Why do so many celebrities wear red threads?
You may have noticed the many celebrities who have been wearing a red thread around their left wrist, even though there is no basis for this usage in Kabbalah, Torah, or Jewish law.
The only mention of this use is in an early Talmudic text called the Tosefta, where it is described as being used to ward off the evil eye, and is interpreted by some rabbis as a “segulah”, an act of protection that is sometimes permitted. However, Tosefta herself considers it akin to idolatry and a worthless superstitious practice, and actively forbids it.
Others, however, are more understanding. The red thread is believed to represent Rachael, Isaac’s wife. The name Rachael comes from the Hebrew word, “rachil”, which means lamb or sheep. As a sheep pauses while being sheared (representing humility), so we must humble ourselves before God as a lamb before its mistress. Furthermore, just as Rachael’s prayers for a child were answered, so will our prayers be answered when we come before God in the proper spirit and humility.
The controversy surrounding the use of this red thread has not prevented Madonna and a host of other famous practitioners from using it or practicing a form of Kabbalah that is far removed from the very Judaism that marks its essence. The rabbis felt that the study of Kabbalah apart from the understanding and practice of Halacha, Jewish law, could unsettle the mind and lead to insanity.
The Talmud tells the story of four rabbis who met regularly to engage in mystical studies: Azzai, Ben Zoma, Elisha ben Abuyah, and Akiva. Azzai “looked and went crazy [and] Ben Zoma died.” Elisha ben Abuyah became a heretic and left Judaism, and only Akiva “went in peace and left in peace.”
Modern followers of Kabbalah focus on the controversial Kabbalah Center, established in 1965 in the United States, and now located in Los Angeles. Complaints about this institution center on the sale of trinkets for extraordinary sums and a remarkable secrecy surrounding its fundraising and spending, and its avoidance of the “stigma” of Judaism, while at the same time following Orthodox customs such as separation of men and women on Fridays. and Saturday Sabbath services, the wearing of sheitels (wigs), the placement of mezuzot (cylindrical objects containing a portion of Deuteronomy) on doors, and much more.
As we strive to find authenticity in our lives and behavior, and celebrities may need this more than most, the red thread symbolizes the “thread of grace” that greets us each morning when we wake up, and God renews our lives and those of others. the world once again.