Kippah - Its Importance and Origin

Kippah is a Jewish hat which needed to be worn by every adult Jew male throughout the spiritual

prayer. Yarmulke is a type of skull cap which has now become the sign of Judaism, the religious

beliefs of Jews. Jews use Yarmulke considering it as an honour to God. Though it is indicated to be

put on by men only, among non-orthodox communities, some women likewise wear the Jewish hat.

History

Earliest mention of Kippah was discovered in Tractate Shabbat. Tractate is a book dealing with the

laws associated with Shabbat, I.e. the weekly day of rest. It asked the devotees to cover their head

so that they are always advised of the worry of God upon them. Its use is thought to be started in

the 2nd century BC when the high priest used it so regarding advice himself of God above him.

Gradually all Jewish men started using it and with the passage of time, it ended up being traditional

for all adult men to wear Yarmulke usually but compulsorily throughout the prayer. Jewish people

also put Yarmulke over their head throughout consuming, studying Jewish texts or while entering

sacred place like cemetery or synagogue.

Spiritual Importance

In Shulchan Arukh (the code of Jewish law), Rabbi Yusef Karo has indicated that a Jew must never

ever stroll more than 4 cubits (2 meters) without the yarmulke. A devout Jew must pray 3 times a

day and every time he hopes, he should wear this Jewish hat over his head as homage to God. Not

just orthodox but even Reformed, Conservative and Re-constructionist Jews use Yarmulke during

prayers.

Tallit

Tallit is another Jewish clothes wrapped by them particularly throughout the morning prayer. Tallit is

really the Jewish prayer shawl which has tassels hanging from its 4 corners called tzittzit. Tzittzit or

the Jewish prayer shawl is also meant to advise its wearer about the laws made by God. Jewish

prayer shawl is also made use of while burying the dead as a part of tachrichim (burial garments).

There are around 13.9 million Jews worldwide accounting for around 0.2 % of the global population.

Israel is only country on the planet where Jews are in majority (75.4 %) with the population of

around 6.1 million. The United States is the home of around 6.7 million accounting for around 2.1 %

of the nation's population. Rest of Jews are scattered among other countries therefore making up

really insignificant minority.

Usually it is seen throughout the world that whenever a religious community is discovered to be

numerically insignificant, they are most likely to stick to the spiritual signs to preserve their religious

identity. Enhanced importance of kippah, tallit, tzittzit among the Jews with the passage of time can

be credited to their irrelevant number. It is because of this factor that Judaism is now related to the

Jewish hat and its value will certainly be enhanced amongst the fellow community members in

future.