What is Kippah or Yarmulke?

Submitted by Gail Drutman on Tue, 12/04/2018 - 10:13

The kippah, also called a yarmulke or skull cap, is worn ,in general, by Jewish men. It is a common Jewish symbol and literally means a dome. Wearing a kippah in public shows the world that you are Jewish. In the past the kippah was made from plain black material but nowadays it is made with a variety of colors, designs and materials. When looking to buy kippot (plural for kippah) you can

find crocheted kippot with a colorful array of designs, the famous white Breslev kippot, the traditional black kippot worn by the ultra-orthodox and many other designs and styles. It has become accepted that the type of kippah worn shows the different “sect” of Judaism that you affiliate yourself with, whether it is ultra-orthodox, modern orthodox or traditional. The kippah is worn throughout the day.

There is no actual commandment to wear a yarmulke but there is a requirement for men to cover their head as a sign of respect before God. One school of thought is that the kippah was worn to distinguish the Jews from their non-Jewish neighbours. The priests, the Kohanim, had to cover their heads before entering the Holy Temple. It is worn as a custom to show that we respect and remember God and all of His commandments. In Judaism, when a custom becomes something which is accepted by all the Jews, it becomes a halacha, a religious law and therefore

must be followed. There is no blessing for wearing a kippah.

Head covering for men is mentioned in the Talmud in Shabbat tractate it says “Cover your head in order that the fear of heaven may be upon you." From this, the rabbis derived that one may not walk more then four cubits, about two meters, without wearing a kippah. When King David went up the Mount of Olives to cry before God, he covered his head. There is the well-known story in the Talmud about a rabbi who almost became a thief but his mother insisted on him wearing a kippah which in turn reminded him of his commitment and respect to God and he was saved from a life of crime. From the time a boy turns three, it is customary to start teaching him about wearing a kippah. When walking into a synagogue, cemetery or

another holy place, men put a skull cap on their head as a sign of respect. This practice of covering one’s head at all times is accepted by the orthodox society. When welcoming a baby boy into the Jewish faith in the ceremony of the brit milah, some have the tradition to put a small white silk kippah on the baby’s head. Conservative and Reform Jews also wear a kippah but in contrast to the Orthodox Jews, they do not wear black kippot but rather they wear knitted kippot.

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