Please Help My Daughter With Her Homework

Please help my oldest dd with her English homework and answer the following questions. She asked me to put this up here. (There aren't too many pple around her to ask, so she asked me to send her survey around the world):
1. Are you superstitious?
2 If so, how does it affect your daily life?
3. If not, do you think all superstitions are silly?
4. Do you think any of these lucky charms or amulets are based on Torah?
5. If you are superstitious, which superstitions do you follow?
6. Is the whole idea of superstition kefirah?
7. Do you think there's a connection between superstition and hashgacha protis?
8. Do you have a short story on hashgacha protis (a few lines)?

Silver Member Joined: Sep 02 2008 Posts: 908

OK, I'll bite-- I am superstitious. I feel my superstitions are related to religion. For example, I would never not cover all my hair bcz. I'm scared that G-d would punish me. I don't have typical superstitions like not stepping on cracks etc. but my yirat shamayim is definitely more yirah than ahava-- I guess I should work on it, but that's where I've been as an FFB all my life.

1. Are you superstitious?
Emotionally, yes, intellectually I think it is silly.
2 If so, how does it affect your daily life?
Oh, just that I get upset by some thoughts or something, or not saying something because it might "jinx" me.

3. If not, do you think all superstitions are silly?
actually yes, but sometimes I act on my emotions.

4. Do you think any of these lucky charms or amulets are based on Torah?
NO.
5. If you are superstitious, which superstitions do you follow?
Not saying the baby's name till after it is named, saying bli ayin harah, that sort of stuff.

6. Is the whole idea of superstition kefirah?
Oy, don't know that word, but I'm guessing kineged Torah? If so yes.

7. Do you think there's a connection between superstition and hashgacha protis?
Absolutely.

8. Do you have a short story on hashgacha protis (a few lines)?
This just happened recently, before the fast on Tisha b'av. I had taken the rice off the plata and dh was to put it away, but he forgot. Came down from my nap (this was Shabbat) and saw the rice off but not in the fridge. We were planning on eating it later, so I put it back on the plata, realized I had put it on too early but decided to leave it there. A friend came by unexpected and realized she had nothing to eat, and hadn't eaten that much yet, for before the fast...and there was the food, warming up and ready for her.
_________________
But then again, I'm a dragon.
"The best way to keep a prisoner from escaping is to make sure he never knows he�s in prison."
� Fyodor Dostoevsky (via cosmic-rebirth)

first of all, I do not really consider myself superstitious...I consider superstitious things not based on Torah...

but then again, I'm taking supersititons to mean wearing red bands from Kever Ruchel, and similar practices...so I will just get on with it and answer the questions the way I think they are being asked.
1. Are you superstitious? Yes
2 If so, how does it affect your daily life? It makes me aware that not everything is based on logic.
3. If not, do you think all superstitions are silly?
4. Do you think any of these lucky charms or amulets are based on Torah? Yes
5. If you are superstitious, which superstitions do you follow? I wear a red band from Kever Ruchel (I'm not adding more because I believe any practices based on Torah are not really superstitions.
6. Is the whole idea of superstition kefirah?
7. Do you think there's a connection between superstition and hashgacha protis? If one sees the hasgocha protis in something, then it is not superstition, it is divine providence, which is true and not false..
8. Do you have a short story on hashgacha protis (a few lines)?
I put a letter in the Igros Kodesh and received a bracha to move to Yirushalaim. I received two other brachos from the Igros to go live in Yirushalaim. I wasn't in Yirushalaim a month before I met my bashert and got married b'h..
That's when I was sure putting letters in the Igros was NOT a superstition..it is like actually receving a bracha from the Rebbe and there is truth in it.
_________________
Say, Think or Do One Thing Now to Bring Moshiach!

1. Are you superstitious? A bit
2 If so, how does it affect your daily life? Not that much except when I talk to my mother
3. If not, do you think all superstitions are silly?
4. Do you think any of these lucky charms or amulets are based on Torah? I don't think they're based on the actual Torah shebichsav specifically but many of them could have kabbalistic sources
5. If you are superstitious, which superstitions do you follow? Ayin hara with red string, not sitting at corner of table - not getting married for seven years, not stepping over a person laying down- not growing any more etc...
6. Is the whole idea of superstition kefirah? I don't think so. I think they are based on something
7. Do you think there's a connection between superstition and hashgacha protis? I don't really see it but then I am very tired and not thinking properly
8. Do you have a short story on hashgacha protis (a few lines)?
A close family member of mine had something minor on one part of his body, the doctor wanted to check its opposite and found a malignant tumor. They were able to take it all out with no chemo and he has not had problems with it since then (bli ayin hara) almost ten years ago. He had no symptoms and they never would have found it until chas vishalom too late, had it not been for this minor inconvenience on the other one.