62 | SEPTEMBER 26 • 2019
Jews in the D
T
he prompt for a
high school writing
assignment: “As long
as we have ignorance, we will
continue to have superstition.”
The student — my daughter
— read that prompt aslant: “As
long as we do not bother to
understand another culture, we
can dismiss its practices as
mere superstition.”
Ignorant people call
what other people do
“superstition,” but
everyone’
s practices
make sense in context.
For example,
some Jews insist on
wearing shoes, even
indoors. Perhaps
that amounts to
a meaningless
superstition,
but
traditional
practice
has Jews,
during the week of
mourning, not wearing
shoes. Going shoeless on
other occasions would
take away the significance
of the mourner’
s gesture;
worse, going shoeless
might give the impression
that one looks forward to
the death of a relative. In
context, the practice has
its rationale.
But maybe some
superstitious practices have
no rationale. Back in 2011,
Tigers’
Manager Jim Leyland
reputedly would not change or
wash his boxer shorts as long
as the Tigers’
winning streak
continued. Similarly, according
to bleacherreport.com, highly
superstitious baseball great
Wade Boggs would write the
Hebrew word Chai, meaning
“life,” on his bat before each
plate appearance.
There are several Jewish
superstitions which survive in
active practice.
Jews have customary ways
of avoiding the evil eye, a
concern that we share with
about every other group. The
universal concern centers on
acts that call attention to good
fortune and might invite envy.
Attracting the envy of our
neighbors could always work
out poorly for us, but perhaps
some of those envious looks
could themselves cause damage.
The Hebrew ayin harah,
ambiguously means either
emotional “envy” or magical, “a
look that can injure.” Leonard
Moss, a sociology professor at
Wayne State University, wrote
about the evil eye in Italian
folklore. The Italian malocchio,
translates exactly as ayin harah.
Whether done literally or
figuratively (by saying “pooh,
pooh, pooh”), spitting three
times (a mystical number) is a
classic response to something
exceptionally evil or good. For
centuries, Jews have performed
this ritual in response to
seeing, hearing or learning
of something terrible and as
a prophylactic measure to
prevent such a tragedy from
happening or recurring.
Ironically, it is traditional
to perform the same action
in response to something
wonderful — such as good
news or the birth of a beautiful
and healthy child — to ward
off the Evil Eye. Spitting was
long considered a potent
protector against magic
and demons. Ancient and
medieval physicians, including
Maimonides, described the
positive values of saliva and
spittle.
Besides avoiding ostentatious
shows of good fortune, folklore
of many nations maintains that
one can avoid the evil eye with
symbols: a stylized hand called
a “hamsa” or a red thread tied
to a baby’
s crib.
Once I heard a story of a
superstition from the heroine
of the story. About 70 years
ago, a secular Jewish doctor
had a patient, the wife of a
scholarly rabbi. The doctor
often teased his patient for
her adherence to Jewish law
even in modern America.
When the doctor delivered the
woman’
s first child, though,
the doctor said, “That baby is
too beautiful. Please tie a red
thread on his crib.” I do not
remember whether the mother
gave in and used the red
thread; I do remember that she
laughed as she told the story.
The baby grew up to
become, like his father, a
respected scholar of Jewish
studies.
Former Detroiter Susann
Codish recalls that when she
was a young girl in Sweden,
“We weren’
t allowed to sew an
item of clothing while wearing
it (e.g. last-minute hem-fixing
or button attachment) unless
we were also chewing on a
bit of string. The last part
was weird to me, and I found
myself wondering if a piece of
chewing gum could substitute.
The very young halachic mind
at work.”
Carol Yadlovker had the
same experience in Queens,
N.Y. “As a child I chewed on
many a piece of thread as my
mother stitched the garment I
was wearing.”
Perhaps repairing a garment
on a live person resembles to
a disturbing extent the work
Jews in th
he prompt
high school
assignment:
as we have ignoranc
continue to have su
The student — my
— read that prompt
long as we do not bo
understand another
can dismiss its prac
mere superstition
Ignorant peop
what other peo
“superstition,”
everyone’
s pra
make sense in
For examp
some Jews in
wearing shoe
indoors. Per
that amoun
a meanin
supersti
but
traditio
practice
has Jews,
during the we
mourning, not wear
shoes. Going shoeles
other occasions woul
take away the signific
of the mourner’
s gest
worse, going shoeless
might give the impre
that one looks forwar
the death of a relative
context, the practice h
its rationale.
But maybe some
superstitious practices have
no rationale. Back in 2011
Are You Superstitious?
Not all customs can be explained.
LOUIS FINKELMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
continued on page 64
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