A (, , or is a brimless Jewish skullcap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish men and sometimes women to fulfill the customary requirement that the head should be covered. It is the most common type of head-covering worn by men in Jewish communities during prayers and by most Orthodox Jewish men at most other times. Among non-Orthodox Jewish individuals, some wear them at most times, while most wear them only during prayer, while attending a synagogue, or at other ceremonies, and others wear them rarely or never.
Etymology The term () literally means "dome" as the kippah is worn on the head like a dome.
The Yiddish term () might be derived from the Polish or the Ukrainian and perhaps ultimately from the Medieval Latin ("cowl" or "hood").Etymonline.com.Gold, David L. 1987. "The Etymology of the English Noun yarmlke 'Jewish skullcap' and the Obsolescent Hebrew Noun yarmulka 'idem' (With An Addendum on Judezmo Words for 'Jewish Skullcap')". Jewish Language Review 7:180–99; Plaut, Gunther. 1955. "The Origin of the Word 'Yarmulke'." Hebrew Union College Annual 26:567–70. The word is often associated with the phrase (), formed from the Aramaic word for "king" and the Hebrew root , meaning "fear".
Another Yiddish term for this garment is or .
Laws and history
In the Hebrew Bible, very little is said about head coverage, besides the Cohanim (priests) who were obligated to wear a turban or hat as part of their Temple service. The Israelites most probably wore a headdress similar to that worn by the Bedouin. Later on, they likely adopted a turban-like headdress more like that of the fellahin, in which a cloth is wrapped around a cap placed on the head, as suggested by ."Head-dress", Jewish Encyclopedia. Yemenite Jews, in later generations, called the wrap around the cap a ."Clothing of the Yemenite Jews" , Chayas.com.
In later centuries, there are testimonies in the Talmud that only the extremely zealous covered their heads regularly, as a sign of respect for God.Shabbat 156b For example, Rabbi Huna ben Joshua never walked four cubits () with his head uncovered, saying "because the Divine Presence is always over my head."Kiddushin 31a However, such behavior was exceptional, and Jewish artwork of the Hellenistic period largely shows men with uncovered heads. In one place, the Talmud prescribes a blessing to be said upon "spreading a shawl upon [one's] head" in the morning;Berachot 60b such covering seems to have been the practice of Torah scholars, or of married men.Kiddushin 29b This practice may have been related to the Roman pileus (worn mainly by commoners and freed slaves); by covering the head, one symbolizes that he is a slave to God.
Later Halachic authorities debate as to whether covering the head at all times is required. According to some authorities, the practice has since taken on the force of law. The Shulchan Arukh rules that Jewish men should cover their heads and should not walk more than four cubits bareheaded.Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 2:6 Covering one's head is described as "honoring God".Shaar HaTzion, OC 2:6. According to the Mishnah Berurah, the Achronim established a requirement to wear a head covering even when traversing fewer than four cubits,Be'er Heitev, Orach Chaim 2:6, note 4, who quotes Joel Sirkis, David HaLevi Segal, and Avraham Gombiner. and even when one is standing still, indoors, or outside.Mishnah Berurah 2:6, note 9, 10. Kitzur Shulchan Aruch ruled that even boys should cover their heads, as they too must be taught to fear God.Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 3:6 In Orthodox communities, boys are encouraged to wear a from a young age in order to ingrain the habit.Be'er Heitev, OC 2:6, note 5. The 17th-century authority David HaLevi Segal argued that as European non-Jews are accustomed to going bareheaded, and their priests insist on officiating with bare heads, this constitutes a uniquely non-Jewish practice. Therefore, he concludes, Jews are prohibited from behaving similarly, and must cover their heads. In a recent responsum, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef ruled that head coverings should be worn to show affiliation with the religiously observant community.
Other opinions were more lenient. According to Maimonides, Jewish law requires a man to cover his head during prayer (but implicitly, not at other times).Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Tefilah 5:5 Isaac ben Moses of Vienna (13th century) wrote that "our rabbis in France" customarily made blessings while bareheaded, though he criticized this practice.Or Zarua 2:43. Other Halachic authorities, like Chaim Yosef David Azulai, hold that wearing a head covering is not required, but is rather a (an "expression of piety", i.e., praiseworthy but not required). For this reason, the Vilna Gaon even ruled that one can make a without a head covering.Biur HaGra, Orach Chaim 8:2 In the 21st century, there has been an effort to suppress earlier sources that practiced this leniency, including erasing lenient responsa from newly published books. Promotional images used by the Orthodox Yeshiva University show board members bareheaded as late as 1954.
In non-Orthodox communities, some women also wear , and people have different customs about when to wear a when eating, praying, studying Jewish texts, or entering a sacred space such as a synagogue or cemetery. The Reform movement historically opposed wearing , but attitudes began to shift in the postwar era, as various social movements encouraged pride in cultural heritage. By the 1970s, the movement had returned to many traditional practices. In the 21st century, wearing a kippah during Torah study or prayer has become common and accepted as an option among Reform men and women.
