Tattoos may be cute, whimsical, and even beautiful. And they are extremely popular. But, what does the Torah say about a Jew having a tattoo?
Tattoos have become very popular in the United States. Pew Research Center found in 2023 that 32% of adults have one or more tattoos.
There is a gender gap: 38% of women have at least one tattoo, but only 27% of men. The percentage with tattoos jumps up to 56% for young women between the ages of 18 to 29.
Tattoos in the Bible
In the Jewish Bible there is only one clear mention of tattoos.
28. You shall not make a laceration for the dead in your flesh. And the imprint of a tattoo you shall not place upon you. I am the Lord.
Some Grammar
The phrase “imprint of a tattoo” is the translation of the Hebrew “ketovet ka’aka” which only appears in this verse. That is to say that both the two-word phrase and the individual words only appear in this verse.
The word “ketovet” is a noun form of the root kaf-bet-tav which means write.
However, there is no agreement as to the 3-letter root of the noun ka’aka.
Some suggest that the root is kuf-ayin-ayin meaning incise or cut.
Others say the root is kuf-vav-ayin which also means incise. But, this is a theoretical root that does not actually appear in the Bible.
There is also the opinion that the root is yud-kuf-ayin – suspending or hanging. This seems to be Rashi’s view. The verses he quotes to explain our verse mention hanging or suspending a person on a pole. The poles are embedded in the ground like the ink of a tattoo is embedded in a person’s skin.
And, finally, some say (Ibn Ezra and Jastrow) it’s a 4-letter root kuf-ayin-kuf-ayin with the meaning of engrave.
The important point here is that each word represents a different action. The Mishna picks up on this and states:
3:6 One who tattoos: If he wrote but did not etch, or etched but did not write, he is not liable, until he writes and etches with ink or eye-paint, or anything that leaves a mark.
Leviticus 19:28 Meaning
As the Mishna makes clear, the tattoo forbidden by the Torah requires both cutting the skin and inserting ink.
Now let’s look at the meaning of the verse in more detail.
a laceration – Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains that this is any kind of wound, even a scratch, made by the hand alone or with an instrument.
a laceration for the dead – This was a practice of the Amorites [Rashi]. By making this comment Rashi is hinting at a reason for the prohibition. Rashi’s use of “Amorites” is a shorthand to indicate that this was a non-Jewish custom not limited to any one nation.
for the dead – The prohibition is only if the cut is on account of a death. If performed for any other loss, it is not forbidden [Hirsch].
imprint – Daat Mikra: the Hebrew word “ketovet” in this verse doesn’t limit the prohibition just to words. Also symbols or pictures are prohibited.
imprint of a tattoo – A writing that sinks in and can’t be erased. [Rashi]
Torah Temimah explains that there are 2 ways to make a tattoo and that both ways are prohibited. It may be made by first cutting the flesh and then filling the cut with ink. Also, it may be made by placing ink on the flesh and then making a cut for the ink to enter.
Ibn Ezra links this phrase to the beginning of the verse: “You shall not make a laceration for the dead.” He says that some people use fire to make marks on the body to remember the dead. He seems to equate branding with a tattoo made with ink.
I am the Lord
Parshat Kedoshim (Leviticus chapters 19 and 20) is only 64 verses long. In those 64 verses, the phrases “I am the Lord” and “I am the Lord your God” appear 10 times each, a total of 20 times.
Most of the time, these phrases are the concluding words of a verse.
The various commentators explain that the meaning of the phrase depends upon the verse(s) it’s connected to.
Our verse ends with this phrase. Here’s how 3 commentators explain it.
Rav Saadia Gaon reads it this way: I am the Lord Who punishes.
In other words, we are responsible to follow God’s commandments and there are consequences for disobeying.
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch says the phrase teaches us an important lesson in God’s oversight of the world:
Life and death are in God’s hand … That the survivors should go on living is no less His Will than was the death of the departed. Making a wound in your flesh, self-mutilation, in honor of the dead; throwing away your own life, or even only a fragment of your life, after the departed, is not an act of homage but a crime against God, Who decreed the departed’s death.
Rabbi Steinsaltz understands that God is stating that He is “the ultimate authority, and I do not want you to practice such customs.”
He is echoing what is stated a few verses later:
23. And you shall not walk in the practices of the nation which I cast out before you; for they committed all these things, and therefore I loathed them.
Conclusion
In this article I have not explained all of the details of the Jewish law about tattoos. Any Jew who is contemplating getting a tattoo should consult with a rabbi who has studied this subject.
It’s clear that the henna parties that are popular in some Jewish communities are not a violation of tattoos. The henna designs are not permanent and the skin is not cut.
Also, a Jew who already has a tattoo should speak to a rabbi to determine if there is a requirement to have the tattoo removed.