There are still some Jewish followers today that dress in way that reflects the true life of the Torah. As a result, these individuals chose to wear certain articles of clothing and maintain certain hairstyles which follow the commands of the Torah, essentially illustrating respect and
religious symbolism.
Shaving or trimming one’s beard is not permitted on Holy Days. Most importantly, it is not permitted on the Shabbat, the holiest day in Judaism. The use of a straight razor is also prohibited. So, as a result, in the past, men often used depilatory powder, which was a certain powder used to remove hair, much similar to that of Nair. However, nowadays, electric razors may be used. Some pious Jews, also known as Chassidic Jews, wear long sidelocks because they interpret the law to mean that an individual is not allowed to shave the temple part of one’s head at all. There are also some Jews who decide to maintain a beard and sideburns simply because they want to appear Jewish and they want people to respect and observe them as such.
It is also common for many Jewish followers to wear black clothes. This came because the medieval church and state demanded that Jews had to wear black at all times. In other countries, by law, Jews were non-persons and had to wear black clothes so that they could be easily identified. They also had to wear a yellow armband, star or other mark to distinguish them from everybody else. Black clothes are also known to Jews as a symbolic expression divrai yirah shomayim, which means “fearing heaven”. To some Jews life is taken extremely seriously and many are always conscious of their life and their relationship to God.
Orthodox Jews also wear a prayer belt called a g*rtel in German or Yiddish. This belt is to indicate that the wearer separates his upper body from his lower body as the head is the location of all that is inspired while our bottom serves lesser purposes. Many orthodox Jewish men also wear a black hat and some wear a streimel , i.e. a fur lined hat. The wearing of the skull cap, also known as a kippa or yarmulka, shows respect for God, who is thought to live in heaven above.
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