Q&A: Divination by Omens
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Divination by Omens
Question
I saw in Sanhedrin 65b that the “diviner by omens” mentioned in the Torah includes, among other things, someone who, when the tax collector comes to collect taxes, tells him not to start with him because it is a bad sign. My question is whether today, when someone believes in superstitions like not passing a knife directly from hand to hand and the like, this is forbidden under the law of divination by omens?
Answer
It seems to me that yes. Like separating dough as an offering and other pagan rituals.