[Avodah] Coat Room Mix-up

[Daniel Israel]

As far as your request for distinctions between the two cases, I can 
think of several.

For one thing, people are more makpid about loaning shirts than coats. 
Shirts are more seen as personal items.  I would readily lend a guest a 
coat.  I'd feel funny about a shirt.

Another is that most people have more shirts than coats.  If I'm missing 
one shirt, I'll just wear another.  I may not have another coat. 
(Actually, in Europe it was possible I had only one shirt, but I almost 
certainly had only one coat.  B'zman hazeh we are more fortunate.)

OTOH, a coat is more valuable.

Of course, s'varas are a dime a dozen, I'm just throwing a few out for 
others to work with or not.

I would point out that this is an advantage of living somewhere without 
an eruv.  At least on Shabbos, you have no choice but to continue 
wearing the coat!

-- 
Daniel M. Israel
dmi1 at cornell.edu