[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] I have trouble finding the Kipa in the Torah. When I am asked why I wear a Kipa, I can not explain it using a Biblical source.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Answer[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]The uniqueness of a Jewish head covering is hinted at in the blessing we say every morning, thanking God for "crowning Israel with splendor" (Talmud - Brachot 60b) [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] The Talmud says that the purpose of wearing a kippah is to remind us of God, who is the Higher Authority "above us" (Kiddushin 31a). External actions create internal awareness; wearing a symbolic, tangible "something above us" reinforces that idea that God is always watching. The kippah is a means to draw out one's inner sense of respect for God. [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] It's easy to remember god while at the synagogue or around the Shabbat table. But Jewish consciousness is meant to pervade all aspects of our lives -- how we treat others, how we conduct business, and how we interpret world events. [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] Appropriately, the Yiddish word for head covering, "yarmulke," comes from the Aramaic, yira malka, which means "awe of the King." [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] In Hebrew, the head covering is called "kippah" -- literally "dome." [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] To wear a kippah is to proclaim "I am a proud ***." There is a fascinaing phenomenon whereby non-observant Jews visiting Israel will wear a kippah for the duration of their stay. It may be out of a sense that the entire Land of Israel is holy like a synagogue. Or it may be the removal of any self-consciousness that can often accompany public expression of Jewishness in the diaspora. [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] Indeed, wearing a kippah is a big statement, and obligates the wearer to live up to a certain standard of behavior. A person has to think twice before cutting in line at the bank, or berating an incompetent waiter. Wearing a kippah makes one a Torah ambassador and reflects on all Jews. The actions of someone wearing a kippah can create a Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of God's name) or conversely a Chillul Hashem (desecration of His name). [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif] Of course, putting on a kippah does not automatically confer "role model" status. Sometimes we hear unfortunately of a religious person caught in some indiscretion. I recall one time in Los Angeles, noticing that a drunken, disheveled man was walking down the street -- weaing a kippah! He wasn't Jewish, but he'd found an old kippah and thought it helped him fit in with the neighborhood atmosphere. For me, it drove home the idea that it's not fair to "judge Judaism" based on someone displaying the outer trappings of observance. [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]From a biblical standpoint, only the Kohanim serving in the Temple were required to cover their heads (see Exodus 28:4). Yet for many centuries, the obligatory custom has been for Jewish men to wear a kippah all the time, as the Code of Jewish Law says, "It is forbidden to walk four cubits without a head covering." [/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]With blessings from Jerusalem,
Rabbi Shraga Simmons[/FONT]
