Thesymbol of an eye embedded in the palm of an open hand has had several names throughoutthe ages, including the hamsa, the eye of Fatima, the hand of Fatima, and the handof Miriam. The form is sometimes rendered naturally and other timessymmetrically with a second thumb replacing the little finger.

The hamsa has been variously interpreted by scholars as aJewish, Christian, or Islamic amulet, and as a pagan fertility symbol. Yet evenas the magical form remains shrouded in mystery and scholars debate nearlyevery aspect of its emergence, it is recognized today as a kabbalistic amuletand as an important symbol in Jewish art.

Origins

As the references to Fatima (Mohammed's daughter) and toMiriam (Moses' sister) suggest, the amulet carries significance to both Jewsand Muslims. One of the most prominent early appearances of the hamsa is theimage of a large open hand which appears on the Puerta Judiciaria (Gate ofJudgment) of the Alhambra, a 14th century Islamic fortress in southern Spain.

The Alhambra hand of Fatima seems to draw upon the Arabicword "khamsa," which means "five," a number which itself isidentified with fighting the Evil Eye. The Alhambra motif, as well as otherSpanish and Moorish hand images, hints at the five pillars of Islam (faith,fasting, pilgrimage, prayer, and tax) in the five fingers of the hand.

According to Islamic folklore, Fatima's hand became a symbolof faith after her husband Ali came home with a new wife one day. Fatima, whoat the time had been cooking, dropped the soup ladle she had been using. Yetshe was so preoccupied by the new arrival that she continued stirring using herbare hand, hardly noticing that she was burning herself.

It would not be unusual for an Islamic symbol to find itsway into Sephardic Jewish culture, which flourished alongside Islam. However,amulets are somewhat problematic in Judaism. Still, the Talmud refers onseveral occasions to amulets, or kamiyot, which might come from theHebrew meaning "to bind." One law allows for carrying an approvedamulet on the Sabbath, which suggests that amulets were common amongst Jews at somepoints in history. (Shabbat 53a, 61a)

Art historian Walter Leo Hildburgh also raises thepossibility that that the hamsa has Christian roots, and might be influenced bythe Christian artistic form where Mary often carries her hands in a"fig" pose, or a configuration where the thumb is tucked under theindex finger beside the middle finger.

According to University of Chicago professor Ahmed Achrati, thehamsa did not necessarily arise in a religious context. The form of the openhand appears in Paleolithic caves in France, Spain, Argentina, and Australia,including one site in Algeria that earned the name The Cave of the Hands.

In Egyptian art, the human spirit (called ka) is represented by two arms reachingupward (forming a horseshoe shape), albeit with only two fingers on each hand. Thesymbol of the Phoenician lunar goddess Tanit resembles a woman raising herhands, and hands also found their way into tomb decorations. Etruscans paintedhands with horns on their tombs, and some Jewish burial practices featuredimages of hands (suggesting the priestly blessing) on stone markers of Levitegraves. All of these could be considered very early precursors to the hamsa.

Jewish Beliefs

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact time when hamsasemerged in Jewish culture, though it is clearly a symbol of Sephardic nature. Jewsmight have used the hamsa to invoke the hand of God, or to counteract the Evil Eyewith the eye embedded in the palm of the hand. Some hamsas contain images offish, in accordance with Rabbi Yose son of Hanina's statement in the Talmud thatthe descendents of Joseph, who received Jacob's blessing of multiplying likefish in Genesis 48:16, are protected from the evil eye like fish. He explains: "thewater covers the fish of the sea so the eye has no power over them (Berakhot55b)."

Other icons besides eyes and fish have also found their wayinto the hamsa, including the Star of David, prayers for the traveler, theShema, the blessing over the house, and the colors of red and blue, both ofwhich are said to thwart the Evil Eye.

The symbol of the hand, and often of priestly hands, appearsin kabbalistic manuscripts and amulets, doubling as the letter shin, the first letter of the divinename Shaddai. This mapping of thehuman hand over the divine name and hand might have had the effect of creatinga bridge between the worshipper and God.

Present Day

The recent revival of interest in Kabbalah, in part due tothe efforts of celebrities including Madonna, Brittany Spears, and Demi Moore, hasbrought with it a new public for Kabbalah accessories, including hamsas.

Hamsas can be purchased today in Kabbalah shops around theworld, and even through companies like Sears and Saks Fifth Avenue. Many peoplehang them in their houses, and it's not uncommon to see them dangling from therearview mirrors of taxis and trucks The gift shop of the Jewish Museum in NewYork includes hamsa mezuzahs, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, earrings, bookmarks,key chains, and candleholders.

Contemporary Jewish artists are using the hamsa form, andsome like Mark Podwal are finding a large public for their work. Podwal'sMystical Prague Hamsa Bookmark, Prague Hebrew Amulet Pendant, and MysticalPrague Hamsa Pin sold at the bookstore of the Metropolitan Museum in New Yorkin conjunction with its 2005-2006 exhibit, Prague, The Crown of Bohemia,1347–1437.

Hamsas still play a role in some Sephardic rituals today.During the henna ceremony, when brides are decorated in the preparation fortheir wedding, brides may wear a hamsa around their neck to ward off the evileye.

Even as the hamsa is today affiliated with kabbalah, Israel,and Judaism, it is perhaps the symbol's mysterious origins and thesuperstitions surrounding it that attract the attention of celebrities and ordinarypeople alike.