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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
馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptCurse A spoken wish for misfortune to befall a person or placeBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Luck and prosperity Historical 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 馃嚝馃嚪 France and 3 moreChristian Kabbalah A Renaissance effort to read Christian theology into Jewish mysticismTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Cursing and harm 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 馃嚪馃嚧 Romania and 5 moreVampire folklore Global legends of blood-drinking spirits and undead revenantsBelief 路 Cursing and harm 路 Protection 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 馃嚫馃嚲 SyriaMetoposcopy A divination method that reads personality and fate from forehead linesOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical 馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 2 moreChild sacrifice The ritual killing of children to appease deities or restore cosmic order in ancient culturesRite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical 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 馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptLucifer A Latin name for the planet Venus that became an epithet for the Devil in Christian traditionFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical 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 馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 1 moreMedieval European magic A broad category of ritual and natural practices in the Middle Ages, blending healing, divination, and religious belief.Tradition 路 Healing 路 Seeing and foretelling 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 EgyptDemon A supernatural entity believed to cause harm or possess humansBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical 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 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 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 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 馃嚜馃嚫 Spain and 3 moreJewish heraldry Heraldic achievements used by Jewish communities in Europe and abroadTradition 路 Power and authority Historical 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 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 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 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreCurse of Ham A biblical story used to justify slavery and racial discriminationBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 5 moreAxis mundi A concept describing a central point connecting the earthly and heavenly realms.Belief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority 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 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

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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.