Because of our traditions, we’ve kept our balance for many, many years. Here in Anatevka, we have traditions for everything: how to sleep, how to eat… how to work… how to wear clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered, and always wear a little prayer shawl that shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, “How did this tradition get started?” I’ll tell you!
– Tevye, “Fiddler on the Roof”
Tradition. It is the unbroken chain that has kept the Jewish people from – with apologies to the Fiddler – losing our balance and losing ourselves in the world. Unlike evangelical religions that find their fundamental meaning in winning converts, our traditions and rituals are designed to draw our thoughts and actions to God; they are heartfelt and, in a manner of speaking, private. They are ours and they have no reason or intent to trouble the world. Yet some of our traditions, even the most benign of them, seem to trouble the world greatly, and to incite it to violence against us.
Take, for example, the simple yarmulke. A piece of fabric resting on one’s head. How could such a thing possibly cause consternation? Yes, yes, I know. Some yarmulkes carve out positions that do sometimes demand a response. While yarmulkes that display characters from children’s books or television shows are certainly not a reason to become incensed, yarmulkes festooned with logos of football or baseball or basketball teams can enliven passionate debate, like any other emblem of team loyalty. But I am not concerned with these yarmulkes. Nor am I concerned with yarmulkes that, in addition to showing devotion to God, proclaim political positions or nationalistic identifications that have the potential to arouse debate about decidedly non-spiritual issues.
I am just asking that we consider the simple black yarmulke.
What harm does it do anyone? Really, what challenge does it present? It is ours to wear for the simple reason that by wearing it we show our devotion to God. To go without a yarmulke, to have one’s head uncovered, is k’chukos ha’goyim – the “gentile way.” We cover our heads not because it identifies us as Jews – although it does do that – but because wearing it makes concrete to ourselves our devotion to God.
If our concern was primarily identification as Jews, we could find hundreds of ways to accomplish that aim. Yet if the purpose of wearing a yarmulke, to cover one’s head, was only devotion, why not simply wear a hat and be done with it? Indeed, some Jews do wear hats, often to actually minimize self-identification while “out in the world.” However, any number of modern thinkers and teachers have suggested that wearing a yarmulke is worthy of greater merit and brings about a greater sanctification of God’s name. Perhaps because a yarmulke, unlike a hat, can have no other purpose than as an act of devotion. A yarmulke will certainly not keep a head warm on a chilly day or keep the glare of the sun out of one’s eyes.
What’s more, everyonewears hats, Jew and non-Jew alike. But only Jews wear yarmulkes. So, yes, a skullcap is an article of identification – but it is so much more. It is a statement of our abiding piety. Wearing a yarmulke is a conscious acknowledgement that we stand beneath something much greater than ourselves; much greater than our intelligence or our creativity; much greater than our egos. We stand beneath the gaze of God. As such, the yarmulke is a statement of our humility.
This modest bit of fabric certainly accomplishes a great deal. Is it any wonder that Jews actively, consciously, and devotedly place it upon our heads? To do otherwise would be to declare ourselves “hidden Jews,” modern day Marranos who would degrade our devotion to God for no other reason than we fear the eyes of the world.
