DAF DITTY SHABBES 156

Talmudic Astrology

Zodiac in a 6th-century synagogue at Beth Alpha, Israel.

“A learned and cultured man of those times,

could not reject the science of Astrology,
a science recognized and acknowledged by all the civilized ancient world”1

Saul Lieberman

1
Rabbi Ḥanina said to his students who heard all this: Go and tell the son of Leiva’i, Rabbi
Yehoshua ben Levi: It is not the constellation of the day of the week that determines a person’s
nature; rather, it is the constellation of the hour that determines his nature.

One who was born under the influence of the sun will be a radiant person; he will eat from his
own resources and drink from his own resources, and his secrets will be exposed. If he steals, he
will not succeed, because he will be like the sun that shines and is revealed to all.

One who was born under the influence of Venus will be a rich and promiscuous person. What is
the reason for this? Because fire was born during the hour of Venus, he will be subject the fire of
the evil inclination, which burns perpetually.

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One who was born under the influence of Mercury will be an enlightened and expert man,
because Mercury is the sun’s scribe, as it is closest to the sun.

One who was born under the influence of the moon will be a man who suffers pains, who builds
and destroys, and destroys and builds. He will be a man who eats not from his own resources and
drinks not from his own resources, and whose secrets are hidden. If he steals, he will succeed, as
he is like the moon that constantly changes form, whose light is not its own, and who is at times
exposed and at times hidden.

One who was born under the influence of Saturn will be a man whose thoughts are for naught.
And some say that everything that others think about him and plan to do to him is for naught.
One who was born under the influence of Jupiter [tzedek] will be a just person [tzadkan].

Rav Nachman bar Yitzḥak said: And just in this context means just in the performance of mitzvot.
One who was born under the influence of Mars will be one who spills blood. Rav Ashi said: He
will be either a blood letter, or a thief, or a slaughterer of animals, or a circumciser. Rabba said: I
was born under the influence of Mars and I do not perform any of those activities. Abaye said: My
Master also punishes and kills as a judge.

It was stated that Rabbi Ḥanina says: A constellation makes one wise and a constellation

makes one wealthy, and there is a constellation for the Jewish people that influences them.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: There is no constellation for the Jewish people that influences them. The
Jewish people are not subject to the influence of astrology.

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And Rabbi Yoḥanan follows his own reasoning, as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: From where is it derived
that there is no constellation for the Jewish people? As it is stated:

-‫ ַהגּוֹי ִם אַל‬4‫ֶדֶּר‬-‫ ֶאל‬,‫ב כּ ֹה אַָמר י ְהו ָה‬ 2 thus saith the LORD: Learn not the way of the
-‫ ִכּי‬:‫ֵתָּחתּוּ‬-‫ אַל‬,‫שַּׁמי ִם‬ ָ ‫ וֵּמא ֹתוֹת ַה‬,‫ִתְּלָמדוּ‬ nations and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven;
.‫ ֵמֵהָמּה‬,‫י ֵַחתּוּ ַהגּוֹי ִם‬ for the nations are dismayed at them.
Jer 10:2

“Thus said the Lord: Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven;
for the nations are dismayed at them” (Jeremiah 10:2). The nations will be dismayed by them,
but not the Jewish people.

Rabbi Carl Perkins writes:2

2
www.Myjewishlearning.com

4
The word “mazel” literally means “constellation,” and it refers specifically to the twelve
constellations ancients understood to influence one’s fate during the months of the year. Astrology,
which attempts to understand celestial influence on human affairs, was a highly respected field in
the era of the Talmud. Though we may not mean it literally, when we say, “Mazel tov” (i.e., “a
good constellation!”), we are expressing a wish that the stars will be auspicious — and not ill-
fated.

On Our Daf, we find examples of rabbinic astrology, including authorities who describe how the
day of the week on which one is born impacts one’s life. For example, we learn that someone born
on Wednesday — the day on which God created the sun, moon and stars — will grow up to be
wise and enlightened. Other rabbis describe the specific influence that the celestial bodies exert on
one’s fate at particular hours on particular days of the week.

Yet, again and again, the text argues back that, as influential as the stars and planetary spheres may
seem to be, ultimately, we can alter our own fate. A recurring textual refrain expresses this
idea: there is no constellation for the Jewish people. The stars may influence, but they do not
determine our fate. How is that? What can we do to overcome their power?

The answer is: by performing acts of piety; in particular, by being kind and compassionate. This
happens, for example, with Rabbi Akiva’s daughter on her wedding day:

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Rabbi Akiva had a daughter, and Chaldean astrologers told him that on the same day that she enters
the wedding canopy, a snake will bite her, and she will die. She was very worried about this. On
her wedding day, she took the ornamental pin from her hair and stuck it into a hole in the wall for
safekeeping, and it happened that it entered directly into the eye of the snake. In the morning, when
she took the pin, the snake was pulled and came out with it.

Her father Rabbi Akiva said to her: What did you do to merit being saved from the snake?

She told him: In the evening a poor person came and knocked on the door, and everyone was
preoccupied with the feast and nobody heard him. I stood and took the portion that you had given
me and gave it to him.

Rabbi Akiva said to her: You performed a mitzvah.

However elsewhere the view is not so positive;

Sanhedrin 65b:19

The Sages taught: What is the definition of the soothsayer mentioned in the verse: “There shall
not be found among you…a soothsayer” (Deuteronomy 18:10)? Rabbi Shimon says: This is one
who applies seven types of semen [zekhur] to one’s eye in order to perform sorcery.

And the Rabbis say: This is one who deceives the eyes, as though he is performing sorcery.

Rabbi Akiva says: This is one who calculates the fortune of times and hours, and says, for
example: Today is a propitious day for going away on a journey; tomorrow is propitious for
purchasing property successfully.

Or he says that on the eve of the Sabbatical Years, the wheat harvest is generally good;
uprooting legumes rather than cutting them from above the ground prevents them from going
bad.

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Midrashically, God blessed Abraham with astrological powers:

The Torah states: “And the Lord blessed Abraham with everything [bakkol]” (Genesis 24:1),
and the Sages disagree about what bakkol means.

Rabbi Meir says: The blessing is that he did not have a daughter. Rabbi Yehuda says: On
the contrary, the blessing was that he had a daughter.

Others say: Abraham had a daughter and her name was Bakkol.

Rabbi Elazar HaModa’i says: Abraham our forefather was so knowledgeable in astrology
[itztagninut] that all the kings of the East and the West would come early to his door due to
his wisdom.

