Ask the Rabbi: Can I Convert If I Have Tattoos?
It has been a while since I shared an "Ask the Rabbi" post, so this week the series returns with a question about tattoos and converting to Judaism with a Reform Rabbi. Rabbi Marc Disick answers below:
Q. I have been speaking with a close friend recently, reading books and learning about Judaism. I am interested in converting but I have many tattoos and would love to get more. All of my tattoos have beautiful meanings of peace and family, as well as the tattoos I have planned for the future. I'm worried that having as many tattoos as I do would be looked down upon by others of the Jewish faith, and I don't want the tattoos to be a reason that I'm not accepted by others. What do you think about this situation?
A: Becoming a Jew represents a major change for any adult. First and foremost, I strongly recommend that you undertake the serious study of Judaism in a well established forum so that your decision to convert can be made from a larger and deeper context. Reform Judaism does in fact offer Introduction to Judaism courses around the country precisely for people in your situation, see www.urj.org.
Now let me address your specific question. Judaism regards the body and its form as sacred gifts. For the most part, Judaism regards tattoos as an alteration of God's handiwork. Yet many with tattoos see the artwork on their skin as an adornment of the human form with absolutely no disrespect meant to the Creator.
So here's what I suggest: While you are considering conversion, put a moratorium on your plans for new tattoos. If your journey takes you through to conversion you may (or may not) think differently about getting additional tattoos.
What will Jews think about a Jewish person with tattoos? I have absolutely no doubt that your tattoos will raise a few Jewish eyebrows. So what. We Jews have learned to accept women as rabbis, gays as cantors, and lesbians as synagogue presidents. Ours is a faith which learns and relearns our responsibility to broaden attitudes which too often shut out folks who may not "be like us," whatever that may mean at a given moment.
But let's be real. Folks with tattoos get tattoos not only for their eyes but for the eyes of others. Art very naturally attracts an audience. And people always have opinions about art, especially when it's permanently embedded with dye under the skin of its owner. If you convert I can guarantee you that you'll meet Jews and non-Jews with negative opinions about your tattoos. But in fairness, that's a risk you assumed with each and every tattoo. Like it or not, tattoos are fair game,
As for me, lots of people in my life have tattoos, some beautiful, some not so much. Quite frankly, after a while I stop noticing the tattoos because they meld into my visual impression of the total person.
So in short, study Judaism seriously and see where it takes you. If a Jewish person gives you some lip about your tattoos after you convert tell them the following: The tattoos hidden by my clothing are far better than the ones you can see, but I learned in my conversion class that, regrettably, as much as I would like to, revealing them to you in the synagogue right now would give the rabbi a heart attack.
Shalom,
Rabbi Marc Disick
Tattoos are a sign of someone who has lived under a different paradigm from the Jewish one. But repentance from such practices is possible. It seems as if the person asking is yet enthralled by the thought of continuing this practice of using the body as an advertisement for his art, messages, etc. This is a non-Jewish concept, and alien to our ethos.
But in this generation, many people accept that there are “returnees” to the Jewish ethos. So one can see people at the public mikveh who have some tattoos, and no one says anything to them.
The Torah forbids tattoos on the skin. But some of our people have fallen into the practices of the nations.
That wasn’t even an answer. You probably should not do it, but if you do, who cares??? Being a Jew is hard enough without making excuses for someone who outright chooses to do something forbidden just because. We might as well just say well, if you want to believe in Jesus, we don’t really do that, but if you want to, so what, you can still be a Jew… The answer is, no matter how lovely you think your tattoos are, they are not accepted in the Jewish religion. Don’t bother to convert if you are going to make up your own rules and ignore the laws of Judaism.
My sister who is Jewish has a small tattoo but now is sorry for she heard that she cannot be buried (I hope she lives a long time) in a Jewish Cemetery.
Please advise. Thank you.
Iris – Big Sis
As you wrote Rabbi, “So what. We Jews have learned to accept women as rabbis, gays as cantors, and lesbians as synagogue presidents. Ours is a faith which learns and relearns our responsibility to broaden attitudes which too often shut out folks who may not “be like us,” whatever that may mean at a given moment.” Rabbi, with all due respect, are you speaking for all Jews? If you are, when do you plan to replace that 3,000 plus year-old Torah with an updated version? Be well.
Ask yourself one simple question…. Do we have the right to dilute the words of G_d?
Honestly speaking, I can see there is no safe heaven in worshiping the almighty God who did so wonderfully well for His chosen nation Israel. I am so hurt with your statement, I dont know what to refer you as. I was planning to ask on the road to converting from christainity to Jewdism becouse of so many deciet and misplacements.You so much have made my day worse; Just read your statment agian and please tell me it is a mistake. “So what. We Jews have learned to accept women as rabbis, gays as cantors, and lesbians as synagogue presidents. Ours is a faith which learns and relearns our responsibility to broaden attitudes which too often shut out folks who may not “be like us,” whatever that may mean at a given moment.”
This is what I tell the kids in my 6th grade religiosu school class when we dicuss death – and veer off on the subject of being buried in a Jewish cemetery if you have tattoos:
Many holocaust survivors had tattoos and they were not banned from Jewish cemeteries. I then told them that I looked to see where it was written in Jewish halacha that it is forbidden to have tattoos and could not find it anywhere.
Oh, and by the way – I have three small, tasteful tattoos. And again, I teach religious school.
I also tell my kids (as well as my own daughter) that reform judaism is about making your own choices.
Does someone Jewish who doesn’t practice Judaism make them better than me because they don’t have tattoos?
I can’t believe some of the comments posted in response to Rabbi Disick’s answer – why, by the way, I loved. Whether or not some people want to believe it, Judaism HAS changed over the centuries and many congregations warmly welcome gays, lesbians and bisexuals as members of their community. That does not fly in the face of the Torah, it reflects how Judaism is able to adapt to the changing world. Do we still stone the unruly child, as commanded in Leviticus? No! And if that can be changed to reflect modern attitudes I don’t see why the same can’t be said of someone who is gay or who has tattoos, but still loves the Jewish faith. Yes, even if they want to get more tattoos in the future.
I believe that poster number 2 is not correct in judging my post. We are not talking here with someone who is asking whether or not he ought to make a tattoo on his body.
The rabbi discouraged him and so did I from making further tattoos until he studies further.
However, he already has tattoos, and they can not be erased easily, if at all. He is stuck with them until he dies. So for me to make him feel any embarrassment or shame – in my understanding of Yahdut- is a forbidden thing. The Torah condemns such behavior – to humiliate someone publicly – and it is considered as serious an offense as murder itself.
Dear G-dswill:
She is referring to Liberal Jews, aka Reform Jews, and is not mentioning the orthodox views of these subjects, which predominate in Israel. Orthodox Jews do not have female rabbis, or gay rabbis, and they know that homosexual behavior is forbidden even among Gentiles, what to speak of Jews.
But we do not have a universally accepted Sanhedrin in this generation with full legal authority to impose the death penalty. We do the best we can under the bitter circumstances of the exile conditions that we yet live in.
One day, our “judges as at first” will return, and we pray for that daily. One day we will not have evil or ignorance in the world, and all war between human beings will cease. “Swords will be beaten into plowshares” will arrive in its due time, even if we have passed the generation where literal swords are yet used for warfare.
Deliverance will come when we all least expect it, when every last hope except the Creator has been exhausted, and when all hearts turn in repentance to their Maker.