Hamsa

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  • February 5, 2012 4:55 pm at 4:55 pm #601917
    dovid.yehuda
    Member

    Hi, I see the articles from YWN in my RSS reader but have never posted in the Coffee Room before.

    I’ve read about the origins of this symbol, and the associations with the “evil eye” and have questions about whether it is kosher for a frum Jew to display. From what I can understand it is more popular among Mizrachi Jews in Israel than Askenazim (who may have shunned its use) – and some Israelis see it as a symbol of a secular Israeli identity.

    Do you think it basically harmless or something best to avoid?

    Any thoughts?

    February 5, 2012 5:15 pm at 5:15 pm #849367
    ED IT OR
    Participant

    hamsa is Arabic for five

    February 5, 2012 5:17 pm at 5:17 pm #849368
    Toi
    Participant

    whyd they use a hand with two thumbs as a model. always bugged me.

    February 5, 2012 6:30 pm at 6:30 pm #849369
    sam4321
    Participant

    The Ben Ish Chai mentions it.

    February 5, 2012 6:35 pm at 6:35 pm #849370
    sam4321
    Participant

    http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=14054&pgnum=425

    February 6, 2012 12:25 am at 12:25 am #849371
    Raphael Kaufman
    Member

    Toi, it’s not a hand with two thumbs. It’s a flower. The Hamsa is not specifically Jewish. It is popular as a charm against the Evil Eye throughout the Arab world

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