Sample Sources
The sources below are those contained in our three curated collections—covering themes of Passover, Gender Roles, and Holocaust Resistance. They represent a fraction of the thousands of sources that will be available when the full site launches in 2024.
For Opening the Heart
For opening the heart; tested and tried. Take a new glass and write on it:
I adjure you, Patḥiel, to open my heart to all the Torah to learn all that I desire. That my heart should be as an…
Adjuration for a Person in Shock and Falling Sickness
An adjuration for a person in shock and for a person with the falling sickness [epilepsy—Ed.]. When you go to a person in shock or a person with the falling sickness recite the following:
In the…
For the Voice
For the voice:
I entreat you Paskon, Atmon, Sagron: Paskon, that my voice not stop: Atmon, that my throat not be sealed; Sagron, that my throat not be closed. May it be your will, God and Lord of our…
For Exorcism
To exorcise any spirit or any demon from a person [is] a kabbalistic power [ma‘aseh merkavah] with which King Solomon, peace be upon him, ruled all the demons. Fast for three consecutive days—Monday…
Shoshan yesod ha-‘olam (Lily of the Foundation of the World)
To remove a demon [sheyd] from the body of a man or woman, or anything into which a male or female demon has entered
Take an empty flask and a white waxen candle, and recite this adjuration in…
On Circumambulating a Church
I heard directly from those who say that a text exists which states that the wise and upright R. Solomon wished to spur the end of times and he wanted all to agree with his viewpoint. And he said that…
Amulet for the Evil Eye
Amulets for the evil eye; tested. Write on either a kosher or deerskin parchment, on a day of [reading from] the Torah, before eating anything. And calculate in that hour which day it is and which…
Medal Commemorating the Enfranchisement of the Jews of Westphalia by Jerome Bonaparte
Jerome Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon, was appointed to rule the short-lived Kingdom of Westphalia, which Napoleon established in Northern Germany. This medal celebrates his grant of emancipation to…
The Dybbuk
[ . . . ] Reb Azrielke:God’s world is great and holy. The holiest land in the world is the Land of Israel. In the Land of Israel the holiest city is Jerusalem. In Jerusalem the holiest place was the…
Amulet Depicting Bes
Amulets often took the form of Bes, a minor Egyptian deity, who was understood to guard mothers in childbirth and their babies. Bes is often shown with a feathered headdress and a grotesque face, a…
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel
This painting has both figurative and abstract elements. The shapes representing the angel are a dynamic swirl of mystical symbols. Ben-Zion often turned to the Bible for inspiration for his work. At…
Vilna
Someone in a tales is walking your rooftops.
Only he is stirring in the city by night.
He listens. Old gray veins quicken—sound
Through courtyard and synagogue like a hoarse, dusty heart.
You are a…