Tattoos | Sefaria

Tattoos

(כח) וְשֶׂ֣רֶט לָנֶ֗פֶשׁ לֹ֤א תִתְּנוּ֙ בִּבְשַׂרְכֶ֔ם וּכְתֹ֣בֶת קַֽעֲקַ֔ע לֹ֥א תִתְּנ֖וּ בָּכֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י ה'׃

(28) You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.

(ב) וכתבת קעקע. כְּתָב מְחֻקֶּה וְשָׁקוּעַ שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִמְחָק לְעוֹלָם שֶׁמְּקַעְקְעוֹ בְּמַחַט וְהוּא מַשְׁחִיר לְעוֹלָם:

Rashi on Leviticus 19:28:2

(2) וכתבת קעקע [NOR SHALL YE IMPRESS] ANY WRITING BY ETCHING [UPON YOU] — i. e. a writing engraved (more lit., dug into) and sunk into the flesh and which can never be erased because it is pricked in with a needle and remains black forever.

Rashi says that etching is a writing that is in the skin with a needle and is permanent.

אבן עזרא על ויקרא י״ט:כ״ח:ג׳

(ג) וכתבת קעקע. יש אומרים שהוא דבק עם ושרט לנפש כי יש מי שירשום גופו בצורה הידועה באש על המת ויש עוד היום רושמים בנערותם בפניהם להיות נכרים. ומלת קעקע. כפולה כמו רוקע הארץ וצאצאיה והוא מגזרת והוקע אותם ועל דעת המתרגם גם היא מלה זרה גם הוא הנכון:

Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 19:28:3

(3) tattoo marks Some say that this commandment is connected to the previously-mentioned incision because there are people who tattoo themselves as a sign of mourning, using fire to brand their body with specific shapes. Nowadays, also, people mark their faces when they are young in order to distinguish themselves. The word tattoo is doubled, like “and that which comes out of it” [Isaiah 42:5]. It comes from “and have them impale” [Numbers 25:4]. The opinion of the Aramaic translator, however, seems to be that the word has no cognate, and this too is plausible.

Iben Ezra says that tattoo here is connected to the first part of the pasuk about not cutting yourself for the dead. People used to give themselves tattoos to remember the dead and this is also a prohibition against that practice.

מכות כ״א א:י׳

מתני׳ הכותב כתובת קעקע כתב ולא קעקע קעקע ולא כתב אינו חייב עד שיכתוב ויקעקע בידו ובכחול ובכל דבר שהוא רושם ר"ש בן יהודה משום ר' שמעון אומר אינו חייב עד שיכתוב שם את השם שנאמר (ויקרא יט, כח) וכתובת קעקע לא תתנו בכם אני ה':

Makkot 21a:10

MISHNA: One who imprints a tattoo, by inserting a dye into recesses carved in the skin, is also liable to receive lashes. If one imprinted on the skin with a dye but did not carve the skin, or if one carved the skin but did not imprint the tattoo by adding a dye, he is not liable; he is not liable until he imprints and carves the skin, with ink, or with kohl [keḥol], or with any substance that marks. Rabbi Shimon ben Yehuda says in the name of Rabbi Shimon: He is liable only if he writes the name there, as it is stated: “And a tattoo inscription you shall not place upon you, I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:28).

The Mishnah is telling us the punishments for the different levels of offenses.

שפתי חכמים, ויקרא י״ט:כ״ח:א׳

(א) דרכן של אמוריים. דאל"כ מה ענינו לכאן אצל לא תנחשו ולא תעוננו שהן מעשה האמוריים:

Siftei Chakhamim, Leviticus 19:28:1

(1) Such is the custom of the Amorites. Because if not so, what is its relevance here to “You shall not act on the basis of omens nor act on the basis of auspicious times,” which are practices of the Amorites.

The amorites used to make tattoos on the basis of superstitions. This is another reason that we cannot have tattoos- you cannot have superstitions.

ספורנו על ויקרא י״ט:כ״ז

(א) לא תקיפו. וצוה שלא נחללם בהקפת הראש כמעשה שוטים ושכורים או כומרים, ולא בגלוח הזקן כאמרם הדרת פנים זקן ולא בשרט לנפש כמחשיבים מאד מיתת האדם ומתאבלים מאד עליה. וכן בכתובת קעקע לתת אות בבשרנו מלבד אות הברית: ולא בהזנות הבת אפילו פנויה אשר הוא חלול לה ולאביה כענין כי תחל לזנות את אביה היא מחללת.

Sforno on Leviticus 19:27

(1) Seeing that it is part of revering the Lord and honouring Him not to desecrate our own bodies which He sanctified to enable us to serve Him, the Torah begins with a list of prohibitions designed to emphasise this point. לא תקיפו, we must not desecrate our heads by removing its hair as is the custom of gentile clergy or fools and drunkards. Neither are we to shave off the beard which represents man’s dignity, הדרת פנים שלו, “Shabbat 152. Neither are we to make incisions on our skin, something that is customary amongst pagans as an expression of their grief for family members who have died. Excessive mourning of this kind could be interpreted as questioning G’d Who allowed the departed to die. The same applies to a well known method of tattooing one’s skin with indelible ink below the skin, a permanent defacing of one’s body, described as כתובת קעקע. The only “improvements” to our G’d given body we are to make is the sign of the covenant, i.e. the removal of the foreskin of our males. Allowing or encouraging one’s unmarried daughter to devote her life to one of harlotry is a major desecration of one’s purpose on earth. Not only does the daughter desecrate the name of G’d by doing so, but she also desecrates the image of her father and all that he stands for. The death penalty by burning is decreed for such conduct under certain conditions in Leviticus 21,9.

