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Jewpernatural: Signs, spirits and superstition in Jewish belief

LESSON OUTLINE

Lesson 1 | Dreams & Direction - COMPLETED!

When should we follow our dreams, and when do we say it’s “just a dream”? Let’s explore where inspiration from a lifelike dream can take us. Plus: a time-honored Jewish routine for keeping nightmares at bay.

Lesson 2 | Stars & Signs - COMPLETED!

Judaism insists we can always influence our destiny for the better. Yet, the popular “Mazel tov” wish literally means “good astrology”! What role does destiny play in a tradition that believes humans have free choice?

Lesson 3 | Jinx & The Evil Eye - COMPLETED!

Can telling someone about my good fortune make it go bad? Can their jealousy create problems for my success? It may sound superstitious, but in Jewish thought, there’s a logical reason to be concerned about “the Evil Eye,” and there’s a practical way to ward it off.

Lesson 4 | Para & Normal - Sunday, July 31

Most people believe in some version of a soul. Do souls continue to exist after death? Can they see us? In this lesson, we will explore what we know about angels, spirits, and extraterrestrial life for insights into our own soul’s nature.

The pioneering Jewish Day Camp in the Bay Area of Houston/Galveston starts this Sunday!  

 Camp Dates for 2023

• Monday, July 31, 2023 through Friday, August 11, 2023

Camp Hours

• 9:00 am to 3:00 pm

 Get ready for another AMAZING summer!

 Find out more at: jbayarea.org/camp  

Tisha B'Av is the major fast day that commemorates the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem. The fast day of Tisha B'av begins this Saturday before sunset and ends Sunday night at nightfall.

 We are currently in the period known as "The Three Weeks."

The Three Weeks is an annual mourning period that falls out in the summer, when we mourn the destruction of the Holy Temple and the start of our exile.

The period begins on the 17th of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, a fast day that marks the day when the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans in 69 CE.

The days from Rosh Chodesh Av until Tisha B'Av, are known as 'The Nine Days', a period of more intense mourning which is expressed by limiting certain activities, such as, eating meat and drinking wine (except for Shabbat), bathing for pleasure and listening to music, amongst others. 

It reaches its climax and concludes with the fast of the 9th of Av ("Tisha B'Av"), the date when both Holy Temples were set aflame. This is the saddest day of the Jewish calendar, and it is also the date of other tragedies spanning our nation’s history.

Observances: There are various mourning-related customs and observances that are followed for the entire three-week period. We do not cut our hair, purchase new clothes, or listen to music. No weddings are held.

[Learn more about The Three Weeks...]

Tisha B'Av is the major fast day that commemorates the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem. Like Yom Kippur, the fast starts before sunset of the Eve of and concludes the next day after nightfall.