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EveryJaadu

Jewish: magic in this belief world

Kabbalah, amulets, the golem and the folk customs against the evil eye.

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.

Jewish on EveryJaadu

The entries written up so far, best known first.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindTraditionRiteCharmOracleSubstanceBeingFigureTextIllusionBelief
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
OccasionWeddings and betrothalFestivalsBirth and childhoodDeath and remembranceHarvest, farming and weatherNew yearInitiation and coming of ageIllness and misfortuneJourneys and voyagesEveryday use
StandingLivingRevivedFadingHistoricalLegendaryPerformed
OrderBest knownA to ZNewestLiving first
馃嚨馃嚫 Palestine and 1 moreRachel's TombQever Ra岣l; Qabr R膩岣ツ玪 A shared holy site near Bethlehem revered by Jews, Christians, and MuslimsTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreLag BaOmer诇址状讙 讘指旨注讜止诪侄专 A Jewish holiday marking the end of a mourning period with bonfires and outdoor playTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Wonder and entertainment Living 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreBelial讘职旨诇执讬址旨注址诇 A Hebrew term for worthlessness that evolved into a demon of darkness in Jewish and Christian texts.Being 路 Cursing and harm Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 3 moreGematria讙讬诪讟专讬讛 A numeric writing system that assigns numerical values to words and phrases for interpretation.Text 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 5 moreMagi Priests of Zoroastrianism and the figures who inspired the word for magicTradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreAzazel注讝讗讝诇 A desert place and fallen angel linked to the Yom Kippur scapegoat ritualFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Cleansing and purification Historical 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreMagic and religion A study of how ritual power and sacred belief overlap or separate across culturesBelief 路 Power and authority Historical 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 2 moreSibylline Oracles A mixed collection of ancient prophecies attributed to pagan prophetesses but shaped by Jewish and Christian writers.Text 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreMezuzah诪职讝讜旨讝指讛 A scroll of Torah verses placed in a case on Jewish doorpostsCharm 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreJannes and Jambres讬谞讬住 讜讬诪讘专讬住 Named Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses in biblical traditionFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreLeviathan诇执讜职讬指转指谉 (Livya峁乶) A primordial sea monster from ancient Near Eastern myth and biblical textBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreShimon bar Yochai砖诪注讜谉 讘专 讬讜讞讗讬 A second-century sage of the Land of Israel and a central figure in Kabbalistic tradition.Figure 路 Power and authority Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 5 moreTetragrammaton讬讛讜讛 The four-letter name of God in the Hebrew Bible, written as YHWH.Belief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 4 moreIsaac Luria讬执爪职讞指拽 讘谉 砖诇诪讛 讗砖讻谞讝讬 诇讜旨专职讬指讗 A sixteenth-century rabbi who founded modern Kabbalah through oral teachings in Safed.Text 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelJewish astrology诪址讝指旨诇讜止转 (mazz膩l么t) A belief system within Judaism that celestial bodies influence earthly affairs and human destiny.Belief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 4 moreAngel诪诇讗讱 A supernatural messenger or intermediary spirit found in many religious traditions.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelAgrat bat Mahlat讗讙专转 讘转 诪讞诇转 A demon in Jewish tradition who rules over destructive spirits and night hours.Being 路 Cursing and harm Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelMessiah ben Joseph诪指砖执讈讬讞址 讘侄旨谉志讬讜止住值祝 A Jewish eschatological figure who wages war and dies before the final age of peaceFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Historical 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreMahalath诪指讞植诇址转 A queen of demons in Jewish mysticism and the mother of AgratBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreRighteous Priest A messianic priestly figure in Jewish eschatology, identified with Shem and Melchizedek.Figure 路 Power and authority Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelShekhinah砖职讈讻执讬谞指讛 The divine presence of God dwelling among people in Jewish and Islamic thoughtBelief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreYom Hillula讬讜诐 讛讬诇讜诇讗 A joyous death anniversary for a saint in Jewish traditionRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreDream questionShe'elat Halom A Jewish divination practice seeking prophetic answers through dreamsOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelQlippoth拽职诇执讬驻旨讜止转 Impure spiritual forces in Jewish mysticism, opposites of the holy sefirotBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelMelchom A demon of hell and former Ammonite idol described in the Dictionnaire InfernalBeing 路 Power and authority Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelEisheth Zenunim讗值砖侄讈转 讝职谞讜旨谞执讬诐 A demonic epithet for Lilith in Kabbalah and Western esotericismFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreSe'irim砖注讬专讬诐 Demons of Hebrew tradition linked to wild goats and ruined placesBeing 路 Cursing and harm Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 morePardes驻专讚状住 A four-level method for interpreting Jewish scriptureText 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelSeder hishtalshelus住讚专 讛砖转诇砖诇讜转 A Kabbalistic cosmology mapping the descent of divine light through spiritual realms to the physical world.Belief 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Living 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelPulsa diNura驻讜诇住讗 讚谞讜专讗 A Kabbalistic curse invoking destroying angels to block forgiveness and cause deathRite 路 Cursing and harm Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreDivine retribution Supernatural punishment by a deity in response to anger or wrongdoingBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreAna BeKoach讗谞讗 讘讻讞 A medieval Jewish liturgical poem linked to the 42-letter name of GodText 路 Power and authority 路 Protection Living 馃嚲馃嚜 Yemen and 1 moreDor Daim讚讜专 讚注讛 A Yemenite Jewish movement promoting rational theology and opposing Kabbalistic mysticismTradition Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 5 moreJewish views on astrology讞指讻职诪址转 讛址诪址旨讝指旨诇讜止转 A long-standing debate within Jewish thought about the influence of stars and planetsBelief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Historical

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

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Every Monday: seven entries you may not know, what is on the calendar this week, and one rite drawn step by step.