Making Connections

In the Torah, evil is represented by Amalek, a descendant of Esau's. When Jacob and Esau are born, the Torah says that they will eternally battle, with Jacob representing good and Esau (particularly Amalek) representing evil. But one difference is that in the Bible the battle isn't won through fighting; the battle is won through moral behavior.

Are there any similarities between the good Jews in the Torah and the good wizards in Harry Potter?

In both, things are happening to bring about good in the world. In the Harry Potter series there is a predestined battle between good and evil, and in biblical thought the whole world is trying to lead to peace in the messianic world.

Are there any whomping willows in Jewish literature?

There's a story in the Zohar about Abraham having a magical tree that would only give shade to people who believed in monotheism. That tree's shade was a reward and it was also a signal for Abraham about who needed to learn about monotheism. If anyone had sun in his eyes, he could tell that person needed more explanations about G-d. This tree was much more benign than the Whomping Willow. It was carrying out God's plan for the world, not its own magical whims or desires.

Can amulets protect you?

Even in the Harry Potter books, it's not clear whether amulets really protect people. Similarly, there were amulets in ancient Jewish literature, but sages disagree about whether to believe in them. Rambam doesn't believe in them, but the Shulchan Aruch seems to. To my knowledge, they are always similar to the mezuah, containing a parchment with a biblical portion on it, not magical elements or spices. So they don't give magical protection, they channel Divine protection.

Does everything happen for a reason?

In the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling is constantly bringing back old, seemingly unimportant details as being significant later. For example, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, there are a lot of scenes with a beetle flying around. It turns out to be a method a reporter used to spy on Harry, but all those scenes seem irrelevant until the end. In the Torah, the story of Joseph being sold to be a slave in Egypt shows us the Jewish concept that everything that happens is for a greater reason that we won't know about until later. Joseph's brothers thought they were selling him to punish him, but Joseph knew that it was for a Divine purpose. Similarly, in the Purim story, everyone thought that Esther became queen because of a natural sequence of events, but Mordechai knew that it happened so that she could save the Jews from Haman's plot.

Dumbledore is always saying that the wizards need to be unified to fight Voldemort...

The need for unity in opposition for evil is another theme in the Harry Potter series. There is no end to Jewish literature discussing the need for Jews to be united. The destruction of the temple is discussed as a divine punishment for hatred between Jews. The Talmud says that lack of unity between Jews is worse than the three cardinal sins. In the Harry Potter books, all the wizards have to unite to oppose the evil of Voldemort. In the Torah, we need to unify to bring the world to a state of peace and knowledge of G-d.

This article was first published at Moment Magazine, a Patheos Partner, and is reprinted with permission.