Why I cover my Head

Why I Cover My Head


[17] “Do not think that I came to annul the [Torah] and the Prophets. I did not come to annul, but to fulfill. Truly I say to you, until the heavens and earth pass away, not one iota or one tittle shall pass away from the [Torah] until all comes to pass. Whoever then shall break one of these commandments, the least, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
[Matithyahu (Matthew) 5:17-19; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]


King James Version not the Only Version
As a young "Christian" man I was taught that it is improper for man either to pray or to prophecy with his head covered, because this is what “Paul” (actually Sha'ul) taught us in the “New Testament” (actually, “the Kethuvim Natsarim,” or Nazarene Writings). I was told that even if “Jesus” (actually Yahushua) had covered His head, being a priest of “God” (actually Yahuah), that what “Paul” said overrode what “Jesus” had said, since “Paul’s” writings came later, and the apostles had been given the authority to bind on earth whatever seemed good and right in their eyes.

[19] “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
[Matithyahu (Matthew) 16:19, King James Version (KJV)]
But as I come to understand the Scriptures somewhat better in recent years, I understand that the actual translation of this passage reads somewhat differently. The Greek translation of the Hebrew original of this text gives a different meaning altogether:

[19] “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens.”
[Matithyahu (Matthew) 16:19, Green’s Interlinear (literal translation)]
This passage tells us that since the talmidim (disciples) are being led of the Ruach (the Spirit), they are only going to bind on earth that which has already been bound in the heavens.

This passage says that the talmidim would bind only the will of Elohim, instead of binding the rulings and traditions of men (Talmud). So a more direct rendering should read something more like:

[19] “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall (already) having been bound in the heavens (has already been bound in the heavens), and whatever you loose on the earth shall (already) be having been loosed in the heavens (has already been loosed in the heavens).”[Matithyahu (Matthew) 16:19, Green’s Interlinear (my insertions in brackets)]
This interpretation makes a great deal more sense, since one of the first things Yahushua told us in the Beatitudes (Matithyahu 5:17-19, above) is that He did not come to annul either the Torah (the instructions), or the Prophets. And if He did not come to make a bunch of changes to the Torah that He Himself handed down to the children of Yisrael in the wilderness, then why would Yahushua tell His talmidim to make a bunch of changes to it? It makes no sense.

So was Shaul (Paul) a Heretic for Making Changes?
One of the biggest problems that people experience in coming to understand that the original faith of the apostles is a continuation of the original faith of the patriarchs (rather than a replacement) is understanding Sha'ul’s (Paul’s) writings.

At a cursory level of study, everywhere you look it seems that Sha'ul (Paul) came to do annul (do away with) the Torah (the instructions) and the Prophets. He seems to speak against circumcision; he seems to speak against the clean foods laws; and he seems to speak against men covering their heads. He seems to be annulling all kinds of things that are found in the Torah and the Prophets.

But the more that we learn about the faith once delivered to the saints, the more we come to realize that Sha'ul in no wise intended to annul the faith of the patriarchs at all. He did not desire to annul the Torah or the Prophets:

[14] “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way (“Halacha”) which they say is a sect (“minim”), so I worship the ancestral [One], believing all things according to that having been written in the [Torah] and the Prophets.”
[Sefer Acts (The Scroll of the Acts of the Jewish Apostles), 24:14; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
Sha'ul believed all things that been written in the Torah and in the Prophets, and he worshipped the same Ancient of Days that Yahushua did. Had Sha'ul taught anything other than Torah then Sha'ul truly would have been a heretic; teaching against the words of Yahushua.

But as we come to understand more, we come to know that Sha'ul was not in fact a heretic: It is only that his writings are easy to misunderstand.

[15] And think of the long-suffering of our [Master] (as) salvation, as also our beloved brother [Sha'ul] wrote to you, according to the wisdom given to him; as also in all (his) epistles, speaking in them concerning these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the unlearned and unsettled pervert (twist), as also (they do) the rest of the Scriptures, to (their) own destruction. Then, beloved, you knowing beforehand, watch lest being led away by the error of the Torahless, you (should) fall from your own steadfastness.
[Kefa Bet (2 Peter) 3:16; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation).]
The Trouble with Translations: The Translator’s Interpretation
Being a pictorial Eastern language, Hebrew is very different from either the alphabetical English, or the alphabetical Greek. Therefore, in translating the inspired Nazarene Writings from Hebrew in to Aramaic, and then from Aramaic into Greek, and then from Greek in to English, lots of difficulties can arise for the translator, which can be solved in various ways, depending upon the translator and his bias, or agenda.

