Tattooing of Jews.

[MassuhDGoodName]

Not to belabor the point, but re:  "...Burning bodies should only be done as a punishment against evil people..."

On Yom Kippur we read that G-d has determined for the coming year "Who by fire...[will perish in the coming year]".

So...if The Holy One has so decreed who is to perish by fire in the coming year, how is it that the unlucky ones so decreed are commiting sin?

I realize that this is not necessarily the same as willful cremation of the deceased, but nevertheless my question is pertinent.

Answers, anyone?

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

                                                                                                                   

fidei, by saying that you will do to your body what Hitler did to the bodies of defenseless Jews is something I cannot comprehend. Are you allowing the Nazi mass murderers to make the rules for you? Hitler sets the standard for what you do to your body? If you really want to defy and defeat Hitler, and if you really want to honor your loved ones, then I think you should do what the Nazis would not want you to do - you should be stubbornly loyal to your Jewish faith and heritage and commandments and show the Nazis that they did not defeat you or break you, and that the sacred Jewish faith which the Nazis detested will gloriously live forever, while the Nazis and all other Jew-hating Amalekites will burn forever in the deepest bowels of hell.

As for your father, he did not realize what he was doing, and so we must pray for his soul. Your father was among תינוקות של בית רבן (the innocents who sin because they did have a full Jewish education). I am sure that your father was a good man, and we love him and we will pray for him. But you can do something now for his soul by correcting this mistaken path and doing what Judaism teaches us to do. And by convincing your mother הי''ו (HaShem should protect her and give her life) to also do what Judaism commands.

I understand what you are saying Chaim and thank you.

[Rubystars]

                                                                                                                     בס''ד

And we absolutely should not personally attack people who post here. Even if they are mistaken, we should explain what Judaism teaches with love and patience, not with personal attacks.

Thanks for stepping in Chaim.

[Dr. Dan]

I believe in a very compassionate G-d.   I think he can forgive things such as tattoos and being cremated.

I 100% agree with you Ari, G-d is all forgiving. And a loving Father 

 G-d says specifically that if you say that ill sin and G-d will forgive, or its not a big deal, etc. G-d is expecially going to severly punish that person. I understand we are not perfect, and the sins we did in the past, we did in the past, we should make proper Tishuva on it. BUT to specifically plan on making sins, wayy into the future to add to that, I dont see any logic to that. It is spiritual suicide, and I have no doubt that that person will NOT go to a higher place after they die. At the very least if they merit it they will have to go back into many many harsh tikkunim (soul corrections) which is no joke, and that is if they have some merits, if not then they could loose it all, forever. It is no joke, either way you loose. The proper way is to follow the ways (Halachot) of G-d, and not use our distorted opinion on matters.

Many Jews have been cremated throughout history, in one way or another. And G-d knows that.
Regardless of everything G-d is the one that judges not mere humans.

Because I love you, I would strongly advise to avoid cremation whent the time comes...Gd willing you live to be 120 happy and healthy.

[Dr. Dan]

                                                                                                                  בס''ד

The Rambam (Maimonides) teaches us that תחיית המתים (techiyat hametim - the resurrection of the dead) will be a miracle that HaShem will perform, and therefore it doesn't matter if the body has been buried for thousands of years and has almost completely decomposed or if the German Nazis יש''ו שר''י burned the body completely in the ovens of the death camps. Those who merit being resurrected will be resurrected miraculously regardless of the state of their body.

But sadly I must add that those who knowingly defy G-d's mitzvot (commandments) risk not being part of the resurrection. There are preconditions to earning the right to eternal life, and one of them is obeying G-d's mitzvot. I am not judging anyone and I don't know what G-d will do with Jews who knowingly desecrate and deface their bodies with the pagan ritual of tatooing or who cremate their bodies. But I do know that it is absolutely forbidden to engage in these practices, and that at the very least a Jew who does so is risking losing everything on the day of judgement. Of course, if someone does so out of ignorance, it is not the same as someone who knows better and has been warned.

In Judaism, the body is SACRED. G-d created the body as our tool to fulfill His will in this world. And we must do so the way He commands us to. G-d didn't give us the 10 suggestions or the 10 options, He gave us the 10 COMMANDMENTS. And to the Jew, G-d gave 613 commandments.

fidei, by saying that you will do to your body what Hitler did to the bodies of defenseless Jews is something I cannot comprehend. Are you allowing the Nazi mass murderers to make the rules for you? Hitler sets the standard for what you do to your body? If you really want to defy and defeat Hitler, and if you really want to honor your loved ones, then I think you should do what the Nazis would not want you to do - you should be stubbornly loyal to your Jewish faith and heritage and commandments and show the Nazis that they did not defeat you or break you, and that the sacred Jewish faith which the Nazis detested will gloriously live forever, while the Nazis and all other Jew-hating Amalekites will burn forever in the deepest bowels of hell.

As for your father, he did not realize what he was doing, and so we must pray for his soul. Your father was among תינוקות של בית רבן (the innocents who sin because they did have a full Jewish education). I am sure that your father was a good man, and we love him and we will pray for him. But you can do something now for his soul by correcting this mistaken path and doing what Judaism teaches us to do. And by convincing your mother הי''ו (HaShem should protect her and give her life) to also do what Judaism commands.

Amen gave me tears on that one.

[Dr. Dan]

Not to belabor the point, but re:  "...Burning bodies should only be done as a punishment against evil people..."

On Yom Kippur we read that G-d has determined for the coming year "Who by fire...[will perish in the coming year]".

So...if The Holy One has so decreed who is to perish by fire in the coming year, how is it that the unlucky ones so decreed are commiting sin?

I realize that this is not necessarily the same as willful cremation of the deceased, but nevertheless my question is pertinent.

Answers, anyone?

Great point!

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

I believe in a very compassionate G-d.   I think he can forgive things such as tattoos and being cremated.

I 100% agree with you Ari, G-d is all forgiving. And a loving Father 

 G-d says specifically that if you say that ill sin and G-d will forgive, or its not a big deal, etc. G-d is expecially going to severly punish that person. I understand we are not perfect, and the sins we did in the past, we did in the past, we should make proper Tishuva on it. BUT to specifically plan on making sins, wayy into the future to add to that, I dont see any logic to that. It is spiritual suicide, and I have no doubt that that person will NOT go to a higher place after they die. At the very least if they merit it they will have to go back into many many harsh tikkunim (soul corrections) which is no joke, and that is if they have some merits, if not then they could loose it all, forever. It is no joke, either way you loose. The proper way is to follow the ways (Halachot) of G-d, and not use our distorted opinion on matters.

Many Jews have been cremated throughout history, in one way or another. And G-d knows that.
Regardless of everything G-d is the one that judges not mere humans.

Because I love you, I would strongly advise to avoid cremation whent the time comes...Gd willing you live to be 120 happy and healthy.

Thanks Doc, I love you too. 

[Zvulun Ben Moshe]

The irony of course is that the screen name "Fidei defensor" which means "defender of the faith" does not seem to suit a person with such mentality.

Fidei, I also had relatives who perished in the Holcaust. Hitler created a hell on earth for them way before they could even think of heaven.

Today, I don't whine about that, nor do I want to "enjoy" another hell on earth. I rather promised to myself that before anyone attempts to bring about another hell for my people, I will arrange an inferno party for them after which Dante's "Divine Comedy" will be taken as a bad joke.

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

The irony of course is that the screen name "Fidei defensor" which means "defender of the faith" does not seem to suit a person with such mentality.

Many reasons why I chose that screen name. And really got little to do with its Latin meaning.