Observations placeholder
Jakob Grimm - Journal for hermits - The Golem
Identifier
014935
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
1808 - Jakob Grimm - Journal for Hermits
After saying cettain prayers and observing certain fast days, the Polish Jews make the figure of a man from clay or mud, and when they Pronounce the miraculous Shemhamphoras [the name of God] over him, he must come to life.
He cannot speak, but he understands fairly well what is said or commanded. They call him golem and use him as a servant to do all sorts of housework. But he must never leave the house. On his forehead is written 'emeth [truth]; every day he gains weight and becomes somewhat larger and stronger than all the others in the house, regardless of how little he was to begin with.
For fear of him, they therefore erase the first letter, so that nothing remains but meth [he is dead], whereupon he collapses and tums to clay again. But one man's golem once grew so tall, and he heedlessly let him keep on growing so long that he could no longer reach his forehead.
In terror he ordered the servant to take off his boots, thinking that when he bent down he could reach his forehead. So it happened, and the first letter was successfully erased, but the whole heap of clay fell on the Jew and crushed him.