Description
Book SynopsisThis book discusses the development of practices associated with customs and artifacts used in Jewish ceremonies when viewed from the vantage of anthropological studies. It can also function as a guide to practical halakhah. The author examines topics such as Torah Scrolls, ceremonial use of fire, Purim customs, the festival of Shavuot, magic and superstition.
This investigation, at times, compares some Jewish observances with the wider cultural observances or notions of the broader, gentile societies in which Jews were located when these customs originated. It is found that the time and location of a practice’s origin is often critical to appreciating a shared context. In all cases the Jewish practice becomes reinterpreted within a specifically Jewish narrative and legal structure.
Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments
Introduction
Fire Symbolism in Jewish Law and Ritual
Behind the Purim Mask: The Symbolic Representation of the Rituals and Customs of Purim
In the Absence of Ritual: Customs of the Holiday of Shavuot
Holy and Licit Magic and Halakhah: The Case of the Arukh HaShulhan
The Symbolic Representation of the Sefer Torah
Index
