Kittel lace Medium

Lace design

A Kittel, also spelled kitl, comes from the Yiddish word for robe or coat. It is a snow white linen full length robe worn by married Ashkenazi men at major highlights in the Jewish calendar.

WHEN IS IT WORN?

It is worn on Yom Kippur when the white symbolizes that we hope we will emerge from this day fully cleansed from sin, as white as snow. There are those who also wear it on Rosh Hashonah.

On Pessach, the one who leads the Seder also wears a kittel. It is a sign of royalty and also a reminder of the High Priest who entered the Holy of Holies whilst wearing pure white garments. The one who leaders the Seder is like the High Priest.

Sometime the cantor wears it during special services of supplication such as first night of selichot, seventh day of Sukkot, musaf on Shemini Atzeret and first day of Passover when one prayers for rain and dew.

It is also worn by the bridegroom as he stands under the wedding canopy. This is a solemn moment. The sins of a groom are forgiven on his wedding day so the moments under the Chuppah are a form of Yom Kippur when a kittel is worn.