Wearing a kippah (skullcap)

[TG123]

Welcome Tsirah! Shalom!

 

[Tsirah]

I think if wearing a kippah reminds you of God, that is great. I don't think it is hypocritical, I think it means you want your mind to be on God all the time and you want to reflect Him, that includes how you dress. If you believe that when others see it they will be drawn to God, that is also awesome. If it is worn to say "look at me, I am so much holier and better than everyone else" or to suggest that the wearer is somehow better than everyone else, it is arrogant.

I think the same goes for wearing a cross around your neck. I have one around mine. I like wearing it, and it is a symbol of my faith and a reminder of what my Saviour did for me. There are some Christians who like to wear crosses (and do a variety of other things like put up bumper stickers, wear bracelets, etc) just to show everyone else around them that they are Christians, and for many it is done out of pride. Others do that hoping that others seeing these symbols will stop and think about God. I think that is a positive thing, even if I don't know if it is always as productive as the wearer wants it to be. I think that a person's intentions matter the most in both cases.

Thanks for that answer and the welcome

I definitely wear mine for my faith and it is purely personal, not to send arrogant messages around!

But do you think it's weird we need a kippah to be reminded of G-d's presence? Like I said, it is more symbolic, I don't need it on my head to be thinking of G-d (though it does help me to focus my thoughts).

I mean, I don't know if some people, if they didn't have to wear a kippah, would completely disregard/forget any purity/holiness/faith.

Do you think then a kippah is a sign of "laziness" or a good tool for self-control, self-discipline?

 

[LoAmmi]

But do you think it's weird we need a kippah to be reminded of G-d's presence? Like I said, it is more symbolic, I don't need it on my head to be thinking of G-d (though it does help me to focus my thoughts).

The kippah comes from the custom that men have their heads covered during prayer as a sign of respect. It came to pass that men started wearing them everywhere and eventually evolved into something that Orthodox men simply did. So, the origins were not to be reminded of G-d or anything like that.

Now, if you got into the tzitzit and what they meant, it was about remembering to keep the Torah, not about remembering G-d. I'm not sure if I would interpret anything done as to be reminded of G-d's presence. But if that is how you feel I cannot say you are wrong.

 

[Tsirah]

The kippah comes from the custom that men have their heads covered during prayer as a sign of respect. It came to pass that men started wearing them everywhere and eventually evolved into something that Orthodox men simply did. So, the origins were not to be reminded of G-d or anything like that.

Now, if you got into the tzitzit and what they meant, it was about remembering to keep the Torah, not about remembering G-d. I'm not sure if I would interpret anything done as to be reminded of G-d's presence. But if that is how you feel I cannot say you are wrong.

You are right but often in Jewish education you will find this is partly why men wear a kippah.

Being a reform Jew, I go to a reform schul where many women wear the yarmulke. I think we are only two women who wear it "constantly" or at least regularly out of schul or religious service(some men don't wear it at all times either in my congregation).

 

[LoAmmi]

You are right but often in Jewish education you will find this is partly why men wear a kippah.

Well, you always find multiple answers to the reasons things are done.

Being a reform Jew, I go to a reform schul where many women wear the yarmulke. I think we are only two women who wear it "constantly" or at least regularly out of schul or religious service(some men don't wear it at all times either in my congregation).

Conservative here. It varies in my synagogue too.

 

[JJWhite]

I wear a head scarf and veil, and although I don't do it in order to be reminded about anything, I do find that it helps in that regard as well.

My friend who is a Conservatice rabbi serving at a Reform temple once told my daughter that someone made her very angry and she was about to respond in a manner that wasn't too proper, but then she felt the kippah on her head and refrained. I noticed that she wears a necklace that says Shaddai a lot too.

Tsirah... at yoda'at 'Ivrit? 'Aravit? Ani lomedet 'Ivrit, aval ani yoda'at raq qitsat.

 

[Tsirah]

Thank you for your reply

ken, ani medaberet ivrit (qtsat) ve'lomedet aravit b'universita.

 

[Tsirah]

? ואת גם כותבת עברית

 

[JJWhite]

.כן, אני כותות עברית. לא הרבה. את רוצה לראה איפה אני לומדת? בפורמים

 

[JJWhite]

.המורה שלי גר בישראל.

