Tallis Over The Rav's Head

Was the minhag in German schuls for only the Rabbi to place his tallis over his head and everyone else in the kehilloh (Chazan included) wore their hats? If so, what is the reason?

Steven

According to a information compiled by Moreinu HoRav Hamburger Shlito, it is proper for everyone whether rabbi of the kehilloh or layman, to wear a hat and a tallis over the hat.

Rallis

The predominant minhag in Germany was for the Rav only to have his tallis over his head. Why?

Steven

Horav Simon Schwab Z"tl asked me not to wear a Tallis over my head - though I have a Moreinu Horav from the debreciner Rav Z"tl - when I am in KAJ. He said that one must keep up the Minhag Ashkenaz that only the Rav, the Dayanim & possibly those who are given rshus wore there Talis over their heads - rather than wearing hats on their heads & not Talleisim.

Yehuda Nathan

My father O"bm said that only the Rav covered his head with a Tallis in Munich. My mother O"bm said the same thing about Berlin. I'll look in the various Minhogim Seforim (I have Fuerth, Wuerzburg, Frankfurt Amsterdam & some information on Posen).

Yehuda Nathan

You've written about the development of the minhag in some places in Germany where only Rabbonim wore a tallis over the head. What about what seems to me to be a widespread German minhag not to where the tallis over the head on Shabbos, even for those who wear it over the head on weekdays? One explanation I heard is that this was out of concern that a tallis over the head could constitute a drabanan of ohel according to Rabbenu Tam, but this explanation doesn't seem credible at all to me, particularly because the same chashash should apply to the Yomim Nora'im as well. So when and how/why did this minhag develop?

Melech

How was the old minhag of tallis over the head practiced? Meaning, was the tallis placed over one's head for all of davening? Begining with Baruch She'amar? With Barachu? Were there parts of the davening for which people did not cover their head, like Kriyas Hatorah? If they didn't cover their heads then, did they wear a hat or not?

Steven