The Case For An Unharmed Beard: An Interpretation of Leviticus 19:27
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Ken
Feb 23, 2012, 12:21:49 PM2/23/12
to Parshanut HaTorah (פַּרְשָׁנוּת הַתּוֹרָה)
לא תקפו פאת ראשכם ולא תשחית את פאת זקנך
"You shall not shave around the sides of your heads, neither shall you
disfigure the corners of your beard." - Leviticus 19:27
This passage is one of the most misunderstood verses of the entire
Hebrew Bible, but this is not a post trying to understand it. This
post will not shed light on what the Creator was getting at by
commanding the Hebrews to not cut their beards or shave the hair from
the temples of their heads in His Torah. No, this post is embracing
this verse for what it is, what the ancient Israelites would have
understood it to be, and a possible interpretation you may or may not
apply to it.
I consider myself to be a Karaite in my approach to Torah. A Karaite
is, very simply, a Scripturalist Israelite (the term "Kara" in Hebrew
being a word for "Scripture"). A Karaite looks at the text and tries
their best to put it in context; thinking it through the way an
ancient Middle Eastern shepherd or farmer might have. It is with this
understanding (or lack thereof) that I tackle this verse.
Many have attempted to throw this verse out of application by trying
to "antiquitize" (yes, I made that term up just now) its intent. There
have been many, many excuses for not applying this verse in its
literal sense of not shaving the hair completely from the corners of
one's head and bringing no harm to the hair of the beard. Some say
these practices were done as a sign of mourning, but when not done as
a ritual in grief, they are acceptable. Others say these were pagan
practices; either as a right of fertility or as a means of showing
tribal identification with shapes and designs shaved out of the hair
of the temples in ornate designs. How they come to this conclusion is
by interpreting this to coincide to either the verse before or the
verse after verse 27:
" You shall not eat anything with the blood: neither shall you use
divination, nor witchcraft." -Leviticus 19:26
"You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor
tattoo any marks upon you: I am YHVH." - Leviticus 19:28
When the entire chapter of Leviticus 19 is read, many of the
prohibitions are given reasons for their observance, but many are
given no explanation at all. There is a common theme that runs
throughout the chapter: do not be like the rest of the world. The fact
that the Almighty had to tell these people these things can be used to
help one assume that these practices were taking place amongst those
whom the Israelites were interacting. Archeological evidence also
supports this thought process. It is understood that these practices
were detestable to the God of Israel. However, another interpretation
of this could be that even though this behavior did not yet at that
time exist, the Holy One could foresee a time when this behavior would
occur and He sought to snuff it out amongst His people before it had a
chance to take root.
All of these theories are completely beside the point I wish to share;
that being my declaration of ignorance! My ignorance is not an
ignorance of the text itself, for that is right before our eyes, but
an ignorance of the Almighty's intent for these commands. When we go
so far as to assume we know why the Creator of the Universe commanded
us not to take part in certain behaviors and made other actions
mandatory, we are putting words in His mouth. When we rationalize our
act of omitting commands of the Most High, we are, in a sense,
inserting a "condition of application" or "fine print" into the text
that does not exist. It's as though we have been including the
conditions into the Holy Torah, "in the event that pagan traditions
surrounding mourning, fertility, or methods of tribal identification
no longer are the norm, disregard Leviticus 19:27 altogether." To do
this, even just in application and without scribbling these additions
in the margins of the Torah, such a "condition" is in direction
violation of the prohibition against adding or removing mitzvot from
the Torah (Deuteronomy 4:2).
In this age, the ritual removal of facial hair is a very common
practice. In fact, this behavior has gone from ritual to habitual just
within the past 100 years or so. No United States President since 1889
has worn a full beard (Benjamin Harrison) and no president since
Theodore Roosevelt allowed so much as a mustache on their faces. Also,
now more than ever before in history are people being called back the
Hebrew Scriptures and the observance of Torah. Secular Jews are
clamoring back to the heritage of their forefathers. Even Gentiles are
shaking off the lies they have been told in the past about their own
scriptures and applying more of the Bible to their lives in a much
more literal sense.