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This is the blessing of bakkol, that he possessed knowledge that everybody needed. Yet
elsewhere the divine is critical of it:

On the verse:

‫ָנא‬-‫ ַויּ ֹאֶמר ַהֶבּט‬,‫ה ַויּוֵֹצא ֹאתוֹ ַהחוָּצה‬ 5 And He brought him forth abroad, and said: 'Look now
,‫תּוַּכל‬-‫ִאם‬--‫ַהָשַּׁמ ְיָמה וְּסֹפר ַהכּוָֹכִבים‬ toward heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to
.ƒ‫ ֹכּה ִיְהֶיה ַז ְרֶﬠ‬,‫ִלְסֹפּר ֹאָתם; ַויּ ֹאֶמר לוֹ‬ count them'; and He said unto him: 'So shall thy seed be.'
Gen 15:5
The gemoro (Nedarim 32a) states:

The Gemara expounds the verse “and He brought him outside”:

Abraham said before Him: Master of the Universe, I looked at my constellation and
according to it I will have only one son, and a son has already been born to me, i.e., Ishmael.

He said to him: Emerge from your astrology because there is no constellation for the Jewish
people, as they are not subject to the influence of astrology.

The aggada tropes on the word “outside” suggesting the redundancy of the word “outside”.
Obviously if he went out, he went outside! It must mean the outside refers not to geography
rather philosophy…go out of your philosophical mode (astrology) and enter a realm above
astrology.

Mazal as Fate

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 Moed Katan 28a:13-15

Rava said: Length of life, children, and sustenance do not depend on one’s merit, but rather
they depend upon fate. As, Rabba and Rav Ḥisda were both pious Sages; one Sage would pray
during a drought and rain would fall, and the other Sage would pray, and rain would fall. And
nevertheless, their lives were very different.

Rav Ḥisda lived for ninety-two years, whereas Rabba lived for only forty years. The house of
Rav Ḥisda celebrated sixty wedding feasts, whereas the house of Rabba experienced sixty
calamities. In other words, many fortuitous events took place in the house of Rav Ḥisda and the
opposite occurred in the house of Rabba.

In the house of Rav Ḥisda there was bread from the finest flour [semida] even for the dogs,
and it was not asked after, as there was so much food.

In the house of Rabba, on the other hand, there was coarse barley bread even for people, and
it was not found in sufficient quantities.

This shows that the length of life, children, and sustenance all depend not upon one’s merit, but
upon fate.

RAMBAM: ‫ הלכות עבודה זרה וחוקות הגויים‬,‫משנה תורה‬

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Mishneh Torah, Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 11:8-9

(8) Who is an observer of times? They that point at times, saying astrologically: "That day is a
good one, that day is a bad one; that day is fit to do that particular work, but that year, or that
month, is bad for that particular thing.

(9) It is forbidden to be an observer of times, though no act be committed, save to make known
the lies to such fools who believe them to be true speech of the wise. Moreover, he who does
aught because of the signs of astrology, and times to do his work or go on his mission on the
very time, set by the heaven-gazers, even he is striped, for it is said: "Nor observe times" (Lev.
126). Here a distinction must be made between an observer of times and an enchanter..

Likewise, one who deludes the eyes by performing some act alleging it to be wonderful, but in
truth makes no performance at all, even he is included among observers of time, and his
punishment is stripes.

Yet the RAMBAM require a knowledge of astrology along with other science for appointment to
the bench:

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Mishneh Torah, The Sanhedrin and the Penalties within their
Jurisdiction 2:1

Only wise and intelligent men, who are eminent in Torah scholarship and possess extensive
knowledge, should be appointed members of either the Great or the Small Sanhedrin. They
should be somewhat aware of such branches as medicine, mathematics, astronomy, forecasting
constellations, astrology, methods of soothsayers, augurs and wizards as well as idolatrous
superstitions, and the like, in order to be competent in dealing with them.— —

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Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (RAMCHAL) discusses the influence of stars on humanity and events on
earth. He gave two reasons for the existence of stars and planets. The first is that stars and planets
maintain the existence of all physical things on earth, acting as the means by which spiritual forces
are transmitted to physical entities. The second is that events on earth are also initiated through
planetary and stellar activity. RAMCHAL states that each earthly phenomenon is assigned to a
specific star, which controls it. Quoting the Talmudic dictum in our daf –‫" ֵאין ַמָזּל ְל ִיְשׂ ָרֵאל‬for
Israel, there is no mazal ("luck", literally "planet" or "constellation")", he also states that higher
powers (i.e. God or angels) may overcome the influences of this system, and that they typically do
so for Jews.

RAMCHAL notes that the laws and rules governing this system of astrological influence are
extremely complex, and not easily ascertainable through direct observation; thus astrologers are
rarely able to predict the future accurately or clearly. The accuracy of their predictions is further
reduced by the aforementioned propensity of divine providence to intervene and override the
system. This, he states, explains the use of the word me'asher ("something") in Isaiah 47:13 ("Now
let the astrologers, stargazers and fortunetellers stand up and tell you something about what will
come upon you"); in RAMCHAL’s view, this means they can tell you something about the future,
but not everything.

RAMCHAL: ‫ בענין השפעת הככבים‬,‫ חלק שני‬,'‫דרך ה‬

Derech Hashem, 2nd vol, on the influence of the stars

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 ‫שמוש הכוכבים לצורך העצמים השפלים‬: ‫הנה כבר ביארנו בח״א שכל עניני הגשמים שרשם‬
‫ וא מ נ ם ש ם מ ש ת ר ש י ם ה ע ניני ם ה א ל ה ב כ ל ה ד ר כ י ם ש צ ר י כ י ם ל ה ש ת ר ש‬. ‫ה וא ב כ ח ו ת ה נב ד ל י ם‬
‫וא ח ״ כ צ ר יכים ליע ת ק ולימ ש ך א ל ג ש מ יות ב צ ור ה ש צ ר יכים לימ צ א ב ו וה נה ל צ ור ך זה ה וכ נ ו‬
‫ה ג ל ג לים וכ וכ ב יה ם ש ב ה ם וב ס יב וב יה ם נמ ש כים ונע ת ק ים כ ל א ות ם ה ע נינים ש נ ש ת ר ש ו ונ זמ נ ו‬
‫ל מ ע ל ה ב ר ו ח נ י ו ת א ל ה ג ש מ י ו ת פ ה ל מ ט ה ו ע ו מ ד י ם פ ה ב צ ו ר ה ה ר א ו י ה ו א מ נ ם מ נין ה כ ו כ ב י ם‬
‫ו מ ד ר י ג ו ת י ה ם ו כ ל מ ח ל ק ו ת י ה ם ה י ו כ פ י מ ה ש ר א ת ה ה ח כ מ ה ה ע ל י ו נ ה ה י ו ת ו צ ר יך ו נ א ו ת א ל‬
‫ וה נה נש פ ע מ ן ה כ וכבים כ ח ה קיום א ל ה עצ מ ים ה ג ש מ ים ש ת ח תיה ם ש ע ל‬.‫ה ה ע ת ק ה זה ש זכר נו‬
‫ידיהם נעתק ענינם מבחינתו למעלה בשרשים אל בחינתו למטה‬:

The use of the stars for the sake of the lower creatures:

The use of the stars for the sake of the lower creatures: Behold, I have already explained in Part
One (On the Spiritual Realm 2) that all physical things have their root in ethereal powers. In truth
all these items are rooted there in every necessary fashion; and then afterwards need to be drawn
down and transferred into physicality in the manner required of them.

