Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. The hair regulations — prohibiting the specific cuts associated with mourning rites or with pagan religious practices — are part of the covenant community's distinctive appearance. The cuts at the sides of the head and the edges of the beard were associated with mourning practices or with the practices of neighboring peoples. The prohibition distinguishes Israel's appearance from practices associated with the worship of other gods or with improper mourning rituals.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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