“Rabbi, if I get a tattoo, can I be buried in a Jewish cemetery?”
As a rabbi in Northern California, I’ve been asked this question many times. It’s a widespread misconception amongst American Jews that a tattoo bars one from being buried in a Jewish cemetery.
The answer, in short, is that although the Torah does indeed forbid us from tattooing our bodies (see Leviticus 19:28), nonetheless, one who has a tattoo can still be buried in a Jewish cemetery. A person who violated the Torah, whether it was by eating non-kosher, working on Shabbos, stealing in business, or getting a tattoo, can still be buried in a Jewish cemetery. If transgressors were excluded from Jewish cemeteries, our cemeteries would be largely empty.
Of course, there are still many other reasons for a Jew not to tattoo himself.
Tattoos used to be taboo in many western circles and nearly unheard of in Jewish circles. In October 1994, Jon Anderson wrote in the Chicago Tribune, “Tattoo. What a loaded word it is, rife with associations to goons, goofs, bikers, tribal warriors, carnival artists, drunken sailors and floozies.”
Today tattoos – renamed as “body art” – can be seen everywhere, a growing phenomenon amongst individuals of all socio-demographic backgrounds.
Many Jews get tattoos because they think they’re cool or simply because they like the way they look. Some view tattoos as a creative way to express their individuality. They may even get tattoos with Jewish symbols or messages. There is no ill intent whatsoever in their actions.
Nevertheless, the Torah is eternal, the prohibition against tattooing included. So with this in mind, here are a few reasons why not to get a tattoo.
1. Historically, slave-owners tattooed their slaves to prove ownership, just as cowboys branded their cattle. Perhaps that was a reason that the depraved Nazis tattooed human beings at Auschwitz. In addition to a practical solution that enabled them to keep track of prisoners, it also served to dehumanize their victims and strip them of their unique identity. The formerly-free individual was now nothing more than a number, mere property of the Reich. As human beings we have a desire for freedom and an innate sense of our uniqueness. Tattooing the body does not reflect that ideal.
2. Jews believe that the human body is God’s creation and it is therefore unbefitting to mutilate God’s handiwork.
3. Our lives are given to us for a purpose and our time is meant to be used to accomplish our unique mission. Similarly, our body is on loan from our Creator to fulfill our job with it. Self-inflicted gashes, excessive body piercings or tattoos all bespeak a lack of respect and reverence for the body, and hence, for the body's true Owner and Designer. Tattooing one’s body can be compared to etching a name onto someone else's freshly-poured cement. It is defacing property that does not belong to us.
4. Tattoos often have only momentary relevance, yet the mark is permanent. It is unlikely that you would tattoo your phone number into your skin, no matter how hard a time you have remembering it. You know that it is temporary and not something you want to be permanently connected to. The same is true of any tattoo. There is a short-lived thrill of having a phrase, word or image indelibly etched in one's skin. But when the attitude to those marking changes, the ink still remains. People are dynamic beings, always changing and growing. According to recent studies, a large percentage of people ultimately regret their tattoos.
5. In ancient times, it was customary for idol-worshippers to tattoo themselves as a sign of commitment to their deity. Maimonides offers this as one of the possible reasons why the Torah bans tattoos (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Idolatry 12:11).
But I Already Have a Tattoo
If you already have a tattoo, it can become an insignia of honor when it marks a journey of return.
Rabbi Hanoch Teller writes a story he personally witnessed regarding a young man, Jamie, who had recently become Torah observant and went to immerse in a busy mikveh in Jerusalem. As he walked towards the mikveh, he held his hands over his arms, attempting to cover his tattoos. As he stepped into the mikveh, he slipped and the lewd tattoos that lined his biceps were now exposed for all to see. At an earlier time, Jamie had viewed his tattoos with pride, but that afternoon he felt humiliation.
An elderly Jew stepped forward and in a heavily accented English declared, “Look here, I also have a tattoo.” Stretching out his frail arm, the man pointed to the row of numbers from tattooed on his arm. “It seems we’ve both come a long way.” (From It’s A Small Word After All, 1997)
(20) Harvey BELSKY, October 16, 2018 8:53 PM
A secular view
In the past tattoos were associated with prisons, the streets and possible IV drug users. The risk of hepatitis and HIV infection was much higher then lit is now.
