Halachic Musings
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
In the Braccio di Carlo Magno Hall of the Vatican, an exhibit on display from now until mid-September is called “A Blessing to One Another: John Paul II and the Jewish People.” The banner advertising the exhibit shows a picture, taken in 1986, of the late Pope John Paul II and the late Rabbi Elio Toaff, the chief rabbi of Rome, greeting each other inside the main shul in Rome. John Paul was the first pope in modern history to enter a shul.
A second photo shows this pope in the year 2000, placing a kvittel inside the stones of the Kotel. Now, there is a chazakah, as both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis did it as well.
But our article focuses on another aspect of the exhibit. It seems that the skullcap or the zucchetto that Pope John Paul II wore on the occasion was also placed in the exhibit alongside a replica of the Kotel now in the Vatican. There are reprints of the Pope’s kvittel that observers are encouraged to place inside the Vatican replica of the Kotel.
Let us focus for a moment on the skullcap, or zucchetto, which literally means “skullcap” in Italian.
Why Do They Wear Them?
Popes and cardinals wear them for different reasons than why Jewish people wear yarmulkes. The zucchetto is worn because it has been a Christian tradition for clergymen to wear them since the dawn of the 13th century. To place that in the context of Jewish history, 50 years before the Rosh was born, Christian clergymen started wearing the zucchetto.
This custom developed because of extremely cold weather. It seems that, based on a verse in the Christian bible, it is considered unbecoming for a Christian to wear long hair. Christian clergymen would shave their heads bald to fulfill this verse (the haircut resembled typical male-pattern baldness and was called a tonsure).
At the same time, the traditional cape and hood that everyone wore (called the cope) had lost its hood due to new fashion designs. The zucchetto was created to warm up the clergymen, now mostly bald, in the cold and windblown cathedrals.
It seems that people who entered the cathedral did not all enter at one time. The doors of these cathedrals were quite large, and every time they were opened, the clergymen would experience a blast of cold air. The cathedrals had no central heating system (nor any heating system at all). The zucchetto was clearly a direct product of the bitter cold that these clergymen experienced every time the door was opened. Current architects have developed the double-door system, as in most of our shuls.
The Reason
For The Yarmulke
The yarmulke, on the other hand, brings one to fear of Heaven, according to the Talmud (see Shabbos, 156b and 118b). Indeed, the etymology of the name is YorahMalka—fear of the Melech (it is Aramaic). The Shechinah, G‑d’s presence, is above us all, and the yarmulke reminds us constantly of G‑d’s presence.
The SeferChassidim writes that it also develops the trait of humility within its wearer. Although the quote of Rav Huna found in the Talmud (Shabbos 118a) seems to indicate that in Talmudic times only the very pious made sure never to walk four cubits with their head uncovered, it has since developed into a custom that all the people observe.
Must It Be Worn? Rabbi Shlomo Luria, author of the Maharshal (72) writes that wearing a yarmulke is only a midaschassidus, a pious act. On the other hand, Rabbi Dovid HaLevi, author of the Taz, writes (Orech Chaim 8:3) that the reason walking four amos (seven feet, according to Rav Moshe Feinstein) without a yarmulke is forbidden is that gentiles used to do this; as a sign of honor, they would take off their hats (as in “How do you do, Ma’am?”). This is a violation of “U’vechukoseihem lo seileichu—do not walk in their ways.”
There is a further debate as to how to understand this Taz. Rav Moshe Feinstein has a responsum (O.C. 1:1 and 4:2) that this Taz is no longer halachically applicable, since nowadays gentiles walk bareheaded all the time. He, therefore, permits people in certain careers to remove their yarmulkes. Rav Moshe Stern, z’l, better known as the Debreciner Rav, fundamentally disagrees with Rav Feinstein’s reading, and writes (Be’er Moshe 8:40) that the opinion of the Taz is still applicable nowadays.
So, according to the Taz (at least according to the Debreciner), there would be a prohibition involved in walking seven feet without a yarmulke. According to the other opinions, there would not be.
There is another issue, however. Nowadays, it has perhaps become the accepted norm in Klal Yisrael to wear a yarmulke. This may change the ruling, in that a new minhag might have been established. The minhag may have made things more stringent, in that it would apply even to walking less than four cubits and perhaps even to sitting or standing without a yarmulke (see TzitzEliezer, Vol. 13, No. 12). This, however, would depend upon the custom in the particular locale under discussion.
Sephardic Custom. It should be noted that Sephardim, as a general rule, follow the opinion of the Maharshal and not the Taz in this regard. They are therefore more lenient than Ashkenazim when it comes to the wearing of the yarmulke.
While In Shul
Or At The Kotel
There are other issues with regard to the yarmulke, as well. Even if one is standing still, if he is in a beis ha’knesses he must wear a yarmulke or other head-covering. This is the ruling of the ShulchanAruch in OrechChaim (151:6). The Kotel is now considered a full-fledged shul and thus would require it as a matter of halachah. This is the ruling as seen in the MishnahBerurah (2:12).
Similarly, when a man is speaking words of Torah or reciting a berachah, his head must be covered at all times. If a man’s yarmulke had blown off, he may place his sleeve over his head and recite the berachah. This is the ruling of the Shulchan Aruch (see O.C. 91:4). But he may not use his bare hand (see MishnahBerurah, 71:4).
My father, z’l, once observed one of his grandsons placing his hand over the head of his younger brother so that he could recite a berachah. He told the younger grandson, “Amen—that was a beautiful berachah” and then directed himself to the older grandson and said, “Now you repeat after me: ‘Am I my brother’s kippah?’”
The author can be reached at Yairhoffman2@gmail.com.