Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore Traditions and Raphael Patai, Haya Bar-Itzhak, Founding Editor Editor * Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions Raphael Patai, Founding Editor Haya Bar-Itzhak, Editor M.E.Sharpe Armonk, New York London, England Copyright © 2013 by M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher, M.E. Sharpe, Inc., 80 Business Park Drive, Armonk, New York 10504. The EuroSlavic and Transroman fonts used to create this work are © 1986–2010 Payne Loving Trust. EuroSlavic and Transroman are available from Linguist’s Software, Inc., www.linguistsoftware.com P.O. Box 580, Edmonds, WA 98020-0580 USA, tel. (425) 775-1130. On the cover: Seder (dinner on the feast of Passover). The father is reading passages from the Haggadah. Ukraine XIX century. Anonymous artist. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Encyclopedia of Jewish folklore and traditions / Raphael Patai, founding editor; Haya Bar-Itzhak, editor. 2 v.; p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7656-2025-5 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Jews—Folklore—Encyclopedias. 2. Jews—Social life and customs—Encyclopedias. I. Patai, Raphael, 1910–1996. II. Bar-Yitshak, Hayah. GR98.E56 2012 398.20892’4—dc23 2012042203 Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z 39.48-1984. ~ EB (c) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C ontents List of Color Plates...............................................vii Bashevis-Singer, Isaac ........................................70 Contributors .........................................................ix Ben Ham’elekh Ve’ha’nazir ..................................72 Introduction .......................................................xiii Ben-Amos, Dan .................................................74 Berdyczewski (Bin-Gorion), Micha Josef ............75 A–Z Entries Bialik, Haim Nachman .....................................77 Birth .................................................................80 Aaron ..................................................................1 Blessing God .....................................................82 Abraham .............................................................2 Blood Libel ........................................................83 Adam ..................................................................5 Bride Price ........................................................87 Afghanistan, Jews of ............................................9 Bronner, Simon J. ..............................................88 Afterlife .............................................................12 Brother-Sister Marriage .....................................89 Age and the Aged ..............................................18 Bulgaria, Jews of ..............................................90 Agnon, S.Y. ......................................................20 Cahan, Y.L. ........................................................94 Alchemy ............................................................23 Cain and Abel....................................................95 Alexander, Tamar ...............................................25 Canada, Jews of .................................................97 Alphabet of Ben Sira ............................................25 Cemetery .........................................................101 Amulets ............................................................26 Charms, Books of .............................................104 Angel of Death ..................................................28 Chelm, The Wise of .........................................107 Angels ...............................................................31 Circumcision and Birth Ceremony for Girls .....108 Animal Folktales ...............................................34 Costume ..........................................................113 Animals .............................................................37 Czechoslovakia, Jews of ...................................116 An-Ski, S. ..........................................................39 David, King ....................................................118 Anthologies .......................................................41 Death ..............................................................120 Ararat ................................................................50 Demon ............................................................122 Asmodeus ..........................................................51 Demonology ....................................................124 Attias, Moshe ....................................................52 Dialect Stories, Jewish-American .....................125 Ausubel, Nathan ..............................................53 Dreams ............................................................127 Av, Fifteenth of (Tu Be’Av) ................................54 Druyanow, Alter ..............................................129 Av, Ninth of (Tisha Be’Av) ................................55 Dundes, Alan ..................................................131 Ba’al Shem Tov (Besht) ......................................57 Dybbuk ...........................................................133 Badchan (Jester) .................................................60 Edot: A Quarterly for Folklore and Ethnology ........136 Balaam ..............................................................62 Egg .................................................................136 Bałaban, Mayer (Meir) .......................................64 Elijah the Prophet ...........................................138 Bar and Bat Mitzvah ..........................................65 Elisha Ben-Avuyah ..........................................139 Bar Kochba, Shimeon ........................................67 Ellis Island ......................................................140 Bar-Itzhak, Haya ...............................................69 Esther ..............................................................143 iii iv ContEnts Esther Scroll ....................................................144 Ibn Ezra, Abraham ..........................................246 Estherke ..........................................................147 Iconography ....................................................247 Ethiopia, Jews of ............................................148 Illuminated Manuscripts .................................248 Eve ..................................................................150 Independence Day ...........................................254 Exemplum .......................................................152 India, Jews of ...................................................255 Fable ...............................................................155 Internet Folklore .............................................258 Folk Art ..........................................................156 Iran, Jews of ....................................................260 Folk Belief .......................................................159 Iraq, Jews of ....................................................264 Folk