The mitzvah of not harming one's beard takes no more faith than any
other command, but the reason why so many are apprehensive about
observing it is because not only is it on your face, but it's also "in
your face" as far as it being apparent to others. It's because of this
that so many want to find a way out of this commandment rather than be
looked at with near-disgust by society. The world sees a full,
untrimmed beard as being unhygenic and a symbol of not caring; but in
actuality, keeping an "unharmed" and taken care of beard is one of the
most natural and healthy things a man can do. I will agree that it is
a symbol of not caring, but not caring about what is the question. A
full, unharmed beard is a symbol of not caring about what people might
say or think. That concept does scare many people, which is why I can
say that a full, unharmed beard is not for everyone.
My beard is more than facial hair. It is the act of me announcing my
ignorance of God's intent for certain situations in my life. It is an
act of letting go. It is a symbol of the pledge I made Him when I came
into His covenant. I have trimmed it in the past in order to better
conform to a certain situation in life, but I always regret doing so.
It is for that reason that I have decided to never again harm my beard
with a blade. Never again shall I cut the hairs of my beard. Is it
because I know more than others about why God has told us not to cut
our beards? If anything, it's because I don't know what else to do.
Now keeping a full beard does not mean being afraid of it, but rather
taking care of what God has made grow. We should clean our beards
regularly and brush them thoroughly remove any detached hairs from the
rest of the beard for the health of the folicals. This also helps to
remove the "dirty" stigma from non-trimmed beards. Also, not marring
one's beard does not mean always wearing it completely out in full
view; able to get into anything you're doing. Sometimes, tying the
beard back is necessary. This can be done so by braiding the beard and
then sticking the braid back through the braid-supporting hairs under
the chin, or by holding back with some sort of bandana or cord to keep
it free from machinery or other things
Never wear a beard to appear pious. If you ever feel you are growing
your beard out with ulterior motives aside from obedience, I wouldn't
recommend wearing an unharmed beard. Also, it doesn't matter how long
you've gone without trimming if you speak badly about your neighbor or
attempt to cheat people. The folicals of a beard do come from one's
face, but a beard really grows from the heart.
Remember, there actually no commandment anywhere in the Scripture to
grow a beard. The command is simply to no cut hair that grows
naturally on the corners of one's face. If you cannot grow a beard,
there is something to be said even more for those who cannot not grow
a full and thick beard, yet still decide not to mar what grows.
It might itch for the first couple weeks, but once the hair grows a
bit longer, it grows softer and then you're home free and the itching
is behind you. The beard is one of the last distinguishing features of
a man. It is important now more than ever for men to be proud of their
role and not shave to conform to the "norms."
All of this posts are of my opinion. I do not claim them as truth for
all because I do not know everyone. All I know is what I see in the
text and feeling that goes along with it. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel
free to share any feedback you have, but try and keep a positive
mental attitude.
Many blessings, -Ken
"You shall not shave around the sides of your heads, neither shall you
disfigure the corners of your beard." - Leviticus 19:27
This passage is one of the most misunderstood verses of the entire
Hebrew Bible, but this is not a post trying to understand it. This
post will not shed light on what the Creator was getting at by
commanding the Hebrews to not cut their beards or shave the hair from
the temples of their heads in His Torah. No, this post is embracing
this verse for what it is, what the ancient Israelites would have
understood it to be, and a possible interpretation you may or may not
apply to it.
I consider myself to be a Karaite in my approach to Torah. A Karaite
is, very simply, a Scripturalist Israelite (the term "Kara" in Hebrew
being a word for "Scripture"). A Karaite looks at the text and tries
their best to put it in context; thinking it through the way an
ancient Middle Eastern shepherd or farmer might have. It is with this
understanding (or lack thereof) that I tackle this verse.
Many have attempted to throw this verse out of application by trying
to "antiquitize" (yes, I made that term up just now) its intent. There
have been many, many excuses for not applying this verse in its
literal sense of not shaving the hair completely from the corners of
one's head and bringing no harm to the hair of the beard. Some say
these practices were done as a sign of mourning, but when not done as
a ritual in grief, they are acceptable. Others say these were pagan
practices; either as a right of fertility or as a means of showing
tribal identification with shapes and designs shaved out of the hair
of the temples in ornate designs. How they come to this conclusion is
by interpreting this to coincide to either the verse before or the
verse after verse 27:
" You shall not eat anything with the blood: neither shall you use
divination, nor witchcraft." -Leviticus 19:26
"You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor
tattoo any marks upon you: I am YHVH." - Leviticus 19:28
When the entire chapter of Leviticus 19 is read, many of the
prohibitions are given reasons for their observance, but many are
given no explanation at all. There is a common theme that runs
throughout the chapter: do not be like the rest of the world. The fact
that the Almighty had to tell these people these things can be used to
help one assume that these practices were taking place amongst those
whom the Israelites were interacting. Archeological evidence also
supports this thought process. It is understood that these practices
were detestable to the God of Israel. However, another interpretation
of this could be that even though this behavior did not yet at that
time exist, the Holy One could foresee a time when this behavior would
occur and He sought to snuff it out amongst His people before it had a
chance to take root.
