Think Big, just saw your long letter now. Don’t have time to respond to all of it, but will at some point. I appreciate your arichus and patience. One point is that that was a gevalidgeh story about Rav Grossman, and that type of behavior is exactly the type I am trying to encourage. Yirbu kmoso byisroel.
To all those quoting the MB about hats. What you fail to see is that the mechaber says even a straw yarmulke is sufficient, but the MB says if the derech to walk in the street is with a hat, then that should be worn. Over and over he says the criteria is what one wears in front of chashuva people. Since hats are out of style today, a hat would seem not to be required. The claim that it is a minhag is incorrect, since the minhag was based on the styles of those times.
Doesn’t Rashi in Shabbos somewhere mention a special suddar (handkerchief) that was worn around the neck only by talmidei chachamim? Is there any reason today that we should revive such a minhag? Clearly not, as dress has changed. Am I a bad American since I don’t wear a long flowing white wig like George Washington used to?
I am not addressing jackets for now, just hats.
Jent, are you serious that you have a problem with the Bar-Ilan CD? All it is is a database of shas, meforshim and poskim. Don’t worry, there is not any secular studies in there.