Yarmulke / Kippah

A Thin, Slightly Rounded Cloth Cap

A yarmulke or kippah is a thin, usually slightly rounded cloth cap worn by Jews. Two names serve one garment: yarmulke is the Yiddish word, and kippah is the Hebrew word, plural kippot, and in Hebrew the word kippah means dome, a fitting name for a cap whose shape is a shallow curve over the top of the head. Yarmulkes range in size from 4 inches in diameter to 9 1/2 inches (100 mm to 240 mm) or larger, so the cap can be a small disc resting on the crown or a considerably broader covering, while remaining the same kind of garment in either case, thin cloth, slightly rounded, worn on the head. Its smallness is part of its character: unlike hats that enclose the head, the yarmulke sits upon it, a covering rather than a container.

Traditions of wear vary in the ways described here, stated as matters of practice. Traditionally the yarmulke was worn only by men, women covering their heads more completely with scarves, hats or wigs, but in modern times the push for equality between the sexes in the practice of Judaism has led some women to wear yarmulkes, although this is not the practice of Orthodox Judaism. Wear also varies in duration. Some Jews only wear yarmulkes while praying, making blessings, or studying Jewish religious texts; more traditional Jews wear yarmulkes the entire day, making sure not to walk more than four cubits without a head covering, especially outside. Some have a custom of wearing two head coverings, typically a yarmulke and a hat on top. Those ranges, of wearer, of occasion and of layering, all attach to the same small cloth cap.

Colours, Fabrics and What They Signal

Often, the colour and fabric of the yarmulke can be a sign of adherence to a specific religious movement, so the cap communicates as well as covers. The Israeli Religious Zionist community is often referred to by the name kippot srugot, literally woven yarmulkes, though they are typically crocheted, a community named in everyday speech by the construction of the cap its members wear. Similarly, some Haredi sects are referred to by the name kipot shkhorot, literally black yarmulkes; their yarmulkes are usually sewn of black fabric, often larger than kippot srugot. Crochet against sewn black fabric, and smaller against larger sizes, are therefore meaningful visible differences, and a reader who knows the code can place a cap's style within these broad communities at a glance.

The reasons given for wearing a kippah today include recognition that God is above us, acceptance of the 613 mitzvot (commandments), and identification with the Jewish people. The source for wearing a yarmulke is found in the Talmud. In tractate Shabbat 156b it states, Cover your head in order that the fear of heaven may be upon you, and in tractate Kiddushin 32a it states that Rabbi Huna the son of Rabbi Joshua never walked 4 cubits (2 meters) with his head uncovered, explaining, Because the Divine Presence (Shekhina) is always over my head. While there is a minority opinion that wearing a yarmulke is a Torah commandment, most halakhic decisors agree that it is merely a custom, though one that has taken on the force of law. The etymology of yarmulke is unclear, with Turkic derivations proposed and traditional associations with Aramaic phrases about awe of the Lord; the cap's meaning in practice rests on the custom and the reasons above, which are stated here as they are given, without addition.