Akippah[a] (plural:kippot),yarmulke, orkoppel is a brimlessJewishskullcap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish men to fulfill the customary requirement that thehead be covered. It is the most common type of head-covering worn by men inOrthodox Jewish communities duringprayers and by most Orthodox Jewish men at most other times. Among non-Orthodox Jewish individuals, some wear them at most times, while most wear them only during prayer, while attending asynagogue, or at other ceremonies, and others wear them rarely or never.
The termkippah (Hebrew:כיפה) literally means "dome" as the kippah is worn on the head like a dome.
The Yiddish termyarmlke (Yiddish:יאַרמלקע) might be derived from thePolishjarmułka or theUkrainianyarmulka and perhaps ultimately from theMedieval Latinalmutia ("cowl" or "hood").[3][4] The word is often associated with the phraseירא מלכא (yire malka), formed from theAramaic word for 'king' and the Hebrew rootירא, meaning 'fear'.[5][6]Keppel orkoppel is another Yiddish term for the same thing.[7]
Halachic authorities debate as to whether wearing akippah at all times is required.[8] According toMaimonides, Jewish law dictates that a man is required to cover his head during prayer.[9]
In non-Orthodox communities, some women also wearkippot, and people have different customs about when to wear akippah—when eating,praying,studying Jewish texts, or entering a sacred space such as a synagogue or cemetery. TheReform movement has historically been opposed to wearingkippot, but wearing akippah during Torah study and/or prayer has become more common and accepted as an option among Reform men and women.[10][11]
According to several authorities, however, the practice has since taken on the force of law because it is an expression ofyir'at Shamayim ("reverence for Heaven"; i.e., respect forGod).[12] The 17th-century authorityDavid HaLevi Segal held that the reason is to enforce theHalachic rule to avoid practices unique tonon-Jews. Segal reasons that, as Europeans are accustomed to going bareheaded, and their priests insist on officiating with bare heads, this constitutes a uniquely non-Jewish practice. Therefore, he posits that Jews should be prohibited from behaving similarly and rules that wearing akippah is required byHalacha.[8]
OtherHalachic authorities, like the SephardiposekChaim Yosef David Azulai, hold that wearing a head covering is amidat hasidut—an additional measure of piety.[8] In a recentresponsum, former SephardicChief Rabbi of IsraelOvadia Yosef ruled that it should be worn to show affiliation with the religiously observant community.[13]
TheTalmud states, "Cover your head in order that the fear of heaven may be upon you."[14] RabbiHuna ben Joshua never walked fourcubits (6.6 feet (2.0 m)) with his head uncovered, saying "because theDivine Presence is always over my head."[15] This was understood by RabbiYosef Karo in theShulchan Arukh as indicating that Jewish men should cover their heads and should not walk more than four cubits bareheaded.[16] Covering one's head, such as by wearing akippah, is described as "honoring God".[17] TheMishnah Berurah modifies this ruling by adding that theAchronim established a requirement to wear a head covering even when traversing fewer than four cubits,[18] and even when one is standing still, indoors, or outside.[19]Kitzur Shulchan Aruch cites a story from the Talmud (tractate Shabbat 156b) aboutRav Nachman bar Yitzchak, who might have become a thief had his mother not saved him from this fate by insisting that he cover his head, which instilled in him the fear of God.[20] In Orthodox communities, boys are encouraged to wear akippah from a young age in order to ingrain the habit.[21]
The argument for thekippah has two sides. TheVilna Gaon said one can make aberakhah without akippah, for wearing akippah is only amidos chassidus ("exemplary attribute"). In the 21st century, there has been an effort to suppress earlier sources that practiced this leniency, including erasing lenientresponsa from newly published books.[22]Isaac ben Moses of Vienna, in the thirteenth century, wrote that "our rabbis in France" customarily made blessings while bareheaded, but he criticized this practice.[23]
According to 20th-century rabbiIsaac Klein, a maleConservative Jew ought to cover his head when in the synagogue, at prayer or sacred study, when engaging in a ritual act, and when eating.[24] In the mid-19th century, early Reform Jews led byIsaac Mayer Wise completely rejected thekippah after an altercation in which Wise'skippah was knocked off his head.[25] Nowadays, almost all Conservative synagogues require men to wear a head covering (usually akippah), but in Reform synagogues there is no requirement.[26] However,kippot may be provided to anybody who wishes to wear them.
Thekippah was not always as widely used as it is today: Promotional images used by the OrthodoxYeshiva University show board members bareheaded as late as 1954.[27]
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In theMiddle Ages in Europe, the distinctive Jewish headgear was theJewish hat, a full hat with a brim and a central point or stalk. Originally used by choice among Jews to distinguish themselves, it was later made compulsory by Christian governments in some places as a discriminatory measure.[citation needed] In the early 19th century in the United States, rabbis often wore a scholar's cap (large saucer-shaped caps of cloth, like a beret) or a Chinese skullcap. Other Jews of this era wore black pillbox-shapedkippot.
Often, the color and fabric of thekippah can be a sign of adherence to a specific religious movement, particularly in Israel.Knitted orcrochetedkippot, known askippot serugot, are usually worn byReligious Zionists andModern Orthodox Jews.[28] They also wear suede or leatherkippot. Knittedkippot were first made in the late 1940s, and became popular after being worn by RabbiMoshe-Zvi Neria.[29] Members of mostHaredi groups wear black velvet or clothkippot.