If one gets a tattoo he is trying to perfect his body. When one does this he is basically saying that Hashem made a mistake and what he created, isn't perfect.

דברים י״ד:א׳

(א) בָּנִ֣ים אַתֶּ֔ם לַֽה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶ֑ם לֹ֣א תִתְגֹּֽדְד֗וּ וְלֹֽא־תָשִׂ֧ימוּ קָרְחָ֛ה בֵּ֥ין עֵינֵיכֶ֖ם לָמֵֽת׃

Deuteronomy 14:1

(1) You are children of the LORD your God. You shall not gash yourselves or shave the front of your heads because of the dead.

You shouldn't get tattoos or anything related to that because you are holy to Hashem.

רש"י על דברים י״ד:א׳:א׳

(א) לא תתגדדו. לֹא תִתְּנוּ גְדִידָה וְשֶׂרֶט בִּבְשַׂרְכֶם עַל מֵת כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהָאֱמוֹרִיִּים עוֹשִׂין, לְפִי שֶׁאַתֶּם בָּנָיו שֶׁל מָקוֹם וְאַתֶּם רְאוּיִין לִהְיוֹת נָאִים וְלֹא גְּדוּדִים וּמְקֹרָחִים:

Rashi on Deuteronomy 14:1:1

(1) לא תתגדדו YE SHALL NOT CUT YOURSELVES — i.e. you shall not make cuttings and incisions in your flesh for the dead in the way the Amorites do (Sifrei Devarim 96:11), because you are children of the Lord and it is therefore becoming for you to be comely and not cut about and with hair torn out.

You can't cut yourself or get tattoos because the Amorites used to do it.

משנה תורה, הלכות עבודה זרה וחוקות הגויים י״ב:י״א

(יא) כְּתֹבֶת קַעֲקַע הָאֲמוּרָה בַּתּוֹרָה הוּא שֶׁיִּשְׂרֹט עַל בְּשָׂרוֹ וִימַלֵּא מְקוֹם הַשְּׂרִיטָה כָּחל אוֹ דְּיוֹ אוֹ שְׁאָר צִבְעוֹנִים הָרוֹשְׁמִים. וְזֶה הָיָה מִנְהַג הָעַכּוּ''ם שֶׁרוֹשְׁמִין עַצְמָן לַעֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁהוּא עֶבֶד מָכוּר לָהּ וּמֻרְשָׁם לַעֲבוֹדָתָהּ. וּמֵעֵת שֶׁיִּרְשֹׁם בְּאֶחָד מִדְּבָרִים הָרוֹשְׁמִין אַחַר שֶׁיִּשְׂרֹט בְּאֵי זֶה מָקוֹם מִן הַגּוּף בֵּין אִישׁ בֵּין אִשָּׁה לוֹקֶה. כָּתַב וְלֹא רָשַׁם בְּצֶבַע אוֹ שֶׁרָשַׁם בְּצֶבַע וְלֹא כָּתַב בִּשְׂרִיטָה פָּטוּר עַד שֶׁיִּכְתֹּב וִיקַעֲקֵעַ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יט כח) "וּכְתֹבֶת קַעֲקַע". בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים בְּכוֹתֵב אֲבָל זֶה שֶׁכָּתְבוּ בִּבְשָׂרוֹ וְקִעְקְעוּ בּוֹ אֵינוֹ חַיָּב אֶלָּא אִם כֵּן סִיֵּעַ כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה מַעֲשֶׂה. אֲבָל אִם לֹא עָשָׂה כְּלוּם אֵינוֹ לוֹקֶה:

Mishneh Torah, Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 12:11

(11) The etched-in writing against which it is spoken of in the Torah is, not to make an incision in one's flesh and fill in the incision with paint, or ink, or any other dyes which enface. This was an idolatrous custom, to make themselves to idolatry, proclamatory that every one of them is a sold slave to it, and indentured in its service. And, from the moment one will enface with any kind of dye which enfaces, after making an incision in any place of the body, whether it be done by man or by woman, he or she, is striped. If one wrote but did not enface with dye, or if he did enface with dye but did not write in the incision, he is not guilty; for he must do both, write by incision and etch-in with dye, even as it is said: "And any etched-in writing shall you not fix on yourselves" (Lev. 19. 28). This is to say against the one who does the writing, but he who upon whose flesh the etched-in writing was done is not guilty save if he assisted in a manner to constitute it an overt act; but if he contributed nothing to the work itself he is not striped.¹⁴Makkot, 21b; Sifre, Lev. Ch. 19. C. G.

Tattoos are prohibited because they used to be connected to idols and idols worshiping.

ספר החינוך רנ״ג:ג׳

(ג) מדיני המצוה. מה שאמרו זכרונם לברכה (רמב''ם ע''ז י''ב י''א), שכל מקום שבגוף, בין מגלה, בין מכסה בבגדים, בכלל אסור זה. ויתר פרטיה, בסוף מסכת מכות.

Sefer HaChinukh 253:3

(3) From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 12:11) that every place on the body - whether it is revealed, or whether it is covered by clothes - is included in this prohibition. And the rest of its details are at the end of Tractate Makkot.

All parts of the body are included in this prohibition.