All of these theories are completely beside the point I wish to share;
that being my declaration of ignorance! My ignorance is not an
ignorance of the text itself, for that is right before our eyes, but
an ignorance of the Almighty's intent for these commands. When we go
so far as to assume we know why the Creator of the Universe commanded
us not to take part in certain behaviors and made other actions
mandatory, we are putting words in His mouth. When we rationalize our
act of omitting commands of the Most High, we are, in a sense,
inserting a "condition of application" or "fine print" into the text
that does not exist. It's as though we have been including the
conditions into the Holy Torah, "in the event that pagan traditions
surrounding mourning, fertility, or methods of tribal identification
no longer are the norm, disregard Leviticus 19:27 altogether." To do
this, even just in application and without scribbling these additions
in the margins of the Torah, such a "condition" is in direction
violation of the prohibition against adding or removing mitzvot from
the Torah (Deuteronomy 4:2).
In this age, the ritual removal of facial hair is a very common
practice. In fact, this behavior has gone from ritual to habitual just
within the past 100 years or so. No United States President since 1889
has worn a full beard (Benjamin Harrison) and no president since
Theodore Roosevelt allowed so much as a mustache on their faces. Also,
now more than ever before in history are people being called back the
Hebrew Scriptures and the observance of Torah. Secular Jews are
clamoring back to the heritage of their forefathers. Even Gentiles are
shaking off the lies they have been told in the past about their own
scriptures and applying more of the Bible to their lives in a much
more literal sense.
The mitzvah of not harming one's beard takes no more faith than any
other command, but the reason why so many are apprehensive about
observing it is because not only is it on your face, but it's also "in
your face" as far as it being apparent to others. It's because of this
that so many want to find a way out of this commandment rather than be
looked at with near-disgust by society. The world sees a full,
untrimmed beard as being unhygenic and a symbol of not caring; but in
actuality, keeping an "unharmed" and taken care of beard is one of the
most natural and healthy things a man can do. I will agree that it is
a symbol of not caring, but not caring about what is the question. A
full, unharmed beard is a symbol of not caring about what people might
say or think. That concept does scare many people, which is why I can
say that a full, unharmed beard is not for everyone.
My beard is more than facial hair. It is the act of me announcing my
ignorance of God's intent for certain situations in my life. It is an
act of letting go. It is a symbol of the pledge I made Him when I came
into His covenant. I have trimmed it in the past in order to better
conform to a certain situation in life, but I always regret doing so.
It is for that reason that I have decided to never again harm my beard
with a blade. Never again shall I cut the hairs of my beard. Is it
because I know more than others about why God has told us not to cut
our beards? If anything, it's because I don't know what else to do.
Now keeping a full beard does not mean being afraid of it, but rather
taking care of what God has made grow. We should clean our beards
regularly and brush them thoroughly remove any detached hairs from the
rest of the beard for the health of the folicals. This also helps to
remove the "dirty" stigma from non-trimmed beards. Also, not marring
one's beard does not mean always wearing it completely out in full
view; able to get into anything you're doing. Sometimes, tying the
beard back is necessary. This can be done so by braiding the beard and
then sticking the braid back through the braid-supporting hairs under
the chin, or by holding back with some sort of bandana or cord to keep
it free from machinery or other things
Never wear a beard to appear pious. If you ever feel you are growing
your beard out with ulterior motives aside from obedience, I wouldn't
recommend wearing an unharmed beard. Also, it doesn't matter how long
you've gone without trimming if you speak badly about your neighbor or
attempt to cheat people. The folicals of a beard do come from one's
face, but a beard really grows from the heart.
Remember, there actually no commandment anywhere in the Scripture to
grow a beard. The command is simply to no cut hair that grows
naturally on the corners of one's face. If you cannot grow a beard,
there is something to be said even more for those who cannot not grow
a full and thick beard, yet still decide not to mar what grows.
It might itch for the first couple weeks, but once the hair grows a
bit longer, it grows softer and then you're home free and the itching
is behind you. The beard is one of the last distinguishing features of
a man. It is important now more than ever for men to be proud of their
role and not shave to conform to the "norms."
