Dazzling Blue: Color Symbolism, Kabbalistic Myth, and the Evil Eye in Judaism
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The color blue is thought to protect against the evil eye in Mediterranean cultures. This article unfolds the yet-unstudied role played by kabbalistic theology, symbolism, and myth in the construction of the color blue as a protective color for Jews. It traces particularly the development of a medieval kabbalistic myth of a dazzling blue garment of the feminine aspect of the godhead, protecting her from contact with evil forces. The article shows how this myth became the foundation for various practices against the evil eye among Jews in the modern period and contextualizes this myth within theories about the evil eye.
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3
For example, see Farber-Ginat 1986: 259–302, 468–479; Kallus 1992: 19–25; Wolfson 1994: 299–301, 380–383; Zabolotnaya 2004; Garb 2005: 167–169; Schneider 2007: 191–211; Porat 2012: 429–437.
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10
See, for example, Gikatilla 1994: 21.
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15
Translation according to Matt 2016: 71–72, with slight modifications.
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23
Translation according to Matt 2011: 392.
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26
See, for example, 1852: 121a–b, 188a, 206a, 256a, 261a, 273a, 283b–284a, 326a–b, 364a–b, 383b, 384b–385b, 391b–392a, 393b, 404a.
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Dazzling Blue: Color Symbolism, Kabbalistic Myth, and the Evil Eye in Judaism
In: NumenSearch for other papers by Gadi Sagiv in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
The color blue is thought to protect against the evil eye in Mediterranean cultures. This article unfolds the yet-unstudied role played by kabbalistic theology, symbolism, and myth in the construction of the color blue as a protective color for Jews. It traces particularly the development of a medieval kabbalistic myth of a dazzling blue garment of the feminine aspect of the godhead, protecting her from contact with evil forces. The article shows how this myth became the foundation for various practices against the evil eye among Jews in the modern period and contextualizes this myth within theories about the evil eye.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 2906 | 268 | 27 |
| Full Text Views | 508 | 39 | 4 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 440 | 80 | 14 |