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Astrological signs and horoscopes



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Tila




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 31 2006, 1:34 pm
Excuse my ignorance, but since the stars are in the various astro signs, do we as jews have some belief in the signs we are born under?? I feel so stupid.
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greenfire




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 31 2006, 1:57 pm
I think the belief/disbelief is that even Yosef read the stars - however, we can overcome anything w/prayer
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Ribbie Danzinger




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 31 2006, 2:06 pm
It is told of Rabbi Akiva's daughter that when she was born he was told by astrologers that on the day of her wedding this daughter would die. Rabbi Akiva did not heed the astrologers and the date for the wedding was set. Before she went to bed on her wedding night, RA's daughter took out her hairpin and, having no better place to put it, stuck it in a hole in the wall. The next morning, when she removed the hairpin from the wall, she found a venemous serpent stabbed dead by the pin.
When her father heard of this, he called his daughter to him and asked her what her deeds had been on her wedding day.
"Last night at the wedding feast, I saw that there was a pauper present, and nobody was taking notice of him, so I gave him my portion of the wedding feast." replied RA's daughter.
RA then said, "Tzedaka tatzil mimavet!" (tzedaka saves from death).

From this story (and other similar ones mentioned throughout the gemara) we can see that although the stars and horoscopes have some truth in them, we must remember that "ein mazal le'yisrael", Am Yisrael has no mazal - meaning that Am Yisrael is above the influences of the mazalot (the astrological signs). It is our duty to live up to that high standard and not to watch the stars in the belief that everything is fate and that nothing can be changed. For us Yidden, things can be changed, through the power of teshuva, tefila and tzedaka.
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greenfire




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 31 2006, 2:17 pm
nice detail - thanks
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Imaonwheels




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 01 2007, 5:52 pm
The Ariza"l wrote a maamar called K'lil Tavnit which outlines Jewish astrology. It is printed at the end of many versions of Sefer Yetzira. There is a power to the stars, if we put ourselves under them. Jews are the portion of HaShem and as Ribbie said, we are not bound by mazalot. Buy anything one believes in over the KBH can bring us to be under the control of what we put our trust in. Similarly ayin hara affects only those who believe in it and fear it.

The word mazal is from the Hebrew nozel. Which means flowing like a liquid. Our mazal is what flows from above and there are no natural forces or intermediaries that bring shefa to Am Israel.
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happy2beme




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 03 2007, 1:21 pm
I had a teacher in HS who used to always tell us that reading horoscopes is like kishuf & not allowed.

learned the same as above posters
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chocolate moose




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 03 2007, 1:39 pm
Los Bashomayim Hee.

It's not that we aren't controlled by such things, it's that we aren't LIMITED to that control.
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Imaonwheels




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 04 2007, 1:25 am
happy2beme wrote:
I had a teacher in HS who used to always tell us that reading horoscopes is like kishuf & not allowed.

learned the same as above posters


There is a difference between horoscopes in the paper (which are not real or professional anyway). I used to be into this when frei and you need a lot of info on the person to really do it.

That doesn't take away from the issur. non jewish astrology assumes the stars have power - shituf.

The Ariza"l is just using his knowledge to say that one born in the natural order of things will have this dominant chush, a word that does not mean your personality traits. And of course this is a spiritual inyan and no matter what a Jew can override these things with mitzvos and prayer.
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