Obj. ID: 54140 Shmirah le-Yeled Zachar // Shmirah le-Yeled Nekevah, Jerusalem, circa 1900
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The following description was prepared by William Gross:
From earliest times, man has tried to protect himself from misfortune by the use of objects that 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.
This amulet is a part of a large group of printed birth amulets, usually for male and female children. They are of the simplest form with only the most basic amuletic formulas and are generally very small as well. The basic elements are Psalm 121, the naming of the patriarchs and matriarchs and a few "names", all of which are invoked for protection against Lilith. They appear in this form in many different countries in Europe, North America, North Africa and the Middle East. This particular example was printed in Jerusalem, although clearly the source of inspiration is East Europe.
An uncut sheet from the printing press containing four amulets, the page is printed with 2 amulets for the male child and next to each one of those is an amulet for the female child. When such an amulet was purchased, it was often purchased as a pair, the two genders being printed side by side. Depending on what gender the child was born, that amulet would be framed in front while the other was folded behind. So the same sheet could be used in the future when the other sex was born. Since families were very large, in most cases both sides were used. There are several examples of such multiple amulets in the Gross Family Collection printed in several different countries, showing that the custom was common in many parts of the Jewish world. In these examples, the printing is very rough, as if the amulets were photographed from another example to make the plate, losing sharpness in the process. The style of the amulet is from Eastern Europe, but most likely copied and printed in Jerusalem.