All of this posts are of my opinion. I do not claim them as truth for
all because I do not know everyone. All I know is what I see in the
text and feeling that goes along with it. I hope you enjoyed it. Feel
free to share any feedback you have, but try and keep a positive
mental attitude.
Many blessings, -Ken
Kphiyr
Feb 23, 2012, 10:01:16 PM2/23/12
to Parshanut HaTorah (פַּרְשָׁנוּת הַתּוֹרָה)
Ken
Feb 24, 2012, 1:04:07 PM2/24/12
to Parshanut HaTorah (פַּרְשָׁנוּת הַתּוֹרָה)
I had read Nehemia's understanding and though I understand that
shaving was a mourning ritual and continues to be in many culture, I
don't fully agree that we observe Torah only when it applies to a
specific situation. If somebody offered me a ham sandwich, would I
stop and think "the Creator told us not to eat pork because He's
wanting to spare us from disease, but most of the pork produced today
has been inspected for quality and won't give me such-and-such
disease, so I can go ahead and eat it." I know that analogy isn't
completely on the same level, but I'm just attempting to express my
logic. My writing about it was basically trying to express that just
because a commandment is linked to a certain behavior. Another example
would be not committing adultery. Adultery is an act of respecting
your wife and your marriage, but you wouldn't be allowed to commit
adultery even if your wife didn't care who you slept with and your
marriage would remain intact.
Get what I'm saying? Even if the beard marring was to address a
specific issue (which I can't find hard evidence that it was), the
commandment still exists and without written conditions.
shaving was a mourning ritual and continues to be in many culture, I
don't fully agree that we observe Torah only when it applies to a
specific situation. If somebody offered me a ham sandwich, would I
stop and think "the Creator told us not to eat pork because He's
wanting to spare us from disease, but most of the pork produced today
has been inspected for quality and won't give me such-and-such
disease, so I can go ahead and eat it." I know that analogy isn't
completely on the same level, but I'm just attempting to express my
logic. My writing about it was basically trying to express that just
because a commandment is linked to a certain behavior. Another example
would be not committing adultery. Adultery is an act of respecting
your wife and your marriage, but you wouldn't be allowed to commit
adultery even if your wife didn't care who you slept with and your
marriage would remain intact.
Get what I'm saying? Even if the beard marring was to address a
specific issue (which I can't find hard evidence that it was), the
commandment still exists and without written conditions.
Zvi
Feb 27, 2012, 9:35:12 AM2/27/12
to Parshanut HaTorah (פַּרְשָׁנוּת הַתּוֹרָה)
Shalom folks,
Given how controversial this topic has been in Torah-true Judaism
since Medieval times and prior, most Qaraite Hakhamim appear to
believe shaving the *entire* beard is not a violation of Torah.
And if Samaritan observance is any indication, they concur with the
traditional Qaraite opinion seeing as some of their priests do shave
their beards (see central pic of page 2 + 1st image of page 3 at
http://orhof.smugmug.com/Holidays-Feasts-in-Israel/Samaritans/Samaritam-Day-of-Atonement-Yom/14371610_McQQvS/1064724002_DFUkG#!i=1064724242&k=UayvQ).
May YHWH be with you,
Zvi
Given how controversial this topic has been in Torah-true Judaism
since Medieval times and prior, most Qaraite Hakhamim appear to
believe shaving the *entire* beard is not a violation of Torah.
And if Samaritan observance is any indication, they concur with the
traditional Qaraite opinion seeing as some of their priests do shave
their beards (see central pic of page 2 + 1st image of page 3 at
http://orhof.smugmug.com/Holidays-Feasts-in-Israel/Samaritans/Samaritam-Day-of-Atonement-Yom/14371610_McQQvS/1064724002_DFUkG#!i=1064724242&k=UayvQ).
