Author Archives: Shea Lenniger

“El Ojo”

LP, the informant, is 19 years old and grew up in Mexico. She now lives with her mother and sister here in LA while her father still lives in Mexico City. She learned the following superstition from her mother who said that when LP was a baby, she suffered from this curse and had to be cured by her grandmother. LP doesn’t quite believe it, but her mother and grandmother truly do.

“Mexicans have this thing where when you’re a baby and for example you’re on a train and other adults look at your baby from far away thinking about how cute they are, if you don’t let that person touch your baby, it translates to the stink eye, or as we know it “el ojo”. So it’s known as they gave me the eye. The baby comes close to dying, becomes really sick, they get a cold and chills, and the only way to get rid of it is to let that person hold your baby. And we also wear a red and black beaded bracelet to protect your kid from the stink eye. I actually still have my bracelet back at home.”

This curse only applies to babies and can happen whenever someone looks at the baby, admiring them but doesn’t ever touch them. It’s as if looking at them and admiring them can invite the Devil to snatch them, because they will become vain and narcissistic, LP tells me. If the person staring doesn’t come into contact with the baby, then it’s believed that the curse of “El Ojo” is upon them.

I think this superstition is common in many cultures but also in various forms. I feel like I’ve heard something similar to this, but not necessarily applying just to babies. I also never really knew why the evil eye was bad, but now I understand it’s religious connotations concerning the Devil and sin. It’s also interesting that her culture has a specific bracelet that an infant wears to defend them from this curse. It’s similar to the evil eye amulet that people wear to protect them from a similar type of curse.

Soulmates

“There is this idea about soulmates in our religion. I believe it’s that you have 7 soulmates on this planet. Some people say you can meet multiple or even none of them. Which is very sad. Then there’s also reincarnation. You know, people can come down 7 times. If they have a deed they were sent down to do and didn’t, it’s believed that they are reincarnated up to 7 times to make sure they do it. So as you can see, 7 is a special number. It’s a godly number. It refers to the 3 fathers and 4 mothers idea within our religion. 7 days to make the Earth. So yeah, 7 is a very holy number for us.”

The informant said she heard this from her grandmother, and knew of it as just something widely believed in her religion. She expanded upon the idea of 7 being a holy number, as it appears in her religion many times in various ways.

This is a belief shared throughout those in the Jewish religion. Reincarnation is believed by many, as well as the idea of soulmates.

I didn’t know that reincarnation was a widespread belief within the Jewish religion. I also was not aware that 7 was a special number in their culture, but it makes sense with how often the number appears in their religious stories. I think their idea of soulmates is fascinating, and I somewhat believe in the idea of soulmates as well. I also enjoy the idea of reincarnation 7 times so a person can fulfill what they’re meant to do. It’s very poetic. 

Yossele the Miser

“There’s folktale about this man who, in Yiddish it’s called, being a “miser”, which means you’re being stingy. And there’s a story about Yossele the Miser, I think. I think it was in eastern Europe somewhere. People would come asking him for money since he was very wealthy, and he would bring them in and ask them what they needed and why. He would listen and then would immediately send them away with nothing. So of course, everyone hated him. Then when he died, no one was really at his funeral. All of a sudden, all these people came to the local synagogue and would tell the rabbi that they used to get all this food and money randomly and now it stopped coming. They couldn’t figure out who was giving it and why it stopped, and eventually they realized this guy was giving it anonymously to them and that’s why it stopped. It kind of was a message saying the best kind of charity is the kind that people don’t know about. My family believes in this, and it’s very big in the Jewish culture. It’s better to be an anonymous donation because then it’s completely unselfish.”

R, the informant, said her grandmother told her this story when she was younger. She said it was a fable because it came with a lesson. It taught kids that the best way to give was to give selflessly, and not ask for any sort of recognition. She said it’s a very popular story in her community and the practice is giving anonymously is highly respected.

This is a common story told within the Jewish community. It’s meant to teach people an important lesson about being selfless and giving without wanting recognition or reward. It seems like it’s a story told within the household by other family members.

This seems similar to other biblical stories and does have an important message. I think it’s an important story for kids to hear, so they grow up understanding how important it is to give selflessly, but also respect those who have given things to you.

For a more detailed verison of the story, visit: http://www.nishmas.org/stories/holymiser.htm

 

Sabbath Candle Lighting

“At the end of the week on Sabbath, you’re supposed to do this prayer where you light candles, and the wicks have to be intertwined. Whoever is holding the candle should hold it as high as they want their husband to be. If I don’t raise it high, then my grandmother gets mad and tells me to raise it higher, (laughs).”

The informant’s family has been partaking in the tradition for as long as she can remember, she told me. Her grandmother emphasizes it the most within her family. She also said she doesn’t know if the “holding it high for a tall husband” aspect is actually part of the tradition, but her grandmother is very adamant about her finding the perfect man. Maybe her grandmother just incorporated it herself. 

This tradition is called Havdalah, and occurs at the end of Sabbath. It occurs at a specific time at night and usually within the home with family members. Each person has a specific role (candle holder, person giving blessings, etc.).

Since I am not Jewish, I do not practice this. However, I enjoy the humorous aspect that her family has seemed to put into it. She has frequently told me how much her grandmother nags her about finding a worthy husband, so it only seems fitting that they use a religious ceremony to hopefully help her find a tall husband.

Jewish Golem

“There’s a really interesting story that today still exists. It’s supposedly a fable, and I don’t know if it is or is not. It happened in Prague I think. It’s about the creation of the golem. It originated at the time when Jews were being persecuted. Someone was going around saying that Jews were killing newborn babies and putting their blood in some kind of food. Obviously, this was not true. So anyway, this famous rabbi used a spell to bring to life this thing that was made out of clay called the golem. He was supposed to be the protector of the Jews. And he had written on his forehead, “EMET” which means truth in Hebrew. He would basically walk with the Jews to make sure that they wouldn’t be attacked. At some point it was time to put him to sleep so the Rabbi removed one of the letters from EMET so it became just MET, which in Hebrew means, death. So golem died and apparently his body still exists in this synagogue in Prague and they don’t let people into the attic because he’s apparently there.”

Alex said her mother told her this story when she was younger. She said she heard it a few times, sometimes with slightly different variations, but the story of the golem is a very popular one.

This is a simple folk tale told in different variations within the Jewish community. A golem is a being created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud.

I had never heard of a golem before this, but upon further research I realize that it is distinctly a Jewish folk belief. Many cultures have various beliefs about making inanimate objects come to life, but I think this variation is very interesting. The detail about writing “emet” on it’s head and then removing the one “e” to make it become “death” is very clever and intriguing.

For a more detailed and different variation of this story and more background information, read the following short story about the golem here: http://www.bibleandjewishstudies.net/stories/The_Golem_of_Prague.pdf