|What Is the Purpose of the Kabbalah Red String?| Followers of
the mystical Judaic tradition Kabbalah often believe that
wearing a red string tied around the left wrist will ward off
the evil eye. According to Kabbalah teachings, the talisman
works as a "spiritual vaccination": the red string, being the
color of danger, will shield the wearer against danger and
negativity. Before Kabbalah red string is sold to followers, it
is wound around the tomb of Rachel, a Biblical matriarch whose
motherly protection becomes part of the red string's power. Many
cultures have used a red string, ribbon, or cloth as a
ritualistic talisman of protection, including the ancient
Greeks, Egyptians and Chinese; red string also appears in the
folk customs of Ireland, Romania and India. Scholar Elly Teman
identifies three elements that make the red string such a
powerful cross-cultural symbol: the knotting of the thread,
symbolizing binding and closure; the circularity of the string,
symbolizing sacredness and protection; and the s