Editing Self-flagellation (section)

== Judaism ==
Some Jewish men practice a symbolic form of self-flagellation on the day before [[Yom Kippur]] as an enactment; it is strictly prohibited in Judaism to cause self-harm. Biblical passages such as "it shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls" (Leviticus 23:27) were used to justify these actions. It was a common practice in the Middle Ages for men to whip themselves on the back 39 times.<ref>{{cite news |last1= Gilad |first1= Elon. |title= 10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Yom Kippur. |newspaper= Haaretz |date= September 10, 2013 |access-date= April 2, 2020 |url= https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/10-things-you-didn-t-know-about-kippur-1.5332142 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201002045028/https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/10-things-you-didn-t-know-about-kippur-1.5332142 |archive-date= October 2, 2020}}</ref> However, since biblical times Judaism has largely considered Yom Kippur as a day of spiritual atonement achieved through fasting, introspection, and other interpretations of the commandment "afflict your souls" that do not involve bodily self-harm.<ref>{{cite web |last1= Sonsino |first1= Rifat |title= You Shall Afflict Yourselves |date= August 2005 |access-date= 27 December 2020 |url= https://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?ArticleId=435 |publisher= [[Society of Biblical Literature]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210727152459/https://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?ArticleId=435 |archive-date= July 27, 2021}}</ref>