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Magic,
Mystery

And The Golem

The creature who came to defend the Jewish people
— and the legends that came before and since.

vision of the future. Thus "golem"
came to be one who could see things
AppleTree Editor
that remained hidden, yet at the same
time was very much part of the Earth.
ith the exception of a few
Over the years, various understand-
choice items, to be included
ings of the golem, its relation to God
in a museum of the "Extinct
and man, could be found in Jewish
Jewish Race," the Nazis destroyed
communities. Often, this was tied to
everything Jewish they could get their
Sefer Yezirah, the Book of Creation.
hands on.
This short work (1,600 words) is
Prayer books and Torah scrolls were
the earliest known Hebrew text of
stomped upon and burned, and syna-
speculative thought. It focuses on the
gogues were routinely set ablaze.
act of creation, divine wisdom and
Except the Altneushul of Prague.
mystical concepts. Most believe the
This synagogue (the English trans-
book was written sometime in the
lates to "Old-New Synagogue") was
eighth century, and it has been the
said to still be the home of the golem,
focus of numerous commentaries --
the massive, mythical creature who
by some of Judaism's greatest scholars
sprung from the earth to protect the
— throughout history.
Jewish people. One man — the long
In the Middle Ages, some Jews
deceased Rabbi Loew — had created
believed Sefer Yezirah was in fact a
this golem and only he knew whether
guide to magic, and it was said to hold
the creature still roamed about the syn-
agogue, just waiting to arise and defend the key to how to create a living being,
though there was never any suggestion
the Jewish people.
that this golem had a purpose (as
The Nazis thought it best to stay
opposed to later legends, when the
away, just in case.
golem was made specifically to help the
The golem is a particular Jewish cre-
Jewish people).
ation, a man of astonishing strength
In fact, most believe that this early
who can be brought to life only when
one utters a few magical words, includ- - golem was more of an idea, a state of
being, rather than a physical reality.
ing a too-sacred-to-be-spoken name of
Those who, early on, believed the
God.
golem was a real creature were quick to
But the idea of beings created by
tie its creation to Halachah (Jewish
magic does not belong to Judaism
alone. The ancient Greeks, for example, law); the creature was there to demand
its own destruction, lest it be seen as an
had numerous legends about beings
idol for worship.
that came alive, most of whom had a
During the 15th century, German
connection to astrology, as did the
Jews became deeply immersed in the
Arabs.
legend of the golem. One historian,
In the Torah, the word "golem"
Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, even
appears just once, in Psalms 139:16.
recounts that golem stories were "told
Here, it means "yet-to-formed" and is
by all."
used in reference to Adam.
This time, the golem was said to be
According to talmudic literature,
formed after one said forward, then
Adam existed first as a man, with no
backward, a sacred name of God, or
soul. In this state, he was granted a

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM

W

6/11
2004

68

Does the Golem still linger here? The Altneushul of Prague.

wrote the name and placed it on his
arm.
During this time, the golem also
developed into a massive, fearful crea-
ture, shaped from the dirt. His power
could not be controlled, and he could
be contained only by removing the let-
ter aleph, written in the Hebrew word
"truth" on his forehead. This changed
the word to "death."
Numerous Jewish books and stories
focused on the golem, despite the fact
that Judaism is not a religion of magic
and superstition. •
(Interestingly, at the same time the
golem appeared in the Jewish commu-
nity of Germany, gentiles were obsessed
with the idea of an alchemical man,
created by humans.)
Even the leading Jewish scholars of
the time joined in discussion about the
golem, such as whether the creature

could be included in a minyan, the
quorum of 10 Jews necessary for prayer
(no, they ruled; it could not).
The greatest legend surrounding the
golem, however, is associated with
Judah Loew ben Bezalel of Prague.
According to legend, Judah Loew
had managed to actually create a golem
from clay, which he planned to use as
his servant. Loew is said to have ended
the golem's existence, but legend had it
that the creature could still be seen in
the Altneushul. This is the golem the
Nazis so feared.
Republicans might want to carefully
consider their vote for the upcoming
presidential election. Democratic can-
didate John Kerry says. he can trace his
lineage back to Rabbi Loew. Of course,
Kerry is not Jewish, so maybe the
golem is not too happy with that turn
of events.