Friday, May 04, 2007

Disney Bauble

Photo of glass Mickey bauble with the star of David is  courtesy of "harrismint" who published it on Flickr and wote to me:
It was taken at a shop in Disney in Anaheim [California]. There was a section of Jewish Disney-related 'Christmas' decorations (all irony fully acknowledged!). It's a tree bauble with Mickey ears.

Permission to Use the Magen David

Photo of a Star of David embroidered on a curtain in the old new synagogue in Prague is courtesy of maxjrosenthal, who published it on Flickr . 
This type of using the Magen David as an ornament on holy objects was one of the most common and prevalent in the last centuries and it penetrated the Orthodox Jewish world without someone stopping to think if at all it was allowable; only recently, in our generation, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1895 - 1986) who was the de facto supreme rabbinic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America, was asked about it and he answered in his book Igros Moshe; (Epistles of Moshe) that is allowable since no body raised this question for the last centuries and no rabbinic authority had forbidden it.

So now orthodox Jews have a permission to use the Magen David. Secular Jews use it without any permission…

Dreams Made Out Of Stone

Until now most of the six-pointed stars I showed on this blog from India were Mogul (Muslim) but this one is a Hindu Star.
Photo is courtesy of "javeja" who published it on Flickr and wrote to me:

I found this in Hampi, Karnataka... Hampi is a very old sacred pilgrimage place: temples that stretch over an 26 square kilometers area... I really ask myself why would they use it in India only for decorative use... I don’t know I think they must have been more behind it... the star symbol on the pillar is very very old from the 14th century... more I don’t know...
Looking for more info about this place I found a very informative article on
www karnataka com; like: 

If dreams were made out of stone, it would be Hampi...
Saint Vidyaranya established the seat of Vijayanagara empire in 1336 C.E.

Hampi is a World Heritage Centre