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July 16, 2008 | 10:26 am

God’s Blog #5: Hebrew tattoos

Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

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On the Seventh Day, I rested, and in July the Lord likes to take off two weeks from blogging. But now I am back, and I’ve got plenty on My mind, starting with tattoos. Quite simply: Enough already.

I know it’s temporarily fashionable to get inked in foreign languages, even if those Chinese characters Britney got translate as “strange,” not “mysterious.” And the sportiness of arm sleeves has made its way from Allen Iverson and David Beckham to Major League Baseball’s Josh Hamilton, who, on a side note, I am most proud of and regularly gives his glory back to Me. But I’ve never been a fan of body art. I made this clear in Leviticus 19: “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.”

Oy, My children do not listen; what else is new.

The New York Times had the audacity to run this “style” story today saying your bubbe was fibbing when she told you not to desecrate your body:

According to a 2007 poll of 1,500 people conducted by the Pew Research Center, 36 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds and 40 percent of 26- to 40-year-olds have at least one tattoo. Still, even Larry David was so haunted by the cemetery edict that he wrote an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” in which he pays off a gravedigger to have his mother reburied in a Jewish cemetery despite a small tattoo on her behind.

But the edict isn’t true. The eight rabbinical scholars interviewed for this article, from institutions like the Jewish Theological Seminary and Yeshiva University, said it’s an urban legend. It was most likely started because a specific cemetery had a policy against tattoos. Jewish parents and grandparents picked up on it and over time, their distaste for tattoos was presented as scriptural doctrine.

Hogwash. There are some tattoos that the Lord can stomach, even if they are not my choice: initials on a forearm; a butterfly on the lower back; even the giant cross and letters J-E-S-U-S that hang down the chest of one of My sons. But this does not me I approve. And there is a certain type of tattoo that drives Me positively bonkers. And, to quote one of my favorite comic characters, you wouldn’t like Me angry.

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My name, backwards, below the burning bush

It’s the Hebrew tattoo, the pinnacle of spiritual irony.

Popular mostly with My gentile children—Britney again?—the characters, often inked across a forearm or bicep or the upper back, say things that I support: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one” and “Blessed be the Lord Almighty.” And, sure, they’re not preventing their future burial in a Jewish cemetery, because they couldn’t be buried there anyway. But seriously, let’s think about this.

A tattoo ... in God’s language ... that can’t even be read by those offering their bodies as canvas. That makes less sense than someone asking to be taught Torah while standing on one foot, and when the ink stains spell my name, well, that definitely qualifies as using My name in vain.

God's Blog | 11 Comments — Leave your comment

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This is one of those things like eating pork that is an edict for Jews only and not for gentiles, even Noahides. There is a message perhaps, a recommendation, an interpretation in the the mandating of going natural for the ‘kingdom of priests and holy nation’, but it is simply not a requirement for non-Jews.

As for Jews, we may only think of the many people who bear tattoos through no fault of their own who have no problem with the issue. But I’ll throw in that the REVERSE case may well be an impediment to ‘being gathered to one’s fathers’ and being buried with other Jews - the absence of a circumcision. Still got numbers for those eight rabbis?

Comment by Ben Plonie on 7/16/08 at 3:04 pm

Some Christians are real picky about the so-called ‘Old Testament’—they say oh yeh no gay sex it’s right here in the Bible—and then they’re all like ‘pass the shrimp, please.’

Obama made this point la few weeks ago and it pissed off the Fauxcus on the Family droid.

Comment by The Web Guy on 7/16/08 at 9:03 pm

I have a hebrew tattoo, and I don’t find it contradictory at all.  I am a gentile, and the tattoo is hebrew for “ahava” which translates to “love” in english.  I chose to have this done in Hebrew so I could represent not only the general construct of love, but more specifically the abundance of CHRIST’S love in my life, as he was a Jew.  This is the purpose of this tattoo and I think it holds no irony.  It’s a symbol of something that’s very relevant in my life.  I happen to not agree with everything taught in my religion but that doesn’t have any bearing on my accordance with my God.  So I choose to tribute God, not religion or it’s social policies and tendancies.

God didn’t create religion, man did.

Comment by Alex Kramer on 12/30/08 at 5:33 pm

If man created religion, then man can change, destroy and deny religion. Think about it. By the way, God really appreciates your honoring Him, since you believe His will as expressed in religion is irrelevant. So important to throw God a bone once in a while.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 12/30/08 at 9:05 pm

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not forsaking the entire establishment of all organized religion, but I think not recognizing that there is some flaw in it would be ignorant, and I also don’t think it’s too bold to say that there are many parts of organized religion that are contrived and have nothing to do with the glory of God.

Comment by Alex Kramer on 12/31/08 at 6:29 am

Great design of the tree - but the Hebrew could definitely be better.

Comment by Hebrew Tattoo on 6/13/09 at 12:46 pm

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” - Galatians 3:13

Jesus died on the cross to save us from the law. To FREE us from the law! The old law is no longer required by God the Father to be kept by His children. The old law was not meant to go on forever. The Bible says that from before the foundations of the earth the Messiah had redeemed us. If you break one law you break them all and are held guilty. When God sent the Holy Spirit He enabled us to live in obedience in Him, and He wrote the law on our hearts.

The old law was simply for this reason: to pave the way for the coming of Christ. He came, and sacrificed His life and destroyed the heavy burden of the old law.

He took some 632 (??) laws and freed us from all of them He replaced them with simply two.

(1) Love the Lord God with all your heart, strength, soul, and mind (this enables us to walk in obedience to God and keep the second law as well)

(2) Love your neighbor as yourself.    (Both of these commands are found in the OT)

Don’t be so quick to judge tattoos my friend! Don’t forget God’s heart in all matters: He said,
“Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”

Comment by Saved By Christ on 8/12/09 at 2:16 pm

BTW - The Web guy. Scripture against homosexuality is found in both the Old & New Testament.

1 Corinthians 6:9 “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

So your point is invalid. The Old Testament is a fortelling of Christ while the New Testament shadows and confirms the Old.

So Christians who eat shrimp while also supporting God’s word against homosexuality are not nit picking. And being a Christian and eating shrimp is not a sin since the old law has been broken. Homosexuality however is still a sin that one can be forgiven and freed from through repentance in Christ.

Comment by Saved By Christ on 8/12/09 at 2:25 pm

Hai,
It was most likely started because a specific cemetery had a policy against tattoos. Jewish parents and grandparents picked up on it and over time,
Thanks…

Temporary Tattoos

Comment by Temporary Tattoos on 9/25/09 at 1:33 am

Would you do a fake tatoo with sharpies?
fake tattoos

Comment by fake tattoos on 10/24/09 at 5:29 am

air brushed tattoos would be the best every time i take my kids to the zoo i get them one and it looks real but no temporary ta too last long the air brushed last the longest and they only last about 2 weeks and i think you can be any age to get them
temporary tattoos

Comment by temporary tattoos on 10/24/09 at 5:34 am

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