Jewish jewelry

Jewelry has been a part and parcel of the ‘Jewish Culture’ since the biblical era. The tradition of putting on the jewelry, both-as a symbol as well as an embellishment has been mentioned in Bible. But now, the trend has changed. Jewish people wear jewelries to depict attachment towards the religion, and as amulets and talismans.

The Star of David, known as ‘Magen David’ in Hebrew is recognized as the symbol of Judaism. It was practiced in Israel during the Roman Empire, but came to be linked with Judaism only later. The Star of David used to be put outside the synagogues in the 17th century, as a mark of identification. However, there are no evidences as to why this symbol was chosen for this purpose. Today, Star of David is recognized universally by the Jews. The flag of Israel bears this symbol and equivalent of Red Cross is called ‘the Magen David Adom’ (In Hebrew, red means ‘Adom’.) in Israel. The Star of David is equivalent to a ‘Cross’ worn by Christians.

Another prominent symbol utilized in Jewish jewelry is ‘Hamsa’, better known as the ‘Hamesh Land’. The Hamsa can be described as the symbol which bears a hand with three raised fingers, and at times, two thumbs symmetrically arranged. The five fingers symbolize Torah’s five books. The symbol ‘Chai’ prominently seen on necklaces, is, actually the word ‘chai’, which means ‘living’ in Hebrew. This word has a Godly meaning. As per gematrian system, the summation of Chai letters comes out to be 18. It is believed that giving donations in ‘multiples of eighteen’ brings God’s blessings in abundance.

Popularity: 100%

BookMark To: