64 | SEPTEMBER 26 • 2019
Jews in the D
continued from page 62
of the burial society putting
shrouds on a corpse. Chewing
on a string might demonstrate
that the garment wearer still
lives.
Especially common among
Jews from Galicia and
Lithuania, the practice of
pulling on one’
s ears when
sneezing has engendered
heated arguments. Should
one ear or both be pulled
(or tugged) and should one
pull up or down? The reason
for this custom is unclear.
Originally, it was performed
if the sneeze occurred when
speaking about one who
was dead. However, tugging
has long been extended to
all sneezes and is usually
accompanied by reciting
the Yiddish phrase tzu
langehmazaldikker yohrn (to
long, lucky years).
One tradition with some
superstitious overtones is the
breaking of a goblet or glass
to end a Jewish wedding
ceremony. The generally
accepted reason for breaking
the glass is to commemorate
the destruction of the temple
in Jerusalem 2,000 years
ago. The destruction of
the glass is a reminder that
there is destruction even
in moments of happiness.
Joshua Trachtenberg writes in
Jewish Magic and Superstition
that the custom may have
originated to ward off evil
spirits, specifically a spirit
named Lilith. She was quite
the troublemaker, associated
with disease, illness and
death.
There is a superstition
that you should always close
a book (especially a prayer
book) when you’
re finished
reading it. Again, this is to
guard against the pesky evil
spirits who might steal holy
knowledge and use it for evil
purposes if the book is left
open.
A scientist would likely
scoff at such practices, but
why not follow tradition
— just to play it safe. Even
the Sefer Hasidim (The Book
of the Pious) offers this sage
advice:
“One should not believe in
superstitions, but it is best to
be heedful of them.”
Editorial Assistant Sy Manello
contributed to this story.
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