Don’t Be Superstitious

Don’t let a black cat cross your path. Don’t walk under a ladder. Step on a crack; break your mother’s back. Break a mirror, seven years of bad luck. Knock on wood.

Yikes. Do you really think that secret; invisible boogiemen are getting ready to ruin your life? Like get on the wrong side of a black cat and – blammo – the thing lurking under your stairs will convince your teacher to flunk you in math. Ridiculous.

But people worry about this crazy stuff all the time. And it is the opposite of how Judaism looks at the world.

God loves you. He gave you life as a gift. He gave you the freedom to make decisions. And he wants you to be successful. If you work hard and try your best, you may succeed.

But sometimes you fail, too. And failure is usually because of bad decisions and poor planning. People fail for other reasons, too. But they don’t fail because woobie-woobies, monsters, ghosts, or dark energy.

Black cats, broken mirrors, and cracks in the sidewalk are just that: black cats, broken mirrors, and cracks in the sidewalk. If you break a mirror – clean it up because it is dangerous to leave broken glass lying around – but don’t worry about the next seven years. The next seven years are going to be great.

And it is a Mitzvah to know this. Don’t be superstitious. Don’t get distracted by nonsense. Work hard. Try your best. God wants you to succeed. And with God on your team, you can’t lose.