#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)

#jumblr #jewish #general category topic #hamsas

[taintedcraft-ltd]

NOW AVAILABLE IN THE SHOP! £3.50 each - Hit that link up in my bio 🪬 —————————————- #hamsa #hamsahand #hamsapalm #hamsahands #hamsas #taintedcraft #shopupdate #crystaldisplay #crystaldisplays #crystaldisplaystand #crystalballs #crystalballstand #crystalloveruk #crystallovers #crystalloversofig #crystalballs #crystalballstand #crystalscrying #scrying #divination #divinationcommunity https://www.instagram.com/p/CpEHDPZt7RC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#hamsa #hamsahand #hamsapalm #hamsahands #hamsas #taintedcraft #shopupdate #crystaldisplay #crystaldisplays #crystaldisplaystand #crystalballs #crystalballstand #crystalloveruk #crystallovers #crystalloversofig #crystalscrying #scrying #divination #divinationcommunity

[aberrantceramics]

Aberrant Ceramics Year in Clay 2023 - Hamsas

#hamsa #ceramics #art #aberrant ceramics #tw eyes

[cleverenemytidalwave]

HAMZA KE

#hamsa ke

[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.

#jewish art #jewish tattoos #illustration #jumblr #artists on tumblr #hamsa #digital art

[mariluphoto]

More journalists died today. That makes 109.

#mustafa tharia #hamsa dahdouh #wael dahdouh #journalists #journalist under attack #israel is a terrorist state #free palestine #palestine #end israeli occupation #end israeli apartheid #end israeli siege #gaza #human rights #humanitarian crisis

[shelovesplants]

🪬🧿🪬🧿🪬🧿

#hamsa hand #evil eye #spiritual #spirituality

[bustour]

Nabil Anani, Palestinian Folklore, 2020.

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

#nabil anani #palestine #palestinian art #folklore #painting #trees #doves #leaves #hamsa #quilts #cactus #flowers

[theprocraftinator]

by kenz024

#embroidery #kenz024 #HanginByAThreadGoods #im_hanging_by_a_thread #hamsa hand #evil eye #hamsa

[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.

#and hadassah!!!! oh my what a beautiful name hadassah is #AND YIRMIYAHU!!! #freida is yiddish but it is also a very lovely name #jumblr #judaism #jewish #frumblr #jewblr #j tag #jew tag #also i want to clarify this jealousy is not literal no need for the hamsa

[scapeartist]

Off to visit family for the weekend and I made a couple of pendants for my aunt and cousin to thank them for putting us up and entertaining us. These are no bigger than an inch in any direction.

#embroidery #embroidered jewelry #needlework #hamsa #mandala #scapeartist makes stuff

[aberrantceramics]

House Fly Hamsa

#tw insects #tw eyes #house fly #ceramics #hamsa #art #aberrant ceramics

[girlactionfigure]

A 4-year-old Gazan girl was found outside in battle field in Gaza, IDF soldiers took care of her with a protective vest all the way into her house.

She was returned without forcing her to wave to anyone and without demanding three murderers for her.

#Israel #October 7 #Hamsa Massacre #gaza #IDF

[ziskeyt]

i finally finished framing this beautiful print of that commission i got by @st-hedge! the Reckon the Stars version of the boys! i hope soon my brain lets me write you again. i maybe used a lot of it up doing this.

#loz #ganlink #reckon the stars #hedge art #ganon/link #it took me forever but whatever brain is brain #i am just happy i found a nice gold paint #the first one i tried was NOT as shiny and pretty #this one much better #yes these are the clay hamsas i lost understanding of my hands making #they also turned my skin blue lol #this baby is BIG that's a 18x24 frame

[fairiedance]

The hamsa/hand of Fatima is an ancient protection symbol thought to provide defense against the evil eye. It is popular throughout Africa and the Middle East and can be traced back as far as ancient Mesopotamia. It has coexisted with and been incorporated into Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions over the centuries.

The version I have here makes use of my Palestinian tatreez pattern, one of my more popular sticker designs. The template is found here (CC 3.0 attribution). The design can be found here.

ALL PROCEEDS from my work are for my Palestinian best friend, to help him support his girlfriend in remaining safely in America until it's safe for her to travel back home and to help his friends and family in Palestine and around the rest of the Levant who are being hurt directly and/or financially by the attacks on Gaza, the raids in the West Bank (this has unfortunately hit his family quite hard) and the collateral damage in surrounding countries. He will donate anything his family doesn't need to the Palestinian charities he works with.

You can find my full shop here. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far! Some examples of my other stuff, shown here on stickers:

#palestine #free palestine #gaza #free gaza #social justice #save palestine #فلسطين #gaza strip #decolonisation #human rights #palestine art #art #art for palestine #i stand with palestine #hamsa #hand of fatima #hamsa hand #tatreez #stickers #middle east

[sheydgarden]

ALTERNATIVE JUDAICA: GOTH JEW, HAIL SHEYDIM, Death Hamsa & Life Pomegranate

don’t let Catholic goths have all the fun - Jewish children of the night deserve our own black roses! the Hebrew text featured on GOTH JEW includes a quote from Lamentations, “he has made me dwell in darkness, like those long dead,” & from the Talmud tractate Berachot 32b, “the gates of tears were not locked.” the Hebrew on the hamsa sticker says “death” & the pomegranate reads “life.”

all designs are available on Redbubble, holo stickers via Etsy

#jumblr #jewish art #judaica #goth #sheydim #hamsa #pomegranate #magen david #stickers #holographic