This is no small factor to consider, because in virtually every way, the Spirit asks us to go against what seems natural for the flesh. And being fleshly, the natural man looks for any justification not to have to keep the commandments (mitzvot) of Elohim. Fleshly human beings would rather do what is pleasing to the flesh.

That being the case, a translator can easily want twist the ambiguities present in a translation, in favor of leading us away from our Father’s Torah, and in favor of some lawless (and more popular) Greco-Roman-Babylonian agenda.

YHVH’s Priesthood Covers Its Head in the Torah and the Prophets
But difficulties in translation aside, we know for sure that Yahushua did not come to annul the Torah or the Prophets (Matithyahu 5:17-19). We also know that He did not want His talmidim (the apostles) to annul the Torah, either, lest they become least in the kingdom. And from this incontrovertible fact we can infer that whatever might seem to annul the Torah or the Prophets must be either a misunderstanding on our part, or else it is an error in the translation.

And if Yahushua tells us that He did not come to annul the Torah or the Prophets, then we should take note of the large number of verses both in the Torah and in the Prophets that tell us that men (and also women) in Yisrael are supposed to cover their heads. These passages are too numerous to list them all, but let us examine some of the more critical ones:

Speaking of the Aaronic (Levitical) priesthood, Yahuah commands through His servant Moshe that the priesthood is to wear a bonnet, or a head covering of some kind, and that this is to be a perpetual statute for cohenim in Yisra'el:

[9] “And you shall bind on bonnets for them, and it shall be a never-ending statute for them in the cohen’s office.”
[Shemot (Exodus) 29:9; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
We also read in the Prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah) that YHWH Elohim will also take cohen from the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel (also called “Ephraim”):

[20] “And they shall bring all your brothers (Ephraim) out of all the nations, an offering to YHWH, on horses, and in chariots, and on litters, and on mules, and on camels, to My kadosh har Yerushalayim,” says YHWH; “As the sons of Yisra'el (Ephraim) bring the offering in a clean vessel to the House of YHWH. And I will also take some of them for cohenim, for Levites,” says YHWH.
[Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 66:20-21; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
So if some of us Ephraimites are also to be cohenim, and are to stand in the cohen’s office, then will we not wear the “bonnets,” as commanded in Shemot (Exodus) 29:9? Won’t that be covering our heads?

And through His servant Yehezqel (Ezekiel), YHWH prophesied that those who will serve Him as cohenim, as Levites, [sons of Tsadoq, or “righteous children”)] will wear linen turbans when they serve Him in His Millennial Temple (which sadly is not the same Temple that the Temple Institute is getting ready to build.)

[18] “Turbans (“bonnets”) of linen shall be on their heads, and linen undergarments shall be on their loins. They shall not gird with sweat.”
[Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 44:18; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
And in any case, whether the Nazarenes (Preserved Ones) of Ephraim are to be taken for Levites or not, YHWH Himself tells us that if we are to obey His voice, then we shall all be to Him a nation of cohenim, and a kadosh (set-apart) nation:

[5] “And now, if you will surely listen to My voice, and will keep My covenant, you shall become a special treasure to Me above all the nations, for all the earth is Mine. And you shall become a kingdom of cohenim for Me, a kadosh nation.”
[Shemot (Exodus) 19:5-6; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation).]

So if all Yisra'elites are to cover their heads, and the priesthood was to cover its head (and will cover its head once more), then is covering one’s head bad?

And if Yahushua did not come to annul the Torah (“instructions”) or the Prophets, then should we who seek to be cohenim before YHWH also not cover our heads?

Head Covering in the Torah and Prophets

The custom in the Middle East is to cover one’s head, not only to protect from the sun, but also to mop up sweat. It has been that way for a long, long time.

In the Book of Dani'el 3:21, when Nebuchadnezzar ordered Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Shadrak, Meshach and Abednego) to be thrown in to the fiery furnace, he ordered them thrown in to the furnace with their turbans on:

[19] Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with wrath, and the form of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke and commanded to heat the furnace seven times more than it was usual to heat it. And he commanded mighty men of valor, who (were) in his army, to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, to throw them in to the fiery furnace. Then these men were tied up in their slippers, their tunics, and their turbans, and their other clothes, and were thrown in to the middle of the burning, fiery furnace.
[Sefer Dani’el, 3:19-21; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
As a discipline (or chastisement) for his adultery with Bat Sheva (Bathsheeba, the Daughter of the South), Melek Dawid was forced to flee Yerushalayim, fleeing from his own son Avshalom (the Father of Peace). And when he fled, he went up the Mount of Olives, barefoot, and with his head covered:

[30] And Dawid was going up in the ascent of the olives, going up and weeping. And his head was covered, and he was going barefoot. And all the people who were with him each had covered his head, and had gone up, going up and weeping.
[Shemu’el Bet (2 Samuel) 15:30; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
And there was someone else who had his head covered, and went barefoot:

Although YHWH told Moshe (Moses) to take off his shoes at the time of the burning bush (Shemot/Exodus 3:5), Moshe was never told to take anything off of his head. That is to say that the greatest prophet of the Tanach was told to take off his shoes before YHWH, but he was not told to uncover his head, even though he most certainly followed the Middle Eastern custom of the day, wearing a turban both to protect from the sun, and to mop up sweat. So if Moshe and Melech Dawid left their heads covered in YHWH’s presence, but took off their shoes in reverence, then why should we do any different?

But doesn’t Paul say to pray with your head uncovered?

Yahushua Himself tells us that He did not come to annul the Torah, or the Prophets. And we can also see that He did not intend His talmidim (disciples or “taught ones”) to do away with the Torah or the Prophets either.

Sha'ul even tells us that he believed all that was said in the Torah and the Prophets, and Kefa warns us that there will be those who are untaught and unstable, who will try to twist Sha'ul’s writings to justify their desires to behave in lawless ways.

And we see this pattern over and over again, don’t we? We see people wanting to be saved in their Torahlessness (lawlessness), rather than wanting to be saved from their lawlessness. We see people who want to believe they are saved, while intentionally violating the Way (“Halacha”) of Elohim.

It is understandable, why people do it. What the Spirit wants is in direct opposition to what the flesh wants. In fact, we even know from Sha'ul’s writings that the flesh is at irreconcilable enmity with the Spirit:

[6] For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; because of this the mind of the flesh is enmity towards [Eloah]; for it is not subject to the [Torah] of [Eloah], for neither can (it be). And those being in the flesh are not able to please [Eloah].
[Romaya (Romans) 8:6-8; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
So because this mind of the flesh exists in many who call themselves “believers,” you will hear all sorts of excuses from people who do not wish to adopt the Way of YHWH, or the Way of His chosen people Yisra’el (Torah observance). You will hear all kinds of arguments that we do not have to subject ourselves to His rule, or His authority, and yet we can consider ourselves His subjects.

But didn’t Sha'ul say not to pray with your head covered?
The Nazarene Writings were obviously intended for Yisra'elites of both Houses of Yisrael (Judah and Ephraim), and they were obviously written in Hebrew (for more information, see “Was the Kethuvim Natsarim (New Testament Scripture) Written in Greek?” And further, the Kethuvim Natsarim were obviously intended as a continuation of the original faith of the patriarchs, rather than as a replacement of them (as "Christianity" teaches).

But the English translations of Sha'ul's “Paul’s” writings seem to indicate that “Paul” was saying that we should not cover our heads in prayer, or when we prophesy. But can that possibly be right? Is that in accordance with the Torah?

If “Paul” wrote contrary to the Torah and the Prophets, then that would make “Paul” writing against the Words of YHWH, and against the Words of Yahushua. And that would make “Paul” a heretic. Yet we know that “Paul” was not a heretic. Rather, “Paul is easy to misunderstand, and to take out of context. His writings are easily used to justify a lifestyle of non-Torah-obedience.

So keeping that thought in mind, let us look at the passage in question, that seems to indicate that people ought not to cover their heads:

Confusion over First Corinthians (Qurintaus Aleph)

The reason that Sha'ul writes to the congregation at Qurintaus is that there is a man sleeping with his father’s wife. The assembly thinks that they are just “so very spiritual” that they will be able to permit this adulterer to remain within their midst, and that this is the best way to witness to him, by not kicking him out.

