Welcome to Gaia! ::

If you're gonna wear a kippah in public, best not be eatin' a double bacon cheeseburger in public while wearing it, just from my point of view.

If you're gonna go all out, you better be willing to take the consequences of doing so. 3nodding

But my question is, can I never wear a kippah if I haven't given up cheeseburgers?
Can I never eat cheeseburgers without having given up kippahs?

It's amazing to me your even attracted to cheese burgers.

I wear a hat all the time, and always have a kippa on me, so if I ever see a group of Jews, I can whip it out as a marker of some sort, I also recently bought my first tzitzit, only wore it once, but they're great. Its as if you have no choice but to honor the laws when wearing it, cause your constantly being reminded, which is its purpose.

My beard is going well too-

Apple: First, hi again. smile

A Jewish man wearing a yarmulka (the Yiddish word for a kippah, which is the Hebrew word for 'dome' and the dome-like hat that people wear on their dome-like heads) is like a Muslim man wearing a kufi. Some Jewish men do it full-time, some do it part time, and some do it not at all.

The reason that Jewish men cover their heads is "to remember there is always Something above them." It is a sign of modesty, respect for Hashem ("The Name," meaning G*D/Allah), identification with the Jewish people, willingness to be up-front with the world, an offer to help a fellow Jew (they can spot you and therefore know you're there for them).

Some Jewish men consider a kippah to be not a "real" hat at all, and therefore when going outside they will add a brimmed hat over it, such as a bowler, fedora, streimel, newsboy/touring cap, fez, or other covering. Others consider the kippah all the hat that they could ever need, and won't add another hat on top of it unless it's seriously cold and they want another layer. Some wear the kippah full-time, even to bed. Others wear the kippah only when awake; or only when leaving the house; or only when praying; or only when entering a synagogue. And of course, some don't wear a kippah at all.

Just as with observance of Muslim law, Jewish law is immutable, but the way people interpret and observe it is very personal. In order to observe a law, someone first has to hear about it, then decide it's worth trying, then learn how to do it, then decide which interpretation they're going to take, and then commit to doing it. That's a lot; some Jews get that early Jewish education and parental reinforcement and encouragement from day one, and some don't really think about their Jewishness at all until well into adulthood, when they realize "Wait a minute. I'm Jewish, and I don't even know what that really means. Do I have to do anything, or is it enough to just say I'm Jewish?" and then they go and investigate. I knew a man who knew little or nothing of his Jewish heritage till he was in his seventies; by the time he died in his mid-nineties, he had become a ba'al teshuvah ("Master of Return," someone who embraced full observance for the rest of his life). He was, and still is, highly respected by those who knew him and knew how serious he became once he started his journey.

Kippah-wearing is even more mutable because it's not a law, but merely a custom that has achieved near-law status. So there's even more variation than there would be for, say, the actual law of "don't eat pig." That one's pretty low on variations, as Jews go: (1) No eating pig or even eating off of dishes or utensils that ever touched pork products or byproducts; (2) No eating pig, but being unconcerned with the dishes and utensils; (3) Eating pig, but only at home where no one can see; (4) Eating pig, but never at home on one's own dishes; (5) Eating pig, but not on Jewish holidays, mostly because of guilt; (6) Pass me the bacon, I want seconds. Basically, what I'm saying is that it's a very personal decision, whether/when/how much to wear a kippah.