Q&A: Black Kippah
Black Kippah
Question
I would like to ask you a question about yourself, Rabbi.
You wear a black kippah, and that is generally a Haredi marker, yet you do not identify as Haredi. So why do you wear that kind of kippah?
Answer
The color of the kippah interests me about as much as garlic peel. The head of the cheder asked me to switch from a knitted kippah to a black one so that he could accept my son, so I switched.
Discussion on Answer
Did you read what I wrote? It doesn’t seem to me that this requires an extended school day to understand. I explained that the color of the kippah does not interest me at all. I switch when necessary and stay with it as long as there is no other need.
There’s a certain amount of misleading the public here. Nowadays, since your views are very far from what is accepted among black-kippah wearers, and your views are also very far from what is accepted among wearers of large knitted kippot (Mercaz, Har Hamor, and the surrounding crowd), while your views are only somewhat removed, relatively speaking, from what is accepted among wearers of medium-sized knitted kippot (the Gush and surrounding crowd), it would be fairer to switch to a medium-sized knitted kippah (preferably in light colors, hand-knitted with thin thread; using a clip would be an advantage).
I assume that was many years ago; today your son is grown up.
Did you stay with a black kippah in order to make it easier for your grandchildren to be accepted into cheder?