Alone and Unobserved

There is a popular Jewish tale of a rabbi in the Old World who created a golem by forming dirt into the shape of a man and then writing the Hebrew word for “truth” on its forehead. When it ran amok, he took away its unnatural life by striking out one of the letters, transforming the word into the Hebrew word for “death.”

Of course making a golem isn’t as simple as in the story. A typical recipe takes an entire year to prepare, and involves mixing clay with semen in the spring, adding blood in the summer, saliva in the fall and tears in the winter. (Some preparations call for earwax instead of tears.) Once spring comes again, the clay is formed into the shape of a man and is wakened by drawing a series of symbols on various parts of the golem’s body, with the exact number, sequence and placement of the symbols varying widely with the practitioner. Some tales speak of a woman or comely youth awakening the golem by kissing it (which may be a euphemism for some other act), after which it views its awakener as its mother and its creator/shaper as its father.

Creating golems should be left to skilled practitioners, and, due to its crude nature, their production should not be discussed in polite company or in front of women or children.

Care must be taken with golems. They are childlike when first awakened but they learn quickly, and they are very strong and quick. Golems are frequently prone to bouts of existential angst that sometimes lead to violent or profane outbursts. Golems have no souls, but this is no excuse for making them suffer, or allowing them to blaspheme. Appropriate—but not cruel!—punishments should be devised to help the golem to learn proper behavior.

If a golem attends your child’s school, this is a good opportunity to teach your child golem-human relations. Golems are not truly alive, and are cunning and sly instead of intelligent, but they are diligent and dutiful, which are good traits for your child to imitate. Golems have no feelings, but children should not be allowed to call them names, as children who torment golems often end up being bullies to other children and turn out vicious when they grow up.

Golems are filthy, since they are made of dirt and bodily fluids. They should not be allowed to prepare food or care for the sick. A few golems are made of wood. Such golems should be sanded and finished so they do not splinter and cause harm.

Anatomically correct golems should be made to wear clothing, even if it is just a rough sack.

No golem will ever be a real boy, and it is not cruel to remind golems of this on occasion.