(19) SIR ROBERT COWLEY, October 16, 2018 11:53 AM
I am a retired International Airline Captain
I just wanted you to know, although a practising Christian, I am a devoted supporter of the Jewish people, in fact I volunteered to fly with the Israeli Airforce after the start of the 1967 [6 day] war. Moshe Dayan was so incredible though, that the war was over before my papers were processed. My Mother worked many years with a Jewish family in Melbourne [the Frankels] beautiful people and at times, G-d pours so much love for the early Hebrew and Jewish people in general, that I shed tears, I sometimes think I have Jewish blood somewhere in my past
I have started in retirement to write books, my first book is titled Why Anything - Why Not Nothing and is dedicated to the People of the Book and the eternal city Jerusalem. I am hopeful of getting a publisher soon and hope I can visit Jerusalem to speak at appropriate venues. I have also communicated with Friends of Zion, for I think the work of Mike Evans is marvellous. G-d speaks to my heart and I know, we must always support you and never let Israel fall. I know this will never happen now, heartened as I am by Jeremiahs words in Chapter 31 especially the last verse.
Blessings over Israel - Shalom Robert
(18) Fitterman, Lawrence Jeffrey, October 15, 2018 5:13 PM
Orthodox Cemetery
My uncle had a Navy insignia on his forearm tattooed during WWII. The cemetery refused to let him be buried in the family plot. My cousin is a rabbi and was able to appeal the refusal because my uncle served in WWII. Why does an orthodox cemetery have different rules. Is it the interpretation of the Torah?
(17) Raphaelle Do Lern Hwei, October 15, 2018 6:52 AM
Jews can be from cultures where tattoos are a norm.
This is good. Maoris, indignous New Zealanders tattooed all over and Ainus, Native Japanese Caucasians who are red haired and light eyed and which tradition requires women to get tattooed mustaches on reaching adulthood can be part of the Jewish community.
Annie, October 17, 2018 6:52 AM
Maoris are NOT tattooed all over in New Zealand. I live in NZ, and while many people here do disfigure themselves with tattoos, few have them all over. Samoans have a tradition of tattooing large areas of themselves. I know a lot of Maoris and none are tattooed all over !!!
(16) British Exile. Philippines., October 12, 2018 5:41 AM
I'm profoundly glad that I never had a tattoo.
It crossed my mind as a young man, I'm 73 years old now, to have a tattoo saying "Made in Great Britain" as I was, and still am, a very patriotic Briton. However, when I read in Leviticus how making prints on the skin or cutting oneself for the dead are both forbidden under Jewish Law this settled the matter for me. I've never regretted for a moment my decision to believe God rather than my own primitive instincts.
(15) Anonymous, October 11, 2018 8:55 PM
Tatoos and Mitzvot
All the reasons given are interesting, good (some better, some less), and food for thought. But like all other mitzvot - both positive and negative ones - a tatoo is forbidden because God forbad it. We try to find reasons for the prohibition so that we can better understand the Torah, but in the end, we accept the prohibition because we accept the Torah. Same for all the other mitzvot.
By the way, if the reason for the prohibition of tatoos is that we aren't allowed to "mutilate the body" why can we pierce ears for earrings? And if that's permissible, which it is, why shouldn't we pierce eyelids and lips? Explanations will take us only so far. In the end, tattos were forbidden. Pierced ears were not. So sayeth the Torah. So we don't tatoo.
Of course, we were all given free choice. You can choose the tatoo or ... you can choose Torah.
(14) Tonna, October 11, 2018 5:36 PM
Thank you!
Thank you for your article, Rabbi...I especially loved the last sentence in the closing paragraph of your article...such an extremely selfless and thoughtful thing to say to this young man!
(13) David Levine, October 10, 2018 1:13 AM
Where This Urban Legend Started
The urban legend that one may not be buried in a Jewish cemetery if one had tattoos got started as a result of a comedy routine by the 1950s "on the edge" comedian Lenny Bruce. It was said in this routine by Lenny Bruce and has remained something "out there" ever since. Total narishkeit, but believed by very many and that's a good thing since I'm sure at least marginally fewer Jews became tattooed.
