Amulets

"Amulets have been used by people of many cultures as a means of warding off evil. The custom of wearing pieces of paper, parchment or metal inscribed with charms or formulas to protect the wearer is a very ancient one.  The Museum owns a number of amulets, magical charms from Jewish communities of a century or so ago, mostly from the Near East. Although Jewish communities have not generally been associated with these magical charms, they were a custom in the recent past. The rabbis rather reluctantly allowed the making of these amulets as long as the words on them and the characters named were only those named in the Bible or of authentic religious texts or actual Biblical quotes — then they felt it was permissible. The amulet pictured is from Morocco."  Source is The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art.  Link here.