A | Angel | Sanoy, Sansanoy and Semangelaf (Sanvi, Sansanvi and Semangelaf)
A | Amuletic diagram | Magical square
H | Hamsa
M | Magen David
M | Magen David | Magen David, inscribed
K | Kabbalistic diagram | Kabbalistic alphabet
D | Diagram
G | God | Tetragrammaton
A | Angel | Angel, multi-winged
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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 is a most unusual combination of amulets and symbols and the original appearance, as far as is known, of this image of the angel and kabbalistic hand as a Shiviti. Although it is stated that it was originally printed in the book "Sefer ha-Yechudim" as printed in Koretz, 1789, on page 29, it is not the same image. This image was first printed for the first time in the second printing of the book, "Sefer ha-Yechudim", in 1855, in Lemberg (Lviv). On the left side are many different amulets as taken from the book of Raziel ha-Malach.
At the bottom, it is stated, under the amulet for Hatzlachah, that this was brought to the press by Shemuel Oppenheim, the grandson of David Oppenheim, the head of the Rabbinical court in Prague. David Oppenheim was also the greatest Jewish book and manuscript collector of his day, his collection having been documented in a catalog printed in Prague, in 1825. However, there was no Hebrew printing press in Brody in 1813. It is most likely that this was printed in Lviv in 1862 as the illustrations taken from the book of Raziel are from the plates used to print that book in 1862 in Lviv, their earliest appearance in this exact form.
There are two later amulets printed at the very beginning of the 20th century using the exact same format as the left-hand side of this large printed sheet, although the illustrations are different. It is the largest amulet in the Gross Family Collection printed before an amulet printed by Frumkin in Jerusalem in 1874. It is also unique in presenting many different amulets for different purposes on a single page.
Brought to Press by: Shmuel Oppenheim