Rabbi Weill's Blog

Dear Friends:

People sometimes ask me about my kippah. How often do I wear it? (A lot!)  How many do I own? (Also, a lot!) Why do I wear it? (Because I am a Jew!) Do I wear it around the house? (Usually.) I have even been asked if I wear it when I sleep. (No!)

But wearing a kippah can be complicated, for most of us feel a bit of social squeamishness when we stand out in a crowd. I am not immune from this, perhaps because I did not start wearing a kippah (or yarmulke) regularly until I began rabbinical school in my late thirties.

But I realized years ago that the kippah should never cause social discomfort. Quite the opposite!  My kippah identifies me as a Jew, a nation which has enhanced humanity in ways too many to enumerate. The kippah also reminds me to do mitzvoth, to honor my commitments, and to keep G-d eternally in my thoughts. All for the good.

In the attached essay, former chief rabbi of Great Britain, Lord Jonathan Sacks, writes about his relationship with his kippah. He powerfully notes that people respect those who are unabashed about who they are. “Pride,” he writes, “is always a healthier response than shame.”

In our melting pot society, we may be tempted to blend in. Who wants to be different? But we will feel better about ourselves – and stronger around our children – when we declare ourselves in the world, when we state forthrightly, “This is who I am – kippah and all.”

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Jeffrey Weill