Sha'ul writes his first epistle to Beit Qurintaus to tell the congregation that to permit sin in the midst of the camp is not the Hebraic way. Sha'ul writes to the congregation to tell them to put sinners out of the assembly. Sha'ul even says that it may be necessary that the man’s flesh be destroyed, that his nefesh (his soul) may be saved. And he concludes by saying that if the congregation does not put the man out, then when comes he will put the man out himself.

After Sha'ul’s first epistle, the congregation puts the adulterer out, in accordance with the ruling of the Yerushalayim Council at Acts of the Jewish Apostles Chapter 15. But then the man repents, and the congregation at Beit Qurintaus will not let the man back in. And it is for this reason that Sha'ul writes his second epistle to the congregation at Beit Qurintaus, to tell them to let a repentant sinner come back in the camp.

But it is also interesting to note that Qurintaus was (in that day) a center for Hellenic Temple Prostitution, and particularly male temple prostitution to the false “gods” of Apollo, Poseidon, and others. The Hellenic male bisexual temple prostitutes were reputed to cross-dress, and to wear their hair long (though shaven faced), so as to seem more feminine. (Which is where the custom of keeping a shaved face comes from) And while this disgusting practice would go over well in San Francisco or in certain areas of New York today, it is the exact opposite of the Hebraic way, and I am certain that Sha'ul found it to be odious, as it is completely against the Teaching (Torah).

And while returning Ephraimites were permitted to come hear the Torah of Yahuah preached every Shabbat (Acts 15:21), they had to agree to abstain from the four abominations of adultery, idolatry (spiritual adultery), blood, and unclean meats while they were learning to do all the Torah. And it should be noted that this ruling, having been bound in heaven, is still binding on us today.

The Passage in Question: First Corinthians versus “Qurintaus Aleph”
[1] Be ye followers of me, as I also (am) of [Messiah]. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But I would have you know, that the Head of every man is [Messiah]; and the head of the woman (is) the man; and the head of [Messiah] (is) [Eloah]. Every man praying or prophesying, having (his) head covered, dishonoreth his Head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with (her) head uncovered dishonoreth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of [Eloah]: but the woman is the glory of man.
[First Corinthians 11:1-7, KJV]
To read this passage in the English translation of the Greek translation of the Aramaic translation of the inspired Hebrew original makes it seem like Sha'ul is saying that men should not cover their heads while praying or prophesying.

But if Sha'ul is truly saying that men should not cover their heads while praying or prophesying, then Sha'ul is going against the Words of YHWH and Yahushua, saying that the commandment for the priesthood to be covered before Elohim is no good. And that would make “Paul” a genuine heretic for writing against Torah, and it would mean that his words could not be inspired. But we know from Kefa Bet 3:16 (2 Peter 3:16) that Sha'ul’s writings are inspired, so this passage in the English must obviously be a mistranslation.

So since we know that this particular translation of the Greek must be a mistranslation, let us look at the literal translation of the Greek “Textus Receptus” (the so-called “Received Text”), as found in Green’s Interlinear:

[1] Imitators of me be, as I also of [Messiah]. I praise but you, brothers, because all things of me you recalled, and as I delivered to you, the traditions you hold fast. I wish but you to know, that of every man the Head [Messiah] is; head and of a woman, the man; (the) Head and of [Messiah], [Eloah]. Every man praying or prophesying down over his head having, shames the Head of him. Every but woman praying or prophesying uncovered with the head, shames the head of herself; one for it is and the same with being shaved. If for it is not covered a woman, also let her be shorn. If but shameful for a woman to be shorn or to be shaved, let her be covered. A man indeed for not ought to be covered (katakalupto) the head, (the) image and glory of [Eloah] being. The woman but glory of a man is.
[Qurintaus Aleph 11:1-8, Green’s Interlinear (literal translation)]
Sha'ul says that a man should not wear his hair down over his head (long, uncut hair) like a woman, as the Hellenic temple prostitutes were known to do. Sha'ul gives us the very definition of "covering" in this passage. "Covering" is refering to hair! It is a shame (sinful) for a woman to cut her hair. He even uses the words "shorn" and "shaved." (Things that could only be done to hair) The uncut hair of a woman is the sign of submission to her "head" (husband (or father, if unmarried)) Then it is a shame (sinful) for a man to pray or prophesy with his head covered (with long, uncut hair). Furthermore, the prostitutes of the temple of Diana would shave their hair and offer it as a burnt offering to Diana. It is complete idolatry and rebellion for a woman to cut, trim, shear, or shave her hair! Women have no need of an external "veil". The scriptures plainly teach that "her HAIR was given to her as a covering!"

