#hamsas

[is-the-thing-actually-jewish]

are hamsas a jewish thing? i see them all over jewish sites and in synagogues but i also see gentiles using/wearing them???

Short answer: Yes, hamsas are a Jewish thing, but they're not exclusively Jewish.

An open palm as a symbol is seen throughout the Middle East, and it is given many names and meanings. There is no consensus as to the origin of the symbol, but considering hand prints are seen even in paleolithic art all across the world, it wouldn't be that hard to see how a hand could become such an important symbol.

In Judaism, hands are often featured in artwork as the two hands of the Kohanim during the Priestly Blessing and as references to God's mighty hand when freeing the Jews from Egypt. Hamsas have been used as Jewish amulets since at least the Middle Ages, and there's evidence of hand symbology being used even earlier. The belief in Ayin Hara (The Evil Eye), which is often tied to Hamsas, is also a very old Jewish belief. It, too, is not an exclusively Jewish belief, but rather a belief common among Middle Eastern and Meditteranean cultures.

Not all Jews use the Hamsa as a symbol, and indeed many frown on it, seeing it as a superstition that is best not touched. However, it has been used for a long time by Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews, as well as more Kabbalistic Ashkenazi Jews.

Because of its appearence in both Jewish and Muslim cultures, the hamsa has become a symbol of Judeo-Islamic unity by some people. In 2009, the Hamsa Flag was envisioned as the flag of a united Israeli-Palestinian state.

In conclusion,

RATING: JEWISH (BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY)

Further reading about Hamsas, Amulets, and the Evil Eye:

Sagiv, Gadi. “Dazzling Blue: Color Symbolism, Kabbalistic Myth, and the Evil Eye in Judaism.” Numen, vol. 64, no. 2/3, 2017, pp. 183–208. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44505334.

SABAR, SHALOM. “From Sacred Symbol to Key Ring: The Ḥamsa in Jewish and Israeli Societies.” Jews at Home: The Domestication of Identity, edited by SIMON J. BRONNER, Liverpool University Press, 2010, pp. 140–62. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv1rmjz2.8. 

Hamsa (Aish.com)

Amulets and Talismans (YIVO encyclopedia)

The Hamsa In Jewish Thought and Practice (Times of Israel)

Hamsa Flag (Ayin Press)

[taintedcraft-ltd]

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[aberrantceramics]

Aberrant Ceramics Year in Clay 2023 - Hamsas

[bustour]

Nabil Anani, Palestinian Folklore, 2020.

Acrylic on canvas, 110 x 100 cm. Courtesy of Zawyeh Gallery.

[hamsamohammad]

YESTERDAY WAS A NIGHTMARE! My sister and her kids lived through Nuseirat Massacre They lived through this yesterday !

We lost contact with her all day but thankfully we contacted her today

My sister and her husband ,carrying sick Karma (3months old) and her 3 year old Ghaith had to run from their tent to Deir ElBalah around 5 Km on their feet with panicked people running and pushing each other

Just thinking they had to go through this again and again breaks my heart !!

Donate HERE PLEASE SHARE AND DONATE AND MENTION IF POSSIBLE !!

Verified by @nabulsi Here & Here & Here No Place is Safe ! What should we do ? Why can't this stop? God!! What did the kids do wrong ? Why did they have to go through this?? How will Ghaith sleep at night? Please help me to help them! I am their only hope .. And I really can't take it any more I don't wish this upon my enemies ! والله الواحد مش قادر اكتر من هيك

Main post about my family here THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND I AM SORRY FOR BOTHERING YOU ALL!!

[mariluphoto]

More journalists died today. That makes 109.

[sheydgarden]

protective hamsa with crossed swords & primroses for Me'ira - thank you so much!

NOTE: this is a one-of-a-kind custom tattoo commission for a client, NOT flash, and as such it is NOT available to be tattooed.

as an aside, this is my first work done entirely in Procreate - i'm dipping my toes back into digital art this year with new (current?!) tools, & excited about the possibilities & ease of use! as someone who's been pretty much exclusively using Adobe CS5.5 since it came out & had previously never drawn with anything past a 2011 Wacom Bamboo tablet, it's a whole new world.

[creativecuts]

"East Coast Hamsa"

[hushedhippie]

Fresh out of the shower in time to watch the thunderstorm from my bedroom window🌩️ desert thunderstorms are a gift.

[shelovesplants]

🪬🧿🪬🧿🪬🧿

[aberrantceramics]

House Fly Hamsa

[theprocraftinator]

by kenz024

[sova-dozhd]

Drew a hamsa for a friend :) - the bg isn't a part of it, just didn't want a blank white behind it lmfao

[mikansei]

assorted 🦚 HCs i'm probably never going to do anything with and am thus releasing into the wild:

🩵 aventurine's hair is only wavy when it's humid - but coming from a desert planet, basically any humidity above 0% counts as such, so in effect it's now permanently wavy. (on sigonia it only showed when it rained, which was such an infrequent blessing that it was seen as good luck - which, at this point, is just another facet of that grand cosmic joke at his expense. permanently lucky, right?)

🩵 he doesn't hide his brand scar because it makes people visibly uncomfortable to see it, and he's never been a non-confrontational person. sure, he'll twist himself into all kinds of more palatable shapes in order to play a role or fulfill expectations - but there are some things he doesn't want people to be able to ignore. (if you want to look at me, you have to look at what the world did to me. you don't get to look away.)

🩵 he doesn't make it common knowledge that he never learned to swim; he'll happily sip mai tais under the shade of a beach umbrella, but no one's ever seen him get in the water. (ratio swims like a fish, but the "wet shirtless ratio" factor overrides any jealousy he might feel over this.)

🩵 he has mixed feelings about rain until he has to be In The Rain, at which point he becomes the world's saddest wettest cat about it. and yes, some of it's about evoking bad memories - but the sensation of cold wet clothes clinging to him is also just physically uncomfortable.

also this doesn't really fit here but i don't want to make a separate post lmao, the ingame descriptions of the avgins and the halovians are making me slightly insane

halovians:

A revered race esteemed for their enchanting voices and captivating appearance, widely adored throughout the universe. They seem born into the love and admiration of other species and peoples. Halovians are blessed with shrewdness and few can peer past their mysterious and elegant smiles.

avgins:

The Avgins are blessed with attractive facial features, beautiful eyes, and an innate wealth of emotional intelligence, all of which effortlessly endear themselves to any strangers. However, these inborn talents are the exact reason they draw jealousy and ire from others.

the descriptions are so incredibly similar and yet their reception is polar opposite!! i feel a very normal amount of emotion about this

[hindahoney]

I want to hear what jumblr's favorite Jewish names are (could be Hebrew or any judeo-language).

I'll start: if your hebrew name is Chaya or Chava, just know I have always been jealous of how cool your name is.

[hamsamohammad]

My Grandmothers health condition is getting worse and worse !! She can't even walk .. not just because of her broken pelvis but because of her heart condition . This is my Grandmother Before and After war ! My Grandma used to an elegant lady who loved to plant flowers and cook us the tastiest meals .. Please help us help her ! I am their only hope I really can't take it any more PLEASE IF YOU CAN TELL US WHO TO REACH FOR !! PLEASE DONATE & SHARE !! Verified by @nabulsi Here & Here & Here Details about her conditions HERE and HERE

Main post about my family here THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT