Category:Jewish Spiritual Figures

From Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers

Three generations of Jewish men light a Chanukah menorah.

Jewish Spiritual Figures are the prophets of God and the heroes and heroines of ancient Israel, as described in the Bible, as well as post-Biblical personages of repute. It is not a Jewish tradition to venerate these people after the manner of a deity or a saint, but they may be petitioned on behalf of clients by practitioners working within the Jewish traditions of magic and religion, according to the relevance of their gifts, victories, wisdom, or life experiences to the client's situation or life condition.

Petitioning Jewish Spiritual Figures

The following spiritual figures are petitioned for aid by conjure doctors and hoodoo practitioners who are Jewish, Christian, Spiritualists, or folk magicians, or who serve a Jewish or in some cases Protestant Christian client base. Each one has a story -- and a magical or spiritual specialty when it comes to helping people. Many Jewish folk-magical petitions and prayers are offered "in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Amen."

Click on a Spiritual Figure's name to read their story, see a picture, and find out what kinds of prayers, petitions, and spell-craft are associated with them among spiritual workers in the folk magic tradition.

An antique brass Chanukah oil lamp decorated with two trees, representing the two branches or Judea and Israel, the twin lions and crown of the unified nation, the Ten Commandments, and two Stars of David

The tomb of Esther and Mordecai in Hamadan, Iran

The Great Synagogue of Pilsen, Czech Republic

A Torah scroll in a Jewish synagogue; the stories of the leading figures of Jewish spirituality and prophesy are told in the Torah and other books that form the Tanakh or Jewish Bible

The Edridge Street Synagogue in New York City, United States of America

Popular Jewish Spiritual Figures

As with any group of revered spiritual helpers, Jewish spiritual figures have individual personalities and temperaments. Each is admired for some specific quality or activity.

Aaron

Aaron was the older brother of Moses, a prophet and high priest who also spoke on behalf of Moses; he is known for his eloquence and persuasive speaking abilities. (Read More ...)

Abraham

Abraham was the founder of the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. (Read More ...)

Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve are the first ancestors from whom the Jewish people trace their descent. (Read More ...)

Baal Shem Tov

'Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (c. 1698 – 1760), also known as the Baal Shem Tov, was a mystic and wonder-worker whose teachings led to the founding of Hasidic Judaism. (Read More ...)

Daniel

Daniel was a Jew who, with his friends, was taken captive while still a young boy and carried off to Babylon. As a slave, he became a great dream interpreter who served at the court of several kings. He is famed for having survived imprisonment in a den of lions.

David

David (born c. 1010-970 BCE), whose name means "Beloved," was the shepherd-boy who became a court musician, a fearless warrior, and, eventually, the king of Israel. He was the author of about half of the songs in The Book of Psalms and the forefather of the future Messiah. David symbolizes the power of repentance.(Read More ...)

Deborah

Deborah was a celebrated judge, entrepreneur, warrior, prophetess, and poet of the Biblical era who predicted and led a famous Jewish victory against the Canaanites. (Read More ...)

Elijah

Elijah was a renowned prophet and miracle-worker whose name means "Yahweh is my God." Many miracles are attributed to him including calling fire down from the sky and raising the dead. He defeated death when he was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, and is honored during Passover. (Read More ...)

Elisha

Elisha lived from about 700 to 663 BCE; without any warning or training, he was suddenly appointed the successor to the prophet and miracle-worker Elijah when Elijah threw his garment onto him. (Read More ...)

Esther

Esther (c. 492 - c. 460 BCE) was a Jewish captive in Babylon who became a queen and prophetess. (Read More ...)

Isaac

Isaac was one of the three Patriarchs in Judaism and is best known for journeying with his father Abraham to Mount Moriah, where he was to be sacrificed as a test of Abraham's faith until Yahweh sent a ram to take his place. (Read More ...)

Isaiah

Isaiah, the son of Amoz, was the prophet who wrote the Book of Isaiah during the 8th century BCE; his text concerns the restoration of the nation of Israel from the era of Babylonian captivity. (Read More ...)

Jacob

Jacob, whose name was later changed to "Israel." lived c. 2005 BCE - c.1885 and, according to the Bible (Genesis 49:29-33), lived 147 years. He is the grandson of Abraham and the son of Isaac. (Read More ...)

Joseph

Joseph the Patriarch lived c. 1600 BCE - 1700 BCE; was the son of Jacob, a celebrated diviner, and sold into slavery in Egypt at an early age where he rose in status after interpreting the Pharaoh's dreams.

Jeremiah

Jeremiah (c. 650 - 570 BCE) was a major Jewish prophet who wrote the Book of Jeremiah, the two Books of Kings, and the Book of Lamentations, and predicted the Babylonian Captiivity, the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587 BCE, and the return of the exiles to Jerusalem. (Read More ...)

Leah

Leah was the first of the two concurrent wives of the patriarch Jacob and mother of six sons whose descendants became the Twelve Tribes of Israel, along with one daughter, Dinah. She was the daughter of Laban, the older sister of Rachel, and one of the four Matriarchs of Judaism. (Read More ...)

Melchizedek

Melchizedek, also known as Melchisadek, Melchisedech, or Malki Tzedek ("king of righteousness") was the priest-king of Salem (Jerusalem) named in 14th chapter of the Book of Genesis and more cryptically in Psalms 110 in the Jewish and Christian Bible. (Read More ...)

The Minor Jewish Prophets

The Minor Jewish Prophets, also known as The Twelve, The Twelve Prophets, or The Minor Prophets, were the prophetic and visionary authors Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. (Read More ...)

Miriam

Miriam was a prophetess and the sister of Moses and Aaron. She is honored by Jewish feminists for being a strong political figure and speaking out in disagreement with Moses. (Read More ...)

Moses

Moses or Moishe was the lawgiver and prophet recognized in Judaism, Christianity and Islam who went up to Mount Sinai and emerged with the 10 Commandments. (Read More ...)

Noah

Noah was the tenth and last of the pre-flood biblical Patriarchs, the son of Lamech and his wife Adah; he was a prophet who built an ark and saved the animals of the world from God's devastating flood. (Read More ...)

Rachel

Rachel was the favorite wife of Jacob, and is considered one of the four Matriarchs in Judaism. (Read More ...)

Rebecca

Rebecca, also spelled Rebekah, was a Jewish matriarch, the ancestress of the nations of Israel and Edom, the wife of the Biblical patriarch Isaac, and the mother of twin sons, Jacob and Esau.(Read More...)

Samuel

Samuel is the author of two books of the Bible, Fist and Second Samuel, and is venerated as a prophet in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Sarah

Sarah the prophetess was the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac. For many years she was barren but was promised a child by Yahweh and finally did conceive Isaac. (Read More ...)

Solomon

Solomon, the third king of Judea and son of King David, was a judge known as the "wisest of all men" who took on the task of building the first temple. (Read More ...)

See Also

• Religious Traditions
• Magical Traditions
• Divination, Fortune Telling, and Oracles
• Hoodoo, Conjure, Witchcraft, and Rootwork
• Working with Spirits
• JHVH, Yahweh, Jehovah, God
• Angels and Archangels
• Jewish Spiritual Figures
• The Book of Psalms
• The Kabbalah and the Jewish Grimoire Tradition
• Jewish and Yiddish Folk Magic