D'varim 14:1

[alon]

28. It is a negative commandment to make no gashes and incisions in one's flesh in idol-worship or [in grief] over one's dead [kin].

Devarim 14:1(OJB) Ye are the bnei Hashem Eloheichem; ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

Deuteronomy 14:1 "You are the people of ADONAI your God. You are not to gash yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead,"

Whoever cuts his flesh [in grief] over his dead violates this prohibition, ... Included in the injunction of lo ththgod'du (you shall not gash yourselves) is the warning not to separate into agudoth, goups. This is to say that there should not be two religious courts in one town, this one following this practice and the other one following another practice.

[alon]

Sept 21, 2014 16:53:43 GMT -8 alon said:

28. It is a negative commandment to make no gashes and incisions in one's flesh in idol-worship or [in grief] over one's dead [kin].

Devarim 14:1(OJB) Ye are the bnei Hashem Eloheichem; ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

Deuteronomy 14:1 "You are the people of ADONAI your God. You are not to gash yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead,"

On the face of it this commandment is both Biblical and pretty self explanatory. We are not to follow the pagan practices of grief, especially when they involve disfigurement of our own bodies. Same with disfigurement in order to appease an idol. Thus far, I'd have to say this is a good mitzvah. However ...

[alon]

Sept 21, 2014 16:53:43 GMT -8 alon said:

... Included in the injunction of lo ththgod'du (you shall not gash yourselves) is the warning not to separate into agudoth, goups. This is to say that there should not be two religious courts in one town, this one following this practice and the other one following another practice.

Curious as to how they get this from the scripture quoted. Not that it doesn't make sense- they are apparently talking about the lower courts that administered local justice. You couldn't have two different local judicial authorities running the same town. So this could stand alone on its' own, but why tie it in here to this scripture about pagan practices of self disfigurement?

Dan C