributed to Hashem, who "overtakes the wise in ormah"! And in Mishlei (12:16), "A fool -- in the moment his anger will be known; but the arum covers an insult." The word "arum" describes a kind of wisdom that isn't entirely negative.

Then we get further in the story of Gan Eden, and after Chavah and Adam eat from the fruit, "Their eyes were opened and they knew they were eirumim." (3:7) Same root, but in this case the translation is consistently "naked".

Another point that confused me about the story is the choice of word used for garment when Hashem dresses them. There are a number of such words: "beged", which is the same root as "bagad", to spy; "kesus", a covering... The latter in particular would have been the more obvious choice. They were ashamed of their nudity, so Hashem covered them. However, HQBH chose to call the garments "kasnos or" (v. 21), "leather tunics". The next time we encounter the concept of a "kusones" is in the garments made for kohanim (Shemos 28:4). Hashem gave Adam and Chavah uniforms, something that implies a mission and a station. This isn't simply a response to physical nudity.

Our rabbis retold: Yisrael are dear, for HQBH surrounded them with mitzvos; tefillin on their heads, tefillin on their arms, tzitzis on their clothing, and mezuzos on their doorposts. Of these [King] David said, "Seven times a day do I praise You by Your righteous laws." (Tehillim 119:164). When David went to the bathhouse and saw himself arum, he said: "Woe is me, that I stand arum without a mitzvah." But when he remembered the milah in his flesh, his mind was set at rest. After he left, he gave song, as it says "For the conductor, on the eighth [lit: an eight-stringed instrument, but intended here to be milah, the eighth mitzvah] a song of praise of David." (12:1)
- Menachos 43b

To be arum is to have wisdom, but no mitzvos, no higher goal to which to set it. The snake was arum in this sense. The wise person who Hashem frustrates is one who abuses that wisdom, plotting how to do something better off undone.

Chavah and Adam ate from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and suddenly they realized they were arumim. They realized there is such a thing as having a higher calling as opposed to wasting one's life in frivolity. No longer was a life of "working and protecting" (c.f. 2"15) the garden sufficient. In full realization of their ability to create, they had a need to produce, to properly channel their knowledge.

Hashem removes them from Gan Eden, from a position where one can live on dependency, and needs only to preserve what was given. Instead, He gives them kusnos or, uniforms for a life of creative service.