So, the heavenly spheres with all their stars were surely prepared for this purpose. Through their
rotation, all that is rooted and prepared above in the spiritual world is drawn down and
transferred into our physical world here below, to be set in its proper form.

The number of the stars, their various levels and divisions are according to what the Supreme
Wisdom saw to be necessary and appropriate in order to achieve this transferal that we mentioned.
Hence the power of existence flows from the stars to every physical item below them.

They are the means to transform its content, from its character above, in the roots, to its character
below.

‫השפעת הכוכבים למקרים‬: ‫ואולם עוד ענין אחר חקק הבי״ת בכוכבים האלה והוא שגם כל עניני‬
‫מ ק ר י ה ג ש מ י ם ו מ ש יג י ה ם א ח ר י ש ה ו כ נ ו ל מ ע ל ה י מ ש כ ו ע ל י ד י ה ם ל מ ט ה ב א ו ת ה ה צ ור ה ש צ ר י כ י ם‬
‫ ד ״ מ ה ח יי ם ה ע ו ש ר ה ח כ מ ה ה זר ע ו כ י וצ א כ ל א ל ה ה ע ניני ם מ ו כ ני ם ל מ ע ל ה ב ש ר ש י ם‬. ‫ל ק ר ות ל ה ם‬
‫ונ ע ת ק ים ל מ ט ה ב ע נפ ים כ צ ור ה ה ר א ויה ע ״ י ה כ וכ ב ים ו זה ב מ ח ל ק ות י ד וע ות וב ק יב וצ ים מ יו ח ד ים‬
‫ ו נ ת פ ל ג ו ב י נ י ה ם כ ל ה מ ק ר י ם ה ק ו ר י ם א ת ה ג ש מ י ם ל מ י ני ה ם‬. ‫ש ה ו ח ק ו ל ה ם ו ס י ב ו ב י ם י ד ו ע י ם‬
‫ונק ש ר ו ה ג ש מ ים כ ל ם ת ח ת ש לי ט ת ם כ פ י ס ד ר יה ן ל ה ת ח ד ש ב ה ם כ פ י מ ה ש יו ש פ ע מ ן ה מ ע ר כ ה‬
‫ל פ י ה ק י ש ו ר ש י ת ק ש ר ב ה כ ל א י ש ו א י ש‬:

The influence of the stars on events:

The influence of the stars on events: There is another matter which the Creator, may He be blessed,
engraved into these stars. And that is that even all the events of physical things and what happens
to them are prepared above and, only then, drawn down by the stars in the form in which they are
meant to occur.

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By way of example - matters of life, wealth, wisdom, children and the like are all prepared above
in the roots and made manifest below in the branches, in their appropriate form, through the stars.
Each of these happen though specific divisions, particular groupings and various orbits assigned
to them. Everything which occurs to physical things in [all of] their types is divided among them.

All physical things were placed under their control, according to their order, for things to arise
for them - in line with that which [the stars] have been influenced by the [divine] orchestration to
create a connection with each and every individual.

‫ידיעת העתידות על ידי הכוכבים‬:

‫ואמנם משפטי ההשפעה הזאת של הכוכבים גם הם מוגבלים כפי מה שגזרה‬

‫ אכן‬.‫החכמה העליונה היותו נאות וקצת מדרכיה נודעים לפי סדרי המבטים והוא מה שמשיגים הוברי השמים‬
‫לא כל אמתת סדריה מתגלית בזה ע״כ לא ישיגו החוזים בכוכבים אלא קצת מהענינים העתידים ולא בשלימות‬
‫ ג(וכ״ש כבר יש ביטול לתולדותם כמ״ש ועל זה אמרו ז״ל‬,‫מאשר ולא כל אשר )ב״ר ה‬:

The influence of the stars on events:

Nevertheless, the [understanding of the] laws of this influence of the stars is also limited,
according to what the Supreme Wisdom decreed to be appropriate. Hence some of its ways are
known according to the ways of those that observe it, and this is that which the diviners of the
heavens grasp. However not all of its true ways are revealed by this.
Hence the stargazers will only grasp some of the future content of the stars - and only partially.
And all the more so when there is a nullification of their effects, as we have mentioned. And
therefore they, may their memory be blessed, said (Genesis Rabbah 5:3), "'From that' (Isaiah
47:13) and not 'all of that."

14
Astrology3, which was considered to be a serious science over the course of many generations,
was highly developed in Babylonia. Nevertheless, the Talmud discusses astrology relatively
infrequently and when it does, the discussion is on the level of folklore, lacking development or
complexity.

This is apparently because most of the Sages maintained that the constellations do not control the
Jewish people. Some of the qualities ascribed here to various astrological signs are related to the
visible qualities of the stars themselves, like the qualities attributed to the sun and the moon. Those
born under the sign of Venus are ascribed certain qualities because the luminaries were hung on
that day.

This may be explained because the conclusion of Shabbat is the time associated with Venus, and
it is also the time when, according to the Rabbis, fire was discovered by people. Mercury is
described as the sun’s scribe because even the early astrologers were aware that it was the closest
planet to the sun. Saturn is generally regarded as a sign related to misfortune, even though it is
ascribed a different meaning here. Jupiter is considered a sign of fortune and righteousness. Mars
was considered to be a sign of war and murder, because of its red color and because of its
association with the Roman god Mars.

3
Steinzaltz OBM

15
Do the stars truly affect us?

The Gemara relates:

It was stated that Rabbi Ḥanina says: A constellation makes one wise and a constellation makes
one wealthy, and there is a constellation for the Jewish people that influences them.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: There is no constellation for the Jewish people that influences them. The
Jewish people are not subject to the influence of astrology. And Rabbi Yoḥanan follows
his own reasoning, as Rabbi Yoḥanan said: From where is it derived that there is no
constellation for the Jewish people? As it is stated:

-‫ ַהגּוֹ ִים ַאל‬Œ‫ֶדֶּר‬-‫ ֶאל‬,‫ב ֹכּה ָאַמר ְיהָוה‬ 2 thus saith the LORD: Learn not the way of the nations
-‫ ִכּי‬:‫ֵתָּחתּוּ‬-‫ ַאל‬,‫ וֵּמֹאתוֹת ַהָשַּׁמ ִים‬,‫ִתְּלָמדוּ‬ and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the nations
.‫ ֵמֵהָמּה‬,‫ֵיַחתּוּ ַהגּוֹ ִים‬ are dismayed at them.
Jer 10:2

“Thus, said the Lord: Learn not the way of the nations, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven;
for the nations are dismayed at them. (Jer 10:2). The nations will be dismayed by them, but not
the Jewish people.

