Kipot

Kipot (plural, pronounced "kee-poht") are head-coverings worn by observant Jewish men from long ago and by those Gentile men who recognize the Torah as relevant to life today. The Code of Jewish Law (Shulchan Aruch) rules that a male may not so much as sit down without wearing a head-covering. Although the kipah (singular, pronounced "kee-pah") or yarmulka (Yiddish, Aramaic) is more commonly recognized as a head-covering for men, halakah in some Jewish and Messianic circles also allows women to wear them. "Yarmulka" comes from the Aramaic phrase, "Yarei Malka," meaning "Fear of the King." (Kipah and kipot are sometimes spelled "kippah" and "kippot.") The kipah is a small skull-cap, made of many materials and by a variety of methods. Some are simple black cotton while others may be quite ornate and of many colors. The kipah may be sewn, knitted, or crocheted. On the humorous side, Judaikitsch (Jennifer Traig, Victoria Traig; photography: Dwight Eschliman. San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC. ISBN 0-8118-3188-4) shows kipot made of a variety of materials, as well as a kipah for one's pet. Some shuls or synagogues require men to wear kipot, while some make them optional. Such others as those in some classical Reform congregations, decry their use, comparing them to the wearing of the yellow Star of David (Mogen David, Shield of David). Upon entry into the shul or synagogue, one may find a table from which both kipot and scarves (for the ladies) may be borrowed for covering the head while at prayer. In the Talmud, the story is told of a rabbi who ate fruit that was not his. He said he did this because he was not wearing a head-covering to remind him of heaven above. The Talmud shows a variety of opinions on wearing kipot, but the custom became accepted during the Middle Ages. At that time, the Catholic authorities demanded that Jews wear special hats or hoods and yellow badges, to identify them as non-Christian. These were not, however, the kipot worn today. There is no mandate in the Torah to wear kipot. As a result, there is no blessing for donning one and very little literature on the subject. See yarmulke.