LEV756 For many Jews, the circumcised penis is the defining mark of being a Jew. Theologically and legally speaking, this is simply an error, for Jewish identity is confirmed by parentage or conversion, not by any sign on the body. Yet the idea that circumcision confers Jewish identity has a deep and powerful hold on many Jews, even those not otherwise particularly observant.... The first part of [Leviticus 19:28) is a source or cutting one's clothes rather than oneself as a sign of mourning. The second part gives me pause. Isn't circumcision incising a mark upon oneself and therefore prohibited? Surely there must be powerful reasons for this practice, in the face of what seems a clear commandment that human flesh should be left intact. What, then, are the reasons given for circumcision? … [Extended discussion of various proffered reasons for circumcision omitted – AJL]. … it is in this concept of patriarchy that I believe we have reached the real meaning of circumcision. For circumcision is above all a male-to-male transmission of Jewish identity, one that dramatically centers Judaism on fathers and sons and marginalizes mothers and daughters.... We have traveled far in this discussion of the Jewish male body. I have used our reluctance to discuss the penis, its hiddenness, as a metaphor for the hidden dimensions of the male soul, seeing in both the maintenance of patriarchal authority by cloaking masculinity in mystery. When I was asked to contribute to this volume on Jewish choices and voices regarding the body, I was not surprised to discover that the discussion had come to focus on women's bodies. But in this focus on women I find not the voice of feminism but rather the voice of patriarchy. Our world is deeply gendered. The cultural dichotomy between mind and body corresponds to a dichotomy between the masculine and the feminine, with women coming to be seen as stupified bodies-- that is, sex objects, and men becoming disembodied intellects. Emphasizing the embodiedness of men therefore de-privileges rather than re-privileges men. It is egalitarianism, not exhibitionism. Attention to the male body not only will help empower women, as it reveals the hiddenness of male privilege, but is in men’s real human interest too. Seeing men as essentially minds rather than bodies creates role models of Jewish men as scholars rather than athletes. This is not to in any way diminish the value of the ideal of the Jewish scholar but rather to lament how Jewish men have not as fully developed the potential of their bodies, to our great loss. I intend through this essay to challenge as patriarchal the practice of circumcision and, more broadly, our reluctance to discuss the secrets men keep and the rituals by which their power is kept and to call for their full and frank discussion. (By Harry Brod)

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LEV757 Type “Judaism and Tattoos” into Google... If you do this search, you will be quite overwhelmed by the vast number of sites where this topic is discussed in depth and at length.... Yet it is amazing that almost all of the sites touch on three key points. First, the Hebrew Bible has a definitive statement on the subject, found in Leviticus 19:28, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.” But while this statement may be definitive, its meaning is open to interpretation, even among the most traditional writers. Second, even though “everyone” thinks that having a tattoo means that you may not be buried in a Jewish Cemetery, that is just not the case. And while no one seems to know how this idea became so widely known and assumed to be true, all the websites want to make sure everyone knows that although tattooing is against Jewish law it would not prohibit burial in a Jewish Cemetery any more than that keeping kosher would. Third, the meaning of tattooing for Jews cannot be separated from the numbers the Nazis tattooed on the arms of Jewish men and women in Auschwitz and other camps during the Holocaust in an effort to categorize and thereby dehumanize them. (by Rebecca T. Alpert).

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LEV758 With regard to one who tattoos his skin, [if] he made a mark [and incision in his skin] but did not tattoo it in [that is, did not fill it in with ink, or] tattooed it in [that is, made ink marks on the surface of his skin] but did not make a mark [so that the process of tattooing was not completed]--he is not liable. He is liable [only] when he marks and tattoos with ink or eye paint or anything that leaves a [permanent] mark. Rabbi Simon ben Judah says in the name of Rabbi Simon, “He is liable only when he writes the name of God, as it is written, “nor incise any marks on yourself: I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:28).” Mishnah Makkot 3:6

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DEUT108 See [[GEN693]] Genesis 9:5 reckoning DORFFBOD 29-30

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DEUT663 See [[LEV755]] Leviticus 19:28 gashes DORFFBOD 93-5

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DEUT664 See [[GEN693]] Genesis 9:5 reckoning DORFFBOD 29-30

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DEUT1010 See [[GEN693]] Genesis 9:5 reckoning DORFFBOD 29-30

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DEUT1094 See [[LEV212]] Leviticus 18:5 live DORFFBOD 81-5

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DEUT1150 Rabbi Nathan said: How do we know that a person should not keep a vicious dog in his home, or keep an insecure ladder in his home? Because the Torah says, “You should not bring bloodguilt on your house” (Deuteronomy 22:8). Babylonian Talmud Bava Kamma 15b

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DEUT1151 See [[GEN693]] Genesis 9:5 reckoning DORFFBOD 29-30

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