At A Glance
Author	mitch
Contact	[email protected]
IAM	mitch
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My inspiration for writing this piece was another BME news piece regarding the Jewish view of modification, and I thought I'd shed some more light on the subject. I was raised in a relatively observant Conservative Jewish family; my parents were (and still are) always very involved with synagogue affairs, sitting on the board (my father is currently the president), and acting as chairpeople for various Jewish organizations. Though their fervor was lost on me, they did their best to raise me to be a knowledgable Jew, and I was therefore educated in a private Jewish day school from pre-school through 12th grade, so I'm well versed in Jewish scripture, as well as law and custom.

There is one brief passage in the Jewish bible (the old testament) that form the basis of a prohibition on tattooing in Judaism:
"You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord." (Leviticus 19:28) As such, most of the opposition towards modification in Judaism is not based on biblical text, but upon the Jewish theological concepts of modesty and that man was created in the image of god (and therefore, the destruction of this image is improper, as our bodies are "on loan from God"; it is upon this basis that very orthodox and observant Jews oppose organ donation).

Even early scholarly rabbis debated the interpretation of this passage. In Mishnah Makkot (mishnah being the collection of post-biblical Jewish law that is made up of scholarly debates between the rabbinical sages), it states, "If a man wrote [on his skin] pricked-in writing he is not culpable unless he writes it and pricks it in with ink or eye-paint or anything that leaves a lasting mark." Rabbi Simeon ben Judah debated this, saying "He is not culpable unless he writes there the name [of a god], for it is written, 'Or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.'" The rabbis then go on to consider that perhaps the prohibition is merely against the permanent marking of the name of a pagan god.

Contrary to this passage, though, some consider that tattooing may have even been common in biblical times on the basis of a few passages:

One shall say, "I am the Lord's," and another shall use the name of Jacob, and another shall mark his arm "of the Lord" and adopt the name of Israel. (Isaiah 44:5)

See, I have engraved You on the palms of my hands... (Isaiah 49:16)

..is a sign on every man's hand that all men may know His doings. (Job 37:7)

Further, it has been proven that Hebrew slave owners were known to permanantly mark their names upon their slaves. This is significant, as the slaves of the ancient Hebrews were typically held to the same standards as the Hebrews themselves (for example, when God ordered Abraham to circumcise himself and his son, he included an order to circumcise all of the male slaves in his household.)

As for body piercing in Jewish tradition, we have many indications that various piercings were worn for ornamental purposes in biblical times:

(on how one is to take a slave)
..his master shall take him before God. He shall be brought to the door or the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall then remain his slave for life. (Exodus 21:6)

It seems, indeed, that to wear a ring in one's nose was a symbol of status in biblical times as indicated in the following passages:

I inquired of her, "Whose daughter are you?"...And I put the ring on her nose and the bands on her arm." (Genesis 24:47)

I decked you out in finery...I put a ring in your nose, and earrings in your ears... (Ezekiel 16:11)

Ear piercing is mentioned repeatedly, not only in the bible (Aaron said to them, "Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives..." [Exodus 32:2]), but in later, rabbinic times (...small girls may go out on the sabbath with threads or even chips in their ears [Mishnah Shabbat 6:6]). In the same mishnah, we even find an example of men wearing earrings (A tailor must not go out with a needle stuck in his garment, nor a carpenter with a chip in his ear...).

All this said, the Conservative Jewish movement issued a responsa in Winter of 1998 regarding body modification that concluded:

"Tattooing is an explicit prohibition from the Torah. However, those who violate this prohibition may be buried in a Jewish cemetery and participate fully in all synagogue ritual [NOTE: it is stated elsewhere in the responsa, "The fact that someone may have violated the laws of kashrut at some point in his or her life or violated the laws of the sabbath would not merit such sanctions; the prohibition against tattooing is certainly no worse."]. While no sanctions are imposed, the practice should continue to be discouraged as a violation of the Torah. Body piercing is not prohibited although legitimate concerns regarding modesty and other traditional Jewish values should be taken into consideration and guide one's choices. At all times a Jew should remember that we are created in the image of God. We are called upon to incorporate this understanding into all our decisions."

Though I am in no position to make decisions for the Jewish people as a whole, as someone with modifications, I must raise a few points that I see from a different perspective than those involved in this decision making process. Firstly, regarding modification in general, the fact that circumcision is considered a holy rite in Judaism often obscures the fact that in the minds of many, circumcisions is a VERY extreme modification (certainly viewed as far more extreme than piercing or tattooing). To me, this invalidates the "in God's image" argument. As for the argument of modesty, I think this depends on the intent of the individual. Certainly, I'd be a fool to say that, for example, no one wore a prince albert for the shock value (or aesthetic value) that it may have to others, but on the other hand, plenty wear genital mods, scarifications, etc. in privacy and secrecy. But, all in all, my opinions aside, the decision of the Conservative Jewish movement is that modifica tions do NOT prevent one from being buried in a Jewish cemetary.