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The Curse of the Saint
Judaism, Spring, 2001 by Daniel J. Schroeter
The performance of miracles is perhaps the most important attribute of saints in the popular imagination. Divine intervention, manifested by miracles performed by saints, both living and dead, brings the sacred into the believers' everyday life. Moroccan Jews constantly recount and retell the miracles of the saints, the hagiologies embellished with the passage of time. Not only are these special powers reflected in the recounting of events in the saint's lifetime, but the miracles of the tsaddiq are also manifested after death in tales of the saint appearing in the disciples' dreams. The full array of miracles is documented in Ben-Ami's book. Some saints were particularly well known for specialties. Thus, much like a consumer today shopping around for a good medical specialist, if you are interested in finding a saint with a reputation for curing a particular physical illness or mental disorder, remedying infertility, or exorcising demons you will find the referral you need in this book.
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A familiar motif found in many of the miraculous legends is the saint who saves a Jewish community from calamity at the hands of a Muslim oppressor through miraculous feats. As the only indigenous religious minority in Morocco, Jews were well aware of their inferior status, and divine intervention through the saint's mediation can perhaps be seen as a "weapon of the weak." More revealing in these stories, however, is the clear recognition thatJews and Muslims in Morocco belonged to the same cultural universe of popular beliefs, a milieu in which the supernatural was an inherent part of daily life. Legends often recount how a saint, either dead or alive, might gain the respect of a Muslim in recognizing the efficacy of his powers. Muslims frequented the graves of Jewish saints, or consulted with Jewish holy men for assistance. Decades after the departure of Jews, Muslims are still convinced of the efficacy of Jewish powers, and we witnessed many cemeteries literally littered with combs, water bottles, undergarments, left by women, a fertility related practice. Although Ben-Ami is correct to point out differences between the ways in whichJews and Muslims understood their saints, the many similar practices and beliefs described in the book suggest an even greater cultural affinity than acknowledged by the author.
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