From the Religious Practices Committee - January 2000

(This Committee will be publishing a series of articles explaining why and how we perform certain rituals in our congregation. The first of these articles is written by Elisheva Crowell.)

Question: Why do some of us wear Tallit and Kippah at services?

I once heard someone respond to this very question in one short phrase: "It's tradition!"

As Reform Jews, we must pursue this question further, because we do not consider ourselves bound to ritual practice only on the basis of Jewish law. We obligate ourselves to learn the tradition and then make informed choices about our practice.

Wearing the Tallit is an obligation in Jewish law that is taken from Torah. This obligation is recited daily in the traditional version of the Shema prayer:

Adonai spoke to Moses saying: Speak to the Israelite people and tell them to make for themselves tzitzit on the corners of their garments...you shall look on them and remember and do all of the commandments... (Numbers 15: 37-41)

This text is the basis for the tallit and all of the customs associated with it. Of course, the simple statement has been interpreted differently regarding who is obligated, and when and where the obligation may be fulfilled. In the Ashkenazic (Eastern European) custom, only married men were considered obligated, whereas in the Sephardic (Spanish and North African) tradition, men past Bar Mitzvah were obligated. Among liberal Jews, many women also consider themselves obligated. The tallit is traditionally worn during the morning service, when the ritual fringes can be seen in natural light. The only evening service were the tallit is worn is during the Kol Nidre service on Yom Kippur. There is no special obligation to wear the tallit on the Bimah if one does not customarily wear it among the congregation. However, many do consider themselves so obligated.

The Kippah (yarmulke, or skullcap) has an entirely different history. There is no biblical command associated with the custom of covering one's head during prayer, and although many traditional Jews believe otherwise, there is no obligation to do so in Jewish law. Covering the head when making a blessing is a custom derived from a desire to show respect for God. The use of the Kippah is an example of a custom that has taken on the force of law.

Some liberal Jews say that wearing the Tallit is a physical reminder of God's presence during prayer. For others, wearing the Tallit and Kippah is a way of making prayer special and different from ordinary daily activities. Some feel that the practice is an expression of their identity as Jews. Still others see it as a symbol of the responsibility that comes with active participation in the minyan. Some feel called to wear a tallit only when leading the congregation in prayer or blessing the Torah, others do not feel called to wear it ever.

Those who choose a practice are not necessarily more spiritual or more reflective than those that do not. A central tenant of Jewish thought is that, in the end of days, God will not ask us why we were not like Moses, but rather, God will ask why we were not more like ourselves.

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