#sofer

[secular-jew]

The original King Abdullah of Jordan (not the current kinglet) pictured here with his three Jewish bodyguards.

They were brothers. Sayeed, Salaah, and Saadia Sofer.

Their method of fighting was ancient biblical and based on the use of the Hebrew alphabet combat system. Allegedly it was used by King David himself.

[soferino]

NARRATIVE CAHNGE KRIS REDESIGN

This is genuinely one of the best things I've made as an artist.

[hiddurmitzvah]

Jewish Life In Poland (in the early 1900’s)

Dovid Elye, the soyfer (scribe) Annopol, circa 1912

[judaic-myth-n-mysticism]

Amulets, Part 2: A Brief Introduction To Written Amulets

So written Amulets were, and still are in many communities, the most popular form of Amulets among Jews. These amulets consist of a combination of prayers, angel names, scriptural verses, divine names, and sigils (more on those later).

(Here we see an amulet written by Hazan (Cantor) Isaac Almosnino in 1832 for the protection of his home.)

Methods:

• Scriptural Verses:

Verses of Torah, Prophets, and Psalms were frequently employed in protective amulets. It is worth noting that Rabbi Akiva’s prohibition of healing with torah was extended to use in amulets, and as such healing amulets ought not have contained verse, it was nonetheless a common practice. Some of the most favored verses for amulets were Psalm 91 and the Priestly Blessing. Psalm 91 was often favored in amulets due to its perceived anti-demonic and generally protective properties. This use appears in the Talmud, although the belief dates back to the second temple period if not earlier. The use of the preistly blessing is just as common in the amulet tradition. This blessing found it’s way into many amulets such as those found in the Ketef Hinnom archeological site.

(Amulets bearing the priestly benediction enscribed on silver lamelle found in the Ketef Hinnom site)

• Angelic Names:

A very frequent aspect of many amulets, especially the earlier variety that predated the Lurianic Kabbalah, were the names of angels who had control over the situation that was attempting to be controlled. Other quintessential example of this technique would be the anti-lillitian amulets bearing the angel names Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangolef who were the angels who hunted Lilith after she left the Garden. The invocation of Angels is a common theme among all forms of early Jewish Magic due to the fact that one can bind an angel by it’s name to your will. A practice that was forbidden by the Arizal. Nonetheless, angel names continue to appear on amulets all the way through present day in many Sephardic and Hasidic communities.

(Anti-Lillitian amulet from the Sefer Raziel, 1701)

• Divine Names:

One of the most characteristic aspect of any art of based in the Kabbalah, and really even earlier Jewish magical traditions is that of Names of HaShem. These names find themselves varying in complexity and perceived power. This tradition finds its way even into our Mezuzah, which although not amulets, are nonetheless considered to hold protective properties. In fact, mezuzah scrolls have the name S-H-A-D-D-A-I written on the back of them because of this because it was considered improper to add it for protection in the biblically commanded words.

(Here we see a Shiviti, a meditative amulet (more on these later, that was made by one Sofer Mendel Schreiber for a synagogue in Holitsch. It bears the Tetragrammaton along with scriptural verses and other names of Gd)

Finally, I would like to include the text of an amulet that encompasses all of these aspects and would have been most characteristic of historic amulet making:

“An effective amulet, tested and tried, against the evil eye and evil spirits, for grace, against imprisonment and the sword, for intelligence, to be able to instruct people in Torah, against all sorts of disease and reverses, and against loss of property: ‘In the name of Shaddai, who created heaven and earth, and in the name of the angel Raphael, the memuneh in charge of this month, and by you, Smmel, Hngel, Vngsursh, Kndors, Ndmh, Kmiel, S‘ariel, Abrid, Gurid, memunim of the summer equinox, and by your Prince, Or‘anir, by the angel of the hour and the star, in the name of the Lord, God of Israel, who rests upon the Cherubs, the great, mighty, and awesome God, YHVH Ẓebaot is His name, and in Thy name, God of mercy, and by thy name, Adiriron, trustworthy healing-God, in whose hand are the heavenly and earthly households, and by the name YHVH, save me by this writing and by this amulet, written in the name of N son of N [mother’s name]. Protect him in all his two hundred and forty-eight organs against imprisonment and against the two-edged sword. Help him, deliver him, save him, rescue him from evil men and evil speech, and from a harsh litigant, whether he be Jew or Gentile. Humble and bring low those who rise against him to do him evil by deed or by speech, by counsel or by thought. May all who seek his harm be overthrown, destroyed, humbled, afflicted, broken so that not a limb remains whole; may those who wish him ill be put to shame. Save him, deliver him from all sorcery, from all reverses, from poverty, from wicked men, from sudden death, from the evil effects of passion, from every sort of tribulation and disease. Grant him grace, and love, and mercy before the throne of God, and before all beings who behold him. Let the fear of him rest upon all creatures, as the mighty lion dreads the mightier mafgi‘a [cf. Shab. 77b]. I conjure N, son of N, in the name of Uriron and Adriron (sic). Praised be the Lord forever. Amen and Amen.’ ”

(Sefer Raziel, 42a. Translation from Joshua Trachtenberg’s Jewish Magic and Superstistion)

[jewish-education]

Torah Reading: Numbers 25:10 - 30:1 Haftarah Reading: 1 Kings 18:46-19:21

Last week's portion ended with a crisis. The Israelites began to participate in an idolatrous, orgiastic cult which led to a plague erupting among the people. Then, a priest named Pinchas killed an Israelite man and a Moabite woman who were copulating near the sanctuary, and the plague halted.

God gave Pinchas a covenant of peace for him and for his descendants for all time. However the text hints that Pinchas' peace was broken.

The Hebrew letter vav is a vertical line. However, in the Torah scroll, when God gives Pinchas the covenant of peace, the stem of the letter vav in the word shalom (peace) doesn't extend down all the way. As Rabbi Harold Kushner notes, the missing piece of the stem is understood to indicate that the kind of peace achieved by violence will always be a "flawed, incomplete peace." The rest of the Torah portion recounts how to celebrate the holidays and beginning of the new months of the year.

[jovampiricofficial]

In life we cant expect happiness. Everything changes around us and we cant do anything about it. Sofer makes life real. . Blouse: #voodooviren Long Skirt: @jawbreakerldn . #jovampiricprincess #gothicmodel #gothgoth #blackhair #gothhair #sofer #reallife #gothgirl #vampire #longhair #gothmodel #darkside #gothyoutuber #batprincess #vampiregirl #alternativestyle #gothlife #gothicvampire #vampiricprincess #kreepsville666 #vbang #portuguesegothic #voodooviren #jawbreaker #gothvampire #vampirestyle

[sempredatudoerrado]

"Pode até parecer bobagem pra você, mas pra mim, é como se o mundo inteiro estivesse se desintegrando"

Kaliny Kapa

[blacknwhitemood]

sofer workshop @ Budapest :)