Cyberthought by Rabbi Zelizer -- July 2, 2008

Frequent questions to the Rabbi about Judaism. His answers will be appearing as Cyberthoughts over time.

Question # 1
Q. How much of our ritual practice is based on superstition based on Torah and why?
A. I think that the question is: How much of our ritual practice is grounded in Halachah and how much of it is folk custom?
Three categories exist of ritual practice:

A. practice which is grounded in the Torah and Halachah;
B. practice which is not grounded in the Torah and Halachah but originated with popular - meaning folk customs (superstition) emerging from the people.
C. And there is also a third ritual practice which is grounded in Halachah which people overlay with folk custom - that is for kind of popular reasons, which is very different from the reasons given in Halachah.
Some examples:
Ritual grounded in the Halachah and Torah - Halachah requires that we put up a mezuzah.
Superstition sees the mezuzah as some kind of amulet protecting the house from bad things.
Halachah requires that we put a mezuzah on our doorposts of our house. A synagogue does not require a mezuzah because the Torah is already in it. Years ago, sometimes, to whom I explained this, nevertheless surreptitiously at night went around putting mezuzet on the doors of a synagogue! Halachah verses folk custom!
Pure folk custom - not to count '10' for minyan but rather use Hebrew verse.
How know the difference? Ask your rabbi.