Torah's clothing lessons backed by Yale study showing your attire changes how you think

It is in Genesis 27 that Isaac is preparing to pass the torch of Jewish leadership to his son, Esau — who, as the Torah makes clear, is entirely unfit for the role. 

His twin brother, Jacob, despite his shortcomings, is the one capable of carrying the mission forward.

Rebecca, Isaac’s wife and the mother of the twins, sees what’s about to happen and intervenes. (See the video at the top of this article.) 

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She tells Jacob to pose as Esau and receive the blessing in his place. 

Her key instruction? Put on Esau’s best clothes.

Isaac is blind — he won’t see what Jacob is wearing. So why the costume? 

Because Rebecca understands something profound: To act like someone, you first have to feel like that person.

And to feel like that person, you need to dress like that person. 

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The strategy works. Jacob puts on the garments and receives the blessing. 

But the Torah isn’t just telling a story; it’s teaching a principle. It devotes entire chapters later to the clothing of the high priest — describing in detail the colors of the threads, the fabrics, the accessories, even the design of the undergarments. 

These aren’t ritual decorations. They’re instruments of transformation.

The priest doesn’t just look holy. By wearing sacred garments, he begins to feel holy — and that changes how he behaves. 

The Torah understood long before modern science that clothing shapes consciousness.

In 2012, researchers at Northwestern conducted an experiment in which they gave participants a white coat. 

Some were told it was a painter’s coat; others were told it was a doctor’s coat. 

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Those who believed they were wearing a doctor’s coat performed significantly better on tasks requiring focus. 

In a similar experiment from Yale, students in business suits negotiated far more successfully than those who were wearing casual clothes.

Sports fans know this.

It's why football stadiums are full of grown men wearing the jerseys of their favorite player. 

Athletes understand this as well — they know the way they dress affects their performance. 

Psychologists now call this "enclothed cognition" — the idea that what we wear influences how we think, feel and perform. 

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If you’re depressed, you may naturally dress in a way that reflects your sadness — sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt. 

Psychologists have determined that this will only deepen the sadness.

Professor Karen Pine suggests that a sad person should instead dress for happiness, with a well-cut dress made from natural fibers, colors that evoke nature, playful patterns that spark childhood memories — or even pair unexpected items, like a leather jacket over a dress, to engage the brain’s craving for novelty.

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Once again, God was right. 

Clothing isn’t just about appearance or comfort. It’s a tool for shaping who we are. 

When we dress with purpose, we prepare ourselves to live with purpose.

Mark Gerson's new book is "God Was Right: How Modern Social Science Proves the Torah Is True," published by BenBella Books and distributed by Simon & Schuster (June 2025). This article is part of a series featured exclusively by Fox News Digital.