Q&A: Amulets
Amulets
Question
Hello Rabbi,
What is the Rabbi’s opinion about amulets of the various kinds? Do they have any real substance? It sounds like far-fetched stuff, but they appear in the Talmud and in the halakhic decisors, and great Torah authorities also spoke about different kinds of amulets. Also, in every Sephardi synagogue there is a Psalm displayed in the shape of a menorah with all kinds of names and letter combinations. I’d be glad to know the Rabbi’s view on the subject!
Answer
Of course I have no information at all, but in my opinion and impression they have no substance whatsoever, and it requires further inquiry why this is not an outright prohibition.
Discussion on Answer
That would be “do not place a stumbling block”… Maybe instead I’ll make a virtual amulet (which helps you when it’s sitting by me).
In the Torah itself an amulet is mentioned once (in Jerusalem) — who knows where?
And in Egypt there was also an amulet — who knows where?
From what we know from these two cases above, one can learn (and don’t say you have no information about an amulet) that an amulet is forbidden, truly prohibited — especially since there are prohibitions that prevent us from practicing divination and soothsaying, which are also kinds of “amulets,” because they remove our trust from the Creator and place our trust in clouds and sorcerers and amulets or in the “Star of David,” which is also an amulet — even though we all know that the true shield of David is God, as it is written in the Book of Psalms: “O Lord — a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts up my head.”
And about all the Jewish people it is written: “Israel, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield.”
If the Rabbi opens an amulet business,
I’ll be the first to buy from him,
whatever price is imposed on me.