Posted on 09/11/2008 10:21:05 AM PDT by Zionist Conspirator
There's a certain kind of discomfort unique to certain kinds of rabbis. Those of us who grew up in secular homes and found our way to Torah observance later in adulthood inevitably did things in our past lives that we would prefer buried and forgotten. And although this may be universal, for the individual whose position demands a public persona of propriety and self-discipline, it can be particularly discomfiting.
One colleague of mine felt compelled to remove a tattoo he had once had inscribed into his flesh in a moment of post-adolescent impetuosity. Many others have worried about past associations coming back to haunt them.
I have my own skeleton in my own closet. And the door of that closet remains open a crack — just enough to ensure that some astute student will occasionally notice it.
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...
Ping for your interest.
Excellent story. I plan to read it to my kids (14 and 10) after dinner tonight.
The Old Testament says you shall not cut or mark your body.
Exactly! That's the point of the article, which is about a former secular, hippy Jew who becomes religious and regrets having done such things!
As a Christian, it is not always clear how much of the Old Testament commands apply to us. Obviously the Ten Commandments; but we don’t follow the dietary restrictions for example.
But I have to say, both tattoos and piercings creep me out. Essentially, to me it’s abusing the body that the Lord gave us; it also appears to me to be idolatry; instead of honoring the Lord we are making our bodies our idols by feeling we can alter them to please us.
Rabbi Goldson is of course Jewish and writing for a Jewish audience, to whom the commandments apply.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.