One may not go on out Shabbat in a single shoe. If people start mocking him, he may be tempted to take if off and carry, which is forbidden. However, if he has a wound, then it is allowed, because he won't take the shoe off. Which foot has to be wounded, the one with the shoe or the one without it? Those who hold that the shoes are mainly for protection say that the shoe is on the foot with the wound, but those who hold that the shoes are mainly for comfort will say that the shoe is on the healthy foot.
Rabbi Yochanan said that there is a connection between shoes and tefillin: just as arm tefillin is work on the left arm, which shows its importance, so too one should put on the left shoe first. However, there is a contradictory general rule that the right should always take precedence. Therefore, one should try to behave himself according to both views. How can this be accomplished? He puts on the right shoe first, but when he ties them, he ties the left shoe first.
Health amulets were popular, and they either had the names of God in various combinations or contained special herbs. One may not go out on Shabbat with such an amulet, but if it is from a proven amulet-writer and has already cured at least three people, then this is part of his attire, and it is allowed.
Art: John George Brown - Shoeshine Boy Smoking
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