Are Body Piercings Kosher? - Questions & Answers
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Questions & Answers ? Mitzvot & Jewish Customs
Are Body Piercings Kosher? By Menachem Posner
Questions & Answers G‑d and Us Jewish Identity Life & Death Men & Women Marriage & Family The Torah Mitzvot & Jewish Customs Kabbalah & The Mystical Midrash On The Prophets and Scriptures
In our contemporary minds, we often associate piercings with tattoos, and we may wonder if they are equally forbidden. Indeed, Scripture clearly forbids all
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tattoos (aside from those made for medical purposes, such as to guide a surgeon): “You shall not etch a tattoo on yourselves.”1
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No such prohibition exists, however, in regards to piercing. In fact, the Torah tells us that Eliezer presented Rebbeca with a nezem (either a nose ring or earring)2 as a gift, and that Aaron instructed the men to bring their wives’ earrings for the golden calf,3 indicating that they were commonly worn by our ancestors.
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Moreover, Jewish Law discusses the permissibility of wearing both nose rings and earrings while out on Shabbat, and whether there is reason to fear that it may lead one to transgress the law against carrying in the public domain on the sacred day of rest.4 But why is piercing allowed? Shouldn’t it be forbidden under the general ban on self-harm? The Lubavitcher Rebbe addresses this issue and concludes that it is not
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