Why do Jewish people wear a Kippah? Why not just a normal hat?

A very interesting question from Rebecca. And Rebecca's asking, "Why does a man, a Jewish man, has to go with a head covering? Is it for showing that he's afraid of fearing God? And why does it have to be a keepa and not just a regular hat or any type of head covering?" So first of all, the reason why a man goes with a head covering is not to show that he's afraid of God. It's rather to show respect to God. To show that he that the man always knows that there's something above him. And a lot of people are very arrogant and they think, you know, they are on the highest level and nothing is better than them. This is a way to putting a person in his spot and for a person to realize as great as I am, there's something greater than me, something bigger than me, something above me. And it's showing respect to God. Uh God doesn't like arrogance arrogant people and people who think there are like the most one needs to be very humble in front of Hashem. Now regarding why why dafka yamaka technically a person can wear a hat a person can put whatever he wants on his head. Uh a lot of people who starting to become religious and they're a little bit embarrassed to walk with a yamoka. So they put a hat. So technically yes one can put a hat. There's no it doesn't say anywhere how the keeper needs to look. Uh one of the things why the people wearing the yarmaka how it is is at the time in the holy temple the priests the kohanim part of their they had a gear how they used to get dressed and one of the things is they they used to they used to wear a yarmaka and it would cover their head like a like a circle and so we you know keep the tradition of how of how they were wearing. Uh but in regards to the question why not to wear just the hat it's kind of the whole fundamental part of wearing the ka the yamoka one of the first halakot the first laws in the book of the Jewish laws it says literally one of the first ones it says that one should not be embarrassed in front of the nations to serve in serving Hashem so when a person you know is hiding his identity, hiding his his religion by, you know, behaving a certain way or dressing a certain way, he's kind of basically being embarrassed of being a Jew and being embarrassed of serving God. When a person walks in the street, you know, with a long beard and a black yam yamaga or a hat and a black suit and basically saying all out there, I am Jewish. I'm proud to be Jewish. I'm the king's servant and the king of kings, the king of the entire world. I'm his servant and I serve God and I'm proud of it and I'm doing it with all my heart. And this is one thing that Hashem wants us to do, not to be embarrassed and be dressed, you know, like everybody else and put a hat to hide. You know, a lot of people who become religious, they are embarrassed a little bit. What will people say? How will people judge me? I'll wear a hat. So in the beginning it's fine because a person needs to slowly slowly get into it. But uh in general when a person wears a yamaka doesn't matter if he looks like me with a long beard and a black suit even just enough that he's wearing a yamaka he's basically saying I'm Jewish and I'm proud of being Jew and I'm not afraid of anyone and I'm not going to be scared of anyone and I'm God's servant and I serve God with love and love and I love Hashem and I'm not embarrassed of anything. And this is kind of the basics of of why men wear a yamoka. Besides the fact that one needs to know that there's always something above him, something greater than him. That's one thing is a is is a way of making a person a little bit more humble. But more than that, when a person goes out in the street, out in the open and and declares, "I'm Jewish." Especially in our days, but even in olden days, you know, in any time in history, the Jews were always prosecuted. Now, I'm not talking about the time of the, you know, the Spanish Inquisition or or in two 200 years ago in Russia when the Jews were literally murdered for just being a Jew. I can then it makes sense when somebody needs to kind of hide his identity that's already you know a life dangering situation but walking now in the streets in anywhere in any country in the world I'm not talking talking about real hostile countries but in a normal country walking around the street it's not a danger to be a jewel maybe there's a you know anti-semmites reaction but it's not a life-threatening situation so when a person, a Jew, puts a yarmaka on, not a baseball cap and not a regular hat to look fashionable. When he puts on a yarmaka, he's basically saying, "I am a Jew and I'm proud of being a Jew and I don't care what the rest of the world thinks and I'm going to serve my God with love." And and he puts himself completely out there. And that's exactly what Hashem wants. And it says literally in one of the first, a person should not be ashamed or embarrassed to serve God. As much as people would laugh at you, you should not be embarrassed. Even if it's their own Jews that are laughing at you, how you serving God, one should not be not get removed by that, not get excited from that or let not make him be like, "Oh, I'm not going to do it because people will judge me or I'm not going to serve God because people would laugh at me." So again, one of the main things of wearing a kipah, a yamaka, is is kind of making a a declaration. Hey, I I I don't care what people think. I am I'm Jewish and I'm proud of being Jewish. And a lot of people are, you know, they're they they keep a lot of Jewish customs. They they do they follow a lot of things, but when they go out on the streets, they they hide it. I know a few people that, you know, during the day they they might go to a shoot to synagogue to pray and they do a lot of things. When they go out on the street, they take the yarmak off or or or things like that because they're embarrassed. Or, you know, a man, a Jewish man, needs to wear tit uh it's those little things, little strings that are hanging here. Wait a minute for the ones who don't know. Those little things that are hanging here. uh which is one of the greatest mitzvah ever. A man, Jewish man needs to go and wear it and we have to wear it out. The says that we have to wear it out. Even though there are some opinions that we have to wear it in, but most opinion goes that we have to wear it out. And a lot of people I know they're a little they want to do the mitzvah but they're a little bit embarrassed. So they put it in the in their pants. So one should not be embarrassed about serving God and one should not be embarrassed of being a Jew and one should be proud. And you know, one of the reasons that the Jews had the merit to be redeemed from the exile in Egypt 3,000 years ago is because they kept their identity. The Midrash says that the Jews did not change their names. They did not change their language and they did not change their clothes. They kept their identity. They said, "As much as you giving us a hard time, we're we're not going to change that." And that was held for them as one of the biggest merits why Hashem said, "You know what? I I'm going to take them out of Egypt." So the same in our days, we have to keep our identity and we have to keep our our our our appearance. So the Yamaka is not just a piece of cloth, you know, to cover our head. Yes, you can wear a baseball hat or a regular hat. Fine. You did you passed the the the the part of saying, "Okay, I'm wearing a head covering." But when a person is wearing a baseball cap, it's it doesn't really fulfill the the whole idea of understanding that something's above you. You're just wearing it because, you know, it's hot. I don't want to get a I got I don't want to get a sunburn. When you're wearing a yamama, it has a kipa. It has a significance to it. It's it's it's really making the person understand and realize and internalize I'm not as great as I think. There's something way greater than me and above me. And more than that, I'm I'm a walking uh billboard for God. I'm I'm God's agent. I'm God's uh representative, his his ambassador down in this world. So, I have to walk proud and with my head up and and not be ashamed of what other people say, whether they're Jews or or non-Jews. So, I hope I answered your question. This is kind of taking a very big concept and and squeezing it into a small small and short answer. But uh I hope I answered your question. If you have any other questions, please feel free to to to email me and I'll gladly answer all your questions.