A longstanding custom recorded in the Sefer Chassidim advises against wearing the shoes of a deceased person, although the reason and scope of the practice have been interpreted in different ways throughout Jewish tradition. One explanation links it to a Talmudic teaching that dreams involving a deceased person taking away one’s shoes are considered an unfavorable sign, leading some authorities to discourage wearing a deceased person’s footwear altogether. Others understand the custom as a practical health precaution, based on the historical belief that leather could transmit contagious diseases. According to this interpretation, the prohibition would apply only if the deceased suffered from a communicable illness or died while wearing the shoes during their final illness. A third interpretation reads the original text differently, suggesting that it refers not to shoes worn by a deceased person but to shoes made from the hide of an animal that died of disease, reflecting concern about the spread of illness. Because these interpretations differ, Jewish communities have developed varying customs, and observance of the practice often depends on local or family tradition. The custom illustrates how Jewish law and folklore have historically combined practical concerns, symbolic beliefs, and respect for the deceased in shaping everyday practices.