Many commentaries discussed Rabbi Ḥanina’s opinion and concluded that he does not mean to
say that everything is determined by one’s constellation.

He himself stated: Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for fear of Heaven; i.e., the choice
between good and evil remains in the purview of human beings.

Astrology4
The division of the ecliptic into the zodiacal signs originates in Babylonian astronomy during the
first half of the 1st millennium BC. The zodiac draws on stars in earlier Babylonian star catalogues,
such as the MUL.APIN catalogue, which was compiled around 1000 BC. Some constellations can
be traced even further back, to Bronze Age (First Babylonian dynasty) sources,
including Gemini "The Twins," from MAŠ.TAB.BA.GAL.GAL "The Great Twins,"
and Cancer "The Crab," from AL.LUL "The Crayfish," among others.

Around the end of the 5th century BC, Babylonian astronomers divided the ecliptic into 12 equal
"signs", by analogy to 12 schematic months of 30 days each. Each sign contained 30° of celestial
longitude, thus creating the first known celestial coordinate system. According to calculations by
modern astrophysics, the zodiac was introduced between 409-398 BC and probably within a very
few years of 401 BC. Unlike modern astronomers, who place the beginning of the sign of Aries at
the place of the Sun at the vernal equinox, Babylonian astronomers fixed the zodiac in relation to

4
Talmudology.com

16
stars, placing the beginning of Cancer at the "Rear Twin Star" (β Geminorum) and the beginning
of Aquarius at the "Rear Star of the Goat-Fish" (δ Capricorni).

The divisions don't correspond exactly to where the constellations started and ended in the sky;
this would have resulted in an irregular division. The Sun in fact passed through at least 13, not 12
Babylonian constellations. In order to align with the number of months in a year, designers of the
system omitted the major constellation Ophiuchus. Including smaller figures, astronomers have
counted up to 21 eligible zodiac constellations. Changes in the orientation of the Earth's axis of
rotation also means that the time of year the Sun is in a given constellation has changed since
Babylonian times.

Because the division was made into equal arcs, 30° each, they constituted an ideal system of
reference for making predictions about a planet's longitude. However, Babylonian techniques of
observational measurements were in a rudimentary stage of evolution. They measured the position
of a planet in reference to a set of "normal stars" close to the ecliptic (±9° of latitude) as
observational reference points to help positioning a planet within this ecliptic coordinate system.[15]
In Babylonian astronomical diaries, a planet position was generally given with respect to a zodiacal
sign alone, less often in specific degrees within a sign.

When the degrees of longitude were given, they were expressed with reference to the 30° of the
zodiacal sign, i.e., not with a reference to the continuous 360° ecliptic.[16] In
astronomical ephemerides, the positions of significant astronomical phenomena were computed
in sexagesimal fractions of a degree (equivalent to minutes and seconds of arc).[17] For daily
ephemerides, the daily positions of a planet were not as important as the astrologically significant
dates when the planet crossed from one zodiacal sign to the next.5

Knowledge of the Babylonian zodiac is also reflected in the Hebrew Bible; E. W.

Bullinger interpreted the creatures appearing in the book of Ezekiel as the middle signs of the 4
quarters of the Zodiac,6 with the Lion as Leo, the Bull is Taurus, the Man representing Aquarius
and the Eagle representing Scorpio.7 Some authors have linked the twelve tribes of Israel with the
same signs, and/or the lunar Hebrew calendar having 12 lunar months in a lunar year. Martin and
others have argued that the arrangement of the tribes around the Tabernacle (reported in the Book
of Numbers) corresponded to the order of the Zodiac, with Judah, Reuben, Ephraim,
and Dan representing the middle signs of Leo, Aquarius, Taurus, and Scorpio, respectively. Such
connections were taken up by Thomas Mann, who in his novel Joseph and His Brothers attributes
characteristics of a sign of the zodiac to each tribe in his rendition of the Blessing of Jacob.

Astrology is mentioned in many pages of the Talmud, but today we study one of the most important

5
Ptolemy, Claudius (1998). The Almagest. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-00260-6. Translated
and annotated by G. J. Toomer; with a foreword by Owen Gingerich.

6
E.W. Bullinger, The Witness of the Stars

7
Richard Hinckley Allen, Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning, Vol. 1 (New York: Dover Publications, 1899, p. 213-215.)
argued for Scorpiohaving previously been called Eagle. for Scorpio.

17
places of them. The Talmud does not question whether astrology works, for it assumes that it does.
Rather, the discussion centers around the details of producing an astrological map for a person,
and how the Jewish People can avoid their astrologically determined fate.

The first topic is how the alignment of the planets define a person’s fate. According to Rabbi
Yehoshua ben Levi the planets influence the day of the week. So, if you are born on Sunday, you
will be a person of extremes:
‫ א‬,‫שבת קנו‬
‹‫ ַמאי ַטְﬠָמא? ְדִּאיְבּרוֹ ֵבּיהּ אוֹר ָוחוֶֹשׁ‬.‫ ִאי כּוֵּלּיהּ ְלִבישׁוּ‬,‫ִאי כּוֵּלּיהּ ְלֵטיבוּ‬

Rather, one born on a Sunday is either completely for the best or completely for the worst. What
is the reason for this? It is because both light and darkness were created on the first day of
Creation.

If you are born on a Monday, you will be “a short-tempered person” because on that day the upper
waters were divided from the lower; there was division, which translates into a person who
“divides” with his temper. And so on. Now given that 1/7 of the world’s population will be born
on any given day of the week, this is rather a generalization, but let’s leave that aside. This opinion
is challenged by Rabbi Chanina, who explains that it is rather more complicated:

