I find it disconcerting how many of the elementary courtesies are ignored by many in Orthodox Judaism. For instance, picking your nose in public. It’s widespread among my Orthodox friends.
Historian Marc B. Shapiro writes:
…R. Eliezer Melamed – who really is a great halakhic scholar – writes that picking one’s nose in public is forbidden.”
There might even be enough material for a booklet dealing with the halakhot related to picking one’s nose. I know some of you are laughing right now, but I am entirely serious. See also R. Israel Pesah Feinhandler, Avnei Yoshpeh, vol. 5, Orah Hayyim no. 71, who discusses if it is permissible to pick one’s nose on Shabbat.
See also R. Ovadiah Yosef, Yabia Omer, vol. 5, Orah Hayyim no. 30:
ואתה תחזה שע”פ האמור יש להעיר עמ”ש הגאון מהר”ח פלאג’י בס’ רוח חיים (סי’ שכא סק”ב וסי’ שמ סק”א), ובס’ כף החיים (סי’ ל אות קה), שיש להזהיר לאלה שמקנחים צואת החוטם (ובפרט כשהיא יבשה), שתולשים עי”ז כמה שערות, ואע”ג דדבר שאינו מתכוין מותר, היכא דפסיק רישיה יש להחמיר
There is also the issue of phlegm and hatzitzah that has been dealt with by many. It is interesting that halakhic sources regard putting one’s finger in one’s ear the same way as in one’s nose (e.g., in discussing if you have to wash your hands after this), while contemporary mores sees the latter as being in much poorer taste.
The other things that bother me are cursing in shul, chewing gum in shul, not covering your mouth when you cough, showing up to shul when you’re sick and infecting others, picking up food in kiddish and then putting it back, shoving in the kiddish line, taking your shoes off and spraying your feet for athletes foot in the shul…
