The Doings of Egypt - not to follow in their ways...?

18 וַיִּקְרָא

 3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes.

In my post Tattoos and Taboos, I suggested the above verse might be a reason not to get tattoos. however, it is important to get a context on what this verse is referring to, since it is used by Orthodoxy  to outlaw almost any practice that non Israelites may carry out.  The chapter in Vayikra /Leviticus speaks about certain practices of ancient Egypt and Canaan. These are outlined further down the page, and they refer to incest and bestiality.    To get an idea of the depravity of ancient practices, whereas Israel had "kosher" animals, i.e those permitted to eat and those not, the Hittites had an altogether different concept of what animals are permitted for - i.e. certain species were allowed for bestiality, whilst others were not!  It seems to me that this is what the law in Vayikra is referring to.

So, is walking with one's head uncovered such a law of the nations, as the Taz would have us believe?  It seems this law can be expanded to include anything, which makes it useless.  For example, most rabbis will wear ties, even though it is not originally a Jewish form of dress, and may even represent the cross.  The same goes for the hats they wear, or even the skullcap - as they are worn by muslims in mosques.

This line argument is further bolstered by the verses follwoing v.3, eg
5 Ye shall therefore keep My statutes, and Mine ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.

It is enough to keep to the laws written in the Torah, and not outlaw the wearing of Nike trainers. And for those  who wear Kippot, having a Nike logo may not be a gentile practice, but it could be a trademark infringement.