Description
The kittel, sometimes called sargenes, is a white robe worn by men on Yom Kippur, at the Passover Seder and at weddings, and which also serves as a burial garment (shroud). Its whiteness symbolizes purity, forgiveness and humility, and its wearing on the great occasions of life is a reminder of finitude and the solemnity of the moment. In the Ashkenazic tradition, this white linen garment, sometimes embroidered at the collar, was worn by the groom and by the prayer leader on the Days of Awe. At once a festive and a mourning garment, the kittel links the key moments of Jewish existence under the sign of purity.
