- Superstition
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- Moshe Ben-Chaim
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- Topic:
- My question is about luck? Can a person be born under a "lucky
star"?
- Someone, a religious person, recently commented about a common
friend who is born September xth 19xx, that his birthdate is a lucky
number. Is there any religious substance behind such a statement.
Someone gave me your adress today and I would be grateful for an
answer.
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- Response:
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- All objects, such as lucky stars, stem from a person's insecurities
in life. People are always searching for a quick fix, or a security
blanket. Some are in the forms of rabbits feet, wishbones, penny
fountains, etc., they are literally everywhere.
- One must ask themselves, why these good luck charms exist?
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- The answer is clear; people are insecure about what life holds for
them, and are seeking protection and security.
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- Judaism approaches all areas with the utmost rationality.
- We learn that there are many types of warlocks, palm readers and
enchanters which are strictly forbidden. This is because there are
many permutations of this disease of the soul.
- Some people want to know if they do a specific "action",
whether they will be successful.
- Some people need to know what "time of year" is a good
time for them.
- And some just want to be told things about themselves without asking
any questions.
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- For each one of these questions, there are certain types of people
who feign knowledge in these areas. It is interesting, why do these
psychics and fortune tellers still sit in small crowded rooms charging
a few dollars.
- Can't they predict a winning lottery number?
- Even in Judaism this disease exists, specifically in the form of
people asking rabbis for future knowledge, or blessings, or red
bendels. The talmud deals with blessings, but its not as people do
today.
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- In the talmud, blessings were when a knowledgeable and objective
individual would look into a person's nature and describe what he
specifically needed, or he would point out a flaw. But this is using
rational objectivity. Not clairvoyance.
- The talmud actually states that two great rabbis both had their
son's go to their students for a blessing. Not the reverse.
- (Click here to read an article on
our site discussing this topic.)
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- Returning to your question, there is no rational explanation for
lucky charms. No one who you will ever speak to in your lifetime will
be able to explain how these charms work. This is because they don't.
It's a mere projection of one's fantasy wishes onto an object that has
somehow achieved popularity. Ask someone why red bendels work, and not
green. They have no answer.
- Ask someone how a penny thrown into a fountain, or by blowing out
birthday candles makes wishes a reality, and again they have no
answer. Ask someone about lucky stars, or how a person who is a
created being can change nature, and again, no answer. Not even Moses
had the ability to alter nature. All miracles performed were rendered
by G-d alone. It even says that Moses left Egypt and prayed to G-d to
stop the plagues.
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- Rational thinking is at he core of Judaism. If something makes no
sense, even a written command in the Torah, Ibn Ezra, a Rishon, a
foremost commentator says that we do not follow it (Exodus, 20:2). He
was a great mind, and extolled by Maimonides. If Ibn Ezra tells us
that we abandon even a command if it has no intelligible reason, then
certainly we should abandon that which is not only ridiculous, as
lucky stars, but is not a command.
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- Judaism is based on following the mind, through which method we
penetrate falsehoods. The world at large may feel that certain objects
contain fantastic powers. We should not be impressed with world
opinion. We should think and see if a claim stands to reason.
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- I wonder why when it comes to physical health, these people who wish
on stars, don't go to witch doctors. All of a sudden, health becomes a
matter which a proven, rational doctor with years of schooling must be
consulted. But in areas of greater importance as one's philosophy,
here, people readily run to palm readers. This tells you about what
today's society values most. To them, the body is more important than
the soul. But by their same reasoning, since the body is not something
you play around with, they admit that the highest form of decision
making should be engaged, and this is rational thinking.
- So the question is really on them, "If rational thinking,
(researching the best doctor) is the best solution for problem
solving, why do they abandon rational thinking in areas of the
soul?"
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- This is how you can show someone that they really value rational
thinking over superstition, and hopefully get them back on the track
of rational thinking, and abandon the world of fantasy.
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