Popular Superstitions

Pooh pooh pooh!

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Reprinted with permission from TheJPS Guide to Jewish Traditions, published by the

As have all cultures, Jews have developed numerous superstitious practices applicable to a variety of occasions. The following are some of the most common: 

Spitting Three Times

Whether done literally or figuratively (by saying "pooh, pooh, pooh"), spitting three times (a mystical number) is a classic response to something exceptionally evil or good. For centuries, Jews have performed this ritual in response to seeing, hearing, or learning of something terrible and as a prophylactic measure to prevent such a tragedy from happening or recurring.

Ironically, it is traditional to perform the same action in response to something wonderful--such as good news or the birth of a beautiful and healthy child--to ward off the Evil Eye. Spitting was long considered a potent protector against magic and demons. Ancient and medieval physicians, including Maimonides, described the positive values of saliva and spittle.

However,this popular Jewish superstition may well have originated from the Christian Bible, which mentions the miraculous power of the spittle of Jesus. "And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech....Andhe took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and hespit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith untohim, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plain" (Mark 7:32-35).

In another reference, Jesus spat in the dirt and made "clay" and put it in the eyes of a blind man, who subsequently could see (John 9:1-7). Because spitting eventually was viewed as a crude and messy practice, it was replaced by the more refined ritual of simply saying "pooh, pooh, pooh."

Chewing on Thread

Apopular bubbe meise (old wives' tale) is chewing on a piece of thread whenever one is wearing a garment upon which someone is actively sewing-such as attaching a button or repairing a seam. This practice may relate to the Yiddish phrase "mir zollen nit farnayen der saychel," meaning that one should not sew up the brains (or common sense). Another explanation is that burial shrouds are sewn around the remains of the deceased. Actively chewing while another is sewing on one's garments is a clear indication that one is quite alive and not yet a candidate for the grave.

Pulling or Tugging One's Ears When Sneezing

Especially common among Jews from Galicia and Lithuania, the practice of pulling on one's ears when sneezing has engendered heated arguments. Should one ear or both be pulled (or tugged) and should one pull up or down? The reason for this custom is unclear. Originally, it was performed if the sneeze occurred when speaking about one who was dead. However, tugging has long been extended to all sneezes and is usually accompanied by reciting the Yiddish phrase "tzu langehmazaldikker yohrn" (to long, lucky years).

Ronald L. Eisenberg, a radiologist and non-practicing attorney, is the author of numerous books, including The Jewish World in Stamps.