(12) Richard Stachowski, October 9, 2018 11:37 PM
I agree
I totally agree and you are the first one I saw that mentioned it. Why try to change what G-d had created?
(11) Robert Kabakoff, October 9, 2018 8:27 PM
expansion of idea
"Self-inflicted gashes, excessive body piercings or tattoos all bespeak a lack of respect and reverence for the body, and hence, for the body's true Owner and Designer. " How? Please expand. Thank you.
(10) Elisheba Flor, October 9, 2018 7:06 PM
How about medical tattoos?
Some medical situations required tattooing, such as radiation therapy or reconstruction after breast cancer. I didn't have choice in the first case, but should have opt out reconstruction? Thanks!
Dvirah, October 11, 2018 4:25 PM
Not the Same
Scaring, even if it looks like a tattoo, is not the same as a deliberately self-chosen printing on one's skin. Also, one is allowed to do anything necessary for the saving of one's life except take another's life. So there is no need to refuse surgery because the resultant scar is tattoo-like.
Anonymous, October 17, 2018 6:55 AM
I took this to mean the actual tattoos that cover scars and in some cases, make the new breast look more real with an aureola tattooed on.
A burns victim had her scars tattooed with patterns, as she felt that this was better than ugly scars on a young woman.
Anonymous, December 9, 2018 9:40 PM
Real Medical Tattoos
There are real medical tattoos, not just tattoo-like scarring. I am a former burn patient. On the deepest burns, an ink tattoo was applied to outline the area. Of course, as said, it is perfectly acceptable under those conditions.
(9) Leah, October 9, 2018 5:34 PM
Excellent article
Excellent article. I enjoyed reading this. I admit I do like tattoos. I would never get any. I am observant in my Judaism.
It's kind of funny, though. Everyone has a particular mitzvah, or several, that are more difficult for him to hold by. I have no problem keeping kosher dietary laws. It's not my test.
Shabbos? A delight. Tattoos? Yes, I'd like one. I won't get one. I'm tight with Hashem and love our relationship.
Again, different people, different tests.
(8) Sara, October 9, 2018 4:48 PM
Brilliant.
(7) Sydne, October 9, 2018 4:44 PM
Tattoos
It amazes me the honorable way My religion grants people the acceptance of allowing discretion amongst those who have a love for being Jewish but slip up on some of the laws.
(6) Catherine, October 9, 2018 3:48 PM
Tatoos are heathen
Tatoos fall into the category of what the heathen, who do not know Hashem, do. Apparently, it can be very addictive, and it is, like so many other heathen practices, easy to keep doing it until your body looks nothing like the bodies of Adam and Eve - how Hashem intended. It can be a gateway "drug" and lead to piercings, ear holes, sado-masochism, and other heathen practices that are even worse. If and when you grow up, the tats are still there, and they don't age well. I consider them grossly ugly, even the best of them, and the colors unnatural. This is my take on them, and I agree with the scriptures that forbid marking the skin or cuttings, which were done for worship of false gods. The human body is beautiful, and the color of the skin is inimitable. Our Creator is perfect in all his ways.
David Levine, October 10, 2018 1:14 AM
BARBARIC
Not only heathen but barbaric.
(5) Sophie Lipitz, October 9, 2018 3:14 PM
Universal Love, Is It Really So Hard?
1. Historically, slave-owners tattooed their slaves to prove ownership, just as cowboys branded their cattle. Perhaps that was a reason that the depraved Nazis tattooed human beings at Auschwitz. In addition to a practical solution that enabled them to keep track of prisoners [...]
How lucky am I to choose how to wear my skin without others controlling my identity.
2. Jews believe that the human body is God’s creation and it is therefore unbefitting to mutilate God’s handiwork.
I believe that my body is a consequence of evolution.
3. Our lives are given to us for a purpose and our time is meant to be used to accomplish our unique mission. Similarly, our body is on loan from our Creator to fulfill our job with it. {...].
My body is mine and mine only. I was born in it and will die with it, I am not paying rent.
