anyone?

[ayesha]

would someone please explain something to me.. i have always wondered why jewish men grow curls? and why the top hat / cap? what is the difference between the two - if any?

also i watched a documentary recently about jewish women in britain, i never knew that jewish women are supposed to cover their hair too, most women in the programme either wore wigs or small headscarves to the back of the neck. but none actually explained WHY.
can anyone help?

[simont]

Originally posted by ayesha
would someone please explain something to me.. i have always wondered why jewish men grow curls? and why the top hat / cap? what is the difference between the two - if any?

It is customary for Jewish men to wear a covering over their head at all times to serve as a reminder that God is always their (above them, in the figurative sense). Their is no explicit Jewish law requiring Jews to wear head covering, but any orthodox Jew will almost always be wearing one. Different sects of religious Jews often wear a hat associated with their group. So a chassidic Jew will ussusally wear a big fur hat, while a modern orthodox might wear a small yamulka.

also i watched a documentary recently about jewish women in britain, i never knew that jewish women are supposed to cover their hair too, most women in the programme either wore wigs or small headscarves to the back of the neck. but none actually explained WHY.
can anyone help?
Hair is seens a sexually provocative--that is, it arouses men in a purely physical sense. Furthermore women will spend hours fixing their hair only to look good. In order to detract attention from the physical beauty of a woman, and move it to her mind/person, orthodox women wear head covering. The law is similarly applied to men, especially Rabbis. As I understand it, Rabbis should dress modestly so that people will not be dazzled by their appearance and miss what it is that makes him Holy--his knowledge of the Torah.
I'm no authority on the subject, but hair has enormous symbolic importance in Judaism. If you want to find more information, do a google search for Hair and Judaism. Hope that helps a little.

[ayesha]

wow i never knew that.
u used hebrew terms ? could u tell me what they mean, i know what u meant by them but what do they translate as literally? (chassidic/yamulka)

so in essence it is the same reason why muslim women cover? that's really interesting.
cheers mate, i'll try that search ;)

[ayesha]

also, as there are 5 Pillars in Islam, which are the fundamental aspects to the islamic religion. is there something like this in judaism?
ignorance im just eager to learn.

[Mediocrates]

Hello try this glossary

http://www.inner.org/glossary/


some words are Hebrew, some are Yiddish, some are Aramaic and some are Hebrew acronyms like "Chabad"

[Mediocrates]

yarmulke is actually somewhat more obscure it that is possible

Definition: The word yarmulke comes from Yiddish, and, in turn from Polish and Ukrainian yarmulka. It's ultimate origin may be the Turkish yamurluk, which means "rain clothing." It refers to a skullcap worn by Jewish men and boys, especially those adhering to Orthodox or Conservative Judaism.

'kippah' is also used.

[Mediocrates]

For the curious, Yiddish is about 85% 15th C. middle German, 10% Biblical Hebrew and 5% Arabic/Greek/Ladino. Contrary to popular opinion there is virtually no direct Russian or Polish or Urkranian in Yiddish.

[Moon]

Hair is seens a sexually provocative So true... *sigh*Originally posted by ayesha
also, as there are 5 Pillars in Islam, which are the fundamental aspects to the islamic religion. is there something like this in judaism?
ignorance im just eager to learn. Try this site: www.jewfaq.org There you may find some fundamental aspects of judaism as well a brief description of some its movements. Have fun learning, because it sure is! :)

BTW, if someone knows a different site with the same purpose, I would be interested.

[simont]

Originally posted by ayesha
also i watched a documentary recently about jewish women in britain, i never knew that jewish women are supposed to cover their hair too, most women in the programme either wore wigs or small headscarves to the back of the neck. but none actually explained WHY.
can anyone help?

BTW, I think I forgot to mention that the custom only applies to married women. That is, a single woman's hair may help her attract a future husband. A woman's hair then, after she's married, symbolizes the realm of intimacy only a husband and wife are privy to.

[Mediocrates]

FWIW, chemotherapy patients should ask an orthodox woman where she gets her wigs, they are the finest available. The last time I checked which was in the mid 90's we were talking $1,500 minimum. But they are works of art. It's well worth it to someone who needs one.

[Jorge]

To ayesha:

In an adjacent Thread( Muslim beliefs- The Truth-Part 2) we have been discussing lately the incidence of fundamentalism in Jewish religion as opposed tothe one prevalent in Moslem religion.
May be you could jump over there and enlighten us
about the islamic side?

[ayesha]

thanks all for ur contributions, ive found reading very enjoyable indeed! ;)