This chapter takes up touch in relation to life and death, taboo and zone. The author shows how skin is the boundary in which inside and outside are related and distinguished. Drawing on a variety of linguistic traditions, he shows how moments of intimacy move us beyond functionality toward a deepening carnal signification. The second part of this chapter examines the semantic familiarity and play of Rühren, Berühren, and Aufruhr. The author argues that touch sets things in motion, and initiates the differentiation of bodies as in the event of birth. It is this primal carnal separation that initiates our openness to touch, contact, the world, and relationship.