Foreskin Stretching
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 05:23:41 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Stretching Foreskin
To: [email protected]
Hi,
I was reading your site about Tatoos, Here is the
paragraph in question:
Tattoos: An Abomination
Our sages looked upon tattoos as an abomination, as
can be seen from the following Midrash (Tanchuma Lech
Lecha 20): "...Yehoyakim stretched his foreskin as it
is said (II Chronicles 36:8) And the rest of
Yehoyakim's matters and his abominations that he did
and that was found upon him.... What was found upon
him? That he stretched his foreskin. And there are
those that say that he tattooed himself."
I was circumcised but have always wanted a foreskin so
with the help of a friend who has a foreskin, I have
stretched myself a new foreskin... Is the stretching of foreskin
prohibited and where is it mentioned in the Bible or Torah?
Please reply, Thanks.
L.
Dear L.
Thanks for visiting my web site and thanks for
writing.
G-d commanded Abraham to circumcise his offspring:
"This is My covenant between Me, and between you and
your offspring that you must keep: You must circumcise
every male"(Genesis 17:10).
Later on in the Bible, G-d again commands the Jewish
people to circumcise:
"On the eighth day, [the child's] foreskin shall be
circumcised"(Leviticus 12:3).
The sages disapproved of Jews stretching their
foreskins. G-d commanded the Jews to circumcise, and
one who stretches his foreskin causes himself to look
like he is uncircumcised. By doing so he shows that
he scorns G-d's commandments(see Rabbeinu Yona's
commentary on Avoth 3:11). A Jew who stretches his
foreskin has no portion in "The World
To Come"(Maimonides, Laws of Repentance 3:6).
For gentiles that are not descended from Abraham, I do
not think that there is any problem for them to
stretch their foreskins.
BACK TO YOUR FEEDBACK
BACK TO TATTOOS ARE NOT FOR JEWS