Are Talismans Truly Effective or Not?

As the month of Iyar approaches, although this year we might not be able to visit the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, we will certainly observe Lag BaOmer in some way, perhaps at the tomb of Shimon the Righteous. Often during the memorial of righteous individuals, we encounter talismans attributed with various powers.

How should we approach this?

We don't have a definitive answer. It is interesting to note that, already in the Mishna in Tractate Shabbat, it is mentioned that it is permitted for a sick person to go out on Shabbat with a talisman made by an expert, which indicates, according to the sages, that the talisman can help and protect him, and therefore it is permitted to go out with it.

However, Maimonides explains that the reason is not that the talisman truly works. According to him, all talismans have no real effect. The reason they allowed him to go out with the talisman is purely psychological. Since he believes the talisman will help him, as soon as he wears it, he feels better.

In contrast, the Vilna Gaon challenged Maimonides, believing that according to the sages, the talisman indeed helps and may heal or protect, but of course not everyone who writes something on parchment is creating an effective talisman—you need to know and understand the field to create a talisman that works.

Rabbi Yechezkel Landau of Prague, known as the "Noda B'Yehuda," shared Maimonides' view that talismans have no real efficacy, contrasting with his predecessor in Prague, Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz, who did write talismans.

Yet one day an unfortunate woman came to the "Noda B'Yehuda" in tears. Her husband was sick, and she pleaded with him to write a talisman. Though the rabbi did not believe in talismans, he could not send this distressed woman away empty-handed. So what did he do?

He took a blank piece of parchment, wrapped it carefully in a pouch, and solemnly informed the woman: Here is a most unique talisman. You must keep it closed and sealed for thirty days; it is strictly forbidden to open it before then. But after thirty days, you should open it. If the writing remains on it, it is unfortunately a bad sign, but if you find that the writing has disappeared, it is a sign that your husband is recovering, with Hashem's help...