‫ א‬,‫שבת קנו‬
‫ ַהאי ַמאן ִדְּבַחָמּה — ְיֵהי‬.‫ ל ֹא ַמַזּל יוֹם גּוֹ ֵרם ֶאָלּא ַמַזּל ָשָׁﬠה גּוֹ ֵרם‬:‫ פּוּקוּ ֱאַמרוּ ֵליהּ ְלַבר ֵליַואי‬,‫ֲאַמר ְלהוּ ַרִבּי ֲח ִניָנא‬
‫ ַהאי ַמאן ִדְּבכוָֹכב נוַֹגהּ — ְיֵהי‬.‫ ִאם ָגֵּניב — ָלא ַמְצַלח‬,‫ ְו ָרזוִֹהי ַגְּל ִיין‬,‫שֵׁתי ִמִדּיֵליהּ‬ ָ ‫ ְיֵהי ָאֵכיל ִמִדּיֵליהּ ְו‬,‫ְגַּבר ִזי ְוָתן‬
‫ ִמשּׁוּם‬,‫ ַהאי ַמאן ִדְּבכוָֹכב — ְיֵהי ְגַּבר ָנִהיר ְוַחִכּים‬.‫ ַמאי ַטְﬠָמא? ִמשּׁוּם ְדִּאיְת ְיִליד ֵבּיהּ נוּ ָרא‬.‫ְגַּבר ַﬠִתּיר ְוַזַנּאי ְיֵהי‬
‫שֵׁתי ְדָּלא‬ ָ ‫ ָאֵכיל ְדָּלא ִדּיֵליהּ ְו‬,‫ ָסַתר וָּבֵני‬,‫ ָבֵּני ְוָסַתר‬,‫ ַהאי ַמאן ְדִּבְלָבָנה — ְיֵהי ְגַּבר ָסֵביל ַמ ְרִﬠין‬.‫ְדָּסְפ ָרא ְדַחָמּה הוּא‬
‫ ׇכּל‬:‫ ְוִאית ְדָּאְמ ִרי‬.‫ ַהאי ַמאן ִדְּבַשְׁבַּתאי — ְיֵהי ְגַּבר ַמְחְשָׁבֵתיהּ ָבְּטִלין‬.‫ִדּיֵליהּ ְו ָרזוִֹהי ַכְּס ִיין ִאם ָגֵּנב — ַמְצַלח‬
‫ ַהאי ַמאן‬.‫ ְוַצְדָקן ְבִּמְצוֹת‬:‫ ָאַמר ַרב ַנְחָמן ַבּר ִיְצָחק‬.‫ ַהאי ַמאן ִדְּבֶצֶדק — ְיֵהי ְגַּבר ִצְדָקן‬.‫ִדְּמַחְשִּׁבין ֲﬠֵליהּ ָבְּטִלין‬
‫ ֲאָנא‬:‫ ָאַמר ַרָבּה‬.‫ ִאי ָמהוָֹלא‬,‫ ִאי ַטָבָּחא‬,‫ ִאי ַגָּנָּבא‬,‫ ִאי אוָּמָּנא‬:‫ ָאַמר ַרב ָאֵשׁי‬.‫ִדְּבַמְאִדּים — ְיֵהי ְגַּבר ָאֵשׁיד ְדָּמא‬
‫ ָמר ָנֵמי ָﬠֵנישׁ ְוָקֵטיל‬:‫ ָאַמר ַאָבֵּיי‬.‫ְבַּמְאִדּים ֲהַואי‬

Rabbi Chanina said to his students who heard all this: Go and tell the son of Leiva’i, Rabbi
Yehoshua ben Levi: It is not the constellation of the day of the week that determines a person’s
nature; rather, it is the constellation of the hour that determines his nature.

One who was born under the influence of the Sun will be a radiant person; he will eat from his
own resources and drink from his own resources, and his secrets will be exposed. If he steals, he
will not succeed, because he will be like the sun that shines and is revealed to all.

One who was born under the influence of Venus will be a rich and promiscuous person. What is
the reason for this? Because fire was born during the hour of Venus, he will be subject the fire of
the evil inclination, which burns perpetually.

One who was born under the influence of Mercury will be an enlightened and expert man,
because Mercury is the sun’s scribe, as it is closest to the sun.

One who was born under the influence of the Moon will be a man who suffers pains, who builds

18
and destroys, and destroys and builds. He will be a man who eats not from his
own resources and drinks not from his own resources, and whose secrets are hidden. If he steals,
he will succeed, as he is like the moon that constantly changes form, whose light is not its own,
and who is at times exposed and at times hidden.

One who was born under the influence of Saturn will be a man whose thoughts are for naught.
And some say that everything that others think about him and plan to do to him is for naught.

One who was born under the influence of Jupiter [tzedek] will be a just person [tzadkan]. …

One who was born under the influence of Mars will be one who spills blood.

Rav Ashi said: He will be either a blood letter, or a thief, or a slaughterer of animals, or a
circumciser. Rabba said: I was born under the influence of Mars and I do not perform any of
those activities. Abaye said: My Master also punishes and kills as a judge.

The dispute is whether the planets influence everyone born on a specific day of the week,
regardless of the time of their birth, or whether the influence of all the planets is felt daily, with
each celestial body influencing successive hours.

Or as Rabbi Chanina puts it on our Daf: ‫ ל ֹא ַמַזּל יוֹם גּוֵֹרם ֶאָלּא ַמַזּל ָשָׁﬠה גּוֵֹרם‬- it is not the celestial sign
of the day that influences the nature of a person, but the celestial sign of the hour of birth that
influences their nature.

Angers Cathedral South Rose Window of Christ (centre) with elders (bottom
half) and Zodiac (top half). Medieval stained glass by Andre Robin after the
fire of 1451

19
“THERE IS NO CONSTELLATION THAT RULES OVER ISRAEL” ‫ֵאין ַמָזּל ְל ִיְשׂ ָרֵאל‬

So, in the Talmud, everyone agreed that astrology was a real phenomenon. They just differed in
some of its details. Later we read of another dispute, this one between Rabbi Chananiah and Rabbi
Yochanan.

The former believed ‫ ְוֵישׁ ַמָזּל ְל ִיְשָׂרֵאל‬,‫ ַמָזּל ַמֲﬠִשׁיר‬,‫ַמָזּל ַמְחִכּים‬- “A constellation makes one wise and a
constellation makes one wealthy, and there is a constellation for the Jewish people that influences
them.”

But Rabbi Yochanan believed ‫ֵאין ַמָזּל ְל ִיְשָׂרֵאל‬- “there is no constellation that rules over the Jewish
People.”

Now at face value Rabbi Yochanan meant precisely what he stated - that the Jewish People is
somehow immune to the usual influences of the stars and planets. Except his words were never
understood in that way.

For example, the great medieval commentator Rashi explained that through prayer and charity,
Israel could change its destiny, a destiny that would otherwise have been predicted by astrology.

This is also how another great medieval exegete, Ibn Ezra (d. 1164) explained how Israel was not
subject to astrological determinism.

