Editing Golem (section)

===The classic narrative: The Golem of Prague===
[[File:Rabbi Löw Saloun.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Rabbi Loew]] statue at the New City Hall of Prague]]
[[File:Old_New_Synagogue-back.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Old New Synagogue]] of [[Prague]] with the rungs of the ladder to the attic on the wall. In the legend, the Golem was in the loft]]
[[File:Ústěk Jewish museum.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Úštěk Synagogue]] with a statue of a Golem in [[Úštěk]]]]
[[File:Golem by Philippe Semeria.jpg|thumb|upright|Illustration by Philippe Semeria, 2009. The Hebrew word {{Langx|he|אמת|4=truth|label=none}}, is inscribed on the golem's forehead.]]

The most famous golem narrative involves [[Judah Loew ben Bezalel]], the late 16th-century rabbi of Prague, also known as the Maharal, who reportedly "created a golem out of clay from the banks of the [[Vltava River]] and brought it to life through rituals and Hebrew incantations to defend the Prague [[ghetto]] from [[antisemitic]] attacks and [[pogrom]]s".<ref>Green, Kayla. [http://www.momentmag.com/the-golem-in-the-attic/ "The Golem in the Attic"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825231615/http://www.momentmag.com/the-golem-in-the-attic/ |date=25 August 2017 }} ''Moment''. 1 February 2011. 25 August 2017.</ref><ref name="newlife">{{cite news|first=Dan|last=Bilefsky|author-link=Dan Bilefsky|title=Hard Times Give New Life to Prague's Golem|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/world/europe/11golem.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=10 May 2009|access-date=19 March 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509123841/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/world/europe/11golem.html|archive-date=9 May 2013}}</ref> Depending on the version of the legend, the Jews in Prague were to be either expelled or killed under the rule of [[Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor|Rudolf II, the Holy Roman Emperor]]. The Golem was called Josef and was known as Yossele. He was said to be able to make himself invisible and summon spirits from the dead.<ref name="newlife" /> Rabbi Loew deactivated the Golem on Friday evenings by removing the ''shem'' before the Sabbath (Saturday) began,<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" /> so as to let it rest on Sabbath.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" />

One Friday evening, Rabbi Loew forgot to remove the ''shem'', and feared that the Golem would desecrate the Sabbath.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" /> A different story tells of a golem that fell in love, and when rejected, became the violent monster seen in most accounts. Some versions have the golem eventually going on a murderous rampage.<ref name="newlife" /> The rabbi then managed to pull the ''shem'' from his mouth and immobilize him<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" /> in front of the synagogue, whereupon the golem fell in pieces.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" /> The Golem's body was stored in the attic ''[[genizah]]'' of the [[Old New Synagogue]],<ref name="newlife" /> where it would be restored to life again if needed.<ref name="Legend">{{cite web|url=http://www.applet-magic.com/golem.htm|title=The Golem Legend|work=applet-magic.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102224246/http://www.applet-magic.com/golem.htm|archive-date=2 January 2013}}</ref>

Rabbi Loew then forbade anyone except his successors from going into the attic. Rabbi [[Yechezkel Landau]], a successor of Rabbi Loew, reportedly wanted to go up the steps to the attic when he was [[Chief Rabbi|Chief Rabbi of Prague]] to verify the tradition. Rabbi Landau fasted and immersed himself in a [[mikveh]], wrapped himself in [[Tefillin|phylacteries]] and a prayer-shawl and started ascending the steps. At the top of the steps, he hesitated and then came immediately back down, trembling and frightened. He then re-enacted Rabbi Loew's original warning.<ref>{{cite book |last=Winkler |first=Gershon |author-link=Gershon Winkler |date=1980 |title=The Golem of Prague |location=New York |publisher=Judaica Press |pages=60–63 |isbn=0-910818-24-X}}</ref>

According to legend, the body of Rabbi Loew's Golem still lies in the synagogue's attic.<ref name="jewishencyclopedia" /><ref name="newlife" /> When the attic was renovated in 1883, no evidence of the Golem was found.<ref>{{cite book |publisher=Time-Life |title=Mysteries of the Unknown: Inside the World of the Strange and Unexplained |date=16 September 2014 |isbn=978-1618933522}}</ref> Some versions of the tale state that the Golem was stolen from the ''genizah'' and entombed in a graveyard in [[Žižkov|Prague's Žižkov district]], where the [[Žižkov Television Tower]] now stands. A recent legend tells of a [[Nazi]] agent ascending to the synagogue attic, dying under suspicious circumstances thereafter.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee-Parritz |first=Oren |title=The Golem Lives On |url=http://www.jewishpost.com/news/The-golem-Lives-On.html |publisher=jewishpost.com |access-date=12 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100901092722/http://www.jewishpost.com/news/The-Golem-Lives-On.html |archive-date=1 September 2010 }}</ref> The attic is not open to the general public.<ref>[http://atlasobscura.com/place/old-new-synagogue Old New Synagogue located in Praha, Czech Republic|Atlas Obscura|Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations] {{webarchive|url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110829001745/http://atlasobscura.com/place/old-new-synagogue |date=29 August 2011 }}. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved on 23 September 2011.</ref>

Some [[Orthodox Jews]] believe that the Maharal did actually create a golem. The evidence for this belief has been analyzed from an Orthodox Jewish perspective by Shnayer Z. Leiman.<ref name="leiman">Leiman, S. Z., [http://seforim.blogspot.com/2010/05/golem-of-prague-in-recent-rabbinic.html ''The Golem of Prague in Recent Rabbinic Literature''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924212735/http://seforim.blogspot.com/2010/05/golem-of-prague-in-recent-rabbinic.html |date=24 September 2011 }}</ref><ref name="tradition" />