SONSINO'S BLOG: A beautiful Sabbath song by Itay Benda

SONSINO'S BLOG: A beautiful Sabbath song by Itay Benda:  

A beautiful Sabbath song by Itay Benda

 

CAN YOU ERASE GOD'S NAME FROM A TATOO?

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

In Jewish tradition, God’s name, YHVH, is considered sacred and cannot be erased (Deut. 12: 3-4). What about erasing it from a human body?

Modern tattooing began in 1891 with the invention of the electric tattoo machine. It is extremely popular in our time. According to one poll, 41 per cent of the millennials, born between 1981-1966, have at least one tattoo. And the trend continues to grow.

In the past, there are some hints that tattooing was accepted among the Israelites. The prophet (second) Isaiah, 6 cent. BCE,  writes, “I have engraved you ( God) upon the palm of My hands (49:16), and “Another person shall mark his arm “of the Lord” and adopt the name Israel” (44:5). On the other hand, the Book of Leviticus seems to have a negative opinion about the practice, when it states, “You shall not …incise any marks  (ketovet kaaka) on yourselves; I am the Lord” (19: 28). The correct meaning of the word kaaka is not known, because it occurs only in this passage. It is often taken to refer to tattooing, as clarified by J.H. Hertz, “What is forbidden is the custom of tattooing some part of the body.” In its time, it may have referred to an idolatrous practice which the Bible abhors.

In the Rabbinic literature, this Leviticus verse is taken to prohibit the inscription of God’s name permanently ( Mak 3:6, Mal 21a). And , during the medieval times, Maimonides approved it as a general principle ( Mishneh Torah, Idolatry 12: 11).

What about now? Should God’s name appearing in a tattoo be allowed to be erased? On this subject there is no unanimity among Jewish thinkers. On the one hand, using the sacredness of God’s name, some commentators argue that the tattoo should not be erased, whereas others, based on the temporary and secular nature of most tattoos, maintain that it could be (See, Rabbi Bakshi-Doron, Teshuvot Havvot Yair, 16).

I am not fond of tattooing, as I consider the human body as a sacred vessel. It reminds me of the Nazi’s practice of branding Jews during the period of the Holocaust with certain numbers on their arms. I also remember that in the past many slave owners tattooed their slaves as a sign of ownership. For me, erasing the name of God would be tantamount to misusing God’s name as indicated in the Ten Commandments.  Just, don’t do it!

 

 

SONSINO'S BLOG: IS ILLNESS DIVINE PUNISHMENT?

SONSINO'S BLOG: IS ILLNESS DIVINE PUNISHMENT?:   Rabbi Rifat Sonsino. Ph.D It was a prevalent belief in the ancient Near East that supernatural forces were often considered the cause of...

IS ILLNESS DIVINE PUNISHMENT?

 Rabbi Rifat Sonsino. Ph.D

It was a prevalent belief in the ancient Near East that supernatural forces were often considered the cause of illness. In many places, the Hebrew Bible reflects a similar idea. For example, during the Exodus, when the Israelites waited in vain for Moses to come down from the mountain of revelation, they approached Aaron, his brother, and asked him to fashion for them a golden calf. According to the story, God was incensed at this request, and “ The Lord sent a plague upon the people for what they did with the calf that Aaron made” (EX. 32:35.) . Similarly, in the book of Leviticus, there is a reference to nega tzaraat, (Lev. 13: 2) where the word nega, meaning “touch,” refers to “divine touch,” with the implication that God afflicts people by “touching” them, just as Jacob was “touched” by an angel of God, when his hip was hit (Gen. 32: 26). (In Akkadian, the verb lapatu, to touch, also means to have a bad effect on, to plague.)

We do not know what kind of illness tzaraat refers to. Its etymology is not known. In the past, many Bible translations rendered it as “leprosy,” namely, Hanson’s disease. In reality, this illness was not known in biblical times, and besides, tzaraat can even appear on fabrics! Now, when it appears in a human body, it is assumed that we are dealing with some kind of a skin disease. However, the ancient Rabbis insisted that tzaraat was caused by people who slander others (motzi shem ra, Lev. Rabba 16: 1-16). They also taught that idol worship, forbidden sexual relations, bloodshed, desecration of God’s name, blaspheming God’s name, for robbing the public, for stealing, for being haughty and miserliness can also cause tzaraat (Lev. Rab 17). So, sin is punishable by divine decree.

In the book of Psalms we find a statement saying, “ Heal me, for I have sinned against you (God)” (Ps. 41:4), for, God is viewed in the Bible as the ultimate healer (Ex. 14: 26).

The New Testament reflects a similar belief when it states “ Confess your sins… so that you may be healed” (James 5:16).

However, in the wisdom literature of the Bible, illness appears as a normal part of life’s challenges ( Eccl. 1: 14; 3:1-2).

Today, with the advance of science, we know that illness is part of body’s decay or an affliction that is caused by contagion with bad viruses, and not the result of diving punishment. People who are sick should never see themselves as God’s victim. They should be healed with sound medical advice and appropriate medicine and not with healing prayers that are based on false hopes.

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