How to Dress for the Jewish High Holidays
The Jewish High Holidays -- Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur -- are among the most sacred days of the year. They are days of self reflection and of prayer to a higher power. Many people attend synagogue on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and while clothing is certainly not meant to be the focus of the day, dressing appropriately can help you feel more comfortable and focus on the important tradition. Rosh Hashanah attire is like that at any modest yet festive occassion, and Yom Kippur has a few specific traditions associated with dress. All these customs are very easy to learn.
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Things You'll Need
- For women
- Dress, or a nice shirt that covers the shoulders and a skirt that reaches almost to the knee (or lower)
- Dress shoes in which you can stand comfortably for Rosh Hashanah
- Non-leather shoes for Yom Kippur
- Head covering (optional)
- Prayer shawl ("tallit" or "tallis;" optional and only if you are Jewish)
- White clothing (optional; for Yom Kippur)
- For men-
- Nice slacks
- Collared shirt
- Tie (most men at synagogue will be wearing a tie)
- Jacket (optional, depending on your comfort level)
- Dress shoes for Rosh Hashanah
- Skull cap ("kippah" in Hebrew; "yarmulke" in Yiddish)
Instructions
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Rosh Hashanah
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Choose an outfit dressier and more elegant than "business casual," but less dressy than for a formal evening event. Think of what you might wear to an afternoon wedding.
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Dress modest and respectful. For women, this means their shoulders should be covered and not much leg showing above the knee. For men, this usually means a collared shirt and tie, and often a jacket.
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Wear shoes in which you can comfortably stand for at least 15 minutes. Services at synagogue require frequent rising and sitting and aching feet would be a distraction.
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4
If you are a man, wear a skull cap ("kippah" or "yarmulke"), a small, round head covering that shows respect to God. Many women also choose to don a head covering, which in their case is often lace.
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If you are Jewish and older than 13 (meaning you have come of age in the eyes of the religion), you can choose to wear a prayer shawl ("tallit"), which has ritually tied knots (called "tzitzit") at the four corners and a specific blessing printed on the neckband. Most synagogues have extra prayer shawls on a rack at the entrance that you can borrow these during services.
Yom Kippur
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Start with a similarly modest and elegant outfit to the one you chose for Rosh Hashanah. Again, women should cover their shoulders and should show only a little bit of skin above the knee. Men at most synagogues wear ties and jackets.
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Wear non-leather shoes if possible. Along with eating and drinking, wearing leather is among one of the five prohibitions on Yom Kippur. Some say this is because Yom Kippur is a holiday in which we atone for our sins and thus we do not want to wear shoes for which an animal had to be killed. Others say this is because leather shoes are comfortable and we are meant to forgo earthly comforts on Yom Kippur. Many people wear relatively casual shoes in order to follow this tradition (canvas tennis shoes, even flip-flops); women have an easier time finding dress shoes that are not leather.
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Wear white, or a light color, if you can. This is another tradition for Yom Kippur, representing the purity that we strive for on this holiday. The symbolism stems from the following verse in Isaiah (1:18): "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." The rabbi and cantor will usually wear "kittels," or ritual white robes, on Yom Kippur. It is rare for congregants to wear these so white or tan clothing fulfills the same purpose.
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Again wear a head covering (required for men, optional for women) and a four-cornered prayer shawl, or tallit, if you choose.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not worry too much about what you wear. The emphasis of these holidays is on reflection and prayer. Yom Kippur is all about self-abdication. These guidelines are helpful only because they allow you to concentrate on the purpose of the day, rather than feel nervous about wearing the right thing.
