The Loosed Shoe

Reading:   Deuteronomy 25

It was customary among the Israelites that if a man were to die without a child to carry on his name, the brother of the man would take his wife as his own and the first child would be named after the brother who had died.  Now, in that rare case (maybe it wasn't rare), where a man refused the wife of his deceased brother, a charge would be filed by the widow and the brother would face the elders...

DEUTERONOMY 25:9-10

9 Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house. 

10 And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed. 

Wow, this is a serious piece of doctrinal debate in the jewish community and though it is not something commonly practiced, the ritual of "Halizah" does still occur.  I read several articles, including a lengthy explanation from Wikipedia, about different ways in which the ceremony is performed and it is all fascinating stuff.

In the modern era the ritual is deemed more a formality to release the widow from her brother-in-law then what it was originally designed to achieve - a means to disgrace the brother-in-law for the selfish unwillingness to carry on the name of the deceased.

I don't know, it's an interesting discussion but the finer points and details that are debated in relation to such a simple guideline seems extreme and doctrinal overkill.  The bickering amongst the leading scholars of Rabbinical law over "The house of him that hath his shoe loosed," is a grand waste of intellect and the individual right of personal revelation.  Why does the voice of God have to be relegated to scripture when there are modern prophets capable and actively receiving revelation today.  If I have a question or concern I could bring it to my spiritual leaders or I could study, ponder, and pray for the direction and revelation needed to progress.

Why get hung up on the riddle of a shoe?

~Kipling