The information presented here has been cut down for time. I have done my best to find broad sources for history and common practices, but my own practice is deeply rooted in Ashkenazi culture and the information here may reflect that. I have included Hebrew translations for words you may commonly see upon further reading. As always, take what speaks to you and leave the rest.
Mysticism: “Popularly known as becoming one with G-d or the Absolute… It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ultimate or hidden truths, and to human transformation supported by various practices and experiences.”
Magic: “The art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature.”
Folk Magic: “is generally of a practical nature, meant to address the common ills of the community: healing the sick, bringing love or luck, driving away evil forces, finding lost items, bringing good harvests, granting fertility, reading omens and so on.”
Note: in Pagan circles, you may see magic written as “magick.” This spelling comes from notorious racist and antisemite Aleister Crowley, so we do not use it and instead embrace the original spelling.
- Prescribing certain herbs for healing
- Placing mezuzot in houses
- Circling a groom seven times and breaking a glass
- Saying the Sh’ma at night
- Creating engraved amulets (segulot) for a newborn
- Commemorate the destruction of the two Temples
- You and your soulmate’s souls were split before birth
- Our task is to elevate the Earth, so we remind ourselves that the world isn‘t perfect yet
- Joyous occasions are popular moments for demons or the evil eye to attack
- Loud noises can scare negative influences away
- Doing something negative will appease the evil spirits’ mission
Common Magical Practices
These are VERY brief overviews of common practices to give you a taste of what might interest you. There may be practices used by Jews I haven’t mentioned, so if you have questions or want to know if something can be adapted to Judaism, please ask!
Be aware that there is incredible power here.
Question: If you had to pick one, which would you pick?
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Amulet to avoid any sickness
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Control a demon to do your chores
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Kefitzat haderech (teleportation)
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Create food out of thin air
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Astral project to heaven
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See/talk to dead people
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Maggid (spirit guide) gives you advice
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Rabbi’s ghost does your homework
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Golem fights anyone you want
Incantations/כישוף (kishuf)
Geoffrey W. Dennis, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic & Mysticism
“Most cultures have some idea about words having supernatural constructive powers, but nowhere is this belief stronger than in Judaism.”
Rooted deep in Kabbalistic understanding is the idea that G-d created the universe through speech - specifically using combinations of the Hebrew letters. This is most popularly claimed in the mystical 2nd century book Sefer Yetzirah.
(ב) עשרים ושתים אותיות חקקן חצבן שקלן והמירן צרפן וצר בהם נפש כל כל היצור ונפש כל העתיד לצור:
(2) Twenty-two letters: He engraves them, carves them, weighs and transmutes them, combines them and forms with them the soul of all—of all created, and soul of all He has yet to form.
The belief in the power of incantations is predicated on 3 assumptions:
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There is special power inherent in the names of G-d
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There is special power in the words and phrases G-d speaks
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The Hebrew alphabet itself is supernatural in origin, which means that using Hebrew letters in certain combinations is a source of special power even when it has no semantic value
The idea that the various names of G-d, the most famous of which is yud-hey-vav-hey (the tetragrammaton), have magical power was so well practiced that Rabbis made their entire careers out of studying how to use the names to heal and protect their congregations. For example, Chasidic creator the Baal Shem Tov was called by that name - literally translated as Master of the Good Name - because he was adept at using this magic to heal.
Incantations often include one of the divine names of G-d, various Hebrew letters, nonsense words, words or sentences written backwards, and biblical phrases. Repetition is important, and commonly found in sets of 3 and 7. For example, during a traditional Jewish wedding the bride will walk in a circle around the groom 7 times. This practice comes from protection magic meant to save the relationship from evil.
An example, a medieval incantation against blindness: "repeat 'My mother has cautioned me against shabriri' and with each repetition reduce one letter from the word: shabriri, shabrir, shabri…"
An example of an ancient Jewish incantation bowl:
How can you use it?
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Write your own incantations using Hebrew or English words
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Learn about the 72 names of G-d and their meditation possibilities
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Create your own incantation bowl for use in ritual, washing, or self-care
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Learn blessings (brachot) - for eating food, seeing a rainbow, hearing thunder, etc.
