Is Your Identity Written in the Stars?
Is Your Identity Written in the Stars?
Developed by Aiden Pink, Jewish Life Specialist, based on a program created by MH Triangle resident Sara Stahl
April 2025
OVERVIEW:
Jewish tradition has long included debates over whether people’s personalities are fixed, or whether they can change and grow. This program will explore Jewish thoughts on the zodiac and personality tests, along with programming initiated by the resident to incorporate modern versions of those tests.
MATERIALS:
- Resource sheet (below)
- Access to a program so that each person can do an astrology or personality test on their phones (examples: Co-Star, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator [MBTI], Enneagram, etc.)
- Note: For the personality tests, the “more accurate” ones sometimes require pre-registration and payment beforehand
- Snacks
PROGRAM OUTLINE:
- Intro: Discuss if participants have ever done a personality test before, and whether they felt it accurately reflected who they are
- Learn together – first in chavruta (study partners, and then come back together and discuss) about Jewish ideas about what determines someone’s personality, and whether it is set or fixed
- Each person takes their own individual personality test
- Come back together and discuss what they learned about themselves, and whether they think it is accurate, whether it is something they want to (or will be able to) change, etc.
The original Jewish personality test: The Zodiac
| Talmud, Shabbat 156a | שבת קנ״ו א׳ |
| It was written in Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi’s notebook: One who is born on the first day of the week [Sunday] will be a person, but without one thing in them. | כְּתִיב אַפִּינְקָסֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי: הַאי מַאן דִּבְחַד בְּשַׁבָּא, יְהֵי גְּבַר וְלָא חֲדָא בֵּיהּ. |
| What is it? If you say it means they are without] one good thing – Rav Ashi said: I was born on the first day of the week! Rather, it must mean that they are without one bad thing. | מַאי? אִילֵּימָא: וְלָא חַד לְטֵיבוּ, וְהָאָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי: אֲנָא בְּחַד בְּשַׁבָּא הֲוַאי! אֶלָּא לָאו חֲדָא לְבִישׁוּ, |
| Didn’t Rav Ashi say: I and Dimi bar Kakutzba were born on the first day of the week – I became in charge [of rabbis], and he became the leader of thieves! | וְהָאָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי: אֲנָא וְדִימִי בַּר קָקוֹזְתָּא הֲוֵינַן בְּחַד בְּשַׁבָּא, אֲנָא מֶלֶךְ, וְהוּא הֲוָה רֵישׁ גַּנָּבֵי! |
| Rather, [someone born on Sunday] is completely for the best or completely for the worst. What is the reason? Because light and darkness were created [on the first day of Creation]. | אֶלָּא: אִי כּוּלֵּיהּ לְטֵיבוּ, אִי כּוּלֵּיהּ לְבִישׁוּ. מַאי טַעְמָא? דְּאִיבְּרוֹ בֵּיהּ אוֹר וָחוֹשֶׁךְ. |
| One who was born on the second day of the week [Monday] will be a short-tempered person. What is the reason? Because on that day [of Creation], the waters were created. | הַאי מַאן דְּבִתְרֵי בְּשַׁבָּא יְהֵי גְּבַר רַגְזָן. מַאי טַעְמָא? מִשּׁוּם דְּאִיפְּלִיגוּ בֵּיהּ מַיָּא. |
| One who is born on the third day of the week [Tuesday] will be a rich and promiscuous person. What is the reason? Because on that day, vegetation was created. | הַאי מַאן דְּבִתְלָתָא בְּשַׁבָּא — יְהֵי גְּבַר עַתִּיר וְזַנַּאי יְהֵא. מַאי טַעְמָא? מִשּׁוּם דְּאִיבְּרוֹ בֵּיהּ עֲשָׂבִים. |
| One who is born on the fourth day of the week [Wednesday] will be a wise and enlightened person. What is the reason? Because on that day, the sun and moon were hung [in the sky]. | הַאי מַאן דִּבְאַרְבְּעָה בְּשַׁבָּא — יְהֵי גְּבַר חַכִּים וְנָהִיר. מַאי טַעְמָא? מִשּׁוּם דְּאִיתְּלוֹ בֵּיהּ מְאוֹרוֹת. |
| One who is born on the fifth day of the week [Thursday] will be a person who performs acts of kindness. What is the reason? Because on that day, the fish and the birds were created. | הַאי מַאן דִּבְחַמְשָׁה בְּשַׁבָּא — יְהֵי גְּבַר גּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים. מַאי טַעְמָא? מִשּׁוּם דְּאִיבְּרוֹ בֵּיהּ דָּגִים וְעוֹפוֹת. |
| One who is born on the sixth day of the week [Friday] will be a seeker. Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: [This means] a seeker of mitzvot. | הַאי מַאן דִּבְמַעֲלֵי שַׁבְּתָא — יְהֵי גְּבַר חַזְרָן. אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: חַזְרָן בְּמִצְוֹת. |
| One who is born on Shabbat will die on Shabbat, because their birth caused desecration of the great day of Shabbat. Rava bar Rav Sheila said: And they will be called a person of great holiness. | הַאי מַאן דִּבְשַׁבְּתָא יְהֵי — בְּשַׁבְּתָא יְמוּת, עַל דְּאַחִילוּ עֲלוֹהִי יוֹמָא רַבָּא דְּשַׁבְּתָא. אָמַר רָבָא בַּר רַב שֵׁילָא: וְקַדִּישָׁא רַבָּא יִתְקְרֵי. |
