mazalot print

 11 in x 14 in 

Artwork by Alexandra Pettinato. 

Due to the high volume of orders, please allow up to 6 weeks to ship. These will NOT ship before Hanukkah.

BEST FOR: Jewish Rooties

There is a rich Jewish tradition relating to stars and constellations. It’s likely that the Hebrew phrase “mazal tov” — translating to “good luck” but meaning “congratulations” — has its origins in ancient Jewish beliefs in astrology.

There are multiple passages in the Torah and Talmud that make reference to constellations providing both good luck and misfortune. The Torah prohibits against idolatry, and, as such, Jewish authorities have long distinguished between observing celestial bodies to understand their influences on human beings, which is permitted, as opposed to worshipping the stars, which is not permitted.

There is a Kabbalistic practice of astrology, known as “mazalot.” It can be used to document and interpret a person’s birth chart to understand it through a Kabbalistic lens. Kabbalistic astrology differs from mainstream astrology in a variety of ways; for example, Kabbalistic astrologers observe the planets not to see how they influence daily activities, but instead, to understand how they relate to each sephira (“emanations”) in the Tree of Life.

It’s likely that the Hebrew phrase “mazal tov” — translating to “good luck” but meaning “congratulations” — has its origins in ancient Jewish beliefs in astrology.