Obj. ID: 51868  Amulet, Jerusalem, circa 1970

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 the 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 be 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.

This amulet is written on parchment and is unusual in that at the end of the text is the identification by name that this was in Jerusalem. The writing of the place of origin is not a regular practice. The name of the male for whom the amulet was made, Chexkia ben Avraham Chaim, is rendered in an unusual fashion, as the nomenclature uses the father's name for the identification rather than the mother's. The amulet is also unusual for the fact that no names of angels are recorded in the text, but there do appear two magic square tables, one of which contains the 42-letter name of God. It is very much a general protection amulet that contains specific protection from a large variety of bad spirits and illnesses.

Made For:      Chezkia ben Avraham Chaim