RE-ELECT
ZELDA
ROBINSON
SHE KEEPS
HER PROMISES .
SOUTHFIELD
SCHOOL
BOARD
MONDAY, JUNE 13
SPLERBOR
OF'A CULTURE
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rationality. The left side (near
the heart) is the seat of emo-
tion and fear. Many European
and American Jews (and gen-
tiles) stil practice the
superstition, walking onto a
train, plane or boat with their
right foot to ensure a safe
trip.
rIb safeguard a journey, one
gives a traveler money to be
donated to a charity when he
reaches his destination. This
old superstition has become a
custom among Jews traveling
to Israel, or anywhere else,
who take "messenger money"
from friends or acquaintances
to be given to charity. This
act makes the trip a mitzvah
and thus protects the traveler.
Death: It is considered
bad luck to walk around the
house without shoes because
the practice is associated
with "sitting shiva."
Mourners in ancient Greece
and Rome walked barefoot to
express grief and supplica-
tion. The Jewish practice of
walking barefoot during
mourning is based on refer-
ences in Scripture.
A person must not allow
any of his clothing to be cut
while he is wearing it because
cutting cloth could bring on
the Angel of Death, unless
there is already a death in the
family. The act of rending a
garment is not exclusive to
Jews, but was common
among ancient Hebrews who
avoided the more primitive
practice of ripping flesh dur-
ing mourning. Evidence of
cutting cloth as an expression
of grief is found in many
biblical references. When a
Jew is in mourning, he stands
up and has a lapel or shirt cut
to show his strength and his
acceptance of G-d's will. The
black button with the cut rib-
bon is a modern substitute
for cutting the mourner's ac-
tual clothing.
The first items one
should carry into
a new home are
salt, 18 pennies,
sugar, bread, and
sometimes, a
broom.
•
It has become customary
for mourners to wash their
hands outside the house upon
returning home from a
funeral. In primitive cultures,
it was believed that death was
contagious. Jews wash their
hands as a symbolic purifica-
tion, so as not to bring any
more tragic circumstances to
the household.
It is also traditional to eat
eggs after a funeral. Eggs are
the universal symbol of eter-
nal life, and are believed by
Jews and others to be an anti-
dote for the evil eye. ❑
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Carol Gross is a writer
from New York state.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
51