Joshua from Passaic, NJ wrote:

Dear Rabbi,

I know it is forbidden for a Jew to get a tattoo. My question to you is this: Is getting the name of Hashem as a tattoo even worse; will I be "hexing" myself by getting it? The 4 letters won't be together; the "yud" and "hey" would be on one side of a heart with a crack down the middle and the "vav" and "hey" would be on the other side.

Dear Joshua,

You've answered your own question. Getting a tattoo is explicitly prohibited in the Torah. Getting a tattoo with the four letters that spell G-d's Name is a double disgrace, because you're doing the prohibition with the letters of the Name of G-d who commanded you not to get a tattoo. Whether the letters are in pairs or all together, it is nonetheless the Name of G-d.

Sources:

• Leviticus 19:28