BAD Reads
Enlightening the Gentiles #22: Yarmulkah and Tallit, Or: The Doggie People Have Gone TOO Far This Time
Look, I know people love their dogs. And I know they think it's cute to dress them up as Santa or the Easter Bunny. But this (as seen in today's Washington Post) is not only ridiculous, it's offensive!
The beanie like cap (and it's often referred to as a beanie by gentiles) is really called a yarmulkah. And the Post is referring to the other garment as a "fringed scarf", but it looks a lot like a tallit.
Most people are familiar with the yarmulkah. Orthodox (Traditional) Jewish men wear them at all times, covering their heads before God at all times, as they have done since the Middle Ages. Conservative Jews (who confusingly are much more liberal than Orthodox Jews--sort of centrists) wear their yarmulkah in the synagogue and during religious rituals at home. And some Reform Jews (sort of the equivalent of far left liberals in Judaism) do NOT wear yarmulkahs at all, believing that one should bare one's head before God.
And if you're confused about the different groups take heart. So are many Jews. More on this in other posts!)
The tallit (tahl-leet) is less familiar to most gentiles. It is a prayer shawl worn during services, but some ultra Orthodox Jews, like the Chasidim, wear them at all times. In NYC in the downtown camera and jewelry stores, you will often see men with the tallit fringes dangling below their suit jackets.
So these are not casual items of clothing. They are religious garb, and treated with reverence. When a man puts a tallit on in the morning or before a service, he recites a blessing and kisses the ends of the shawl before placing it around his shoulders, much as a Catholic priest does before conducting religious rites.
Thus my ire.
Fine with me if you want to dress your dog up as Santa. I think it's tacky, but Santa's basically a secular character.
On the other hand, selling this stuff is the equivalent of selling a priest's robe for your dog. Or a nun's outfit. Or even a Pope costume.
Enlightened now?
Until next time--abei gezunt!
