Jewish magic and ritual

Jewish tradition has a deep and contested history of magic. The Hebrew Bible forbids sorcery and divination in some texts, and the Talmud discusses amulets, charms and the evil eye. Medieval and later Jewish life produced Kabbalah, amulets, the golem legend and the folk figure of the ba'al shem. This page covers the main strands, as Jewish teachers and scholars describe them. Jewish practice varies between Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and secular communities, and by region of origin.

Amulets and the evil eye

Jewish communities have used amulets for protection of mothers, newborns and homes, often inscribed with psalms or divine names. The red thread, the hamsa, and the phrase kein ayin hara, no evil eye, are common among Jews of many backgrounds. The mezuzah on the doorpost is a religious obligation that some also regard as protective, a view that rabbis have often cautioned against. Early rabbis recorded amulets for illness and travel, and the Talmud mentions dream interpretation, charms and demons, and states that some of these practices are permitted while others are idolatry.

Kabbalah and learned practice

Kabbalah, the tradition of mysticism that grew in medieval Spain and France, includes teachings on divine names and the structure of reality. Practical Kabbalah concerned the use of names, and was controversial. The golem, a figure shaped of clay and animated, appears in stories about Rabbi Judah Loew of Prague, a legend that dates from the nineteenth century rather than from his own time. Women who wrote or commissioned amulets, as well as midwives, held a quiet role in the community, and the mother and child received special protection at birth and through the first weeks.

Authority, gender and limits

Rabbinic opinion has differed over what is allowed. Maimonides rejected astrology and charms as foolish, while others accepted them. Access to Kabbalah was traditionally limited to older married men with prior study. Women kept domestic customs for birth, health and protection. Today, many Jewish women lead rituals and some study Kabbalah publicly. Many Jewish communities have rich folk customs for birth, marriage and death, such as the bedeken, and for the evil eye, and these vary between Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Mizrahi families.

Diaspora, commerce and appropriation

Kabbalah centres, red string bracelets and celebrity interest have made Jewish mysticism a global product, which critics within the community call a distortion. Jewish folk practice has moved with migration from Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Eastern Europe and Ethiopia, each keeping its own amulets and healers. Scholars such as Gershom Scholem transformed the academic study of the field. Hasidic communities keep Kabbalistic ideas in daily life, and blessings from rebbes are sought by many visitors, including those from outside the community.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Spirit possession: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source

Jiangshi: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, source

Lucifer: Gustave Doré, Public domain, source

Medieval European magic: Unknown author, Public domain, source

Molybdomancy: Micha L. Rieser, Attribution, source

Demon: Martin Schongauer, Public domain, source

Azazel: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source

Curse of Ham: Ксенофонтов Иван Степанович. Ksenofóntov Iván Stepánovich (1817-1875), Public domain, source

Jannes and Jambres: Gerard Hoet, Public domain, source

Leviathan: Gustave Doré, Public domain, source

Divine retribution: John Martin, Public domain, source

Jewish: magic in this belief world