October 24, 2011

The Jewish Kolpik (קאלפיק) and Spodik (ספודיק)

At the first glimps is not so easy to distinguish the kolpik from the spodik.
The two hats look very similar.
Sometimes the Polish Hassidim such as Ger, Amshinov, Ozharov, Aleksander call their spodik shtreimel.

The kolpik - it is made by an entire piece of sable fur. It is a very expensicve hat and only a few craftsmen still can make it.
It is a tall, light brown hat and the fur feels soft. The kolpik is worn in families of some Chassidic Rebbes, by unmarried children (but only after their bar mitzvah) on every Shabbat, holidays, family weddings etc., and by some Rebbes on special occasions.It is worn by Galica and Hungarian rabbis and as well by Bobov, Belz, Munkacz, Vizhnitz and many sons and grandchildren of those rabbis like Satmar, Spinka, ...

The spodik is made out of fur or the tails of the Fisher. A spodik made out of fur is cheaper than out of tails. Its colour varies from very dark brown to black.

The Kolpik (קאלפיק)

© picture: Wikipedia
Rabbi Moshe Leib Rabinovich wearimg a kolpik

Rabbi Bentzion Halbershtam of Bobov (1874-1941)
wearing a kolpik


© picture: Wikimedia
Belze rebbe Yissachar Dov Rokeach (II) ( ישכר דב רוקח)
wearing a kolpik

The rabbi in the center is the Belze rebbeYissachar Dov Rokeach (II), the one on the right (his left) is his son Aharon Mordche, the one on the left is his other son wearing a kolpik.
Many grandchildren of rabbi's wear a kolpik from the bar mitzvah till the wedding.


Spodik of Agudas Chassidei Chabad Ohel Yosef Yitzchak Lubavitch
On their internet site they say it's a Spodik but in my opinion it is a kolpik (with a pointy kippah/yarmulke on top?)


The Spodik (ספודיק)

© picture: Wikipedia

© picture: Shtreihman Shtraimels
Spodik made of very dark brown fur

Belze rebbe Yissachar Dov Rokeach (II) ( ישכר דב רוקח) wearing a Spodik
made out of very dark (nealry black) fur

© picture: ashlag
Rabbi Simcha Ashlag putting ash on a groom's (maybe his son or grandson) head.

Ger wearing a Spodik

5 comments:

  1. The only difference is that one is brown and the other black. As simple as that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The photo of the Belzer rebbe and his son is mis-captioned. The man on the left is not the rebbe's other son but his grandson. The Belzer rebbe has only one child, his son Aaron Mordche.

    ReplyDelete
  3. today there are spodik's that are less expensive which are made from fox fur. They are half the price of the old spodiks.... the Gerrer Rebbe wears one, showing the chasidim that its okand they need not spend too much

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Spodik pictured of Chabad is the typical style of the past, not a kipah on top.


    Check out the picture of the founder of the Daf Yomi.

    See the dome on top?

    http://www.ziontimes.com/images/lib-todayinhistory/cheshvan-07.jpg

    ReplyDelete