Why wear a kippah?

What’s the difference between a kippah wearer and a secular person? It seems like the covering itself is the only issue of importance, and not what goes on in the head underneath it

Reuters | Published: 04.22.07, 16:35

“So are you religious or not?” I’m often asked. Apparently most people’s picture of reality is still black and white. It’s hard for me to answer them. I myself don’t know.

What makes a person “religious” other than externals? Nothing. You can prove this with a simple experiment: Stand in front of the mirror with a kippah in your hand. Place it on your head. The result? Religious. Take the kippah off. The result? Not religious.

This simple experiment proves that being “religious” means belonging to a club based on external characteristics only. This is the kind of club that it’s very easy to be accepted into. Check for yourselves: Can a thief be called to the Torah in your synagogue? Of course, he’s a member of the club. In certain communities he will even be given the third aliyah. And a man without a kippah? Well, you already know the answer to that. It seems like the covering itself is the only issue of importance, and not what goes on in the head underneath it.

On the other hand, is it possible that a hidden righteous man, one who holds two of the 36 slots for righteous men, wears an earring? Of course it is. It’s even possible that he’s one of the ten righteous men who are promised a place in Paradise during their lifetime. But—and any boy with sidelocks will tell you this—“religious he’s not.”

Good Housekeeping seal

So what’s the difference between “religious” and “observant”? Well, in order to be religious it’s enough to put a kippah on your head. To observe the commandments is far from simple. How can you not “hate your brother in your heart” if he slanders you, and besides, it’s been two weeks and he hasn’t yet returned the drill? You see? It’s hard.

What, then, makes people wear a kippah? The answer can be found in the reason that people join clubs: benefits. The membership benefit program for the kippah - and long skirt-club includes a feeling of security in community, a feeling of elitism, and most importantly, a sweeping exemption from the need to think. That is done for you by the managers. These are benefits whose importance should not be minimized, since the need to think is viewed by large segments of the population as something that falls into the category of “be killed and do not transgress.” So there are many people who try to minimize, as far as possible, their brains’ consumption of electricity.

But I should qualify all of this. I still know people who behave as if their kippah is a Good Housekeeping seal. You won’t catch these people cursing even if you cut them off twice from the right-hand lane. In their communities you can leave a 100-shekel bill on the floor and be sure that it will not be stolen. On the other hand, there are also people like that who don’t cover their head. In light of all of this, let us ask once again, why should I join the club?

Avoid labeling others

Well, since my last visit to the army induction center, on my way out, back when catapults were still considered secret modern weaponry, I have been more and more inclined not to wear the uniform of any army. And the kippah worn by every criminal going to court for an extension of his remand does not contribute to the quality of the brand. There are also people who, like Groucho Marx, would not want to be members of any club that would accept them, even if God himself is the founder of the club.

But most importantly, many people are not interested in belonging to the kippah-wearing camp and allowing themselves to be automatically identified with the acts and statements of anyone wearing a kippah. They wish to preserve their personalities as individuals and not as members of a herd.

I believe that, to the extent possible, we should make an effort to avoid labeling—which is inherent in us— about the type of kippah, the color, the size, and the type of crochet stitch. And yes, the lack of a kippah as well. It’s a good idea to remember that the act of placing a kippah on your head does not do anything either between the kippah wearer and his God, or the kippah wearer and his fellow man. This quote from I Samuel 16:7 is well put: “For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

Asaf Wohl has a BA in philosophy and is the winner of the Dean’s Prize for Excellence for MA students in the Jewish History Department of Haifa University