Tattoos and Judaism
There is a commonly held belief that if a Jew gets tattooed then he or she will not be allowed to be buried in a Jewish cemetery. It is true, there is a verse in the Old Testament, “Do not lacerate your flesh for the dead, do not tattoo yourselves.” (Lev. 19:28). There is also an old rabbinic ruling confirming the first assumption. However, there is no strict enforcement and bodies are not specifically inspected for tattoos prior to burial. Just as there are many transgressions for which we may be held accountable, it is hardly imaginable that the sole reason that someone would be denied burial in a Jewish cemetery is the fact that he or she has a tattoo. Individual mortuaries have their own practices on this.
What is more informative is Judaism’s view of tattooing in general. The human body is viewed as having been created in the image of God. Therefore when we physically alter our bodies by tattooing, we violate this principle. Furthermore, tattooing was a looked down on as a practice of the idol-worshiping Canaanites by the Hebrews of the Old Testament.
Today, tattoos are more popular than ever. Young Jews, along with other youth, have been getting tattoos as fashion. However, when they become more serious in their practice of Judaism and return to orthodoxy, such as the Baal Teshuva, then their tattoos from their previous life weigh more heavily on them. Some see them as a mark of the life they left behind but see no reason to remove them, much like battle scars. Others feels shame over the marks. The latter may come to a laser tattoo removal clinic, such as Tattoo MD in Los Angeles, to get their tattoos removed for good.