King James Version not the Only Version
Now let us examine a second passage in “First Corinthians” Eleven that is also mistranslated in the English of the King James Version:

[14] Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given to her for a covering. But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of [Eloah].
[First Corinthians 11:14-16, King James Version (KJV)]
Once again, this passage seems to support the idea that men are no longer supposed to cover their heads as those “evil Jews” Moshe and Melech Dawid did. And this is one of the passages that replacement theologists (and others who do not wish to keep the commandments of Yahuah) seize upon to prove that even if our Mashiach did not come to annul the Torah and the Prophets, then His servant Sha'ul was sent to annul the Torah and the Prophets.

Most who disagree with this teaching are quick to point out Sha'ul's "Nazerite Vow" saying that he kept his hair long. However, they fail to realize that it would be pointless to take a vow to do something that you already do. When we fast, we do not eat or drink. Yet, it is not our normal state to go without food or drink. The nazerite vow is then "a deviation from the ordinary" just like fasting.


[64] And Rivkah (Rebecca) lifted her eyes, and she saw Yitzhak. And she quickly dismounted from her camel. And she said to the slave, “Who is this man who is walking in the field to meet us? And the slave said, “It is my master.” And she took a veil and covered (kacah) herself.
[B’reisheet (Genesis) 24:64-65, Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
Notice in this account that Rivkah was not keeping her head covered "all the time" by a veil. She put a veil on when she saw Yitzchak coming to meet them. It was a custom for a bridegroom not to see his bride before the wedding. (Which caused problems later for Ya'akov)
This word “cover” is “kacah” (“kasah”), Kaph – Samek – Hay, “to cover” (for clothing or secrecy): clad self, close, clothe, conceal, cover (self). It speaks of wearing a veil down over the head, so as to conceal the head fully, the very thing that Sha'ul says that men are not to do (with their hair).

Sha'ul writes in support of Torah-based customs
Yahushua is on record as being against the customs of men that go against the Torah (Matithyahu 15:3-6, Mark 7:8-13). But was Yahushua against Hebraic customs that have their basis in the Torah? Let it not be!

In his letter to the congregation at Qurintaus, Sha'ul praises the congregation for keeping the Torah-based customs and traditions that were delivered:

[2] I praise but you, brothers, because all things of me you recalled, and as I delivered to you, the traditions you hold fast. [Qurintaus Aleph 11:2 Green’s]

As Yahushua did, Sha'ul writes only against those customs and traditions that go against the Torah. That is why Sha'ul tells the assembly to throw out a bisexual cross-dressing male temple prostitute who wears his hair long and is beardless like a woman:

If but any thinks contentious to be, we such a custom do not have, neither the [assemblies] of [Elohim]. [Qurintaus Aleph, 11:16, Green’s Interlinear].
Sha'ul taught that there was no such custom as a woman cutting her hair or a man not his hair in the assemblies of Elohim. (A custom is a usual practice)
However, Sha'ul did not write against Torah-based customs, nor would he. Aside from his speech on Mars Hill, Sha'ul always went in to the Diaspora synagogues on the Shabbat. The custom within these synagogues was for Hebrews to cover their heads during prayer, as a sign of submission to YHWH’s authority. The men covered their heads, while the women veiled their heads (which is done at least partially to avoid arousing sexual attention from any man but her husband). And this has been Hebraic custom since the days of Melek Dawid, if not before. This is witnessed by the fact that in order to get on to the Kotel (the Wailing Wall - NOT the site of the Temple) plaza, you must cover your head, even to this day.

But, there will be some who are contentious, saying that we no longer need to cover our heads because “Paul says that Yahushua came to nail the Torah to the Cross.” These will throw out the Torah and the Prophets that Yahushua did not come to annul, simply because they do not understand that Yahushua did not come to annul the Torah and the Prophets.

