(28) You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or put tattoo marks on yourselves: I am Hashem.
(כח) ושרט לנפש. כֵּן דַּרְכָּן שֶׁל אֱמוֹרִיִּים לִהְיוֹת מְשָׂרְטִין בְּשָֹרָם כְּשֶׁמֵּת לָהֶם מֵת:
וכתבת קעקע. כְּתָב מְחֻקֶּה וְשָׁקוּעַ שֶׁאֵינוֹ נִמְחָק לְעוֹלָם שֶׁמְּקַעְקְעוֹ בְּמַחַט וְהוּא מַשְׁחִיר לְעוֹלָם:
(28) And gashes for the dead. This was the practice of the Amorites to make gashes in their flesh when one [of the family] dies.
And tattoo marks. A writing engraved and sunk into the flesh, which can never be erased because he engraves it with a needle and remains black forever.
Chevruta Question: Rashi says that tattooing was practiced by the Amorites, an ancient neighbor people of the Jewish people and a general term in Jewish literature for non-Jews. What are some activities that Jews avoid simply (or primarily) because they are usually characterized as non-Jewish?
(5) One shall say, “I am the Hashem's,” and another shall call himself with the name of “Jacob,” and another shall mark (literally, "write") his arm “of Hashem” and adopt the name of “Israel.”
(7) He [G-d] seals [a judgment] on every man's hand, so that all people He has made man know.
Chevruta Question: The texts in Isaiah and Job seem to describe statements about G-d written on the arm/hand. Do these texts contradict the prohibition on tattoos? How so (or not)?
Hunter Biden and Melissa Cohen Biden show off their matching Hebrew tattoos (Screenshot from ABC News)
(ו) הכותב כתבת קעקע, כתב ולא קעקע, קעקע ולא כתב, אינו חיב עד שיכתוב ויקעקע בדיו ובכחול ובכל דבר שהוא רושם. רבי שמעון בן יהודה משום רבי שמעון אומר: אינו חיב עד שיכתוב שם השם, שנאמר (ויקרא יט) וכתבת קעקע לא תתנו בכם אני ה'.
(6) One who tattoos: If he writes without engraving, or he engraves without writing, he is not liable for lashes, until he writes and engraves with ink or pigment or anything that leaves an impression. Rabbi Shimon ben Yehudah said in the name of Rabbi Shimon [bar Yochai]: He is not liable until he writes the name [of a deity] there. As it says (Vayikra 19): "Do not tattoo yourself, for I am Hashem."
(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:
(11) The tattooing that is spoken of in the Torah is cutting the flesh and filling the place with blue or ink or other dyes that are inscribed. And this was the custom of the idolaters who inscribed themselves for the sake of their idolatry as if to say he is a servant sold to it and inscribed for its service. And when one inscribes with one of these inscribing items after cutting in any place on the body, whether a man or a woman, he or she is to be lashed. One who wrote but did not inscribe with color or who inscribed with color, but did not write with cutting is not liable. Only when he writes and dyes as it is written, "an inked writing (Leviticus 19:28)." To whom does this apply? To the one who does the tattooing, but the one who is tattooed is not liable unless he assisted in creating this deed, but if he did nothing he is not lashed.
Chevruta Question: Idolatry, in Jewish tradition, is the worship of false gods. Jewish scholars often warn us against worshiping false gods in our culture, like money, politicians, and artists. Do modern tattoos reflect ways in which we worship false gods?
(27) G-d created man in His image, in the image of G-d He created him; male and female He created them.
Tattooing and Body Piercing, Rabbi Alan B. Lucas, 1997
In addition to the fact that Judaism has a long history of distaste for tattoos, tattooing becomes even more distasteful when confronted with a contemporary secular society that is constantly challenging the Jewish concept that we are created בצלם אלוקים, "in the image of G-d," and that our bodies are to be viewed as a precious gift on loan from G-d, to be entrusted into our care and not our personal property to do with as we choose. Voluntary tattooing even if not done for idolatrous purposes expresses a negation of this fundamental Jewish perspective.
Chevruta Question: Should we allow someone who engages in tattooing to participate as a full member of our congregation? Can they be buried in our synagogue's cemetery? Why or why not?
Chevruta Question: As the procedures for removing tattoos become less painful and more affordable, should we request that congregants and those wishing to be buried in our cemetery first remove their tattoos? Why or why not?