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Create a sigil using one word / shapes you feel called to
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Clear your home’s space through sound or smell and invoke the blessing over homes (birkat habayit)
Amulets/קמיע (kamia, or segulot)
Once you have an incantation, you might want to put it on something material in order to keep its power around. Amulets were the most popular form of Jewish magic in the Middle Ages, often used to ward off disease, mishap, dangerous animals, sorcery, evil spirits, or the evil eye (ayin hara). Some amulets were also used to induce experiences like fertility, love, or protection during pregnancy or for newborns.
For example, if you had a member of the family who was seriously ill, you may have visited a Baal shem to receive an amulet that had an incantation for healing, and that amulet might be placed like a necklace around the sick person or on their bed.
The most famous Jewish amulet that still exists today is the mezuzah! The mezuzah with a kosher scroll (klaf) is placed on the door to the house to protect the house from evil spirits. It contains the Shema, which was historically used as a protective prayer to keep away demons.
Amulets often included the magen David, shield of David, which was associated with the holy name AGLA (ata gibor l'olam Adonai). This symbol is protective and especially used to fend off fire.
“Proper” amulet making is extremely complicated, requires very specific timing, purification, and intention (kavanah). Most Jewish sages, even those who didn't personally create amulets, considered them to be a worthy religious undertaking:
An amulet agains the evil eye from the text Sefer Raziel.
How can you use it?
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Create art to hang on your wall that incorporates your favorite Jewish images, phrases, letters, or symbols of power
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Make your own mezuzah case out of quick-dry clay or resin
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If you're not kosher: design your own version of tefillin - make one or two decorated small boxes and your material of choice for the wrap
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Make your own necklace or bracelet with blue beads and an evil eye charm to keep yourself protected
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Decorate a kiddush cup for use in your Shabbat practice, and make sure to dedicate it to your practice with a ritual and wine/grape juice
Gematria/גימטריה
The Jewish version of numerology, mystical insights from numbers, Gematria is a magical practice for the mathematics lovers. Each Hebrew letter has a corresponding number, and words have a total from adding the value of each letter.
Gematria teaches us that words/phrases with the same gematric value are mystically aligned. More than just magic, this is also a halachically accepted way of understanding the Torah:
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First words of Exodus 35:1 → 39 types of work forbidden on Shabbat
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Wine (yayin) & secret (sod) both = 70
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When wine goes in, all your secrets come out!
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Kabbalists have derived up to 75 different methods of calculation
How can you use it?
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Look up kabbalistic word associations and meditate on them
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Dream about something? Calculate its gematrical value and find other words with the same
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Find other words with the same value as your name
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Find new ways to enjoy Jewish rituals using word sisters
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Meditate on the letters themselves and their values
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Each parsha has a gematrical value too!
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Inscribe a candle with the number value of a word special to you or relevant to your goal and light it to bring power to that concept
Heavenly Ascent
A bygone Jewish meditative practice of heavenly ascent included body or soul projection to Heaven to gain insight, inspired by the mystical chariot of Ezekiel. A group of mystics called the Hechalot/Ma’asei Merkavah in the Greco-Roman period used this practice to democratize the Holy of Holies, previously only known to the Kohanim.
Techniques for ascent include ritual purification, immersion, fasting, study of sacred texts, sleep deprivation, word recitation, self-isolation, self-mortification, sex, probably drugs, and specula.
This practice is no longer done because it is considered hazardous to the extreme and the knowledge to do it safely has been lost. In order to ascend without death, one must know incantations, seals, & angelic names to get past the celestial guards.
Herbalism
DISCLAIMER - Do not ingest any non-culinary herbs without talking to your doctor or health provider first!
Popular amongst Rabbis and lay people, Jewish herbalism was split in two forms - herbal medicine & magico-religious medicine - but these were often intertwined. Herbs could be ingested in a syrup, applied to the skin in a poultice or plaster, put in a bath, or included in a bag/amulet to be kept near the sick person.
