Tattoos in halacha

salsa ↓

Wed, Jul 10 2024, 3:26 pm

I have an ex yeshivish friend who claims to be modern orthodox now. Tznius level is uncovered hair, pants.... she recently got a small tattoo. Im just wondering is that even a thing? To me thats basic halacha. Im just extremely uncomfortable about this

pinkpeonies ↓

Wed, Jul 10 2024, 4:29 pm

chassidisheveib wrote:

She can still be buried in a Jewish cemetery after 120. The Halacha if not getting a tattoo is not to harm/destroy your body.

No it’s not. That’s a different halacha (also in parshas kedoshim though)
The Halacha not to get a tattoo is כתובת קעקע. I do not know the ramifications of tattoos on burial, but it is its own halacha

↑ chassidisheveib ↓

Wed, Jul 10 2024, 4:30 pm

pinkpeonies wrote:

Many people get buried in a frum cemetery with tattoos.

↑ salsa ↓

Wed, Jul 10 2024, 4:32 pm

I dont think modern ppl get tattoos either. Isnt it written straight out like shabbos? My q is can one call themselves religous when they go against the torah? Want to point out she is not a confused teenager, more like in her high 30s

↑ pinkpeonies

Wed, Jul 10 2024, 4:32 pm

chassidisheveib wrote:

Many people get buried in a frum cemetery with tattoos.

Like I said, I am not commenting on how it impacts burial. I am just telling you that getting a tattoo is an issur in itself, it is not part of the general (don’t harm your body)

↑ chassidisheveib ↓

Wed, Jul 10 2024, 4:34 pm

pinkpeonies wrote:

Like I said, I am not commenting on how it impacts burial. I am just telling you that getting a tattoo is an issur in itself, it is not part of the general (don’t harm your body)

Right. Exactly.

https://www.instagram.com/reel.....zaXVo

Jalapeño ↓

Wed, Jul 10 2024, 4:39 pm

no it's not a thing lol.

you can still be buried in a Jewish cemetery, but like others said it's a very explicit d'oraisa prohibition

https://shulchanaruchharav.com.....know/

↑ Jalapeño

Wed, Jul 10 2024, 4:42 pm

salsa wrote:

sounds like she's a confused high 30s year old!

no, modern orthodox Jews don't get tattoos

watergirl ↓

Wed, Jul 10 2024, 4:43 pm

I know three people all from the same frum group who all got tattoos, all using the same justification for it. I wonder if they shared their “sources”. Their claim is that the pesukim in the torah are referring to a different kind of tattoo, not the modern ink and method.

I’m just davening that everyone gains clarity and menuchas hanefesh.

Eta - because I see modern orthodox is getting quite a bashing here, I want to clarify that the women I am talking about are not modern orthodox. I am going to say that the three people I know are part of a chassidus. It’s shocking honestly.

Last edited by watergirl on Thu, Jul 11 2024, 3:23 am; edited 1 time in total

CPenzias

Wed, Jul 10 2024, 5:38 pm

hodeez wrote:

Some people will say or do whatever under the guise of modern orthodoxy.

What?! I call BS on this. I've never heard of a tattoo being acceptable and I'm MO

↑ salsa ↓

Wed, Jul 10 2024, 5:50 pm

CPenzias wrote:

What?! I call BS on this. I've never heard of a tattoo being acceptable and I'm MO

The big diff is that you are MO and happy to follow halacha, whereas self proclaimed MO ppl just found a more pleasant way to say they are chilled about halacha. Nicer version of I am jewish when convenient

shabbatiscoming ↓

Thu, Jul 11 2024, 1:20 am

salsa wrote:

You very obviously do not know what modern orthodoxy is from your posts.
If your friend is calling herself modern orthodox but getting a tattoo, she is not modern orthodox. Orthodox people do not get tattoos. Full stop.
And the real modern orthodox folks are not modern orthodox are not chilled about halacha and are not jewish when convenient. Please, read up about modern orthodoxy. And understand that your friend is not that.

Ema of 5 ↓

Thu, Jul 11 2024, 1:58 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

But that’s what she’s saying- people who, at some point in their life, decide to take a more chilled approach to life may CALL themselves MO, when in reality, they are just plain modern. They consciously choose not to follow certain areas of Halacha, whereas someone who is MO may just follow a different halachic peak than someone more to the right.

BadTichelDay ↓

Thu, Jul 11 2024, 5:32 am

Ema of 5 wrote:

People can call themselves anything, but that doesn't mean they are. I can call myself the rebbetzin of the International Space Station, doesn't mean I am.

Also, maybe the use of the word modern for less/non-observant needs to be dropped. It's nothing but a twisted euphemism. Why not just call it secular or otd, because that's what it really is.

Tattoos are not modern, they've been around for thousands of years among non-Jews. Getting a tattoo is not modern, in the same way that eating lobster or using your phone on Shabbat isn't "modern". Those behaviors are simply transgressions of halacha. The end.

essie14 ↓

Thu, Jul 11 2024, 5:38 am

BadTichelDay wrote:

Seriously. I don't even understand how 'modern' equates to secular or lapsed orthodox.
Tattoos existed when the Torah was written. There's nothing modern about it.
Someone who grew up chassidish or yeshivish or even MO, and then gets a tattoo, is not 'modern' anything. He/she is not orthodox. Of course they can do teshuva but someone making an active decision to get a tattoo at this moment is not observing halacha.