.אני מדברת ערבית. האימה שלי ממצרים

 

[Dragons87]

I mean like Chinese or Japanese, where there is a symbol.

Chinese terms for God - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In some Chinese Bibles there is a deliberate space in front of the character for "God".

 

[TG123]

I wear a head scarf and veil, and although I don't do it in order to be reminded about anything, I do find that it helps in that regard as well.

My friend who is a Conservatice rabbi serving at a Reform temple once told my daughter that someone made her very angry and she was about to respond in a manner that wasn't too proper, but then she felt the kippah on her head and refrained. I noticed that she wears a necklace that says Shaddai a lot too.

Tsirah... at yoda'at 'Ivrit? 'Aravit? Ani lomedet 'Ivrit, aval ani yoda'at raq qitsat.

Thanks for the response, JJ, that's really awesome. Do you wear the head scrf and veil because you feel as a Muslim that it is a way to be modest with what you wear, and thus be obedient to God?

 

[JJWhite]

Thanks for the response, JJ, that's really awesome. Do you wear the head scrf and veil because you feel as a Muslim that it is a way to be modest with what you wear, and thus be obedient to God?

Generally speaking..

For head scarf.. I believe it's a commandment regarding Muslim women's dress in public. As for face veil, I personally consider it a recommended act in some situations.

 

[simplegifts]

also, on Ask Moses they say

"We do not write G-d's name in a place where it may be discarded or erased.
Treating G-d's name with reverence is a way to give respect to G-d. So even though on a computer the name is not really being erased (and perhaps is not really there in the first place), and "G-d" is only an English term used to translate G-d's holy name, it is in keeping with this respect that I write "G-d" in my emails and on-line articles."

Isn't GOD's real name YHWH? GOD is more of a label for a being, like the word Allah.

 

[LoAmmi]

Isn't GOD's real name YHWH? GOD is more of a label for a being, like the word Allah.

One of His names is that. In our perspective, that is His personal name. However, we consider Him to have many more names.

 

[Christianmilitaryofficer]

One of His names is that. In our perspective, that is His personal name. However, we consider Him to have many more names.

I seem to remember some mythos that says God's name cannot be known, ever.

 

[LoAmmi]

I seem to remember some mythos that says God's name cannot be known, ever.

Well, we no longer know the proper way to pronounce the name He gave to Moses.

 

[ViaCrucis]

What do Christians think about the wearing of a kippah?

There are a few different reasons behind it (to differentiate Jews from non-Jews, to remind Jews of the presence of G-d, a symbol for the presence of G-d, etc -Wikipedia will explain it better than me )

But do you think it is a bit "hypocritical" to call yourself religious but to need to be reminded of G-d by wearing a kippah?

Personally, I don't need to wear it to think about Him, but I have to admit, I like wearing my kippah, I like what it represents and somehow I am more "aware of Him" when I am wearing it - I don't wear it all the time.

(yes I am a girl wearing a kippah, usually people give me weird looks or just pretend they don't see I have a kippah on my head)

I honestly don't have an opinion one way or another. In a more specific Christian context we Lutherans refer to certain categories of "religious stuff" as adiaphora, it literally means (in Greek) "indifferent things". These are practices, beliefs, and "churchly rituals" which are neither commanded nor forbidden in Scripture and are therefore a matter of personal preference or conscience. Such things can include ancient and pious opinions such as the ever-virginity of Mary (an ancient belief in Christianity, but by no means a matter of theological dogma as far as Lutherans are concerned). Other things would include using leavened or unleavened bread in the Eucharist, using the Sign of the Cross or not, standing during the Liturgy or having pews that permit sitting at times. Extrapolating such a principle, the wearing or not wearing of the kippah would be viewed as adiaphoric--a matter that largely comes down to individual opinion, choice, and conscience. Though that's a rather abstract extrapolation, since the kippah isn't part of the Christian tradition, except perhaps the clerical zucchetto looks almost identical to the kippah.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[xDenax]

I don't think it's hypocritical. I personally don't wear one outside of shul and it isn't a reminder to me of God. But hey, whatever works for you.

 

[simplegifts]

One of His names is that. In our perspective, that is His personal name. However, we consider Him to have many more names.

Do you mean many personal names or many labels/characteristics?