Our teachings abound with herbal practice, going as far back as the days of the Temple:
An example of magico-religious herbalism that still exists pops up during Sukkot: the lulav and etrog. The collection of a palm branch (lulav), two willows (aravot), three myrtles (hadassim), and one citron (etrog) are held together and moved in a pattern that stems from an ancient ritual to bring rain.
A few common herbs and meanings:
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Rosemary, rue/ruda, garlic, salt, fennel - protection
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Cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise - Havdalah besamim / spiritual awakening
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Hyssop, cedar, frankincense - purification
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Sage, honey, mandrake - love
How can you use it?
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Create your own mix of besamim with your favorite herbal scents
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Create a decorated herb bag and hang it by your bed or keep it in your purse
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Leave garlic in warm water over night and wipe on the doorpost to protect your home
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Burn cedar or frankincense incense to cleanse your space
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Make tea or hot chocolate with cloves, cinnamon, & cardamom as a healing “potion”
Divination/סימנים (simanim)
אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם – הָרוֹאֶה אֶת הַנּוֹלָד.
Who is the wise person? The one who sees and anticipates the consequences of his behavior.
While there are a number of divinatory practices that are banned in the Torah (particularly those that were done by other cultures at the time and would constitute idolatry, like speaking to the dead), there are also a few that are common in Jewish practice:
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Lots - Drawn to decide between multiple options, like a lottery. Mentioned a number of times in the Torah as divine organization.
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Tarot - The standardized deck is unfortunately antisemitic in nature. It was created out of Christian Cabala and includes the full name of G-d, which we consider blasphemy to write down. However there are many decks you can find that are not, including this Jewish one or an Oracle deck like this one.
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Astrology - Ancient Jews adopted the zodiac of the Greeks but gave them Hebrew names. Astrology itself is viewed with varied opinions by the Sages, some who use it and some who call it heresy. However, there are a number of mystical books that claim that certain days or months have different meanings based on the stars. A practice of astrology that has continued to today is the congratulatory greeting "Mazal tov" which literally translates to "good star/fate"
רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הַמּוֹדָעִי אוֹמֵר: אִיצְטַגְנִינוּת הָיְתָה בְּלִבּוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ, שֶׁכׇּל מַלְכֵי מִזְרָח וּמַעֲרָב מַשְׁכִּימִין לְפִתְחוֹ.
Rabbi Elazar HaModa’i says: Abraham our forefather was so knowledgeable in astrology [itztagninut] that all the kings of the East and the West would come early to his door due to his wisdom.
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Dream interpretation - Dreams were of utmost importance to ancient Jews and we have multiple exams of dream prophecies in the Torah. For example, Joseph’s life was saved by his ability to interpret dreams, and likely to interpret the people having them. There are various texts on Jewish dream meanings, and the Talmud tells us that if we wake up after having had a bad dream, we should tell it to our friends and have them say out loud that it won't come true for our protection.
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Scrying fingernails - It is traditional during Havdalah to hold one's hands with palms up and fingernails towards oneself under the light of the candle. Scryers would look for omens in the fingernails from white spots in your nails to the length or shape of shadows. The act of gazing at the fingernails itself was also said to be a protective act.
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Bibliomancy - Divination through books or the written word also has its place in Jewish practice. For example, opening to a random page in a spiritual book and believing that the text there will have relevant lessons. This is especially common in Chasidic circles.
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Sleeping on graves - Students who wanted to improve their Torah memory or be inspired by the wisdom of the Sages started a practice of sleeping overnight on the graves of the Sages in an effort to squeeze off some of their wisdom overnight. Some especially important Rabbis would be granted maggidim, spirit guides, who would commandeer their bodies to write or speak the wisdom of G-d.
Angels/מלאך (malachim), demons/מזיך (mazzikim/sheydim), and other creatures
A number of manuals exist on how to make amulets to harness the power of angels, demons, or other supernatural creatures.
Angels & Demons
Angels & demons in Judaism are not at all like their Christian counterparts.
Angels, of which there are a few varied subclassifications, are either mighty warriors or machines who complete G-d’s will. They complete tasks like sharing messages from G-d, singing praises, and occasionally smiting the evil. There is an angel for each sefirot, month, planet, day, hour, second, etc. all the way to every individual blade of grass.
