Kippah (in
plural Kippahs or Kippot) is basically a Hebrew word which means skullcap and
is called as Yarmulke in
Yiddish. It is a thin skullcap of round shape which is worn by the Jewish boys
and men and at times by both women and men in many of the reform and
conservative communities. As per the Jewish law, a man needs to cover their
heads while reciting a blessing, praying and taking the name of god. They also need
to wear these skullcaps while in Synagogue or studying Torah and present trend
leads them to wear custom kippahs.
The main source
of the tradition of wearing these headgears is mentioned in the Talmud and it
is the central text of all the Jewish customs and low ethics. According to the
Shabbat mentioned in the Talmud it says, that the men must cover their heads so
that they can show that they fear of heaven. This is the reason that all the Jewish
boys and men wear these kippahs. The Talmud says that the men have to follow
this strict rule during prayers. The advent of the latest trends made way for
the custom kippahs that are worn
widely these days instead of traditional skullcaps.
Over a long time
the custom of wearing this headwear became mandatory and the Jewish boys and
men need to wear these headgears all the time.
The Kabbalistic
Hassidic tradition mentions another reason for wearing the headwear. It says
that since god is covering or protecting us with his his divine palm, so Jewish
person need to cover his head. Another explanation of wearing this custom
kippahs is so that the Jewish people can be easily recognized and to show that
god is over the mankind.
There is no
restriction on the design of the headwears and the Kippahs are available in
different types and designs. The religious Jewish and the Hassidic usually wear
headgears made of black velvet. The middle and the main orthodox system wear
knitted skullcaps and wear white kippahs during any weddings and holidays. However,
the present day boys as well as men prefer to wear custom kippahs that are stylish while
maintaining the rules. The custom of the women is very different and
conservative and as per the Jewish tradition a married woman has to cover their
heads.
