Charms In Israel - Historical Review

The magical powers of charms lie in the combinations of Hebrew letters inscribed on them. The formulas for the combinations of magical symbols and meanings have been taken from, among other places,the book of "King Raziel" and the
book of "Treasures" of the Old Testament.

The first evidence for the existence of charms may be found in the book of "Genesis," describing charms stolen by Rachel, the daughter of Lavan.

Since those Old Testament times there has been a continuum of Jewish settlement in Jerusalem. The settlers lived in small quarters in Jerusalem, which was known (and still today) as the "seat for the wise." Famous rabbis, Kabbalists, mysticians and the harbingers of redemption all headquartered themselves in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem’s citizens had problems with water supply, decrepit housing, and sanitation conditions. As a result, they were afflicted with plagues, and through lack of choice, Jerusalem developed a tradition of diagnosing inflictions of the evil eye.

In order to care for evil-eye victims, charms were ordered from wise men. The bearers of such charms gained strength from the power of belief in their protection.

People wore charms and hid Hamsas (hand shaped amulets) in their clothes.

There are talismans for: