Kittel

A kittel (Yiddish: קיטל‎) is a white linen or cotton robe [1] worn by religious Jews on holidays, in the synagogue or at home when leading the Passover seder. Kittels are sometimes worn by grooms. It is also customary for Jews to be buried in a kittel.

This article is about the Jewish robe. For the surname, see Kittel (surname).
A kittel

History

In traditional non-egalitarian Judaism, married men wear a kittel in the synagogue on Yom Kippur.[2] In traditional egalitarian synagogues, religious Jews - both men and women - wear a kittel. [3] The wearing of a kittel on the High Holidays is symbolically linked to its use as a burial shroud, and, to the verse "our sins shall be made as white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18).[4]Some wear a kittel when leading the Passover Seder.[5]

In some communities, the cantor wears a kittel on the first night of Selichot, the seventh day of the Holiday of Sukkot (also known as Hoshanah Rabbah), the Musaf prayers of Shemini Atzeret and the first day of Passover, where the prayers for rain (Tefilat HaGeshem) and dew (Tefilat HaTal) are respectively recited.

In some communities, a bridegroom wears a kittel on his wedding day.[6]

In some parts of the Jewish world, the kittel is known as a sargenes, related to the Old French serge as well as Latin serica.

Symbolism

As a shroud, the kittel signifies simple attire that assures equality for all in death. Because Jewish law dictates that the dead are buried without anything else in the coffin other than simple linen clothes, a kittel has no pockets.

The white color is said to symbolize purity, which partly explains its use during weddings. It is also felt to signify unity with the bride (who also wears white) and the beginning of a new life together. Another reason it is worn at the wedding is because it has no pockets, showing that the couple is marrying for love, not for what they possess.

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References
  1. Stoll, Ira. "New York Times Blunders Again on Jewish Literacy", Algemeiner Journal, September 26, 2017. Accessed September 26, 2017. "Actually, a kittel —worn by some Jewish men at their weddings, on Yom Kippur, or when leading a Passover Seder —doesn’t have to be made of linen. The website of the Judaica store Eichler's has a choice of 26 in either 100% cotton or a polyester/cotton blend, but none in linen."
  2. "Ask the rabbi #207". 1998-09-19. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  3. "My Jewish Learning". Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  4. Bart, Simcha. "Why is a kittel worn on Yom Kippur".
  5. Eider, Shimon. Halachos of Pesach. Feldheim publishers. ISBN 0-87306-864-5.
  6. "Kittel: Jewish Ceremonial Robe".
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