Click here to jump past the Scriptures...but why would you want to?
| Commandment 287 D’varim 22:5 5Male garb shall not be on a woman, and a man shall not wear a woman's garment, for anyone who does so is an abomination of HASHEM . Commandment 288 Commandment 72 Commandment 290 |
This commandment, called Shatnes, is one of those hardship things that makes people balk at keeping Torah. It is completely up to you how much of this you keep. I'd of course prefer if you could keep Shatnes; however, there are economic considerations. In the United States, for example, clothing makers have made it nearly impossible to keep Shatnes. Only the very rich can afford this! However — Polyester is an artificial fiber, and therefore not a violation of Shatnes. Do not mix cotton and wool is the main thing. Men's socks, unfortunately, usually are such a mix.
| Commandment
68 Vayikra 19:27 27You shall not round off the edge of your scalp and you shall not destroy the edge of your beard. |
One of the popular styles in the last ten years is the shaving of the temples. I am often astonished to see the children of Christians do this (I would be dumbfounded to see a Messianic do this to their child). You shall not do that any longer. Is this about Payess? Yes. Let's stop saying silly things like, "Well, the Scriptures don't really mean it when it says that."
| Commandment 69 Vayikra 19:27 27You shall not round off the edge of your scalp and you shall not destroy the edge of your beard. |
Does a beard (normally a rough semicircle in shape) have corners? I'm hard pressed to find them. However, as a midrash, let me say it is sufficient if you have a beard to satisfy this verse. In its most literal sense, it says to me, you shall not shave. Wear a beard. The men, I mean.
| Commandment 293 D’varim 14:1 1You are children to HASHEM , your God — you shall not cut yourselves and you shall not make a bald spot between your eyes for a dead person. |
I didn't think you were planning on this. But if you were...don't.
This column has a little something for everyone...
Before we start, let me ask...what else was I going to call this? Things Not to do with your clothing? Maybe it's not the most important of the commandments to be concerned about, but, yes, my goals include on-line commentary to all of the 613. Okay! To be honest, I don't know too many men with problems with #288 (A man shall not wear a woman's Garment...) — often, the problem lies the other way around (Although I can think of one very memorable occasion where a brother in Messiah confided to me he'd been unable to find any prohibition against female impersonation — I was able to correct that in short order). I won't go too deep into that here; suffice it to say the commandment says, a woman shall not wear a man's clothing. If it is specifically made for a man, then it cannot be worn except by a man. "What about tallit?" A woman may wear Tallit...provided it's made for a woman. The Source For Everything Jewish makes Tallit especially for women, as does other companies. Unfortunately, Tallit are not unisex. I don't make the 613 precepts — I just writes about them.
There also aren't too many people who engage in the ancient custom of skin cutting in mourning. This ancient practice was done in Kan'aan where at a funeral, one would cut their skin with a knife, to show their grief (of course, many of the same cultures that did this left their dead for carrion birds as an offering to the false gods). However, there's tattooing...the word of God shows clearly that HASHEM puts tattooing on the same level as cutting your flesh. No-No.
Conclusion: A few simple commandments, designed to make your lives...well, maybe not easier. But how great it is when we conform our lives to God's word, and not the other way around!
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Sunday, July 12, 2009
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