Dance, Jewish and Israeli .........................162 Isaac ................................................................266 Folk Medicine .................................................167 Israel Folktale Archives ....................................268 Folk Music and Song .......................................169 Isserles, Moses Ben Israel, Rabbi (Rama) ..........268 Folk Narratives in Israel ..................................176 Italy, Jews of ....................................................270 Folk Narratives in Rabbinic Literature ............178 Jacob (Ya’acov) ................................................273 Folk Narratives in the Bible ............................181 Jacobs, Joseph ..................................................274 Folk Narratives in the Middle Ages .................184 Jason, Heda .....................................................275 Folk Narratives, Immigration and Absorption .186 Jerusalem and the Temple ................................276 Folk Narratives, Sephardi ................................187 Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Folklore, Journal ........279 Folk Songs and Poetry, Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) 189 Joha .................................................................280 Folk Songs and Poetry, North African ..............190 Joke .................................................................281 Folk Songs, Israeli ...........................................193 Jonah, Book of .................................................282 Food and Foodways ..........................................195 Joseph .............................................................284 Frenkel, Gizela ................................................197 Kabbalah .........................................................287 Gaster, Moses ..................................................199 Kadman, Gurit ................................................292 Gaster, Theodor H. ..........................................200 Karaites, Eastern European ..............................293 Georgia, Jews of ..............................................201 Ketubbah ..........................................................296 Germany, Jews of .............................................203 Kibbutz, Folklore of ........................................298 Ginzberg, Louis ...............................................206 Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, Barbara ......................302 Goldberg-Mulkiewicz, Olga ............................208 Kurdistan, Jews of ...........................................303 Golem .............................................................209 Lag Ba’Omer ...................................................309 Greece, Jews of ................................................211 Lamps and Candles ..........................................311 Grünwald, Max ...............................................216 Languages, Jewish ...........................................313 Haggadah of Passover ......................................218 Languages, Struggle Between ..........................324 Hagiography ...................................................222 Leah ................................................................326 Hair Covering, Women ...................................223 Legend ............................................................327 H³anukkah .......................................................224 Lévy, Isaac Jack ................................................329 H³anukkah Lamp ..............................................228 Lewinski, Yom-Tov ..........................................330 Hasan-Rokem, Galit ........................................231 Lilienthal, Regina ............................................331 Hasidic Tales ...................................................232 Lilith ...............................................................332 Head Covering, Men .......................................233 Lullabies ..........................................................335 Hebron ............................................................234 Ma’aseh Book (Mayse Bukh) ...............................338 Hershele Ostropoler ........................................236 “Ma’aseh Yerushalmi,” The Story of the Holocaust Folklore .........................................237 Jerusalemite ................................................339 Humor ............................................................239 Magic ..............................................................340 Hungary, Jews of .............................................242 Manger, Itzik ...................................................350 ContEnts v M÷aq÷ama ...........................................................352 Rabbah bar bar H³annah ...................................436 Marriage ..........................................................354 Rabbinic Literature .........................................436 Meir Ba’al Ha’Nes, Rabbi ................................355 Rachel .............................................................440 Memorial Day .................................................357 Rambam (Maimonides) ...................................442 Menorah ..........................................................358 Rappoport, Angelo Salomon ............................443 Messiah and Redeemer ....................................360 Rebekah ..........................................................445 Mezuzah ...........................................................362 Reshumot ..........................................................446 Midrash ...........................................................364 Riddles ............................................................447 Mimuna Festival ..............................................365 Romania, Jews of .............................................449 Minhag (Custom) .............................................368 Rosh Ha’Shana ...............................................452 Minhag Books (Books of Custom) ....................369 Russia, Jews of .................................................453 Minyan ............................................................370 Ruth ................................................................457 Mizrah³ .............................................................371 Sabar, Shalom ..................................................459 Monsters and Other Mythological Creatures ....371 Sadan, Dov ......................................................459 Month .............................................................372 Safed, Legends of .............................................460 Moses ..............................................................373 Samael .............................................................463 Mother (H³annah, Miriam) and Her Samaritans .......................................................464 Seven Sons ...................................................377 Sambation .......................................................467 Moykher Sforim, Mendele ...............................379 Samson and Delilah .........................................469 Museums (Vernacular) in Israel ........................382 Sarah ...............................................................471 Museums, Jewish .............................................383 Satan ...............................................................472 New Year Cards ...............................................386 Schwarzbaum, Haim........................................473 Noah ...............................................................387 Sea ...................................................................475 North Africa, Jews of .......................................389 Seamen Tales and Traditions ............................476 Noy, Dov .........................................................394 Seder Plate .......................................................477 Olswanger, Immanuel .....................................397 Segel, Benjamin Wolf ......................................479 Oring, Elliott ..................................................397 Sehrane ............................................................480 Oseh Pele ...........................................................398 Shabazi, Shalom ...............................................482 Papercut ..........................................................399 Shabbat ...........................................................483 Parable ............................................................400 Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks) ..........................487 Passover ...........................................................402 Shenhar, Aliza..................................................489 Patai, Raphael .................................................405 Shimeon Bar Yoh³ai ..........................................490 Peretz, Isaac Leib ............................................407 Shiviti-Menorah .............................................491 Pinto, Rabbi Haim ..........................................409 Shofar ..............................................................492 Plants ..............................................................412 Sholem Aleichem.............................................496 Poland, Jews of ................................................415 Shtetl ..............................................................499 Pope, Jewish ....................................................423 Shtyyah Stone ..................................................501 Prayer ..............................................................424 Shvat, Fifteenth of (Tu Be’Shvat) ......................502 Prochownik, Abraham .....................................425 Simchat Torah Flags .......................................505 Proverb ............................................................427 Siporin, Steve ..................................................507 Psalms .............................................................428 Solomon, King ................................................508 Purim ..............................................................430 Spain, Jews of ..................................................510 Purimshpil ......................................................432 Stones ..............................................................515 Qinah (Lament) ................................................435 Sukkot .............................................................517 vi ContEnts Symbols ...........................................................520 Writing ...........................................................564 Tamar ..............................................................522 Yassif, Eli ........................................................567 Tobit, The Book of ..........................................523 Yeda Am .........................................................568 Tombstones .....................................................525 Yemen, Jews of ................................................568 Torah Ark ........................................................530 Yom Kippur ....................................................571 Torah Ceremonial Objects ...............................534 Yosef dela Reina, The Story of .........................573 Torah Ornaments .............................................538 Zipporah .........................................................575 Trachtenberg, Joshua .......................................541 Tribes, Ten Lost ...............................................542 Appendices Turkey, Jews of ................................................544 Sources, Definitions, and Abbreviations Tzitzit .............................................................548 The Hebrew Bible ....................................579 United States, Jews of ......................................549 Wahl, Saul .......................................................556 Rabbinic Literature ..................................581 Wandering Jew ...............................................557 Medieval Compilations .............................583 Western Wall ..................................................559 Anthologies of Jewish Folklore ....................585 Women in Rabbinic Literature ........................561 Wonder Tale ....................................................562 Index ................................................................I-1 L C P ist of oLor Lates Volume 1 (following page 142): Aaron as High Priest, from The North French Hebrew Miscellany (folio 113b), written and illustrated in northern France, ca. 1278. Balaam and the angel. Manuscript illustration from the Rutland Psalter, ca. 1260. Cain and Abel, from the Sarajevo Haggadah. Traditional image of Jerusalem embroidered with polychrome wool on punched paper. Jerusalem, ca. 1900. David with the head of Goliath. Detail from “Three Rabbis of Old / Dayyeinu” (Łód´z, 1935). From the Szyk Haggadah. Memorial plaque. Poland, ca. 1867–1880. Queen Esther begs King Ahasuerus for clemency toward the Persian Jews. Page from Megillat Esther, biblical book of Esther, read during the Purim Festival. Persian written in Hebrew letters, eighteenth century. Illustration of the four questions to be asked at the Passover Seder. From the Szyk Haggadah. Ketubbah. Iran, 1859. Volume 2 (following page 458): Ashrei, the first word in Psalms 1:1, Italy, fifteenth century. Painted papercut, by Moshe ben Aharon. Poland, ca. 1875. Embroidered Sabbath tablecloth showing the Western Wall. Jerusalem, 1928. New Year card with a Taslich scene. Likely Polish, 1910s. Adar poster. Paper cutout from Germany. Farewells of Abou Zayd and Al Harith before the return to Mecca. Illustration by Al-Wasiti, from al-Hariri’s M÷aq÷amat (Assemblies or Entertaining Dialogues), Baghdad, ca. 1240. “Moses Receives the Torah from Sinai.” Illustration to the first chapter of “Avot,” Italy. Ornamental plate showing Samson tearing down the pillars of the Temple. Ceramics painted with gold rim, Hebrew inscription, from Bohemia. King Solomon judges two harlots who claim the same child. From The North French Hebrew Miscellany (folio 518a), written and illustrated in northern France, ca. 1278. vii