‫אבן עזרא שמות פרק לג פסוק כא‬

‫ ובא נביא‬.‫ שהיתה מערכת הכוכבים שיגדל נהר על עיר אחת וישטוף אנשים או ימותו‬,‫ואתן לך משל חשוב‬
‫ שיצאו‬,‫ נתן בלבם‬,‫ ובעבור שדבקו בו‬.‫ ושבו אליו בכל לבם‬.‫ שישובו אל השם בטרם בא יום רעתם‬,‫והזהירם‬
‫ כאשר ראינו בעינינו‬,‫ וביום ההוא גדל הנהר פתאום כמנהגו‬.‫ והנה עשו כן‬.‫אנשי העיר לחוץ להתפלל אל השם‬
‫ והנה לא סרה גזירת השם והוא הצילם‬.‫פעמים רבות ושטף כל העיר‬,

I will explain this with an important analogy. Perhaps the alignment of the stars caused a river to
overflow and flood a town, sweeping away its inhabitants or drowning them. Now if a prophet
came and warned them of the impending danger, and told them to repent before God lest this
terrible event would occur, and they truly repented, this would not happen…for on that predicted
day of the flood, God would cause all of the inhabitants to flee the city to pray to him. And when
the river suddenly burst its banks, God would have saved them…

That’s the meaning of “there is no constellation the rules over Israel.” Your destiny is always
written in the stars, but you can, if you try hard enough, manage to change it. So really even the
Jewish People are subject to the rules of astrological prediction, but they have, as it were, an escape
clause.
“...together with its rational appearance, astrology has the immense advantage to proposes a
global, holistic approach for apprehending the world, via a link between humans and the cosmos.8
—

8
Phillipe Zirka. Astronomy and Astrology. The Role of Astronomy in Society and Culture Proceedings IAU Symposium No.
260, 2009. International Astronomical Union 2011 D. Valls-Gabaud & A. Boksenberg, eds.

20
HOW TALMUDIC ASTROLOGY WORKED

For many centuries there were thought to be only seven celestial bodies that determined a person’s
future. They are the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn (though not in that
order). The order of these bodies was based on how quickly they appear to move across the sky,
with Saturn moving the slowest, and the Moon the quickest.

So, the order would be:

Saturn-> Jupiter ->Mars-> Sun->Venus->Mercury-> Moon->Saturn…etc.

This sequence is also the furthest from the Earth (Saturn) to the nearest (Moon) in the Ptolemaic
system, in which the earth is at the unmoving center of the universe. This pattern was common to
most of those who practiced astrology and is by no means a uniquely Jewish creation.

Each of these celestial bodies rules over one day, or according to Rabbi Chaninah, one hour of
each day starting with sunrise. So, at sunrise on Day One (which we happen to call Sunday) the
Sun is dominant. In hour two it is Venus, hour three, Mercury, and so on until all the hours of the
week are filled. Here is how Rabbi Channah’s system works, shown for the first three of the seven
days of the week:

The Controlling Mazza lot and The Hours of the

Week*

Night of Sunday Day of Sunday

Hour Mazzal Hour Mazzal

1 (Sunset) Mercury 1 (Sunrise) Sun

2 Moon 2 Venus

3 Saturn 3 Mercury

4 Jupiter 4 Moon

5 Mars 5 Saturn

6 Sun 6 Jupiter

7 Venus 7 Mars

8 Mercury 8 Sun

21
The Controlling Mazza lot and The Hours of the
Week*

9 Moon 9 Venus

10 Saturn 10 Mercury

11 Jupiter 11 Moon

12 Mars 12 Saturn

Night of Monday Day of Monday

Hour Mazzal Hour Mazzal

1 (Sunset) Jupiter 1 (Sunrise) Moon

2 Mars 2 Saturn

3 Sun 3 Jupiter

4 Venus 4 Mars

5 Mercury 5 Sun

6 Moon 6 Venus

7 Saturn 7 Mercury

8 Jupiter 8 Moon

9 Mars 9 Saturn

10 Sun 10 Jupiter

11 Venus 11 Mars

12 Mercury 12 Sun

Night of Tuesday Day of Tuesday

Hour Mazzal Hour Mazzal

22
 The Controlling Mazza lot and The Hours of the
Week*

1 (Sunset) Venus 1 (Sunrise) Mars

2 Mercury 2 Sun

3 Moon 3 Venus

4 Saturn 4 Mercury

5 Jupiter 5 Moon

6 Mars 6 Saturn

7 Sun 7 Jupiter

8 Venus 8 Mars

9 Mercury 9 Sun

10 Moon 10 Venus

11 Saturn 11 Mercury

12 Jupiter 12 Moon

Etc

*Based on Judah Landa, Torah & Science, Ktav 1991

BUT DOES ASTROLOGY WORK?

There a myriad of reasons why not. Here is just one: why should randomly picked patterns of stars,
light years from one another should influence anything here on Earth? The constellations are, after
all, a human construct. It is as if an actor on stage picked out a man in the second row, a woman
in the mezzanine, and another woman at the front of the balcony, and saw in their pattern a triangle.
That is what happens when we “see” constellations.

23
Here is a second problem: How can object so far from Earth could influence our lives, for their
gravitational effects are far weaker than those of the table lamp sitting next to you on your desk.
Are we now going to suggest other kinds of yet to be discovered material waves that “influence”
us?

A third: why do astrologers not take into account the constellations in the southern hemisphere?
Surely, they too must have an important effect, but they are not part of the Talmudic system, nor
of many modern astrology charts. Just because the people who developed the whole notion of
astrology were not aware of them, surely does not negate the influence they must exert on out
futures.

More importantly than a lack of a mechanism is the simple fact that in study after study, astrologers
have not been able to predict anything that would not have been expected by chance.

My favorite example of this is the 1985 study by Shawn Carlson, published in the prestigious
journal Nature.9 It is important because it was designed with input from both scientists and

24
astrologers.

The thesis was that:10

the positions of all the planets (all planets, the Sun and the Moon plus other objects defined by
astrologers) at the moment of birth can be used to determine the subject’s general personality
traits and tendencies in temperament and behavior, and to indicate the major issues which the
subject is likely encounter..

and it sounds very much like the astrological beliefs found in today’s page of Talmud.

So, a group of volunteers told astrologers the details of their birth, and from these a “natal chart”
(or horoscope) was drawn up. There could be no identifying clues in the chart. Each volunteer was
then given three natal charts; her own and two others and asked to pick out the one that best
described themselves. There were 83 volunteers, whose natal charts were drawn up over a ten-
week period. If the astrologers could accurately predict a person’s future, that chart should stand
out and be correctly chosen by the person to whom it belonged. If it could not, then the correct
chart would only be chosen 1/3 of the time. And guess what, it was indeed chosen….only 1/3 of
the time. (There are many more details about the study including other tests that were performed,
and how the statistical analysis was performed.)

