Why do the Jewish men wear a Yamulke?

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Opal

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Shalom :)

I have a question that I have always wanted to ask
What is the significance of wearing a Yamulke? Could someone please kindly answer for me.

Thanks
 
I also forgot to ask:

What does "Yamulka" actually mean?

Thanks again
 
"We do it because of TRADITION!!!!! How did this tradition get started you might ask.... I will tell you...... I, don't, know.... But it's a tradition!!,and because of our traditions! Everyone knows who he is, and what god expects of him." :D Sorry.... Just -had- to. ;|
 
I was Mendel the rabbi's son in a production of that play:

"Rabbi, rabbi, may I ask you a question?"

"Certainly, my son."

"Is there a blessing, for the Tzar?"

"A blessing for the Tzar... May G!d bless and keep the Tzar... far away from us!"

You know every single Jew I've ever met looks exactly like Topol in Fiddler. That goes for women too.
 
i have absolutely no idea whats going on but its all good :D lol
thanks for the replies so far
 
Don'tcha just feel for the new members that come in thinking they can get info and they get caught up in our friendly discourse?

Namaste Opal, if you follow the links of BB you get great info. I don one when I go to temple with friends, out of respect for their tradition.

Of the Jews that I know, the more observant ones where one, a matter of pride. At temple they have a basket full for folks to grab as they enter.

I'd like to get a nice one, sort of like if I went bowling often enough, I'd rather have my own shoes...
 
Namaste Opal, if you follow the links of BB you get great info. I don one when I go to temple with friends, out of respect for their tradition.

Of the Jews that I know, the more observant ones where one, a matter of pride. At temple they have a basket full for folks to grab as they enter.

I'd like to get a nice one, sort of like if I went bowling often enough, I'd rather have my own shoes...
Click to expand...

When I was growing up, everybody at Reform synagogues was still trying to look as assimilated and "Protestant" as possible, so very few of the men wore kipot at a regular Friday night service, although they did have baskets of them at the door for anyone who wanted one. You almost never saw a talit (prayer shawl) except at the High Holidays.

A generation later the norm had completely changed and almost all the men wore them, and even a few of the women. For his Bar Mitzvah my son had the best one of all--hand embroidered in gold thread by his mom, who had recently taught a workshop in Bethlehem couching for the Pomegranate Guild. I was really proud of that kipah, but unfortunately my son lost it years ago.

--Linda
 
I've always found this to be an interesting question. Where I come from (Hawai'i) we hug a lot and this requires that at least our cheeks touch - in other parts of the South Pacific it is taboo to touch a man's face or the top of his head (disrespectful) - and in other places (in the South Pacific) women would actually have to crawl on their hands and knees to keep their head below that of a man. Now I'm not going to get into how "un-feminist" this all sounds, but I do want to get at the question of "why do the Jewish men wear a Yamulke". Many traditions from other cultures link to an ancient line of wisdom that is carried forward in time through ritual or legends, etc. You have probably suspected from my other postings (if you have read any of them) that I believe many of our rituals carry messages about the "inner" or "sacred" meaning in this ancient line of knowledge. The human body is used many times as a symbol for much of this knowledge and I think that the human head represents the "top of the mountain" (when we move the internal energy in the body upward into the brain itself). In Hawaii the mountain top (the real mountain) is known as the "place of the gods" a place so wild that it is almost impossible for man to get there without undergoing many trials and tribulations. Within the human body when we get to the top of the head we have reached the "mountain top" - it is the most sacred of sacred places. So why do we not touch the top of the head (in some cultures), why do we keep our heads lower than those of the ali'i (royalty), why do Jewish men wear a Yamulke - are they all related???? I think so. In the wedding ceremony the brides veil also represents a part of the human brain that we must pass through to reach "paradise" or that most sacred place - so the veil is used in a ritual (the wedding ceremony for example).

I believe that the Yamulke protects and guards the top of the mountain symbolically - the place where we meet g-d face to face - where we cross-over or pass-over from the desert to paradise. Just some thoughts to share, another perspective .... he hawai'i au, poh
 
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