| Kippah | |
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A kippa is the word for the cap, and is a religious cap that Jewish people wear as respect to God. |
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| Halakhic texts relating to this article: | |
| Torah: | None |
| Babylonian Talmud: | Shabbat 156b and Kiddushin 31a |
| Mishneh Torah: | Ahavah, Hilkhot Tefilah 5:5 |
| Shulchan Aruch: | Orach Chayim 2:6 |
| * Not meant as a definitive ruling. Some observances may be rabbinical, customs or Torah based. | |
A kippah or kipa ( /kɪˈpɑː/ ki-pah; Hebrew: כִּפָּה or כִּיפָּה; plural: kippot כִּפוֹת or כִּיפּוֹת), also known as a yarmulke (i/ˈjɑrməlkə/ yar-məl-kə or /ˈjɑːməkə/ yah-mə-kə from Yiddish: יאַרמלקע), kapele (Yiddish: קאפעלע), is a hemispherical or platter-shaped cap, usually made of cloth, often worn by Orthodox Jewish men to fulfill the customary requirement held by some orthodox halachic authorities that their head be covered at all times, and sometimes worn by both men and, less frequently, women in Conservative and Reform communities at times of prayer.
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There is considerable debate among the Halachic authorities as to whether or not wearing a Kippa is required by law.[1]
Jewish law dictates that a man is required to cover his head during prayer.[2] Originally, wearing a head covering outside of the synagogue for Orthodox males was a custom.
Today, according to some halacha authorities it has since taken on "the force of law" because it is an act of Kiddush Hashem.[3] The 17th-century authority David HaLevi Segal suggested that the reason was to distinguish Jews from their non-Jewish counterparts, especially while at prayer.
The Hid"a (Rabbi Hayim Yosef David Azulai, Israel, 1724–1806) ruled that wearing a Kippa is not required by law but is instead as a "Midat Hasidut" (measure of piety), rather than a strict requirement.
Others, however, including the Taz (commentary to the Shulchan Aruch by Rabbi David Ben Shemuel Halevi, Poland, 1586–1667), held that nowadays wearing a Kippa is required according to the strict Halacha.[1]
Other halachic authorities like Ovadia Yosef rule that it should be worn to show affiliation with the observant community.[4]
The Talmud states, "Cover your head in order that the fear of heaven may be upon you."[5] Rabbi Hunah ben Joshua never walked 4 cubits (2 meters) with his head uncovered. He explained: "Because the Divine Presence is always over my head."[6]
According to the Shulchan Arukh, Jewish men are strongly recommended to cover their heads, and doing so, should not walk more than four cubits bareheaded.[7] Covering one's head, such as by wearing a kippah, is described as "honoring God".[8] The Mishnah Berurah modifies this ruling, adding that the Achronim established it as a requirement to wear a head covering even when traversing less than four cubits,[9] and even when one is standing still, indoors and outside.[10] Kitzur Shulchan Aruch cites a story from the Talmud (Shabbat 156b) about Rav Nachman bar Yitzchok who might have become a thief had his mother not saved him from this fate by insisting that he cover his head, which instilled in him the fear of God.[11] In many communities, boys are encouraged to wear a kippah from a young age in order to ingrain the habit.[12]
The argument for the kipa has two sides. The Vilna Gaon says one can make a berakhah without a kippah, since wearing a kippah is only a midos chassidus (exemplary attribute). Recently, there has been an effort to suppress earlier sources that practiced this leniency, including erasing lenient responsa from newly published books.[13]
According to Rabbi Isaac Klein's Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, a 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.[14] In the mid-19th century, Reformers led by Isaac Wise completely rejected the kippot after an altercation in which Rabbi Wise's kipah was knocked off his head.[15]
In 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 in some places by Christian governments as a discriminatory measure. In the early 19th century in the United States, rabbis often wore a scholar's cap (large saucer-shaped caps of cloth, like a beret) or a Chinese skullcap. Other Jews of this era wore black pillbox-shaped kippot.
Often the color and fabric of the kippah can be a sign of adherence to a specific religious movement. Knitted or crocheted kippot, known as kippot serugot, tend to be worn by Religious Zionists and the Modern Orthodox,[16] who also wear suede or leather kippot. The hit Israeli TV series, Srugim, which has been compared to the U.S. TV series Friends, takes its name from the knitted kippot worn by the main male characters.