More recently,kippot in specific colors are sometimes worn to indicate political or community affiliation, such as the LGBT community, or in the colors of sports teams, especiallyfootball. In the United States, children'skippot featuring cartoon characters or themes such asStar Wars have become popular; in response to this trend, some Jewish schools have bannedkippot with characters that do not conform to traditional Jewish values.[30]Kippot have been inscribed on the inside as a souvenir for a celebration (bar/bat mitzvah or wedding).Kippot for women are also being made and worn.[31][32][33] These are sometimes made of beaded wire to seem more feminine.[34] A special babykippah has two strings on each side to fasten it and is often used in abrit milah ceremony.[35]
| Image | Type | Movement |
|---|---|---|
 | Crocheted | Religious Zionism, Modern Orthodox,Conservative Judaism,Reform Judaism |
 | Suede | Modern Orthodox,[32] Conservative Judaism,[36]Reform Judaism[36] |
| Terylene[37] | Yeshivish,Hasidic, Haredi,Lubavitch – Popular among Rabbis teaching in yeshivas and seminaries | |
 | Blackvelvet | Yeshivish,Hasidic, Haredi[38] |
 | Satin | |
 | White crocheted | ManyJerusalemites wear a full-head-sized, white crochetedkippah, sometimes with a knit pom-pom or tassel on top. TheNa Nach subgroup of theBreslovHasidim, followers of the late RabbiYisroel Ber Odesser, wear it with theNa Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman phrase crocheted in or embroidered on it.[39] |
 | Bukharan[40] | Popular with children,[31][40] and also worn by some Sephardi Jews, as well as liberal-leaning and Reform Jews.[41] |
 | Yemenite | Typically stiff, black velvet with a 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) embroidered strip around the edge having a multi-colored geometric, floral, orpaisley pattern. |
The Israelites might have worn a headdress similar to that worn by theBedouins, but it is unknown whether a fixed type of headdress was used. That the headdress of the Israelites might have been in thefellah style may be inferred from the use of the nounצַנִיף,tzanif (the verbtzanaf meaning "to roll like a ball", Isaiah 22:18) and by the verbחַבָּש,habash ("to wind", compare Ezekiel 16:10; Jonah 2:6). As to the form of such turbans, nothing is known, and they may have varied according to the different classes of society. This was customary with the Assyrians and Babylonians, for example, whose fashions likely influenced the costume of the Israelites—particularly during and after theBabylonian Exile.[42] In Yemen, the wrap around the cap was calledמַצַר,matzar; the head covering worn by women was aגַּרגוּש,gargush.[43]
InGoldman v. Weinberger, 475 U.S. 503 (1986), theUnited States Supreme Court ruled in a 5–4 decision that active military members were required to remove thekippah indoors, citing uniform regulations that state only armed security police may keep their heads covered while indoors.[44]
Congress passed the Religious Apparel Amendment after a war story from the1983 Beirut barracks bombing about the "camouflagekippah" of Jewish Navy ChaplainArnold Resnicoff was read into theCongressional Record.[45] Catholic Chaplain George Pucciarelli tore off a piece of hisMarine Corps uniform to replace Resnicoff'skippah when it had become blood-soaked after being used to wipe the faces of wounded Marines after the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing.[46] This amendment was eventually incorporated into U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) regulations on the "Accommodation of Religious Practices Within the Military Services".[47]
This story of the "camouflagekippah" was re-told at many levels,[48] including a keynote speech by PresidentRonald Reagan to the Baptist Fundamentalism Annual Convention in 1984,[49] and another time during aWhite House meeting between Reagan and the American Friends of Lubavitch.[50] After recounting the Beirut story, Reagan asked them about the religious meaning of thekippah.[50] RabbiAbraham Shemtov, the leader of the group, responded: "Mr. President, thekippah to us is a sign of reverence." Rabbi Feller, another member of the group, continued: "We place thekippah on the very highest point of our being—on our head, the vessel of our intellect—to tell ourselves and the world that there is something which is above man's intellect: the infinite Wisdom of God."[50]
Passage of the Religious Apparel Amendment and the subsequent DOD regulations were followed in 1997 by the passing of theReligious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). However, the Supreme Court struck down RFRA as beyond Congress' powers to bind the states in the 1997 caseCity of Boerne v. Flores. RFRA is constitutional as applied to the Federal government, as seen inGonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal.
TheReligious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), 114 Stat. 804, 42 U. S. C. §2000cc-1(a)(1)-(2), upheld as constitutional inCutter v. Wilkinson, 44 U.S. 709 (2005), requires by inference that Orthodox Jewish prisoners be reasonably accommodated in their request to wearkippot.[51]
The French governmentbanned the wearing ofkippot,hijabs, and largecrosses in public primary and secondary schools in France in March 2004.[52]
The government ofQuebec, Canada passed "An Act respecting the laicity of the State" in June 2019, which prohibits the wearing of "religious symbols" by government employees including teachers, police officers, judges, prosecutors, and members of certain commissions.[53]
Though it is not required, when a non-Jew wears akippah in a synagogue, it is considered a sign of respect.[54]Kippot are often provided to guests at aBar or Bat Mitzvah.[55] They are also often provided atbereavement events and atJewish cemeteries. According to the ConservativeCommittee on Jewish Law and Standards, there is nohalakhic reason to require a non-Jew to cover their head, but it is recommended that non-Jews be asked to wear akippah where ritual or worship is being conducted, both out of respect for the Jewish congregation and as a gesture of respect to include the non-Jewish guest.[56]
Kippot were adopted as a symbol by some of the non-Jewish African American marchers in the 1965Selma to Montgomery marches,[57] most prominently byJames Bevel.[58]
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