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Torah Portion -
reeh
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Written by d fine
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The gemarra (yevamos 13b) learns from the commandment not to make tattoos on one's body in mourning ('lo tisgodedu,' 14;1) a prohibition of making factions amongst klal yisrael. A common application of this is on chol hamoed in Israel. The minhag in Israel is not to wear tefillin on chol hamo'ed, but many outside of Israel do. A Jew on holiday in Israel does not put tefillin on in shul where everyone else does not have them on, because that would be 'lo tisgodedu' - making factions & machlokes. [One does generally put them on privately at home after shul though.] What do the two commandments (tattooing over a death and making factions/machlokes) have to do with each other that they should be learnt from the same word? One answer comes via Rashi on the pasuk. He explains that the opening words of the pasuk 'You are children to HaShem your G-D' introduce the issur on tattooing here
- 'because you are HaShem's children and are fitting to be presentable and not with cut flesh.' So too, may we suggest, is the connection to making factions. We are children of HaShem, and so we are one big family. It is not fitting for children to argue and not be united together. Therefore, there is a connection between these two prohibitions.
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