News
Witch-huntsHeading to Salem this October? 5 spots with true ghost storiesWitch-huntsScottish council votes to apologise to women persecuted as witches centuries agoCharmsThe Horns Hand Gesture: One Sign With Five Very Different MeaningsWitch-huntsSpooky Day Trips in Connecticut: Witchy History for HalloweenCharmsA Jurassic fossil turned talisman in Morocco links science and faithStage magicHarry Houdini returns from the grave in AI-generated Fox Nation series 100 years after his deathWitch-huntsConnecticut's forgotten witch trial pastFestivalsDay of the Dead festival resurrected at West Palm Beach arts hubStage magicIllusionist Leon Etienne brings magic to Oshkosh this monthDivinationCan AI Tell Your Fortune? How Chinese Divination Is Going DigitalWitch-huntsHeading to Salem this October? 5 spots with true ghost storiesWitch-huntsScottish council votes to apologise to women persecuted as witches centuries agoCharmsThe Horns Hand Gesture: One Sign With Five Very Different MeaningsWitch-huntsSpooky Day Trips in Connecticut: Witchy History for HalloweenCharmsA Jurassic fossil turned talisman in Morocco links science and faithStage magicHarry Houdini returns from the grave in AI-generated Fox Nation series 100 years after his deathWitch-huntsConnecticut's forgotten witch trial pastFestivalsDay of the Dead festival resurrected at West Palm Beach arts hubStage magicIllusionist Leon Etienne brings magic to Oshkosh this monthDivinationCan AI Tell Your Fortune? How Chinese Divination Is Going Digital
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
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 3 moreAmulet A portable object worn or carried to ward off harm and invite fortuneCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 5 moreEvil eye A curse caused by an envious look and the charms used to block itBelief 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelUrim and Thummim讛指讗讜旨专执讬诐 讜职讛址转只旨诪执旨讬诐 Sacred lots used by the ancient Israelite High Priest to reveal divine judgment.Charm 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical 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 3 moreCleromancy A divination method that uses random chance to reveal divine willOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 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 馃嚫馃嚲 SyriaMetoposcopy A divination method that reads personality and fate from forehead linesOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelWitch of Endor讗值芝砖侄讈转 讘址旨纸注植诇址转志讗止謻讜讘 讘职旨注值芝讬谉 讚止旨纸讜专 A biblical spirit-diviner summoned by King Saul to consult the prophet Samuel.Figure 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Legendary 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 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 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 IsraelRed string讞讜讟 讛砖谞讬 A scarlet wool bracelet worn to ward off the evil eye and bring good luckCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 5 moreTefillin转职旨驻执诇执旨讬谉 Black leather boxes containing Torah scrolls, worn by Jewish men during weekday prayers.Charm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection 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 馃嚨馃嚫 PalestineHekhalot literature住驻专讜转 讛讛讬讻诇讜转 讜讛诪专讻讘讛 Jewish visionary texts describing ascents to heavenly palaces and chariotsText 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Historical 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 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreSacred dance Movement used in worship to honour deities, heal communities, or connect with the spirit world.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living 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 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreUpsherin讗指驻旨砖注专谉 (opshern) A first haircut ceremony for Jewish boys, marking the start of formal study.Rite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living 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 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreHamsa禺賲爻丞 A palm-shaped amulet used across North Africa and the Middle East for protection.Charm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚬馃嚪 TurkeyHamsa (sample)Khamsa An open hand with an eye, hung on doors.Charm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 5 moreBirkat haMinim讘专讻转 讛诪讬谞讬诐 A Jewish liturgical curse against apostates and Christians within the daily standing prayerRite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Binding and oaths Historical 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreAmulet A portable object worn or carried to ward off harm and invite protection.Charm 路 Protection 路 Healing 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 IsraelSegula住讙讜诇讛 A Jewish charm or ritual believed to bring protection, healing, or blessings.Charm 路 Protection 路 Healing Living 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 Israel and 1 moreSolomon's shamir砖指讈诪执讬专 A legendary worm or stone used to carve stone without iron toolsBeing 路 Power and authority Legendary 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreRahab专址讛址讘 A Hebrew mythic sea monster and symbol of chaos, later used as a poetic name for Egypt.Being 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Legendary 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 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 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreOrdeal of the bitter water诪值讬 讛址诪指旨专执讬诐 (mei ha-marim) A biblical test for a wife accused of adultery when no witnesses are present.Rite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection 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 IsraelAdne Sadeh讗址讚职谞值讬 讛址砖指旨讉讚侄讛 A wild humanoid from Jewish folklore tethered to the earth by its navelBeing 路 Wonder and entertainment Legendary 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 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
More entries

Photo credits on this page

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

The weekly digest

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