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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