So why don't you get a tattoo?

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So why don't you get a tattoo?

by Laurel Snyder, January 3, 2007 4 comments

Hebrew tattoos: cool enough for Britney...I grew up hearing a lot about the Jewish prohibition against tattoos and other forms of body art/mutilation. It was explained to me that all kinds of crazy pagans were running around in the pre-biblical (AKA pre-penicillin) middle-eastern deserts cutting themselves to ribbons, and then getting infections and dying.

But not the Jews.

Because our wonderful Jewish god had seen the wisdom of avoiding unnecesary slashing and scarring, and instructed us to avoid such decorative pain. And hence, contemporary decorated Jews could not be buried in Jewish cemetaries.

But LOOK!

It turns out that's not entirely true. It turns out that...

Tattooing is an explicit prohibition from the Torah. However, those who violate this prohibition may be buried in a Jewish cemetery and participate fully in all synagogue ritual. While no sanctions are imposed, the practice should continue to be discouraged as a violation of the Torah. At all times a Jew should remember that we are created b'tzelem Elokim. We are called upon to incorporate this understanding into all our decisions.

Now, I'm not telling you to go and get some ink. But I thought maybe you'd want to know.

I scribble a lot. I talk too much. I apologize with wild abandon.

More...

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Anonymous

01/04/07 12:07 am

Jewish Tatts

I coincidentally did some research on this topic recently and the only mention of tattooing oneself in the Torah is when god says not to scar oneself or tear ones flesh. This was originally said to stop Jews from bringing on arab/moslem tradition of cutting oneself when a loved one died. As a compramise, we decided to cut our clothes instead. I don't believe (for the most part) it is an accepted tradition for moslems to cut themselves at a funeral anymore, but who knows. So my understanding is that the law was passed for the same reason why 95% of the other laws were passed: to stop assimilation. Technically however, you are alowed to get a tattoo and you are allowed to be buried in a Jewish cemetary with one. Jewish Destrudo

Anonymous

01/04/07 10:31 pm

minir correction

Lev 19:28 explicitly mentions tattoos (כְתֹבֶת קַעֲקַע). The translations say stuff like “Ye shall not … imprint any marks upon you”, but the Hebrew words refer to some sort of writing.

Anonymous

05/08/07 3:15 pm