Rabbi Daniel Siegel

A blessing on your head

This week, we are introducing our new High School House kippot to our students.

The word kippah/כיפה is related to the word kaf כף/Palm. And, you can see why – as the palm/kaf is like a kippah, which means dome or covering.

Kippah כיפה

Palm כף

Dome covering

That is why the lulav we use on Sukkot is called kappot temarim/כפות תמרים/the Palm fronds (of the Date tree). It is like a kaf, a palm, and like a kippah it serves as a dome or covering. 

Palm fronds

כפות תמרים

The dome/fronds of the Date Palm tree

And, in Israel the Iron Dome – to protect from incoming missiles – is called kippat barzel. In fact some kippot are so large that they look like protective helmets.

When parents bless their children on Shabbat they place their two palms, kappayim/כפיים, on their heads, similar to kippot, signifying the bestowing of blessings and protection. And, when the Kohanim blessed the people, with extended kappayim/palms, they say “יברכך וישמרך”/”May God bless you and protect you”.           

  Raising/laying on of the palms –נשיאתכפיים

And, so the Dome of the Rock is like a giant kippah and therefore is called Kippat HaSela or Qubbat al-Sachrah.

Dome of the Rock כיפת הסלע

Here are some fellow Jews wearing kippot in front of a church dressed in kippot.

Finally, here is a kippah with pictures of the various domes of Israel, one might say a Kippah of Kippot.

כיפה של כיפות

Our High School students will begin wearing their new skull caps or kippot, for tefillot, High School Assembly, Birkat Hamazon and Kabbalat Shabbat, beginning this Friday.

Students will wear the kippah of their House. Females are welcome to join the males.

Pictures of our new House Kippot appear below.

For Jews, wearing kippot keeps us mindful that living Jewishly should inform our lives. A kippah signifies that living a blessed life means bestowing blessings upon others.

We hope our students will enjoy their new House Kippot and wear them proudly.