Some of the subclassifications of angels include: Irinim (watchers/high angels), Cherubim (mighty ones), Sarim (princes), Serafim (fiery ones), Chayyot (holy creatures), and Ofanim (wheels). Three angels in the Torah are given names: Michael, Gabriel, and Satan (though that may not be a name).
A good example of their narrow will is the Ashkenazi superstition that should a child become ill, you can change its name in order to trick the angel of death into passing it over. This brings to mind an angel drowning in bureaucratic paperwork who is looking for a specific name and, upon being unable to find that name, moves on. This is also a reason why Ashkenazim traditionally do not name their children after living relatives, in case when the relative is on their deathbed the angel of death may take the child instead.
Demons are, depending on who you ask, either a subclass of heavenly creatures or evil spirits similar to other cultures. The most common belief is that demons are creatures created by G-d who represent negative aspects of the world, but this belief also meshed with beliefs of evil spirits from other cultures, so the demons mentioned can also be malevolent or even deadly.
Demons were common in unclean places, like cemeteries and bathhouses. There was often concern that they would harm newborns, especially in the eight days before the Brit Milah, or mess with dead bodies, which is why there is an Ashkenazi custom to keep vigil over the corpse before burial.
Because fear of demons in bathrooms was pervasive, the Gemara relates: Abaye’s mother raised a lamb to accompany him to the bathroom. The Gemara objects: She should have raised a goat for him. The Gemara responds: A goat could be interchanged with a goat-demon. Since both the demon and the goat are called sa’ir, they were afraid to bring a goat to a place frequented by demons.
However, some demons are more like antiheroes than villains. Some sources say Solomon tricked a demon into building the Temple for him, and that demon was known for studying Torah all day.
Golems
Made popular by the story of the Maharal and the Golem of Prague, a golem, coming from the word for raw, is an automaton, a creature made out of clay that acts upon the will of a Rabbi. The Golem of Prague was created to save the Jews from Middle Ages antisemitism.
According to Rabbi Eleazar of Worms (c. 1176-1238), creating a Golem involves the following steps:
- Studying the Sefer Yetzirah with a partner for three years
- Gathering fresh mountain soil
- Kneading the soil in running water
- Forming the soil into the shape of a Golem
- Reciting the 231 pairs of Hebrew letters with the five possible consonants (a, e, i, o, u) and names of God
- Reciting the aleph bet in different orders produced different results (e.g. One direction creates a male Golem, another a female Golem)
- Each pair of letters corresponds to a part of the human body
- These recitations should be done rapidly while circling the Golem
From The Golem: The Story of a Legend, Elie Wiesel, 1983
What did [the Golem] look like? You would like a portrait. In your own mind, he looks like a monster. You imagine him excessively tall, strong, heavy, dragging his body like lead — some kind of human beast that nature put on earth to mock or frighten it. Well, let me tell you, you are mistaken... He was somewhat taller than the Maharal, who was very tall, and somewhat heavier... Strange, mysterious, he seemed to plow earth and heaven all at once... I should add that he was blessed with both intuition and intelligence... he radiated a force which overwhelmed you, moved you, flooded you with emotion... But even more striking was his shadow, which followed the Maharal's as if refusing to let go.
Dybbuks & Ghosts
Dybbuks, from the Hebrew for "clinging," is a ghost or spirit that clings to a living person, possessing them. Early beliefs attributed dybukkim to souls who sinned and are avoiding punishment in the afterlife. To remove the dybbuk, it must be exorcised, which rabbis like Joseph Caro, Isaac Luria, and Chaim Vital were adept at doing.
A similar creature called an ibbur is a spirit who possesses humans for mostly benevolent reasons; for example, to perform holy tasks or share wisdom. These spirits were often deliberately invited into the body of a righteous scholar, and that process was called impregnation.
More traditional ghosts exist in Jewish tradition, called a Rafa or Ruchim (spirits). The Talmud mentions multiple stories of ghosts and their effects, both good and bad.