| Rabbi Chanina said: Go and tell Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi [who came up with this list]: It is not the constellation of the day that determines [a person’s character], but the constellation of the hour. | אֲמַר לְהוּ רַבִּי חֲנִינָא, פּוּקוּ אֱמַרוּ לֵיהּ לְבַר לֵיוַאי: לֹא מַזַּל יוֹם גּוֹרֵם אֶלָּא מַזַּל שָׁעָה גּוֹרֵם. |
| One who is born under the sun will be a radiant person, who will eat what belongs to them and drink what belongs to them, whose secrets will be exposed – if he steals, he will not succeed. | הַאי מַאן דִּבְחַמָּה — יְהֵי גְּבַר זִיוְתָן, יְהֵי אָכֵיל מִדִּילֵיהּ וְשָׁתֵי מִדִּילֵיהּ, וְרָזוֹהִי גַּלְיִין, אִם גָּנֵיב — לָא מַצְלַח. |
| One who is born under Venus will be a rich and promiscuous person…. | הַאי מַאן דִּבְכוֹכָב נוֹגַהּ — יְהֵי גְּבַר עַתִּיר וְזַנַּאי יְהֵי…. |
| One who is born under Mercury will be an enlightened and expert person…. | הַאי מַאן דִּבְכוֹכָב — יְהֵי גְּבַר נָהִיר וְחַכִּים… |
| One who is born under the moon will be a person who suffers pains, who builds and destroys, and destroys and builds, who eats what doesn’t belong to them and drinks what doesn’t belong to them, whose secrets are hidden – if he steals, he will succeed. | הַאי מַאן דְּבִלְבָנָה — יְהֵי גְּבַר סָבֵיל מַרְעִין, בָּנֵי וְסָתַר, סָתַר וּבָנֵי, אָכֵיל דְּלָא דִּילֵיהּ וְשָׁתֵי דְּלָא דִּילֵיהּ וְרָזוֹהִי כַּסְיִין אִם גָּנֵב — מַצְלַח. |
| One who is born under Saturn will be a person whose plans will be for nothing. And some say: Everyone’s plans about them will be for nothing. | הַאי מַאן דִּבְשַׁבְּתַאי — יְהֵי גְּבַר מַחְשְׁבָתֵיהּ בָּטְלִין. וְאִית דְּאָמְרִי: כׇּל דִּמְחַשְּׁבִין עֲלֵיהּ בָּטְלִין. |
| One who is born under Jupiter (tzedek) will be a just person (tzadkan)…. | הַאי מַאן דִּבְצֶדֶק — יְהֵי גְּבַר צִדְקָן. |
| One who is born under Mars will be a shedder of blood. | הַאי מַאן דִּבְמַאְדִּים — יְהֵי גְּבַר אָשֵׁיד דְּמָא. |
| Rav Ashi said: Either a bloodletter [doctor], or a thief, or a butcher, or a circumcizer. | אָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי: אִי אוּמָּנָא, אִי גַּנָּבָא, אִי טַבָּחָא, אִי מָהוֹלָא. |
| Rabbah said: [But] I was born under Mars!!! | אָמַר רַבָּה: אֲנָא בְּמַאְדִּים הֲוַאי. |
| Abaye said: You also punish and kill [as a judge]. | אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: מָר נָמֵי עָנֵישׁ וְקָטֵיל. |
| It was stated that Rabbi Chanina says: A constellation makes one wise and a constellation makes one wealth, and there is a constellation for the Jewish people that influences them. | אִיתְּמַר, רַבִּי חֲנִינָא אוֹמֵר: מַזָּל מַחְכִּים, מַזָּל מַעֲשִׁיר, וְיֵשׁ מַזָּל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. |
| Rabbi Yochanan said: There is no constellation that influences the Jewish people! | רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר: אֵין מַזָּל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל…. |
| …[Abraham] said before God: Master of the Universe, I looked at my astrological chart, and I am not fit to have a son. | אָמַר לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם נִסְתַּכַּלְתִּי בְּאִיצְטַגְנִינוּת שֶׁלִּי, וְאֵינִי רָאוּי לְהוֹלִיד בֵּן. |
| [God] said to him: Emerge from your astrology, as there is no constellation that influences the Jewish people. What is your thinking? Is it because Jupiter is in the west? I will restore it and establish it in the east! | אָמַר לוֹ: צֵא מֵאִיצְטַגְנִינוּת שֶׁלְּךָ, שֶׁאֵין מַזָּל לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. מַאי דַּעְתָּיךְ? דְּקָאֵי צֶדֶק בְּמַעֲרָב — מְהַדַּרְנָא וּמוֹקֵימְנָא לֵיהּ בְּמִזְרָח. |
Questions:
- What is your initial reaction to this text?
- What did you learn, and what questions do you still have?
- What did the rabbis of the Talmud (c. 70-500 CE) believe about astrology?
- What do you think Rabbi Yochanan meant by “there is no constellation that influences the Jewish people?”
- Rabbah was upset to learn about the characteristics associated with Mars. But the examples of jobs associated with Mars could be positive or negative. Is it possible to take your personality traits that might be negative or unhelpful, and channel them into something more positive or productive?
- The pro-astrology rabbis believed that people’s personalities are fixed at birth. But there are many other Jewish teachings, and even holidays, that talk about people’s ability to grow and change. Can you think of some?
Based on what you read and talked about, do you feel like your personality is fixed or fluid?