How Does G-d Judge Us?
Date: Fri, 24 Sep 1999 19:45:57 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Jews With Tattoos
To: [email protected]
Hello,
Hi there, just some comments for your comments page.
I am Jewish and was raised reformed. I had a Bat
Mitzvah and did go to Hebrew school for 8 years since
I was a kid. I am not a religious person and although
I find religion interesting historically I cannot say
I buy into all the preachings and teachings. I have
two tattoos and a body piercing. I realize this is
against my religion. I am not religious and I do not
feel this detracts from my good personal nature,
spirituality, or my heritage. I am a professional
person and was given a good upbringing. I was raised
with a Jewish background and given all of the ideals
by my parents and grandparents. I made this choice
for myself and do not feel that because I have or
don't have tattoos it makes me any less or more Jewish
than you are. I just suspect you practice the
religion more. I do not need to subscribe to all the
rituals and stringent laws of the Jewish religion,
many of which I feel have little bearing on this day's
society and life, to be a good person. I do a lot of
charity work and help people every day. If there is a
God, and that God judges you on your skin color, then
God is no better than a racist.
Hi,
Thanks for writing.
No, G-d does not judge us by our color. G-d judges us by how well
we keep his commandments. If we decide which commandments to keep and which not to keep,
then G-d has in essence ceased to be a "Commander" for us. Thus even the "commandments" that
we do keep are
not really "commandments", because we have taken away from G-d the status of commander.
Although transgressing a commandment does not make one less Jewish, it certainly makes one less
spiritual. Each transgression causes one
to be distanced from G-d. Each sin is a like a brick in a wall which
separates one from the Creator.
We do not always understand the underlying reason behind a commandment. This does not make
the commandment irrelevant. We keep
the commandments simply because G-d commanded us to keep them.
BACK TO YOUR FEEDBACK