Former hostage Rom Braslavski shared in a personal post that he has begun the process of removing a tattoo from his body.
Braslavski began his post by quoting Leviticus (19:28), "You shall not etch a tattoo on yourselves."
"Father, thank You for giving me the privilege of removing the tattoo from my body. Father, thank You for the privilege of being free and happy. Father, thank You for the privilege of being Jewish. Father, thank You for the privilege of no longer being a hostage in Gaza."
In his post, Braslavski said that he made the decision to remove his tattoo about six months after his release from captivity.
During the summer months, he added, "the terrorist forced me to wear a jacket so no one would see my tattoo... and that tattoo was what revealed that I am a Jew," he wrote.
"I decided to take it upon myself to remove this tattoo with laser burns directly on my body and to endure the pain - for one purpose only: to serve and devote myself to the Holy of Holies, the Holy One, Blessed be He," he wrote.
It should be noted that while Torah forbids etching a tattoo into the body, one who has a tattoo is not required to remove it, even though he may do so.
He concluded, "Father, thank You for my captivity in Gaza, and thank You for the suffering I endured. Thank You for every hardship You placed in my life. This is what Judaism looks like. 'Blessed are You... who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this time.'"