(condensed from Ein Ayah, Berachot 6:52)

Gemara: A talmid chacham should not go out with patched up shoes. Is that so? Didn’t Rabbi Chiya bar Abba go out [that way]? Mar Zutra the son of Rav Nachman said: The problem is with a patch on top of a patch.

Ein Ayah: It is proper that a complete person not be to drawn to feelings of beauty to the point that he is enslaved by them and unable to bear something that lacks charm and external beauty. If that happens, then the aesthetic sense, which was given to him to enhance his life, broaden his mind, and bring joy to his spirit, will turn into a source of depression, for when his sense of aesthetics is not reached, he will be troubled and disappointed.

On the other hand, one should not betray the tendency toward beauty to the point of erasing this important feeling. After all aesthetics can elevate the spirit and prepare man to know truth and true honor, as it can play significant role in knowing Hashem and enjoying His goodness and grandeur.

Rav Chiya bar Abba reached the following balance. He went out with patched shoes to show an element of not caring and certainly not being enslaved by the pleasant desire for beauty. Yet, he did not go out with patches on patches, which would have openly robbed aesthetics of a place as something of use and value. The two opposing messages he sent led to a path of moderation.