Zodiac

The zodiac (Hebrew: “mazal”) may seem an improbably symbol in a Jewish context. But Jews have been attracted to the zodiac and astrology since antiquity, when they embedded zodiacs in the mosaics of synagogue floors. Zodiacs continued to appear in many Jewish contexts through the ages, including in Hebrew manuscripts and, in particular, ketubbot (marriage contracts)—that is, wherever attention was given to time and its meaning. The zodiacs remind us that beyond the elite religion of the rabbis, Jews always preserved their popular Jewish beliefs and practices as well.