Members of most Haredi groups usually wear black velvet or cloth kippot. In general, the larger the kippah, the more traditionalist the wearer.[17] By contrast, the smaller the kippah, the more modern and liberal the person is.[18]
More recently, kippot have been observed made in the colors of sports teams, especially football. In the United States, children's kippot with cartoon characters or themes such as Star Wars are popular. (In response to this trend, some Jewish schools have banned kippot with characters that do not conform to traditional Jewish values.[19]) Kippot have been inscribed on the inside as a souvenir for a celebration (bar/bat mitzvah or wedding). Kippot for women are being made and worn.[17][20][21] A special baby kippah has two strings on each side to fasten it and is often used in a brit milah ceremony.[22]
Samaritans once wore distinctive blue head coverings to separate them from Jews who wore white ones, but today they more commonly wear fezes with turbans similar to that of Sephardi Jews from the Middle East and North Africa. Today, Samaritans do not usually wear head coverings except during prayer, Sabbath, and religious festivals.
| Image | Type | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| Crocheted | Religious Zionism , Modern Orthodox,[20] Conservative Judaism,[23] Reform Judaism[23] | |
| Suede | Modern Orthodox,[20] Conservative Judaism,[23] Reform Judaism[23] | |
| Black velvet | Yeshivish, Haredi[24] | |
| Satin | Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism | |
| White crocheted | Many Jerusalemites wear a full-head-sized, white crocheted kippah, sometimes with a knit pom-pom or tassel on top. Some Breslov Hasidim, followers of the late Rabbi Yisroel Ber Odesser, wear it with the Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman mantra crocheted in or embroidered on it.[25] | |
| Bukharan[26] | Popular with children,[17][26] and also worn by liberal-leaning, feminist and reform Jews.[27] | |
| Yemenite | Typically black velvet with a 1–2 cm. emboidered strip around the edge having a multi colored geometric, floral or paisley pattern. |
The Israelites on Sennacherib's marble relief appear with headdress, and although the ambassadors of Jehu on the Shalmaneser stele have a head coverings, their costume seems to be Israelite. One passage of the older literature is of significance: I Kings 20:31 mentions חֲבָליִם havalim, which are placed around the head. This calls to mind pictures of Syrians on Egyptian monuments, represented wearing a cord around their long, flowing hair, a custom still followed in Arabia.
Evidently the costume of the poorest classes is represented; but as the cord gave no protection against the heat of the sun, there is little probability that the custom lasted very long. Much more common was the simple cloth skullcap, dating back to Egyptian times when those of high society routinely shaved their heads, to prevent lice. Conversely, their skullcaps then served as protection against irritation from their wigs.
The Israelites might have worn a headdress similar to that worn by the Bedouins, but it is unknown whether or if a fixed type of headdress was utilized. That the headdress of the Israelites might have been in the fellah style may be inferred from the use of the noun צַנִיף tzanif (the verb tzanaf meaning "to roll like a ball", Isaiah 22:18) and by the verb חַבָּש habash ("to wind", comp. Ezekiel 16:10; Jonah 2:6). As to the form of such turbans, nothing is known, and they may have varied according to the different classes of society. This was customary with the Assyrians and Babylonians, for example, whose fashions likely influenced the costume of the Israelites—particularly during and after the Babylonian Exile.[28] In Yemen, the wrap around the cap was called מַצַר matzar; the head covering worn by all women, according to Dath Mosha, was a גַּרגוּש gargush.[29]
The French government banned the wearing of kippot, hijabs and large crosses in public primary and secondary schools in France in March 2004.[30]
In Goldman v. Weinberger, 475 U.S. 503 (1986), the United States Supreme Court, in a 5–4 decision, ruled active military members were required to remove the yarmulke indoors, citing uniform regulations that state only MPs may keep their heads covered while indoors.[31]
Congress passed the Religious Apparel Amendment after a war story from the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing about the "camouflage kippah" of Jewish Navy Chaplain Arnold Resnicoff was read into the Congressional Record.[32] Catholic Chaplain George Pucciarelli tore off a piece of his Marine Corps uniform to replace Resnicoff's kippah when it had become blood-soaked after being used to wipe the faces of wounded Marines after the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing.[33] This amendment was eventually incorporated into U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) regulations on the "Accommodation of Religious Practices Within the Military Services".[34]
This story of the "camouflage kippah" was retold at many levels,[35] including a keynote speech by President Ronald Reagan,[36] and another time during a White House meeting between Reagan and the "American Friends of Lubavitch."[37] After recounting the Beirut story, Reagan asked them about the religious meaning of the kippah.[37] Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, the leader of the group, responded, "Mr. President, the kippah to us is a sign of reverence." Rabbi Feller, another member of the group, continued, "We place the kippah 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."[37]
Passage of the Religious Apparel Amendment and the subsequent DOD regulations was followed in 1997 by the passing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). However, this law was struck down on the basis of un-Constitutionality by the Supreme Court in its 1997 case Boerne v. Flores. Congress, while furious, remained temporarily silent about the USSC's action.
The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), 114 Stat. 804, 42 U. S. C. §2000cc-1(a)(1)-(2), upheld as constitutional in Cutter v. Wilkinson, 44 U.S. 709 (2005) requires by inference that Orthodox Jewish prisoners be reasonably accommodated in their request to wear yarmulkas.[38]
A section in the same bill as the Oregon Workplace Religious Freedom Act, passed in July 2009,[39] reinforced an older law forbidding the wearing of religious clothing by teachers in public school classrooms.
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