Can we borrow rituals from religions other than our own?
A friend whose house is on the market said someone told her to bury a statue of Saint Joseph in her yard and her house will sell right away. I’ve heard that before. And after a chuckle at the superstition she asked if I would do it. Did she mean because I’m Jewish and I don’t know from Saint Joseph? Or did I believe that burying something in your yard have any affect on how quickly you sell your house?
Well, I told her if my house wasn’t selling I guess I’d try anything. And then she reminded me that as Jews we are prohibited from worshiping idols. It’s a big no no. And she was worried that God would look down upon her for committing idolatry. Ok. She’s got a point. But is burying a plastic statue in your yard really worshiping an idol?
And then it got me thinking. Remember a few years ago when all those celebrities were wearing the red string bracelet? Kabbalah, an ancient form of Jewish mysticism, says that one wearing the red string bracelet will be protected from
the influences of the “evil eye”. Well, is it ok to do that if you’re not a Kabbalist?
Interestingly enough, you can find a whole slew of stuff on the web about both of these religious practices. There are websites after websites selling statues of Saint Joseph for the very purpose of selling your house. They come in “home sales kits”. Seriously. And you too can be protected from the evil eye with your very own “red string package” for $26. Ouch.
I know some of you detect my sarcasm but I mean no disrespect. To each his own. Really. If it works for you, great. (And you can find tons of testimonials about how effective these practices are. Especially Saint Joseph.) But the commercialization of these religious customs seems a bit cynical.
So, just a little food for thought. Good luck to my friends with their sale of their house. And anyone else out there trying to sell. Oh, and if you do decide to go the Saint Joseph route, it seems that burying him upside down facing the house is the most popular method.
Kim Wallis, 33, currently facilitates Rosh Chodesh groups for Jewish teenage girls in the St. Louis area. A graduate of the University of Miami, she worked in asset management for several years and now teaches Pilates part-time. Originally from Chicago, Kim is starting to feel at home in St. Louis with her husband, toddler daughter and infant son. 
Interesting posting Kim. I do not believe in that stuff anyway, so the issue of borrowing ‘a magical spell/trick’ from another religion of tradition is moot for me.
But you posting reminded me of some of the interesting stuff along those line in my native land, Egypt. Some less-educated childless Muslims and Christians, desperate to have a child, end up visiting a burial site of a proclaimed local Sheikh, or a church location famed for the appearance of the Virgin Mary,etc, with no discrimination between the ‘holy’ sites. Muslims may visit the church, and the Christian may visit the Muslim Sheikh burial site. It is the unofficial ’success rate’ achieving the goal what decided where individuals go, not what religion they belong to.
When you are desperate you do not care where the blessing may come from.
Islamically, these acts are a ‘big no no’, but that is conveniently ignored by the desperate.