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A ' (plural: kippot ), ', or is a brimless Jewish cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish men to fulfill the customary requirement that the Head covering. It is the most common type of head-covering worn by men in Jewish communities during Jewish prayer and by most Orthodox Judaism 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.
The Yiddish term () might be derived from the Polish language jarmułka or the Ukrainian and perhaps ultimately from the Medieval Latin almutia ("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 ירא מלכא (), formed from the Aramaic word for "king" and the Hebrew root ירא]], meaning "fear". or is another Yiddish term for the same thing.
In non-Orthodox communities, some women also wear , and people have different customs about when to wear a when eating, Jewish prayer, Torah study, or entering a sacred space such as a synagogue or cemetery. The Reform Judaism 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 and/or prayer has become common and accepted as an option among Reform men and women.
According to several authorities, however, the practice has since taken on the force of law because it is an expression of ("reverence for Heaven"; i.e., respect for God).Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 2:6. The 17th-century authority David HaLevi Segal held that the reason is to enforce the Halachic rule to avoid practices unique to Gentile. Segal reasons that, as Europeans are accustomed to going bareheaded, and their priests insist on officiating with bare heads, this constitutes a uniquely non-Jewish practice. Therefore, he posits that Jews should be prohibited from behaving similarly and rules that wearing a is required by Halacha.
Other Halachic authorities, like the Sephardi posek Chaim Yosef David Azulai, hold that wearing a head covering is a —an additional measure of piety. In a recent Responsa, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Ovadia Yosef ruled that it should be worn to show affiliation with the religiously observant community. The Talmud states, "Cover your head in order that the fear of heaven may be upon you."Shabbat 156b. Rabbi Huna ben Joshua never walked four cubits () with his head uncovered, saying "because the Shekhinah is always over my head."Nashim 31a. This was understood by Rabbi Joseph Karo in the Shulchan Arukh as indicating 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, such as by wearing a , is described as "honoring God". Shaar HaTzion, OC 2:6. The modifies this ruling by adding that 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 cites a story from the Talmud (tractate Shabbat 156b) about Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak, 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.KSA 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 argument for the has two sides. The Vilna Gaon said one can make a without a , for wearing a is only a ("exemplary attribute"). 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. Isaac ben Moses of Vienna, in the thirteenth century, wrote that "our rabbis in France" customarily made blessings while bareheaded, but he criticized this practice. Or Zarua 2:43.
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.
The kippah was not always as widely used as it is today: Promotional images used by the Orthodox Yeshiva University show board members bareheaded as late as 1954.
Often, the color and fabric of the can be a sign of adherence to a specific religious movement, particularly in Israel. or , 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 Judaism 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 Jun 2004.
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."
Passage of the Religious Apparel Amendment and the subsequent DOD regulations were followed in 1997 by the passing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). However, the Supreme Court struck down RFRA as beyond Congress' powers to bind the states in the 1997 case City of Boerne v. Flores. RFRA is constitutional as applied to the Federal government, as seen in Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal.
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 . Benning v. Georgia, 391 F3d 1299.
The French government banned the wearing of , , and large Christian cross in public primary and secondary schools in France in March 2004. French Senate backs headscarf ban, BBC News, 3 March 2004.
The government of Quebec, Canada passed "An Act respecting the laicity of the State" in June 2019, which prohibits the wearing of "religious symbols" by government employees including teachers, police officers, judges, prosecutors, and members of certain commissions.
were adopted as a symbol by some of the non-Jewish African American marchers in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches, most prominently by [[James Bevel]].
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