4. Tattoos often have only momentary relevance, yet the mark is permanent. It is unlikely that you would tattoo your phone number into your skin, no matter how hard a time you have remembering it. You know that it is temporary and not something you want to be permanently connected to. The same is true of any tattoo. There is a short-lived thrill of having a phrase, word or image indelibly etched in one's skin. But when the attitude to those marking changes, the ink still remains. People are dynamic beings, always changing and growing. According to recent studies, a large percentage of people ultimately regret their tattoos.
We are what we care about. Then, now, tomorrow.
5. In ancient times, it was customary for idol-worshippers to tattoo themselves as a sign of commitment to their deity. Maimonides offers this as one of the possible reasons why the Torah bans tattoos .
I don't believe in telling others what to idolize and what not to. We all travel our own paths. Universal love is not only allowing but celebrating that.
Ra'anan, October 9, 2018 5:35 PM
Sophie Lipitz, I want to stretch your answers for further
1) How lucky you are to choose to eat a crab or a dog without anyone controlling your identity.
2) Don't you find Walcott's Burgess Shale coverup a bone in the throat of evolution?
3) The body of a Jew in Egyptian slavery or a Nazi death camp was hardly is. The same is true of a body stuck in The Matrix.
4) We definitely are what we care about, then, now & tomorrow & that reminds me of the discomfort of those Ethiopian Jews who’d converted to Christianity & tattooed crosses on their foreheads. It also makes me think that even wedding rings are removable.
5) Judaism & Jewishness has always been about iconoclastic, starting with idol-smashing Abraham. We've always had red lines & so do you.
(4) Shimeon Weiner, October 9, 2018 3:03 PM
Great article
Succinct, to the point, informative and inspiring. A tattoo from radiation treatments is not in the category of forbidden tattoos. She surely did not want that marking - if I may - it is in the category of having undergone a life-changing experience and remaining firm in your belief in Hashem and his ways - much like the Holocaust survivor.
(3) Joel Weisz, October 9, 2018 2:07 PM
Today, tats can be removed!
From Google:
Can tattoos be fully removed?
Surgical excision is not new, is no cheaper than laser therapy (an average tattoo might cost between £850-£1,400 to remove), and ultimately takes as long. However, being carried out under local anaesthetic, it is painless and the tattoo is guaranteed to be removed completely.
.Jan 12, 2015
Shoshanna USA, October 9, 2018 3:17 PM
Some layers
Hi Joel,
As I understand it, only the seen surface layers can be removed. However, the ink sinks into other layers. Also, depending on what type of ink was used - it may interfere with the person's future ability to get a pain free MRI.
(2) cheryl herbstman, October 8, 2018 3:06 PM
great info
I've had to have a tatoo when getting radiation therapy. I was very troubled about it, but there was no way I was able to refuse. Your article was very informative.
I especially appreciated the surivor's comment to the younger man. It was uplifting and inspirational.
Thank youk
Cheryl Herbstman
Anonymous, October 9, 2018 3:50 PM
it is permitted
As someone currently undergoing radiation for prostate cancer -- I have asked the shaalah, ad not only is it permitted under such circumstances, it is obligatory to not interfere with the medical treatment. There is no need to be troubled.
(1) Manuel, October 7, 2018 2:38 PM
I have a question
How you reconcile 2 with Brit Mila?
Motty, October 7, 2018 4:35 PM
Good question, Manuel
If we have a good understanding of brit milah, then we understand its positive value.
It can then be viewed not unlike an important surgery which is to be encouraged.
Joel Weisz, October 11, 2018 1:59 PM
no comparision
The Talmud relates (this is from memory, so I don't recall where it is and some minor details may not be exact) that an apostate approached a Sage and asked him how it was permitted to mutilate an 8-day old boy by performing a Brit Milah, it is defacing G-d's handiwork. The Sage answered, look at a newly plowed field, how can you deface G-d's field by plowing, sowing, and harvesting - you are ruining G-d's pristine handiwork. But the answer is, you are doing G-d's will, by completing what G-d started. Here too, we are completing what was started by G-d by performing a Brit Milah, as G-d commanded (to our forefather, Abraham, for him and all his descendants). Obviously, this cannot be compared to a tattoo, an discretionary procedure usually done for aesthetic purposes.