Would these be impressed to learn that Yahushua our Example almost certainly covered His head, and that He will most certainly cover it again?

On pages 426 to 431 of his book, “[Yahushua] the Messiah,” Alfred Edersheim writes that during the Second Temple period (when Yahushua first came) the Jewish people kept their heads covered. He writes, “In regard to the covering of the head, it was deemed a mark of disrespect to walk abroad, or to pass a person, with a bared head. Slaves covered their heads in the presence of their masters. The ordinary covering of the head was the Sudar, a kerchief twisted in to a turban. A kind of light hat was also in use, either of a light material or of felt. [The rabbis twisted the Sudar] in a peculiar manner, (in order to) distinguish them (selves) from others…. We read besides of a sort of a cap or hood attached to some kinds of outer or inner garments….”

Yahushua also speaks of covering one’s head with the tallit when praying. And He also says not to pray in the same manner as the goyim (the heathen):

[6] “And you, whenever you pray, enter your closet and hold your portal: pray to your Father covertly – and your Father who sees covertly rewards you openly: and when you pray be not stammering as the heathen: who for words of accent, they presume they (are) heard much. So liken not to them, for your Father knows what you seek, ere you ask Him.”
[Mattiyahu (Matthew) 6:6-8, The Aramaic New Covenant (from the Peshitta)]
The Hebraic idiom for bringing ones tallit up over one’s head in prayer is called “entering one’s prayer closet.” And one can imagine that “holding on to the portals” is a reference to holding on to the tallit while davening (rocking back and forth), as is the custom in prayer of the Jewish people, even unto this day.

And it is interesting to note that Yahushua tells us not to be like the heathen. The Greeks have always prayed bare headed.

And, when Yahushua comes back for His bride, He will most certainly have His head covered, for we read a certain reference to Yahushua as the Bridegroom in the Prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah):

[10] For He clothed me (with) garments of salvation; He put on me the robe of righteousness, even as a Bridegroom is adorned with His ornament, and as the bride wears her jewels. [Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 61:10, Green’s Interlinear]
This word ornament is the Hebrew word “Peh-ehr,” Peh – Aleph – Reish, which is Strong’s Hebrew 6287, “an embellishment, i.e. fancy head dress: - beauty, bonnet, goodly, ornament, tire.” This word is from the root word “Pa-ahr,” (H#6282) meaning, “to beautify,” or “to glorify.” So we can see that Yahushua will wear some kind of bonnet or ornament on his hair when he returns to take His bride.

What is this bonnet?

Interestingly, the “bonnet” that Yahushua will wear is the same “bonnet” that the priesthood (including Ephraim) is commanded to wear in the Prophet Yehezqel (Ezekiel):

[18] “Turbans (“bonnets”) (Peh-Ehrei) of linen shall be on their heads, and linen undergarments shall be on their loins. They shall not gird with sweat.”
[Yehezqel (Ezekiel) 44:18; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
The other word for “bonnets” is the Hebrew word “Migba-ah,” Mem – Gimel – Bet – Ayin – Hay, Strong’s Hebrew 4021, “a (hemispherical) cap.” It comes from the same as Strong’s H#1389, Gib-ah, meaning “A hillock, a hill, little hill.” This in turn comes from Strong’s H#1375, Geb-iya, “From an unused root meaning, ‘to be convex,’” the very picture of the tallit worn by the Torah-observant Yahudim of today.

[9] “And you shall bind on bonnets (Migba-ah) for them, and it shall be a never-ending statute for them in the cohen’s office.”
[Shemot (Exodus) 29:9; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
And it should not come as a surprise to any student of the Two Houses that while the House of Ephraim was used to go out and hybridize the whole world with the seed of Yakkov (Jacob), the House of Yahudah was led to remain pure, as they were the ones to (mostly) keep the Torah, the Hebrew language, and at least some of the proper Torah-based traditions alive, while lawless Ephraim was scattered like seed out in amongst the nations [Hoshea (Hosea) 1]:

[23] So says YHWH T'zvaot: “In those days ten men out of all the languages of the nations (the Ten Lost Tribes of Yisrael) shall take hold, and will seize the skirt of a man, a Yehudi, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that [Elohim] is with you.’” [Zecharyah (Zechariah) 8:23, Green’s Interlinear]
There are many “believers” who have been trained to hate the Jews, and who choose to revile them, despite the fact that their blindness-in-part came from Elohim, so that Ephraim might also have the chance to be saved:

[11] I say then, did they stumble that they fall? Let it not be! But by their slipping away (came) Salvation (Hebrew: “Yeshua”) to the nations, to provoke them to jealousy. But if their slipping away (is) the riches of (the) world, and their default (the) riches of (the) nations, how much more their fullness? For I speak to you, the nations (Ephraim) since I am an apostle (emissary) to (the) nations (goyim)– I glorify my ministry, if somehow I may provoke to jealousy my flesh, and may save some of them. For if their casting away (is the) reconciliation of (the) world, what (then will be) the reception, except life from the dead?
[Romaya (Romans) 11:11-15; Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
This reference to “fullness” is an allusion to the blessings over Ephraim at the time when Yakkov (Israel) blessed Yosef’s sons, putting Ephraim ahead of Menasseh:

[19] And his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He (Menasseh) also shall be a people, and he shall become great. But his younger brother is greater than he, and his seed shall become the fullness of the nations (Hebrew: Melo ha Goyim).

And the jealousy with which Ephraim is to provoke the Yahudim (the Jews) with is an allusion to the Song of Moshe, and to Sefer Hoshea (the Scroll of Hosea):

[21] “They (Yahudah) made me jealous with a non-god; they made Me angry by their vanities; and I shall make them jealous by a no-people; by a foolish nation (Ephraim) I shall make them angry.”
[Devarim (Deuteronomy) 32:21, Green’s Interlinear (smooth translation)]
[9] Then He said, “Call his name, “Lo-Ami” (not My people), for you (are) not My people, and I will not be for you. [Hoshea 1:9; Green’s Interlinear (smooth)]
Ephraim was scattered because they would not keep YHWH’s Torah. They did not want to keep YHWH’s Instructions (Torah), desiring instead to do whatever was right in their own eyes. And, by twisting Sha'ul’s writings, those who are untaught and unstable try to justify the unscriptural position that they can be saved while willfully ignoring the Father’s commandment to cover their head.

The commandment to cover our heads is found in both the Torah, and in the Prophets, and we know that Yahushua our Example did not come to annul the Torah, or the Prophets; and neither did He intend that His servants the talmidim should do so.

And despite the lawless agenda that the "Christian Church" has promoted for centuries, Sha'ul himself tells us that he believed all that is written in the Torah, and in the Prophets. Sha'ul himself, being a Pharisee of the Pharisees, most certainly covered his head. Or what, then, is the “headpiece” in the full armor of YHWH that Sha'ul encourages us to wear?

[17] Also, take up the helmet of salvation (Hebrew: “Yeshua”), and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of [Elohim]. [Ephesaya (Ephesians) 6:17, Green’s]
Let us Emulate our Example to Provoke our brothers to Jealousy

The House of Ephraim’s job was to hybridize the whole world with Yakkov’s seed (B’reisheet 28:11-15, et al.) But non-selective breeding is not Ephraim’s only job. Ephraim’s other job is to provoke our brothers the Yahudim (the Jews) to jealousy through our fervent observance of our Father’s commandments, as given in the Torah and the Prophets. But how are we supposed to provoke our brothers the Yahudim to jealousy, unless we first obey our Father’s Torah? How are we supposed to convince them that we actually are Hebrews, unless we look, talk, and act like Hebrews?

I cover my head because I want to please my Master. I want to do my part to move our brothers to jealousy so that they may become saved, even as we shall be saved. But that does not mean that you need to cover your head.

You do not need to cover your head, even though the Torah commands it. You do not need to keep the Shabbat, or the Feasts. You do not need to get circumcised, wear a beard, or observe the Laws of Niddah. In fact, you don’t have to do any single thing that you don’t want to do.

But then, you don’t need to be part of YHWH’s covenant people Yisra'el, either.

B’Shem Yahushua,


Adapted from Norman B. Willis by Paul D. Newman (much editing, re-writting and additions have been made to this article to the point that it no longer conveys the original intent of the author)