kipah / yarmulke

I wear a kipah when I'm at work. Some days it's just part of my work wardrobe, like my name badge. Of course, I do like to match it to my clothing or the season. It's been awfully hot lately, so I've been wearing my summer "watermelon" kipah.Whenever I wear it, someone will do a double take and ask "Is that a watermelon?"

That's not the usual response. Usually, at least initially, people say either "Why do you wear that?" or "I didn't know women could wear one of those." To the "why" question I respond that I'm a rabbi (while in my head, I hear Kol B'Seder singing "The Kipah Song" - "Kipah, yarmulke, shows the world you're a Jew.") It may seem like a simplistic answer, but on days when a facility social worker or activity staff member chases me into the elevator or out of the building "Rabbi, can I talk with you a minute," the kipah as identification serves its purpose. They know who I am. They spot me by the brightly colored, crocheted head covering. Whether it's a question about one of my patients or, more typically, a request that I visit a Jewish patient who's not on hospice, or blow shofar, or supply holiday music or readings, the kipah assures that they notice me. "I've been hoping to catch you." "I'm so glad I saw you when you walked by." In the busy nursing home world, the sight of my kipah reminds them that they had a question for me.

The "I didn't know" or the "You must be Jewish" comments lead to theological discussions or educational opportunities. I never know where those discussions will go. The timing isn't always convenient and sometimes the topic doesn't lend itself to a quick answer, but the kipah gives me the chance to have conversations that would otherwise pass by.

There's another reason for the kipah. It reminds me that I'm a rabbi, that I represent the Jewish community - sometimes to people who have never spoken to a Jew. The kipah reminds me to be aware of what I say and what I do. While I certainly don't speak for the Jewish community, a person's encounter with me may form their impression of who a Jew is or what a Jew believes or how a Jew acts. The kipah is my reminder of the responsibility that comes with my title and the work I do.

And then there are the unexpected comments, the unplanned moments, the laughter that sometimes comes my way because of the kipah. But that's another post.