The mitzvah of not tattooing is a lot more complex than I thought it would be. There are many explanations and reasons why tattoos are forbidden. Rabbi Jack Abramowitz said that our bodies are not ours to begin with and that they are similar to a car that we have been allowed to borrow for the week. We may use the car, but we also have to take care of it. We cannot get the car spray painted with flames along the side. The same goes for our bodies. Since they do not belong to us, we cannot get tattoos.
The Sforno also gives another good explanation. It says that we have one spiritual sign on our bodies, circumcision. Having another sign like tattoos would take away from circumcision. Another explanation is that our bodies were made by G-d and that they are already complete and perfect. Therefore we should not add anything else to our bodies.
Some people say that we should not get tattoos because idol worshipping religions used tattooing to worship their g-ds. Since tattooing may be considered idol worshipping it is totally forbidden.
Also there is a big misconception amongst Jewish people. Some people believe that a Jew with a tattoo cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery. The reason why many people think this is because some Jewish cemeteries can be very strict due to people wanting only certain types of people buried next to them. Other than the desire that some people have about being buried next to someone with a tattoo, there is no Jewish law about it.
There is also another misconception for people who already have tattoos. Some people think that if you already have a tattoo, it must be removed. This misconception can be an issue especially when people are thinking about conversion. There isn't an actual Jewish law about having tattoos removed, but many people see it as a midat Chassidut to get them removed if you already have one.
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