10

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54694fa6e4b0eaec4530f99d/t/5f2acc1a7bb54677bf7fed40/1596640291173/Double+blind+t
est+of+astrology-Carlson.pdf

25
Of course there are critics of this experiment, and those in one camp will generally not be swayed
by the other. One object to astrology because it is not “scientific”, but there are lots of things that
are true and are not scientific; like love, or longing. And as anyone who has recently perused a
bookshop in Israel can testify, the whole astrology thing has had a renaissance there.
In fact, there has always been a tension between a belief in a pre-determined destiny written in the
heavens, and the utter disdain for such a practice. Here, for example is how Samuel (d. 254 CE),
who was famous as both an astronomer and physician, thought about it:

8:6 ‫דברים רבא‬

‫ ְשׁמוֵּאל ָאַמר ֵאין ַהתּוָֹרה ְמצוָּיה ְבִּאיְסְטרוֹלוִֹגין ֶשֻׁאְמנוָּתן ַבָּשָּׁמ ִים‬.‫ַמהוּ ל ֹא ַבָשַּׁמ ִים ִהוא‬

What is the meaning of the words “it is not in the heavens” (Deut 30:12)? Samuel explained, the
Torah is above the work of astrologers who study the heavens…

Although he taught that the Torah (and presumably those who observe it) were beyond the
influence of the stars, Samuel never believed that astrology was a foolish undertaking. The passage
continues:

, ‫ ָאַמר ָלֶהן ל ֹא ָה ִייִתי ַמִבּיט ְבִּאיְסְטרוֹלוִֹגים ֶאָלּא ְבָּשָׁﬠה ֶשָׁה ִייִתי ָפּנוּי‬,‫ָאְמרוּ ִלְשׁמוֵּאל ֲהֵרי ַאָתּה ִאיְסְטרוֹלוִֹגין ְוָגדוֹל ַבּתּוָֹרה‬
‫ ֵאיָמַתי ְכֶּשָׁה ִייִתי ִנְכָנס ְלֵבית ַהָמּ ִים‬,‫ִמן ַהתּוָֹרה‬

They said to Shmuel, but aren't you an astrologer and also great in Torah? He said to them, I only
look at the astrological signs when I am free from the Torah. When is that? When I enter the
bathhouse

Samuel never dismissed astrology, but he only turned to it when he was free from the study of
Torah. Today, about a third of Americans believe in astrology. Once, one hundred percent of all
people did. So perhaps we are slowly heading in the right direction!!

26
The work Sefer HaMazalot identified the 12 constellations of the zodiac with the 12 months of
the Hebrew calendar. The correspondence of the constellations with their names in Hebrew and the
months is as follows:

We see this in our liturgy, especially for the piyyut for the prayer for rain on Succot mussaf.

A literary approach

For all the virtues of both past and more recent approaches to astrology, they suffer from the same
difficulty that applies to the description of "the rabbinic view" of other important theological
issues.11

11
See Baruch Lifschitz, "L'ancienne synagogue de Tibériade, sa mosaïque et ses inscriptions," JSJ 44 (1973) 43-55. who claims,
"les docteurs de la Loi combattaient avec acharnement les tendances astrologiques" (45). Gunter Stemberger, "Die Bedeutung des
Tierkreises auf Mosaikfussbôden spâtantiker Synagogen," Kairos 17 (1975) 23-56, on the other hand, suggests: "Im allgemeinen
steht die rabbinsiche Traditionen Tierkreis und Astrologie ambivalent gegenueber" (34); while Neusner,Neusner, History, 4:193
(writing about the fourth century), states :"No Sage now denied the accu racy of astrology, which was almost universally believed
to be an exact science." See too Bischoff, Babylonisch-Astrales,Babylonisch-Astrales,Babylonisch-Astrales, 115-33 ; Ludwig
Wâchter, "Astrologie und Schicksalsglaube im rabbinischen Judentum(' Kairos 11 (1969) 181-200; Joel C. Dobin, To Rule Both
Day and Night: Astrology in the Bible,Bible, Midrash and Talmud (Inner Traditions International: New York, 1977); Meir Bar-
Ilan, "As trology in Ancient Judaism/Astronomy in Ancient Judaism," in Jacob Neusner, et al., eds., The Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia of Judaism.

27
Different traditions attributed to different Sages who lived in different times express a variety of
perspectives, of ten contradicting each other, and usually removed from their original contexts.

Because rabbinic literature lacks a systematic mode of presentation of theological ideas, the
scholar must systematize the traditions and distinguish majority and dominant views from minority
and anomalous positions.12

Unlike classical scholars Jeffrey Rubenstein take a literary approach to our sugya to unpack ancient
views.

For Rubenstein the entire Sugya revolves around the deeper question: ‫ַמָזּל ְל ִיְשׂ ָרֵאל‬
‫ֵאין‬

The sugya engages the issue of astrology through the formulae yesh mazal leyisrael le’yisrael and
ayn mazal le’yisrael, literally "Israel has a planet/Israel has no planet," that is, the fate of a Jew
is or is not determined by the celestial bodies. (The term mazal here means "planet," which
included the sun and moon in the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic cosmology).

12
Talmudic Astrology: Bavli Šabbat 156a—b Author(s): Jeffrey L. Rubenstein Source: Hebrew Union College Annual , 2007,

28
The key question was not the validity of astrology per se, but how and in what ways it
influenced the course of life, and whether that in fluence was absolute or provincial.13

13
The entire sugya is analyzed by Kocku von Stuckrad, Das Ringen um die Astrologie: Jiidische und christlichechristliche Beitrdge
zum antiken Zeitverstandnis (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2000) 460-80 (and more briefly in his summary article "Jewish and Christian
Astrology in Late Antiquity: A New Approach j' Numen 47 [2000] 26-28). Stuckrad concentrates on the first part of the sugya, and
is in terested in content rather than form. He therefore deals briefly with the three stories that con elude the sugya, so our analyses
complement one another nicely. This and Stuckrad's other publications are the best and most thorough treatments of astrology in
rabbinic and ancient Jewish sources.

29
The greatest 20th century scholar England produced in the 20th century, Louis Jacobs writes:14

Astrology is the belief that human destiny is determined or at least affected by the stars and planets
in the ascendancy when a person is born. The ancient Egyptian and Babylonian astronomers
studied the movements of the heavenly bodies and as a result the astrologers claimed to be able to
predict the fate of human beings born under this or that star.

The prophet Jeremiah inveighs against the people of Israel resorting to the astrologers:

-‫ֶדּ ֶר{ ַהגּוֹ ִים ַאל‬-‫ ֶאל‬,‫ב ֹכּה ָאַמר ְיהָוה‬ 2 thus saith the LORD: Learn not the way of the nations,
-‫ ִכּי‬:‫ֵתָּחתּוּ‬-‫ ַאל‬,‫ וֵּמֹאתוֹת ַהָשַּׁמ ִים‬,‫ִתְּלָמדוּ‬ and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the nations
.‫ ֵמֵהָמּה‬,‫ֵיַחתּוּ ַהגּוֹ ִים‬ are dismayed at them.
Jer 10:2

14
The Jewish Religion: A Companion, published by Oxford University Press.

30
 “Thus saith the Lord: Learn not the way of the nations, And be not dismayed at the signs of
heaven; For the nations are dismayed of them (Jeremiah 10:2).”

