I was wondering if it was a sin to shave your head bald since in leviticus chapter 19 verse 27 states:
"You shall not shave around the sides of your head...."
Does this mean that i can't shave my head bald anymore or does it imply something else???
Someone please help!
Shalom Reynaldo,
The context lends to 'something else'. It was the custom of the surrounding nations to shave their heads in a certain manner in obeisance to other gods and possibly as a manner of grieving for the dead. By taking on the manners of the surrounding nations, they defiled themselves, became common and no longer Holy to Him.
Lev 19:27 KJV
(27) Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
When you find a scripture that causes you to stop, like the one above, consider the context of the surrounding verses and the chapter. You'll find that at the beginning of the chapter YHVH is speaking on the manner of recognizing and honoring only HIM.
Lev 19:1-4 KJV
(1) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
(2) Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.
(3) Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.
(4) Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.
The chapter is about not becoming like the surrounding nations and adopting their customs as well as being holy to God. His instructions included on manners in which people would become profane or common, 'unclean' if you will.
The state of 'uncleanness' happens to everyone naturally, for women it's menses and for men it's when they spill their seed (accidentally or nor), it could be touching a dead body or coming into contact with someone else who is unclean.
Scripture gives instructions on how to come into 'clean' again and might include one or several of the following; bathing, waiting till nightfall, waiting a prescribed number of days, burning clothes and bedding, shaving all hair off and even up to sacrifices at the temple.
The way to know what to do would be to examine each case for itself; was the act of becoming unclean natural, non-deliberate, a result of sickness, or intentional. For some cases, a priest would be called in to direct the 'unclean' person towards 'clean' again. For some, the method of achieving 'clean' was standard (as in the case of women and menses).
It's a subject that has many applications still today in spite of not have the Temple and the Altar on which to make sacrifices.
Still, YHVH set up a system that included the Temple and the Altar as well as priests and judges to direct the steps of His people.
Because there is no Temple Service, Altar or Priests which are required components for carrying out, at least in part, some means of becoming clean, people have to decide for themselves how much they can adhere to these laws and ironically, not find themselves outside the law in doing so. For example, we can't sacrifice because there is no Altar, but we can still offer up the "calves of our lips" in prayers.
Hos 14:2 KJV
(2) Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips.
In the end, we are to strive towards becoming what YHVH teaches us, to become like Him and to love Him with our everything
The chapter then ends with the admonishment/command to heed the words He's written for the sanctification of the people. It was/is important to be in a state of 'clean' and 'holy'. Keep in mind though, that He knew we would be in situations of 'unclean', that is not to mean dirty, simply that one is not in a state (temporarily) of 'clean'.
Lev 19:37 KJV
(37) Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.
It's a big subject Reynaldo, I'm sure others here can add much more to what I've written. Suffice it to say that you can shave your head bald provided you are not doing it for the purpose of other gods...
Shalom
Hello Reynaldo,
I agree with everything that Teresa has stated. I'd like to add this commentary from the Jamieson, Fausett, & Brown commentary:
Leviticus 19:27
"Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, etc. — It seems probable that this fashion had been learned by the Israelites in Egypt, for the ancient Egyptians had their dark locks cropped short or shaved with great nicety, so that what remained on the crown appeared in the form of a circle surrounding the head, while the beard was dressed into a square form. This kind of coiffure had a highly idolatrous meaning; and it was adopted, with some slight variations, by almost all idolaters in ancient times. (Jer_9:25, Jer_9:26; Jer_25:23, where “in the utmost corners” means having the corners of their hair cut.) Frequently a lock or tuft of hair was left on the hinder part of the head, the rest being cut round in the form of a ring, as the Turks, Chinese, and Hindus do at the present day.
neither shalt thou mar, etc. — The Egyptians used to cut or shave off their whiskers, as may be seen in the coffins of mummies, and the representations of divinities on the monuments. But the Hebrews, in order to separate them from the neighboring nations, or perhaps to put a stop to some existing superstition, were forbidden to imitate this practice. It may appear surprising that Moses should condescend to such minutiae as that of regulating the fashion of the hair and the beard - matters which do not usually occupy the attention of a legislator - and which appear widely remote from the province either of government or of a religion. A strong presumption, therefore, arises that he had in mind by these regulations to combat some superstitious practices of the Egyptians".
The passage does not prohibit you from shaving your head because it is a prohibition against shaving the beard and hair IN A CERTAIN MATTER, not against shaving per se. The Jewish Book of Why acknowledges that shaving the beard is permissible. Not long ago I heard a Torah teacher on the internet saying that men should have beards and not shave based on this passage! Just today my officemate just returned from India after cremating his father. He completely shaved his head as a sign of mourning in the manner of the Hindus.
As long as you don't do this for the purpose of other gods just as Teresa had mentioned, I don't see this as an issue.
Shalom.
Shalom Reynaldo,
The commandment about shaving the head only pertains to doing so in mourning. There is no commandment regarding how we grow our hair except for mourning. In the same place it says not to cut or mar our bodies or get tattoos for mourning a loved one. I believe you will find this in Leviticus, Numbers, or Deuteronomy. Happy reading!
Love and Blessings,
Yitz'ach
Are we going to say then that along with shaving the head that cutting and marring our body is ok as long as it's not for the dead (in mourning)? I'm not judging anyone by what they decide but I'm not sure that is justification. If YHWH said don't do this for the dead like the nations do, I don't think we can justify doing as the nations do, just because it's not in mourning.
Blessings and Shalom
Num 6:18
‘And the Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and shall take the hair from the head of his separation and shall put it on the fire which is under the slaughtering of the peace offering.
A person completing the Nazirite vow is required to shave their head. Obviously there there is a way of describing actual shaving of ones entire head. Looking at Vayikra 19:27
‘Do not round the corner of your head, nor destroy the corner of your beard.
The wording here is different. This is not a command about shaving one's entire head, it is speaking about not creating a specific hair style, obviously one that the Children of Yisrael would have been familiar with at the time.
Shalom,
Ryan
Lev 21:5 They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.
We are talking about 3 different actions being done. You can break one without breaking the others. IMO it would be unwise for a man to shave his head without the proper instructions from the Torah such as when one takes a vow.
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