Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Amulet book :
ספר קמיעות

Authors

• Yoʼel Baʻal-Shem, mi-Zamoshṭsh, approximately 1613-approximately 1697
  יואל בעל-שם

Call number

CAJS Rar Ms 790
(3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6206, University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 9978868806903681
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1536515979

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania

Language

Text in Hebrew, with some lines in Judeo-Arabic

Origin

Date

between 1875? and 1899?

Place

Syria? Jerusalem?

Summary

Book of instruction for creating amulets, ciphers, magic letters, and angelic handwriting, with diagrams and illustrations (such as: variations of the five- and six-pointed star with Tetragrammatons on f. 20v; a large six-pointed star amulet is on f. 1v), instructions and forms of angel scripts (f. 22r-23v), and some cabalistic prayers (with attribution to Joel Baʻal-Shem of Zamość, Sefer Toledot adam; f. 26r-27v).

Notes

• Written in a Syrian cursive script, and ciphers, highlight words, and Tetragrammatons written in an Oriental square script.
   
• Rebound (antiquated yellow circular royal floral designs, painted on red); blue spine.
   

Extent

27 leaves : 21 x 14 cm

Support

Paper

Provenance

• Sold by Winner's Auctions (Jerusalem), Auction 137 (14 July 2022) lot 137.
   

Subjects topical

• Cabala
• Angels--Judaism
• Manuscripts, Hebrew--Syria--19th century--Specimens
• Manuscripts, Hebrew--Jerusalem--19th century--Specimens

Genres

• Grimoires
• codices (bound manuscripts)
• Manuscripts

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts CAJS Rar Ms 790: Amulet book : are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

  Metadata is ©2026 University of Pennsylvania Libraries and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Table of contents

• fol. 22r — Instructions and forms of angel scripts
• fol. 26r — Cabalistic prayers

Decorations

• fol. 5v — Large six-pointed star amulet
• fol. 20v — Variations of the five- and six-pointed star with Tetragrammatons