Rabbi's Musings

What Does Judaism Say About Astrology?

The skies have always been a source of fascination for people, but they have also been a source of future wisdom. Some have even worshipped the stars. While rejecting the divine element of stargazing, ancient rabbis believed in the wisdom that stars can provide. When we wish each other “mazel tov” we are saying that the person should be under the influence of “a good star”. The underlying hope was that we would leave the future to God, however, and therefore not rely on astrologers.

This hope may have been less observed in ancient days than we might think, as witnessed by the discovery of a zodiac mosaic floor in an ancient Judean synagogue. There is a story in the Talmud in which Rabbi Akiba is told by astrologers that his daughter will die on her wedding night. Akiba does not warn his daughter but he doesn’t forget the warning either. When he sees her alive and well the next morning he discovers that she was threatened by a poisonous snake but a random act of charity on her part protected her from death.

It would only be in the Middle Ages when a noted rabbi, Moses Maimonides, will explicitly reject belief in astrology. Nowadays most of us don’t rely on the stars to guide our lives. However, we still struggle with uncertainty. For Judaism, the answer is not stargazing but relying on prayer, charity, and moral behavior; they are not insurance policies but hopeful steps in making the world a better place.