The Golem as Presented in Jewish Literature

One of the most predominant pieces of literature involving a golem is centered around the Rabbi Judah Loew the Maharal, a resident of Prague in the sixteenth century.

In his story, Rabbi Judah is said to have formed a golem in defense of the Prague ghetto of Josefov from, you guessed it, Anti-Semitic attacks. This story was first printed in 1847, and appeared in a collection of Jewish stories which was called Galerie der Sippurim. The collection was published by a resident of Prague, Wolf Pashceles. Wolf was an Austrian Jewish publisher, born May 11, 1814 in Prague, where he died November 22, 1857. Approximately sixty years after it’s appearance in Galerie der Sippurim, the story of Rabbi Judah and his golem was retold in a fictional account by Yudl Rosenberg.

Now, as the legend goes, the Emperor commanded that all those of Jewish descent in Prague were to either be, expelled, or killed, each story having a different version of the two edicts. Using clay from the banks of the Vltava, a river in Prague, Rabbi Judah constructed a golem in the manner prescribed in rituals. Then, by reciting special Hebrew incantations, he brought the golem to life. Rabbi Judah’s original intention for the Golem, to protect the Jewish community from harm, was soon forgotten, though. As the golem increased in size, it’s level of violence increased as well. Soon, the golem was on a rampage, not content to simple protect it’s Jewish creators, but also now slaughtering the non-Jews, otherwise known as Gentiles. These actions spread a fear of the golem throughout Prague. Some accounts of the story even go so far as to say that this construct not only killed the Gentiles, but turned on Rabbi Judah, attacking him. Also, some accounts claim the golem attached not only Judah, but the rest of the Jewish community as well.

Now, faced with the inhuman strength, and terrifying violence the golem promised, the Emperor folds. Fearing for his people, and most likely himself as well, the emperor begs Rabbi Judah to destroy the golem, promising him the persecution of the Jewish community will end. Accepting the offer, Rabbi Judah went about putting the golem out of commission.

In it’s creation, the Rabbi Judah had enscribed the word ‘ Emet ‘ ( Truth ) into it’s forhead. Removing the first letter, he changed the word to ‘ Met ‘ ( Death ), thereby deactivating the golem.