Torah Portion: Yitro (Jethro)
Torah Reading: Exodus 18:1-20:23
Prophetic Reading: Isaiah 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6 (6-7)
In this week’s Torah portion, we find the familiar verse:
“And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…” (Exodus 19:6).
I often refer to this verse when people ask about the kippah (Hebrew) or yarmulke (Yiddish). Many want to know whether there is a Biblical basis for this Jewish head covering.
In the Torah, two words are used in relation to the head coverings worn by priests. The first appears in Exodus 28:4 and is the word מצנפת. The second appears in Exodus 28:40 and is called מגבעת. Both words refer to a turban-like head covering worn exclusively by the Kohanim (priests).
The point I want the reader to understand is that, according to the Torah, priests covered their heads.
One explanation for the kippah or yarmulke is that Jewish men who were not priests began covering their heads in anticipation and hope of the establishment of the kingdom in which all Jewish men will have the status of priesthood, ממלכת כהנים.
Whether or not this tradition of head covering, which is common among observant Jewish men, is correct, I mention it because many Christians claim that I am violating 1 Corinthians 11:7, which states that a man should not cover his head.
However, the context of that passage clearly refers to when a man is praying or prophesying, not to wearing a head covering on a cold day outside.
Allow me to note that if one carefully reads the entire passage, 1 Corinthians 11:1-16, it becomes clear that the covering being discussed is not a hat or physical head covering, but rather hair.
In other words, Paul is stating that modest women should wear their hair up and not loose, especially during worship. The reason for this lies in the Greek culture and other surrounding cultures of that period, where women who wore their hair loose were often prostitutes.
Please note 1 Corinthians 11:15, which states that “her hair is given to her for a covering,” and 1 Corinthians 11:14, which says that it is disgraceful for a man to have long hair.
It is important to understand that this applied to the cultures to whom Paul was writing. There is no rigid rule today within the believing community, as Paul indicates in 1 Corinthians 11:16, that enforces such customs.
In other words, believers are free to wear their hair as they choose. However, there remains an important principle: a follower of Messiah Yeshua never desires to be a stumbling block to another person.
