Protective amulet plaque for the parturient woman 'Ben Porat Yossef' from North Africa

This protective sheet was placed beside the parturient woman and the newborn during the vulnerable period of lying-in, and bears the verse 'Ben Porat Yossef' (Genesis 49), renowned for its apotropaic virtue. Birth and the days that followed were surrounded by protective practices designed to ward off evil spirits, and in particular the figure of Lilith, reputed to threaten mothers and infants. The North African tradition combined this verse with divine names and the motif of the protective hand (hamsa), uniting sacred text and symbol. An object of popular magico-religious culture, it illustrates the beliefs surrounding maternity in Maghrebi Judaism.