I believe it was Judaism, but I'm not sure. Because the Judaism I practice should not have supernatural elements.
A story circulating on the Yeshiva World News website (HT: DovBear)seriously makes me wonder. Tefillin has possul word in it, and man keeps losing his sons? Come again?
Now, if I were a practicing Wiccan, this story would make sense as a talisman gone awry. However, I'm not. In fact Judaism specifically forbids performing magic spells. By extension, we should not put faith in a ritual item (such as tefillin) to act as some sort of talisman. The tefillin are a physical reminder to think about and do G-d's work, as is laid out in the Shema. That's why they are bound on the head and arm. The head is the seat of thought, and the arm is symbolic of action. By attributing every misfortune in our lives to a chipped letter in the tefillin, we are taking this mitzvah and perverting it beyond recognition.
Showing posts with label superstition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label superstition. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
It's not in the Torah, but it trumps everything...
I'm speaking, of course, about tzniut.
There was a story years ago, about a young girl who was offered a choice--convert or die. She chose death, and was sentenced to be dragged through the streets of town by a horse-drawn cart. She had only one request--that she could pin her skirt to her knees so that it wouldn't ride up. As the sentence began, onlookers could hear the girl crying out. The carriage stopped, and the girl asked if she could replace some of the pins that were coming loose!
And then, there was the story of Revital Avraham, a young girl of nineteen who died of brain cancer because she was too pretty! (Of course, this was AFTER her beautiful red hair had been burned off her head.)
And now we have...this. For some things, there are no words.
Yes, there are.
We have a mother torturing her daughter for all eternity for the sake of...tznius. Not honestly, not fair dealings, not kindness to her fellow man and to G-d's creatures, but for not covering up enough of her body. Forget the the Top Ten on the stones written by the Hand of Hashem, this one doesn't even make the 613! The only references in the Torah to women and dress, are "Don't wear men's clothing" (whatever that means), and an oblique reference to covering hair. Nothing about what needs to be covered, nothing about stocking thickness or seams. True, we are supposed to "walk modestly with G-d", but that could mean a hundred things, including a ban on JAP behavior and conspicuous consumption. Or not taking on a thousand chumras to outfrum your neighbor and drive a wedge between yourself and other Jews.
If this is what we are teaching our kids, then I'm not sure I want any part of it.
There was a story years ago, about a young girl who was offered a choice--convert or die. She chose death, and was sentenced to be dragged through the streets of town by a horse-drawn cart. She had only one request--that she could pin her skirt to her knees so that it wouldn't ride up. As the sentence began, onlookers could hear the girl crying out. The carriage stopped, and the girl asked if she could replace some of the pins that were coming loose!
And then, there was the story of Revital Avraham, a young girl of nineteen who died of brain cancer because she was too pretty! (Of course, this was AFTER her beautiful red hair had been burned off her head.)
And now we have...this. For some things, there are no words.
Yes, there are.
We have a mother torturing her daughter for all eternity for the sake of...tznius. Not honestly, not fair dealings, not kindness to her fellow man and to G-d's creatures, but for not covering up enough of her body. Forget the the Top Ten on the stones written by the Hand of Hashem, this one doesn't even make the 613! The only references in the Torah to women and dress, are "Don't wear men's clothing" (whatever that means), and an oblique reference to covering hair. Nothing about what needs to be covered, nothing about stocking thickness or seams. True, we are supposed to "walk modestly with G-d", but that could mean a hundred things, including a ban on JAP behavior and conspicuous consumption. Or not taking on a thousand chumras to outfrum your neighbor and drive a wedge between yourself and other Jews.
If this is what we are teaching our kids, then I'm not sure I want any part of it.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Do you believe in magic?
Having a run of bad luck? Check your mezuzahs.
Breaking the law? Donate to Kupat Ha'ir.
Want your daughter to get married? Join with other women to bake challah.
Segulos. Now there's something I DEFINITELY did not sign up for.
When I was 15, a love of nature combined with a field trip to Salem, Massachusetts sparked an interest in Wicca. Three years later, I dropped it all for a weekly trip to the little synagogue that could. Several years after that, my Messianic ex convinced me to burn all my Wicca books. (Seriously. He took me to the beach and set fire to my books.) I considered magical interventions to be a closed chapter in my life.
Then Thing 1 was born. Right away, my family wanted to me to put a red string on her to protect her from the evil eye. No thank you. Speaking as someone who spent three years learning about magical practices, this had "talisman" written all over it. I'm sorry, but the last time I checked, doesn't the Torah, oh I don't know, FORBID this sort of thing?
Unfortunately, this was only the first of many segulos I heard about. I read the Kupat Ha'ir brochures mostly for laughs, but on occasion there would be a story about someone breaking the law. The authorities would be on to the person, but one call to Kupat Ha'ir and--problem solved! Chavie's family is having trouble with various health problems, so she wants to check her mezuzah. Why? Putting up a mezuzah is a mitzvah, not a magic spell to protect your house. I think too much of what we now call Yiddishkeit got mixed up with Eastern European superstitions and folk magic. And, because we focus almost exclusively on mesorah, we can't separate out the actual Judaism from the cultural flotsam and jetsam.
Hashem has given us a Torah, but has also given us a world that works in a certain way. Instead of using segulos, work with what's there. And stop treating your mezuzah like some kind of protection charm. Somehow, I don't think that's what G-d had in mind.
Breaking the law? Donate to Kupat Ha'ir.
Want your daughter to get married? Join with other women to bake challah.
Segulos. Now there's something I DEFINITELY did not sign up for.
When I was 15, a love of nature combined with a field trip to Salem, Massachusetts sparked an interest in Wicca. Three years later, I dropped it all for a weekly trip to the little synagogue that could. Several years after that, my Messianic ex convinced me to burn all my Wicca books. (Seriously. He took me to the beach and set fire to my books.) I considered magical interventions to be a closed chapter in my life.
Then Thing 1 was born. Right away, my family wanted to me to put a red string on her to protect her from the evil eye. No thank you. Speaking as someone who spent three years learning about magical practices, this had "talisman" written all over it. I'm sorry, but the last time I checked, doesn't the Torah, oh I don't know, FORBID this sort of thing?
Unfortunately, this was only the first of many segulos I heard about. I read the Kupat Ha'ir brochures mostly for laughs, but on occasion there would be a story about someone breaking the law. The authorities would be on to the person, but one call to Kupat Ha'ir and--problem solved! Chavie's family is having trouble with various health problems, so she wants to check her mezuzah. Why? Putting up a mezuzah is a mitzvah, not a magic spell to protect your house. I think too much of what we now call Yiddishkeit got mixed up with Eastern European superstitions and folk magic. And, because we focus almost exclusively on mesorah, we can't separate out the actual Judaism from the cultural flotsam and jetsam.
Hashem has given us a Torah, but has also given us a world that works in a certain way. Instead of using segulos, work with what's there. And stop treating your mezuzah like some kind of protection charm. Somehow, I don't think that's what G-d had in mind.
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