Although it would be unthinkable for a religious Jewish man today to walk around with his head uncovered, there is no explicit biblical support for this custom, while in Jesus’ day, there is little or no evidence that it was a religious custom for Jewish men to cover their heads.
Traditional Judaism teaches that it is forbidden for a man to walk even a few feet without covering his head (with exceptions, such as taking a shower), and so immediately, upon rising from bed, a traditional Jewish man will put his yarmulke on, often wearing a hat over his yarmulke when he goes out. Nontraditional Jews tend not to wear a yarmulke except at religious gatherings (such as synagogue services) or ceremonies (such as a wedding), and to facilitate this, Conservative synagogues have a box with yarmulkes and prayer shawls at the door. This practice is followed by some Reform synagogues as well, although for many decades, Reform Jews proudly worshiped in their synagogues with their heads uncovered. (For head coverings and the practices of traditional Jewish women, see #17.)
The origins of the yarmulke are unclear, since there is nothing in the Torah that would relate to this (other than the fact that the high priest wore a certain kind of head covering), and there is scant mention in the Talmud about this practice, aside from the reference to an exceptionally pious man who would not walk more than a few feet without covering his head “since the Divine Presence is above my head” (b. Kiddushin 31a). What is clear is that, over the centuries, “covering the head became a sign of reverence and awe and an acknowledgement of the omnipresence of God”[66]—especially when praying and studying. Indeed, this has become such a sign of piety that for a Jewish man not to cover his head would be to loudly proclaim his impiety. In keeping with this, a famous twentieth-century rabbi was once chastised by his mother when, as a little boy, he was not quick enough in putting his yarmulke back on his head after it had fallen off. How, she asked, could he be so irreverent?
This practice, which did not become fixed until the late Middle Ages, is then projected back to biblical times by traditional Jews. In fact, a rabbi told me a traditional Jewish joke that claims that we can prove from the Torah that Isaac covered his head. The text cited is Genesis 24:63, stating that Isaac went into the field to meditate. The “proof” is this: “You mean to tell me that Isaac would pray and meditate without covering his head?”
On a more serious, historical note, Christians should be aware that any depiction of Jesus wearing a yarmulke would be anachronistic, since there is no proof of any kind that this was the custom of the day—especially in the form of a traditional skullcap. In modern times, the “orthodoxy” of a Jewish man can be partially gauged by the nature of his skullcap (assuming he wears it all day): If it is small and knitted, he is probably a modern Orthodox or a committed Conservative; if it is larger and black (and not knitted) he is Orthodox; and if he wears a hat over his yarmulke, he is ultra-Orthodox. On festive occasions, including Sabbaths and holy days, ultra-Orthodox Jews (especially Hasidic) wear what is called a streimel (or shtreimel), a fur hat costing several thousand dollars and most commonly made of sable.
As for the Yiddish word yarmulke (also spelled yarmulka or yarmelke), it is of uncertain origin, although a minority view is that it is derived from the Hebrew/Aramaic words yarei malka, meaning “fearers of the King.”
Interestingly, it is common in other religions as well for men—in particular, the religious leaders—to cover their heads, including Islam and segments of Christianity. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin notes:
A funny caption to a photograph is reputed to have appeared in the Jerusalem Post in 1964—I have not seen the original—when Pope Paul VI visited Israel. He was met by the Israeli president [who was not a religious Jew, and therefore was not wearing a yarmulke], and the caption under the photograph read: “The Pope is the one wearing the yarmulka!”[67]
It is common to see Messianic Jews wearing head coverings in their services, either as a demonstration to visiting Jews that it is, in fact, Jewish to believe in Jesus, or as something meaningful in their own lives before God. Does this contradict Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11:4? He writes there: “Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.” For more on that, see the very next question.