Why is it that some Orthodox rabbis believe Jewish children shouldn’t read Harry Potter?
Some Orthodox rabbis oppose reading Harry Potter out of a concern that it promotes escapism, encouraging kids to think about fantasy instead of the real world. And there are some that are against a book like mine, out of a concern that it denigrates the Torah, treating it like pop fiction. But many Orthodox rabbis support Harry Potter as a way to get kids to read and to think, and are in favor of anything that can help people connect to ideas raised by Judaism. Harry learns that he is the only known survivor of the killing curse known as Avada Kedavra, one of three curses forbidden in the world of magic. How does this most unforgivable of all curses, relate to Judaism? The phrase avada kedavra is actually in Aramaic and Hebrew. In Hebrew the phrase literally means “I will destroy as I speak.” It’s the only incantation in Harry Potter that isn’t based on Greek or Latin. What’s the difference between avada kedavra and abracadabra, which is also from Aramaic? Abracadabra means “I will cre
