Obj. ID: 51468
Sacred and Ritual Objects  Amulet, Israel/Eretz Israel, circa 1950

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

From earliest times, man has tried to protect himself from misfortune by the use of objects which he considered holy or otherwise (e.g., magically) potent. Amulets and talismans are Items generally worn around the neck or wrist, carried in a pocket or purse or hung on a wall. They are meant to protect or aid those who carried or wore them. The Hebrew word for amulet, kame‘a, has the root meaning "to bind". Jewish amulets are usually comprised of texts (either letters or graphic symbols) that are inscribed on some sort of material; some may also contain plant matter or precious stones. The texts of amulets usually include holy names that are believed to have the ability to affect reality, along with incantations summoning angels or other magical powers. For the most part, an amulet has a specific purpose: to ease childbirth, facilitate recovery from illness, improve one’s livelihood, and so on, but in the modern world many are also made for general protection.

Even after the appearance of the printing press, amulets continued to made by hand even til today. One of the forms of this is the scroll amulet, written on a long, thin piece of paper or parchment. When it was finished, it was rolled and placed into a container of textile. leather, or some metal and closed for easy carrying. These are individual amulets usually made for a specific person and for a specific need in addition to general protection.

An amulet made for a woman for her Refuah Sheleimah. There are  other amulets known by the same hand, so the parchment was most likely written in Eretz Israel. It an unusual charactaristic, there are texts by another hand in written script interspered with the opening lines of large square letters. It may well be that at some time after the initial amulet was written, an additional need arose and it was opened and the new writing and formulas added. The amulet is for a specific woman, Esther bat Sarah and seems to be against a miscarriage for for health in general. There appear illustrations of both a magic square table and a magic Magen David.

Made For:                        Esther bat Sarah