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. 

Let
 
our
 
exper
i
enc
ed 
t
eam 
handl
e 
al
l
 
of
 
your
 
es
t
at
e 
needs
:
Hands
 
f
r
ee-
has
s
l
e 
f
r
ee 
es
t
at
e 
s
al
es

 
 
 
 
 
Cal
l
 
Les
l
i
e 
Wei
s
ber
g 
t
oday 
f
or
 
a 
f
r
ee 
c
ons
ul
t
at
i
on 
248-
709-
9648

CHANGING HANDS ESTATE SALES

We 
s
pec
i
al
i
z
e 
i
n 
mi
d-c
ent
ur
y 
moder
n 
es
t
at
e 
s
al
es

changinghandsestates.com

Upscale Consignment & Auction House

too

DFAA: 248-672-3207 DetroitFAA.com
DetroitFineArtAppraisals@gmail.com

NOW ACCEPTING CONSIGNMENTS FOR RETAIL SALE, 
AND OUR UPCOMING AUCTION ON NOV. 3RD. 

Tues-Sat 12-6, Sun 12-4
3325 Orchard Lake Rd, Keego Harbor, MI
2484818884
WWW.LESHOPPETOO.COM

ICONIC 20th CENTURY FURNITURE, FINEART, 
HOME DECOR & LIGHTING

Scan here 
with your 
phone to view 
our website:
FREE
Preliminary
Art Appraisals

Accepted by Appointment
Tuesdays or Wednesdays
NOON-4PM

Try Israeli Fine Wines This Rosh Hashanah
and Plant a Vine in an Israeli Vineyard

Looking for some High 
Holiday wines? 
Psagot Winery in Israel 
offers two high-end wines 
available at One Stop Kosher 
Market in Southfield. 
First is the Psagot Peak 2016 
($49.99) a red blend com-
posed of Syrah, Petite Sirah 
and Mourverdre. This Rhone-
inspired dry red wine is rich, 
aromatic, and compact with 
notes of black fruit, black pep-
per, bittersweet dark chocolate, 
and dried flowers. 
The Psagot Cabernet 
Sauvignon Single Vineyard 
2016 ($70) is a bold red wine 
harvested from a plot planted 

high above sea level, where 
the grapes reach full ripeness 
without becoming heavy. 
Pomegranate, sour cherries, 
black berries, accompanied by 
bittersweet chocolate, espresso 
and vanilla, come from the bar-
rel aging of 14 months. 
Psagot Winery is one of many 
wineries that participates in 
Wine on the Vine, a program 
from the Israel Innovation Fund 
that allows people to plant 
grapevines in Israeli vineyards 
to help Israel’
s growing wine 
industry and foster cutting-edge 
cultural and social innovation. 
You choose your cause and 
your vineyard at tiif.org/wotv.