May YHWH be with you,
Zvi
Ken
Feb 28, 2012, 11:14:59 AM2/28/12
to Parshanut HaTorah (פַּרְשָׁנוּת הַתּוֹרָה)
Then why does the Samaritan High Priest have a full, untrimmed beard?
http://orhof.smugmug.com/Holidays-Feasts-in-Israel/Samaritans/Samaritam-Day-of-Atonement-Yom/14371610_McQQvS/1064724002_DFUkG#!i=1064723860&k=pkfaZ
http://orhof.smugmug.com/Holidays-Feasts-in-Israel/Samaritans/Samaritam-Day-of-Atonement-Yom/14371610_McQQvS/1064724002_DFUkG#!i=1064723860&k=pkfaZ
Zvi
Feb 28, 2012, 12:04:35 PM2/28/12
to Parshanut HaTorah (פַּרְשָׁנוּת הַתּוֹרָה)
I'm almost certain it's for the same reason most Qaraite rabbis/sages
wear a beard: it affords the individual of a more respectable presence
that beams out to their constituents their exalted position.
It is crucial to keep in mind that the chances a man will grow a beard
increase as he ages, and the Samaritan High Priests are always picked
for their position such that the oldest priest is appointed.
Zvi
On Feb 28, 6:14 pm, Ken <kenjayl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Then why does the Samaritan High Priest have a full, untrimmed beard?http://orhof.smugmug.com/Holidays-Feasts-in-Israel/Samaritans/Samarit...
wear a beard: it affords the individual of a more respectable presence
that beams out to their constituents their exalted position.
It is crucial to keep in mind that the chances a man will grow a beard
increase as he ages, and the Samaritan High Priests are always picked
for their position such that the oldest priest is appointed.
Zvi
On Feb 28, 6:14 pm, Ken <kenjayl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Then why does the Samaritan High Priest have a full, untrimmed beard?http://orhof.smugmug.com/Holidays-Feasts-in-Israel/Samaritans/Samarit...
יעקב/James Walker
Feb 28, 2012, 12:10:34 PM2/28/12
to parshanut...@googlegroups.com
Right, Zvi -
The root word ( זקןzayin qof nun)
Can mean both:
Zaqen (elder) and Zaqan (beard)... probably connected.
BTW, for a bit of humor, this winter, my 2 year old saw "Santa Claus" on a car commercial and was confused, so she asked me, "Mosheh, Abba?"
..she also did that when an Arab Emir came on TV... I told her "well, closer!"
Ya`aqov Walker
The root word ( זקן
Can mean both:
Zaqen (elder) and Zaqan (beard)... probably connected.
BTW, for a bit of humor, this winter, my 2 year old saw "Santa Claus" on a car commercial and was confused, so she asked me, "Mosheh, Abba?"
..she also did that when an Arab Emir came on TV... I told her "well, closer!"
Ya`aqov Walker
2012/2/28 Zvi <zvi.tor...@gmail.com>
Zvi
Feb 28, 2012, 12:25:11 PM2/28/12
to Parshanut HaTorah (פַּרְשָׁנוּת הַתּוֹרָה)
Ok... consider your comment 'liked'
:)
On Feb 28, 7:10 pm, יעקב/James Walker <yaaq...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Right, Zvi -
>
> The root word ( זקן
> zayin qof nun)
>
> Can mean both:
> Zaqen (elder) and Zaqan (beard)... probably connected.
>
> BTW, for a bit of humor, this winter, my 2 year old saw "Santa Claus" on a
> car commercial and was confused, so she asked me, "Mosheh, Abba?"
>
> ..she also did that when an Arab Emir came on TV... I told her "well,
> closer!"
>
> Ya`aqov Walker
>
> 2012/2/28 Zvi <zvi.torahkee...@gmail.com>
:)
On Feb 28, 7:10 pm, יעקב/James Walker <yaaq...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Right, Zvi -
>
> The root word ( זקן
> zayin qof nun)
>
> Can mean both:
> Zaqen (elder) and Zaqan (beard)... probably connected.
>
> BTW, for a bit of humor, this winter, my 2 year old saw "Santa Claus" on a
> car commercial and was confused, so she asked me, "Mosheh, Abba?"
>
> ..she also did that when an Arab Emir came on TV... I told her "well,
> closer!"
>
> Ya`aqov Walker
>
יעקב/James Walker
Feb 28, 2012, 12:27:22 PM2/28/12
to parshanut...@googlegroups.com
יעקב/James Walker
Feb 28, 2012, 12:33:03 PM2/28/12
to parshanut...@googlegroups.com
For follow up, I corrected her in Hebrew, and told her that she's calling "Mosheh" any "Ish Mezuqqan" (bearded man). So now she'll separate TV characters or random people in the store on TV by whether "yesh lo zaqan!" (He's got a beard!) or not. I guess the one thing she's learned from these bible story books is that good guys (i.e., prophets) have zaqanim :)
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