Kittel
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- This article is about the Jewish robe. For other uses of "kittel", see kittel (disambiguation).
A kittel (Yiddish: קיטל;, robe) is a white robe worn on special occasions by religious Jews. According to many traditions a bridegroom wears a kittel for the first time on his wedding day. It is worn on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, in keeping with the Biblical "our sins shall be made as white as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). Many Jews also wear a kittel when leading the Passover Seder. The cantor also wears it during a few special services during the year, such as the first night of Selichot, the seventh day of the Holiday of Sukkot (also known as Hoshanah Rabbah), the Musaf prayers of Shemini Atzeret and the first day of Passover, where the prayers for rain (Tefilat HaGeshem) and dew (Tefilat HaTal) are respectively recited.
The white color is said to symbolize purity, which partly explains its use during weddings. It is also felt to signify unity with the bride (who also wears white) and the beginning of a new life together.
In addition to this usage, the dead are also buried in a kittel, providing simple dress that assures equality for all in death.
