Q&A: A Black Kippah, a Knitted Kippah, and What Lies Between?
A Black Kippah, a Knitted Kippah, and What Lies Between?
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Is the Rabbi wearing a black kippah as a matter of deliberate choice, or just for practical reasons—cheaper, easier to wash, etc.?
Thanks,
Benjamin “He placed a helmet of salvation on his head” Goralin
Answer
I switched so they would accept my son into the cheder, and I stayed with it because the color of the kippah really doesn’t interest me.
Discussion on Answer
So if you already know everything, my explanations are unnecessary.
It’s called a “dry kippah”… and it symbolizes neutrality; quite a few people wear this kind of kippah.
Let’s just note that the Rabbi also believes in holy lies sometimes, in order to advance interests—for example, so that his sons would be accepted into cheder.
Tam, I hope your learning is better than what you’re showing here. Your remarks are baseless to the point of absurdity.
Benjamin, from looking at the questions and posts you put up, I can see that the Haredi public versus the secular public occupies you a lot. For example, where Michael Abraham would prefer to educate his children if there were only one option. Right now I don’t remember more, but that’s my impression. Why are you so occupied with this? Leave the public as a public and educate however you want and toward whatever you want. Obviously there are choices that have to be made, and when you choose between two things you give up what you didn’t choose, but that’s life. Besides, what difference does it make what Michael Abraham would choose or what kind of kippah he wears? What would you choose? What kind of kippah do you wear, and why? What do you want for your children?
Oh, come on. That’s the excuse that you yourself happen to believe. But why do you really stick with this kippah? I’m asking about the subconscious level.
I think it’s because you don’t identify enough with a knitted kippah, and a black kippah like yours lets you play both sectors, whereas with a knitted kippah you wouldn’t be able to preach morality to the other sector. But on the other hand, you also don’t believe in what the black kippah symbolizes. It’s just the lesser evil that lets you have your cake and eat it too, relatively speaking (though still with plenty of reservation from the outside, to put it mildly…).