Kedoshim Text message

Parashat Kedoshim (you shall be a holy nation)

There is an explicit prohibition in the Torah that has become very relevant in recent decades.

In Leviticus 19:29, the Torah forbids tattoos. The main reason for this prohibition is learned from the context in which it appears, and, it is that other nations used to have tattoos on their bodies (maybe some type of idolatry).

It is not a secret that many young people (and adults, too) have chosen to have tattoos on their bodies.

Here is where the Torah becomes more relevant.  During the Shoah many Jews were forced to have a number marked on their arms. It is difficult to understand how some may do it voluntarily…

The prohibition against making a tattoo on your body is still current, and after the Shoah, it gained a new significance.

In memory of my beloved mother and teacher Miriam Rachel bat Israel Itzchak Z"L