From the article: "Jewish magic suggests that Jews are very much like everyone else in so many beliefs."

Is it not amazing? Many fine orthodox Jews laugh, rightly so, at the naive boobs who go to palm readers, attend seances, or believe in fairies. Yet the very same people will go to so-called "kabbalists", babble mystical incantations , and will engage in halachik practices predicated on the existence of demons and sheidim.
Zavi | 10.30.09 - 10:40 am | #

They are the same people.
Anonymous | 10.30.09 - 12:29 pm | #

Those who know, don't laugh.
bahaltener | Homepage | 11.01.09 - 1:35 am | #

Yeah? So they think the Indian medicine men and the black women tarot card readers are legit?
Zavi | 11.01.09 - 10:45 pm | #

For more scholarly research on the Golem, (including some info that the inimitable R' Leiman may not have seen), see:
http://onthemainline.blogspot.co...em- addenda.html
Alex | 11.09.09 - 2:24 pm | #

Alex,

As one attending Dr. Leiman's classes since 1975 may I suggest that you will need to look a lot further afield than the "Mainline" blog to find something that he is not aware of relating to "Golem research"
Larry Rabinovich | 11.14.09 - 7:20 pm | #

Dr. Leiman pushed the earliest discovered written date back to 1837. I found a reference to 1836. The fact that I found a crumb needn't take away from Dr. Leiman's kavod. Of course, if he has already discovered the reference which I did, that's fine by me.
S. | Homepage | 11.17.09 - 6:45 pm | #