In the Book of Isaiah the prophet declares:

‫ָנא‬-‫; ַיַﬠְמדוּ‬Œ‫ ְבֹּרב ֲﬠָצָת ִי‬,‫יג ִנְלֵאית‬ 13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels; let
‫ ַהֹחִזים‬,‫ הברו )ֹהְבֵרי( ָשַׁמ ִים‬Œ‫ְויוִֹשׁיֻﬠ‬ now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly
‫ ֵמֲאֶשׁר‬,‫ מוִֹדִﬠים ֶלֳחָדִשׁים‬,‫ַבּכּוָֹכִבים‬ prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from the things that
.Œ‫ָיֹבאוּ ָﬠָל ִי‬ shall come upon thee.

-‫ ל ֹא‬,‫ יד ִהֵנּה ָהיוּ ְכַקשׁ ֵאשׁ ְשָׂרָפַתם‬14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them;
‫ַגֶּחֶלת‬-‫ַנְפָשׁם ִמַיּד ֶלָהָבה; ֵאין‬-‫ ַיִצּילוּ ֶאת‬they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame;
.‫ אוּר ָלֶשֶׁבת ֶנְגדּוֹ‬,‫ַלְחָמם‬ it shall not be a coal to warm at, nor a fire to sit before.
Isa 47:1

“Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels; Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the
monthly prognosticators, stand up and save thee from the things that shall come upon thee (Isaiah
47:13).”

Yet neither in these two passages nor in any other biblical passage is there an explicit prohibition
against consulting astrologers and there is certainly no denial that astrology actually works.

Before the rise of modern science, astrology was itself believed to be an exact science. It was
accepted as true by the Talmudic rabbis, for example, who debated only whether the Jewish people
are immune, in miraculous fashion, to the influence of the stars: “There is no mazal (planet and
its influence) for Israel.”

Even the medieval Jewish philosophers were not inhibited by their rationalistic approach from
believing in the power of the stars. Maimonides was an exception, but he rejected astrology on
theological grounds, that such belief was contrary to the doctrines of divine providence and human
freewill. When Maimonides was asked in a letter how he could deny the truth of astrology since
the Talmudic rabbis held to this belief, he replied that man was created with eyes in the front of
his head, not the back!

Maimonides does refer to the zodiac but only in the astronomical, not the astrological, sense. In
addition, Maimonides holds that the biblical objections to magic and divination extend to
astrology.

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Mishneh Torah, Foreign Worship and Customs of the Nations 11

It is forbidden to be an observer of times, though no act be committed, save to make known the
lies to such fools who believe them to be true speech of the wise. Moreover, he who does aught
because of the signs of astrology, and times to do his work or go on his mission on the very time,
set by the heaven-gazers, even he is striped, for it is said: "Nor observe times" (Lev. 126).12Here
a distinction must be made between an observer of times and an enchanter. See supra, Par. 7.
G. Likewise, one who deludes the eyes by performing some act alleging it to be wonderful, but in
truth makes no performance at all, even he is included among observers of time, and his
punishment is stripes.

He is followed in this by the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah, 179.1) where the ruling is given: “One
must not inquire of the astrologers and not consult lots.”

But RAMO Moses Isserles, in his gloss to this (179.2),

‫ואין נושאין נשים אלא במילוי הלבנה 'נהגו שאין מתחילין בב' ובד‬: ‫הגה ולכן נהגו ג"כ להתחיל ללמוד בר"ח כי אע"פ שאין‬
‫במה שאדם יודע שהוא כנגד המזל לא יעשה ולא יסמוך על הנס אלא שאין לחקור אחר זה משום תמים )ניחוש יש סימן )סמ"ק סימן קל"ו‬
‫תהיה )תשובת רמב"ן סימן רפ"ו( כמו שנתבאר‬:

quotes Nahmanides to the effect that one must not consult the astrologers but rely on God without
being concerned about what the future will bring.

Nevertheless, if a man knows some undertaking to be contrary to his mazal, his fate as determined
by the stars, he should take the necessary precautions and should not rely on a miracle to save
him. It follows that there has been in the past a somewhat ambivalent attitude towards astrology,
only Maimonides declaring it to be complete nonsense.

The other authorities advise strongly against actually consulting the astrologers but believe,
nonetheless, that the forecasting of horoscopes can be accurate if carried out by an expert.

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The majority of Jews today are not much affected by astrological beliefs one way or the other,
although in Yiddish parlance the expression mazel tov for “good luck” is still used, more as a
convention than as a matter of belief.

Similarly, the Yiddish term for an unfortunate, like the English “one on whom the stars do not
shine,” is shlimazal, “one without mazel.” That it is all not taken very seriously can be seen from
the old Yiddish humorous definition of the shlimiel (“the clumsy”) and the shlimazal. The former
is the man who spills the cup of tea, the latter the man who gets it on his trousers.

In modern astronomy

Astronomically, the zodiac defines a belt of space extending 9° either side of the ecliptic, within
which the orbits of the Moon and the principal planets remain.[60] It is a feature of a celestial
coordinate system centered upon the ecliptic, (the plane of the Earth's orbit and the Sun's apparent
path), by which celestial longitude is measured in degrees east of the vernal equinox (the

33
ascending intersection of the ecliptic and equator). Stars within the zodiac are subject
to occultations by the Moon and other solar system bodies. These events can be useful, for
example, to estimate the cross-sectional dimensions of a minor planet, or check a star for a close
companion.
The Sun's placement upon the vernal equinox, which occurs annually around 21 March, defines
the starting point for measurement, the first degree of which is historically known as the "first
point of Aries". The first 30° along the ecliptic is nominally designated as the zodiac sign Aries,
which no longer falls within the proximity of the constellation Aries since the effect
of precession is to move the vernal point through the backdrop of visible constellations (it is
currently located near the end of the constellation Pisces, having been within that constellation
since the 2nd century AD). The subsequent 30° of the ecliptic is nominally designated the zodiac
sign Taurus, and so on through the twelve signs of the zodiac so that each occupies 1/12th (30°)
of the zodiac's great circle. Zodiac signs have never been used to determine the boundaries of
astronomical constellations that lie in the vicinity of the zodiac, which are, and always have been,
irregular in their size and shape.15
The convention of measuring celestial longitude within individual signs was still being used in the
mid-19th century, but modern astronomy now numbers degrees of celestial longitude from 0° to
360°, rather than 0° to 30° within each sign.
The use of the zodiac as a means to determine astronomical measurement remained the main
method for defining celestial positions by Western astronomers until the Renaissance, at which
time preference moved to the equatorial coordinate system, which measures astronomical
positions by right ascension and declination rather than the ecliptic-based definitions of celestial
longitude and celestial latitude.16
The word "zodiac" is also used in reference to the zodiacal cloud of dust grains that move among
the planets, and the zodiacal light that originates from their scattering of sunlight.

15
"International Occultation Timing Association". 18 December 2017.

16
G. Rubie (1830). The British Celestial Atlas: Being a Complete Guide to the Attainment of a Practical Knowledge of the
Heavenly Bodies. Baldwin & Cradock.

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35
In Unicode, the symbols of zodiac signs are encoded in block
"Miscellaneous Symbols":

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