According to 20th-century rabbi Isaac Klein, a male Conservative Jew ought to cover his head when in the synagogue, at prayer or sacred study, when engaging in a ritual act, and when eating.Klein, Isaac. A Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1979. In the mid-19th century, early Reform Jews led by Isaac Mayer Wise completely rejected the after an altercation in which Wise's was knocked off his head.Scharfman, Rabbi Harold (1988). The First Rabbi. Pangloss Press. Nowadays, almost all Conservative synagogues require men to wear a head covering (usually a ), but in Reform synagogues there is no requirement. However, may be provided to anybody who wishes to wear them.
Types and variation
During the Middle Ages in Europe, the distinctive Jewish headgear was the Jewish hat, a full hat with a brim and a central point or stalk. Originally used by choice among Jews to distinguish themselves, it was later made compulsory by Christian governments in some places as a discriminatory measure. In the early 19th century in the United States, rabbis often wore a scholar's cap (a large saucer-shaped cap of cloth, like a beret) or a Chinese skullcap. Other Jews of this era wore black pillbox-shaped .
Often, the color and fabric of the can be a sign of adherence to a specific religious movement, particularly in Israel. Knitted or crocheted , known as , are usually worn by Religious Zionists and Modern Orthodox Jews.Boyarin, Jonathan. Thinking in Jewish, University of Chicago Press, 1996, p. 51. . They also wear suede or leather . Knitted were first made in the late 1940s, and became popular after being worn by Rabbi Moshe-Zvi Neria.The First Knitted Kippah. Members of most Haredi groups wear black velvet or cloth .
More recently, in specific colors are sometimes worn to indicate political or community affiliation, such as the LGBT community, or in the colors of sports teams, especially football. In the United States, children's featuring cartoon characters or themes such as Star Wars have become popular; in response to this trend, some Jewish schools have banned with characters that do not conform to traditional Jewish values.Lifestyle; "The Yarmulke Is Now a Fashion Item", The New York Times, 23 Sept 1990. have been inscribed on the inside as a souvenir for a celebration (bar/bat mitzvah or wedding). for women are also being made and worn.Living Jewish – Jewish Attire! , Mazor Guide. Retrieved 19 December 2010."California firm offers kippot for women", The Jerusalem Post, 10 July 2005. These are sometimes made of beaded wire to seem more feminine."Ask the Expert: Can Women Wear Kippot?" My Jewish Learning. A special baby has two strings on each side to fasten it and is often used in a ceremony."From baby kippah to Tylenol, Bris Kit has everything but the implement", J. The Jewish News of Northern California, 18 June 2004.
ImageTypeMovement Crocheted Religious Zionism, Modern Orthodox, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism Suede Modern Orthodox, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism Terylene Yeshivish, Hasidic, Haredi, Lubavitch – Popular among Rabbis teaching in yeshivas and seminaries Black velvet Yeshivish, Hasidic, HarediBarring violence, The Jerusalem Post, Yigal Grayeff, 9 February 2006. Satin White crocheted Many Jerusalemites wear a full-head-sized, white crocheted , sometimes with a knit pom-pom or tassel on top. The Na Nach subgroup of the Breslov Hasidim, followers of Rabbi Yisroel Ber Odesser, wear it with the phrase crocheted in or embroidered on it.On New Year, thousands flock to Rabbi Nachman's grave in Ukraine, HaAretz, Yair Ettinger. Bukharan, Traverse City Record-Eagle, Associated Press, 13 April 2008. Popular with children, and also worn by some Sephardi Jews, as well as liberal-leaning and Reform Jews.Kippah Couture, The Forward, Angela Himsel, 29 September 2006. Yemenite Typically stiff, black velvet with a embroidered strip around the edge having a multi-colored geometric, floral, or paisley pattern.
Civil legal issues
In Goldman v. Weinberger, 475 U.S. 503 (1986), the United States Supreme Court ruled in a 5–4 decision that active military members were required to remove the indoors, citing uniform regulations that state only armed security police may keep their heads covered while indoors.
Congress passed the Religious Apparel Amendment after a war story from the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing about the "camouflage " of Jewish Navy Chaplain Arnold Resnicoff was read into the Congressional Record.Congressional Record, 100th Congress, 11 May 1987. Catholic Chaplain George Pucciarelli tore off a piece of his Marine Corps uniform to replace Resnicoff's when it had become blood-soaked after being used to wipe the faces of wounded Marines after the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing."Solarz Passes Religious Apparel Amendment", The Jewish Press, 22 May 1987. This amendment was eventually incorporated into U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) regulations on the "Accommodation of Religious Practices Within the Military Services"."Accommodation of Religious Practices Within the Military Services", Department of Defense Instruction.
This story of the "camouflage " was re-told at many levels,Bonko, Larry. "Rabbi's Camouflage Yarmulke Woven With Tragedy, Heroism", Norfolk Ledger-Star, 13 January 1984. including a keynote speech by President Ronald Reagan to the Baptist Fundamentalism Annual Convention in 1984, and another time during a White House meeting between Reagan and the American Friends of Lubavitch. After recounting the Beirut story, Reagan asked them about the religious meaning of the . Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, the leader of the group, responded: "Mr. President, the to us is a sign of reverence." Rabbi Feller, another member of the group, continued: "We place the on the very highest point of our being—on our head, the vessel of our intellect—to tell ourselves and the world that there is something which is above man's intellect: the infinite Wisdom of God."