Not to make a bald spot in mourning

Mourning – אֲבֵלוּת

• This mitzvah limits mourning by forbidding self-disfigurement, ensuring grief is expressed through Torah frameworks like shivah and kriah. Rambam (Avodat Kochavim 12:17) and the Mishnah (Makkot 21a) codify lashes for violations, highlighting the severity. Sefer HaChinuch (468) explains that Hashem’s children must mourn in a manner that preserves dignity and sanctity.

Holiness – קְדֻשָּׁה

• Deut. 14:1–2 links this law to Israel’s holiness. Ramban emphasizes that external marks of despair contradict kedushah. By forbidding bald spots, the Torah directs mourning into acts that sanctify life rather than disfigure it.

Reverence – יִרְאַת שָׁמַיִם

• Fear of Heaven requires accepting Hashem’s decrees without destructive practices. Rashi notes that bald patches were pagan signs of mourning; Torah instead channels reverence into prayer and mitzvot.

Idolatry – עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה

• Rambam situates this prohibition among laws separating Israel from idolatrous rites. Pagans marked their grief through hair removal; Jews are forbidden to imitate them. Sefer HaChinuch underscores that abandoning such customs keeps mourning aligned with Torah.

Community – קְהִלָּה

• By forbidding pagan mourning rituals, this mitzvah strengthens communal identity. Yevamot 13b expands lo titgodedu to mean avoiding factions; here too, communal unity in aveilut is preserved by Torah’s limits.

Between a person and G-d – בֵּין אָדָם לְמָקוֹם

• As Hashem’s children, Israel must honor Him even in mourning. Ramban ties this mitzvah to emunah and covenantal dignity, ensuring that grief does not break the bond with Hashem but instead affirms it.

Lashes – מַלְקוֹת

• The Mishnah (Makkot 3:5–6) teaches that one who makes a bald spot for the dead incurs lashes. Rambam codifies this in Avodat Kochavim 12:17. The severity signals that external disfigurement in grief is unacceptable in Torah law.

Family – מִשְׁפָּחָה

• Mourning honors family bonds, but lo tasimu korcha ensures dignity remains intact. Instead of self-disfigurement, halachah provides structured mourning that elevates both the mourner and the deceased.

Faith – אֱמוּנָה

• Sefer HaChinuch (468) explains that pagan mourning reflects despair and loss of faith. Torah mourning affirms emunah: Hashem gives and takes life, and Jews respond with prayer, Torah study, and charity in memory of the deceased.