A Weighty Matter
Father had the noble practice of covering his head with two head-coverings as a method of earning greater yirat Shamayim. He would often wear two large kippot, or else one kippah, covered by a hat.
When I was little, observing Father walking around the house with his hat on caused me to giggle. I was too young to appreciate the motivations behind this act.
Once, I had the boldness to ask, “Father, why do you insist on wearing a hat all day, when you can make do with two kippot?”
“True, the hat is heavy and uncomfortable,” he replied, “but it reminds me of Hashem. The weight of the hat strengthens my yirat Shamayim.”
Father taught me that the purpose of a head-covering is to increase one’s yirat Shamayim. If the hat accomplishes this, it is never too heavy.
