The Jewish life cycle : custom, lore and iconography : Jewish customs from the cradle to the grave / Daniel Sperber.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sperber, Daniel.

Contributor:

Class of 1939 Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Judaism--Customs and practices.

Judaism.

Life cycle, Human--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Life cycle, Human.

Physical Description:

676 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Ramat Gan : Bar-Ilan University Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2008.

Summary:

This volume describes the major "rites of passage" of the Jewish life cycle. From birth, through circumcision, to marriage, divorce, sickness, death and mourning, Daniel Sperber presents detailed descriptions of the major customs attending these events. These customs are examined in light of their original sources, their integration and evolution in varying Jewish communities, and the popular explanations given for their practice, both historically and today.

This book draws on the whole spectrum of rabbinic literature, comparing its stories and explanations with folk beliefs of other cultures throughout the world. Sperber makes use of a wide range of resources - medieval and modern, legal, folkloristic, anthropological and literary - in his discussion of customs, proving that Jewish communities were never isolated from their environment. He also examines in depth the earliest origins of many of our well-known and commonly practiced Jewish customs.

This book makes use of iconographic material found in illustrated books written by non-Jews describing Jewish practice. These illustrations are analyzed in detail, constituting yet another rich source for the understanding of the evolution of Jewish customs. Customs, by their nature, are often taken for granted. In this book, Daniel Sperber offers an expert, detailed, and lively analysis of some of the most and least commonly practiced customs in Jewish tradition.

Contents:

Part 1 Life

1 Some North African Fertility and Pregnancy Customs 13

2 Protective Charms for the Pregnant Woman 19

3 New Mother Impurity 36

4 Circumcision only while Standing? 50

5 Circumcision over Earth or over Water 71

6 Circumcision as a Form of Sacrifice 78

7 Who Drinks the Circumcision Wine and the Place of Women in Society 84

8 Women Mohalot 94

9 The Two Wine Cups of Circumcision 101

10 One and Twelve Candles at the Circumcision 107

11 Tahanun on the Day of the Circumcision 112

12 The Third Day after the Circumcision 114

13 Aspects of the Redemption of the Firstborn 119

14 On the "Reasons" for Customs: The Halakah 126

15 The Wimpel 143

16 The Breaking of Plates during the Tena'im Ceremony 151

17 Betrothal Rings 158

18 Some Wedding Preparations 166

19 Wedding Dates 171

20 Fasting on the Wedding Day 183

21 The "Huppah" - The Wedding Canopy / Ceremony 194

Appendix The Nature of the Huppah 250

22 The Wedding Ring in the Cup of Wine 265

23 Throwing a Shoe at a Wedding 281

24 "Confetti": The Throwing of Wheat Kernels at Weddings 287

25 "How they Dance before the Bride" 294

26 The Bride's Entry into the Bridal Suite 315

27 The Lighting of Candles after the Wedding 319

28 The Morning After 323

29 The Regel Redufin of Caucasus Jewry 327

30 The Halitzah Ceremony 332

31 On Divorce 353

Part 2 Death

1 Omens of Approaching Death 359

2 The Manner of Sitting while Visiting the Sick 423

3 The Moment of Death 433

4 Asking Posthumous Pardon of the Dead 446

5 The Custom of the Deceased's Wife Passing under the Bier 451

6 The Firstborn of an Animal in the Cemetery 453

7 Opening the Coffin before Burial 465

8 The Construction of the Coffin in the Cemetery 494

9 The Table for the Coffin 497

10 The Rolling and Overturning of the Coffin 502

11 How the Deceased is Laid in his Grave 506

12 A Separate Row of Graves for Women who Died during Childbirth 514

13 The Direction of Graves 518

14 The Seven Evil Spirits and the Seven Funeral Stations 524

15 Casting Seven Coins next to the Deceased 531

16 The Plucking of Grass when Leaving the Cemetery 538

17 The Candles, Spices, and Flutes of the Deceased 542

18 Kohanim Walking on the Graves of the Righteous 546

19 A Kerchief around the Neck of the Mourner, and the Practice of Covering the Head 550

20 The Meaning of the Kaddish: "May His Great Name" 555

21 The Memorial Candle 567

22 The Eastern Mourning Practices 588

23 Mourning for the Firstborn 591

24 "The Death of a Nasi" and the Mourning for Moses 603.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [611]-655) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1939 Fund.

ISBN:

9789652263346

9652263346

9780195307597

0195307593

OCLC:

232662637