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***This was my Traditions project of the year. Traditions, is basically the Jewish View on topics such as body piercing, tattoos, homosexuality, abortion, adoption, etc... My topic was body piercing and tattoos. If there are any terms in here that you are not certain on (because they are in hebrew) tell me, and I'll do my best to explain. I actually don't think anyone would read this. Anyhoo, I was supposed to get a 92% on this, but it was 2 days late due to computer problems, so I got a 72%. Many of my own beliefs and opinions are in this, so please, don't attack me!***
According to CBC News Online, between 73% and 83% of U.S. women had their ears pierced and between 34% and 52% had complications from their piercing. Between 1960 and 1980, the number of U.S. women who were tattooed quadrupled, totaling between 50,000 and 100,000 tattoos annually. It may seem surprising, but considering how many people feel their identity as an individual is threatened each passing day, body piercing and tattoo’s is one of the outlets used for self-expression.
Today, there is a big issue of having a unique identity, standing out, and not being mistaken for one of the crowd. Many people express themselves through their work, or styles in which they design a house, dress, teach, etc… but for young people, whose lives revolve almost solely around school and social lives, it could be a bit more difficult. While most students lose themselves in their academics, some taking particular interests in certain subjects, there’s still a majority with no idea how to express themselves. That is why today, when you see someone with a tattoo, or facial piercing; there is usually a story to how they got it, and why they chose it.
While many would say it was a spur of the moment type thing, there is still some meaning. Me, I currently have seven ear piercings as I write this, and plan on getting my eighth within the month of March. For me, it means more jewelry to wear, and in a way, a sense of fashion, and my clashing personalities, which differ at times. For most, because I go to a private school, I’m prep, and in some ways, I am. But when I’m not known to go to a private school, my thoughts on punk music, black and my expression to get more piercings and tattoos are more noticed, and not disguised under “Wannabe private school student.” But while my choices of expressions vary, piercings in one of the strong ones.
When I asked some people about their thoughts on piercings (navel, nipple, tongue, eyebrow, lip, earlobe, cartilage, genital) replies were basically that nipple and genital piercings are pointless, for the fact that barely anyone will see them (excluding sexual partners), and they seem dirty in general. Although, views on all other type of piercings, everyone had an open mind. Again, from my own personal life, my friend and I are planning on getting tongue piercings for two reasons primarily: Because it’s cool in our eyes, and it would drive our parents crazy. This is why I think most of today’s youths are decorating themselves with various piercings, because their parents don’t approve, and they want to go against their parents for various reasons.
In Judaism, we are told that we are not allowed to get a permanent tattoo. No questions asked, no exceptions unless you were in the holocaust and had a number tattooed onto your arm. The prohibition of tattooing is found in the Torah: "You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:28). There have been debates on this verse. Now the Mishneh says in response to this: "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" (Mishneh Makkot 3:6). But Rabbi Simeon ben Judah disagrees and says that it is the inclusion of God's name which makes it a guilty act: "Rabbi Simeon ben Judah says in the name of Rabbi Simeon: 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.'"
There is even more debate found in the Gemmorah (Babylonian Talmud) whether it’s the inclusion of G-d’s name or a Pagan deity that makes it a guilty act. It’s believed that tattooing is a sign of paganism, and that’s why there have been so many debates. Maimonides sees the origin of this prohibition as an act of idolatry. He includes it in his section concerning idolatry and then explicitly states: "This was a custom among the pagans who marked themselves for idolatry…." But, Maimonides concludes that regardless of intent, the act of tattooing is prohibited (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Idolatry 12:11).
Tattoos have always had an important role in ritual and tradition; for example, Borneo women tattooed their symbols on their forearm indicating their particular skill. The more useful the skill, the more appealing they are for marriage. Tattoos around the wrist and fingers were believed to ward away illness. They have also signified a tribe, or clan. Tattooing, in general, is believed to have begun before 3,300 B.C. Proof of this was found on the famous Iceman removed from the Otzal Alps between Austria and Italy in 1991. When considering how long tattooing has been around, you must think of the primitive technology used. On the Iceman, for example, his tattoos were made of charcoal under the skin.
From the Otzal Alps, tattooing jumped to Egyptian culture during the Third and Fourth Dynasties (2686 - 2493 B.C.E.) while the pyramids of Gizeh were being built. Evidence has found that The Egyptians began using needled at this point, versus a sharp bone or rock. From Egypt, tattooing spread to Crete, Greece, Persia and Arabia. In Libya, tattooing dates back to 1300 B.C.E. Needles used specifically for tattooing appeared during the Bronze Age (about 200 - 500 B.C.E) Again considering technology; we’ve come a long way. 1,200 B.C. The Lapita's used flat, chisel-shaped pieces of bone that were around 2-4cms long and were sharpened at one end. The “needle” was dipped in pigment, which was made of water and soot, and the “needle” was then hit with a small mallet to drive the pigment into the skin. Before organized religion and the banning of tattoos by these religions, tattoos were accepted if not deeply desired in many cultures. But even if a Jew gets a tattoo, they will not be banned from synagogue, nor refused to be buried in a Jewish cemetery, but will be frowned upon.
So, the question remains. Why is tattooing banned from Judaism, and the same question for body piercings? In many of the cultures mentioned above, piercing was just as important, if not equally, to them as breathing. Egyptian body piercings reflected status and love of beauty. Quoted from www.ezinearticles.com: “Body piercings are also mentioned in the Bible. In the Old Testament it’s obvious that body jewellery is considered a mark of beauty and wealth.... In many cases, body jewellery was given as a bridal gift or as part of a dowry. It is clear that piercing was a sign of status and attractiveness in Biblical times.”
Ear piercing is mentioned in the Torah in several situations. The most familiar speaks about a Hebrew slave who’s going to be freed in the seventh year of servitude but declares his love for his master and refuses to go free: "...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). There is some
disagreement in the Gemmorah (Babylonian Talmud) as to how permanent this piercing of the slave's ear was supposed to be. But today, our piercings are clearly of a non-permanent nature and intent is purely decorative. This type of piercing was also known in the Torah: "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). This is also well documented in rabbinic times: "...small girls may go out [on Shabbat] with threads or even chips in their ears" (Mishneh Shabbat 6:6). Even though there is no law against piercings, we are told to consider health risks (infection, unclean conditions) and b'tzelem Elokim (human creation in the divine image) and tz'ni'ut (modesty.) We are told we are merely renting our bodies from God.
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