While the claim that tradition forbids those with tattoos from being buried in a Jewish cemetery is without merit, it is indeed true that Leviticus, and rabbinic law, strictly prohibit tattooing. According to Moses Maimonides, the proscription is a response to the pagan practice of inscribing the names of deities on one’s flesh. Menachem Levine suggests some additional explanations:
More about: Halakhah, Hebrew Bible, Judaism, Leviticus