Judaism, Halloween, and Mysticism

Peter Bebergal, in an article published in Tablet Magazine, has an excellent essay on Jewish traditions about the occult, mysticism, and the Jewish preoccupation with demons, evil spirits, and superstitions. The following is an excerpt from the article:

While some Jewish families see Halloween as a pagan holiday that should not be observed, the fact is, Jewish tradition is itself no stranger to the otherworldly, with its own history of golem-makers, sorcerers, and demon wranglers, and throughout the centuries Jews have been as afraid of evil spirits as anyone else.

As early as the Roman period, Jews used amulets as a best defense against evils-both real and supernatural-that lurked outside their doors, a practice that continued into the late 17th and 18th century. The amulets could be made on flattened bits of metal inscribed with the names of angels or on small, encased scrolls, much like the mezuzah. But there were other kinds of magic as well. Medieval Jews called out God's name and those of His angels to smite enemies and to gain affections. In addition, Jews of all ages practiced astrology and looked for omens in the form of animals. Since traditional liturgy made little room for personal prayers, these extra-liturgical means helped people combat what they saw as constant threats.

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As Judaism struggles between assimilation and the preservation of tradition, Jewish magic suggests that Jews are very much like everyone else in so many beliefs. Ghosts, evil spirits, bad luck, and good are a part of a world view that co-exists with an omnipotent God and a complex moral system. And despite how far into the modern world Jews have moved, they continue to hear the echo of Sefer Hasdim, the famous medieval text, which advised, “One should not believe in superstitions, but it is best to be heedful of them.”

I learned much by reading Bebergal’s article. What this article teaches is that the belief in the supernatural has existed throughout human history and is present in almost every culture of the world. The article also demonstrates that religious people are not immune from believing in the supernatural. Religious people believe in the supernatural because they believe in an order of existence that is beyond human understanding and that goes beyond the visible universe.

Superstition, however, is a distortion of true religious faith because it is a system of beliefs that is not based on historical facts, on human experience, or scientific knowledge. Superstitious claims are associated with the paranormal, occult practices, belief in magic and luck, and the fear that the lives of individuals can be affected by these elements.

Jewish life was not devoid of these influences, as Bebergal has demonstrated in his article

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Amulets, Demons, Evil Spirits, Gematria, Magic, Mysticism, Occult, Superstition

Friday the 13th and the Bible

John Roach, writing for the National Geographic News wrote the following about Friday the 13th and the Bible:

As for Friday, it is well known among Christians as the day Jesus was crucified. Some biblical scholars believe Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit on Friday. Perhaps most significant is a belief that Abel was slain by his brother Cain on Friday the 13th.

There is also a biblical reference to the unlucky number 13. Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was the 13th guest to the Last Supper.

The number 13 never appears in the Bible as an evil or unlucky number. This is what the Bible says about the number 13:

1. Ishmael was 13 years old when he was circumcised (Genesis 17:25).

2. On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, during the Feast of Booths or Sukkot, the people of Israel should offer 13 young bulls as a burnt offering to the Lord (Numbers 29:13).

3. The inheritance of the tribe of Simeon was 13 towns and their villages (Joshua 19:6).

4. The Levites were allotted 13 towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin (Joshua 21:4).

5. The descendants of Gershon were allotted 13 towns from the clans of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan (Joshua 21:6).

6. It took Solomon 13 years to complete the construction of his palace (1 Kings 7:1).

7. The width of the gateway in Ezekiel’s temple was 13 cubits (Ezekiel 40:11).

8. The sons and brothers of Hosah, a descendant of Merari, totaled 13 (1 Chronicles 26:11).

So, the number 13 is unlucky only in the imagination of superstitious people.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Friday the 13, Superstition, Unlucky Number

Friday the 13th - Again

Today is Friday the 13th. Guess what: this is the second Friday the 13th this year.

I do not know how you feel about Friday the 13th. Whatever your view is about Friday the 13th, you must read John Roach’s article published in the National Geographic News. It is a great article, and I encourage you to read it. Here is an excerpt from the article:

You're not having a nightmare. It really is Friday the 13th again.

For the first time in 11 years, Friday the 13th is falling in two consecutive months. This double threat can only occur in certain non-leap years and only in a February-March combination. Look for it-or avoid it-again in 2015.

The double whammy isn't the only Friday the 13th claim to infamy for 2009, a particularly tough year for superstitious minds.

The ominous date falls on three Fridays this year: February 13; this Friday, March 13; and again on November 13.

But three Friday the 13ths is the yearly maximum, as long as societies continue to mark time with the Gregorian calendar, which Pope Gregory XIII ordered the Catholic Church to adopt in 1582.

"You can't have any [years] with none and you can't have any with four because of our funny calendar," said Underwood Dudley, a professor emeritus of mathematics at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, and author of Numerology: Or, What Pythagoras Wrought.

The calendar works just as its predecessor the Julian calendar did, with a leap year every four years. But the Gregorian calendar skips leap year on century years except those divisible by 400. For example, there was no leap year in 1900 but one was observed in 2000. This trick keeps the calendar in tune with the seasons.

The result is an ordering of days and dates that repeats itself every 400 years, Dudley noted. As time marches through the order, some years such as 2009 appear with three Friday the 13ths. Other years have two or one.

Curious Calendar

"It's just that curious way our calendar is constructed, with 28 days in February and all those 30s and 31s," Dudley said.

When the 400-year order is laid out, another revelation occurs: The 13th falls on Friday more often than any other day of the week. "It's just a funny coincidence," Dudley said.

Richard Beveridge, a mathematics instructor at Clatsop Community College in Oregon, authored a 2003 paper in the journal Mathematical Connections on the mathematics of Friday the 13th.

He noted the 400-year cycle is further broken down into periods of either 28 or 40 years.

"At the end of every cycle you get a year with three Friday the 13ths the year before the last year in the cycle . and you also get one on the tenth year of all the cycles," he said.

Two-thousand nine is the tenth year of the cycle that started in 2000.

Read the full article by visiting the National Geographic web page and read abut the Biblical reference to the number 13.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Friday the 13, Superstition, Unlucky Number