Getting tattooed on Yom Kippur

topic posted Wed, September 15, 2004 - 7:31 AM by  AmyGdala
I will be adding a tattoo of the Queen of Rods tarot card from the Aquarian deck to my left thigh on Yom Kippur (I have the Queen of Swords on my right thigh already). My Jewish mother protested because she felt if I was getting a tattoo on Yom Kippur, it should have Jewish imagery in it. But she calmed down when I told her that it would hurt a lot. I think she was happy that I will get some suffering in, like we Jews are supposed to! ;)
posted by:
AmyGdala
SF Bay Area
  • Re: Getting tattooed on Yom Kippur

    Wed, September 15, 2004 - 1:19 PM

    Yom Kippur is not a day of suffering. That is not the purpose of fasting. The fast is about transending the needs of the body that we might have a purer connection with our Maker. By getting a tattoo, you will be paying greater attention to your body and giving no heed to Hashem. I would strongly advise against this.
    • Re: Getting tattooed on Yom Kippur

      Wed, September 15, 2004 - 2:29 PM
      Adam - I was making a joke regarding the suffering element, due to the popular misconception often joked about by Jews I know that we are supposed to be suffering at all times.
      As to tattooing, I play a lot with transcendence through body manipulation-- often in a bdsm context, but through pure ritual as well. The body begins as the vehicle, but the goal is attaining a different sort of consciousness where the body is not the focus. This may sound strange, but for me and my observance of Yom Kippur, it makes perfect sense.


      "Yom Kippur is not a day of suffering. That is not the purpose of fasting. The fast is about transending the needs of the body that we might have a purer connection with our Maker. By getting a tattoo, you will be paying greater attention to your body and giving no heed to Hashem. I would strongly advise against this."

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