Pairs are unlucky (1)

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The Akkadian scientific omens were based upon a somewhat complicated system of right and left indicating either a good or bad omen, but an omen associated with the left (unlucky) side, referring to an enemy, could result in being a favourable omen. This system can be found in the Babylonian Talmud, although the parallels have not yet been fully explained or studied, namely in the system of ‘pairs’ which are considered to be lucky or unlucky in the Talmud. According to this system, any pair in unlucky, with the result, therefore, that one is advised to drink either one or three glasses of wine, but not two or four, because of the ‘pairs’. The logic beyond this system goes back to Akkadian notions of right and left, in which the left hand, for instance, is unlucky. If one begins counting with the right hand, the left hand will always be number two, and hence ‘pairs’ are unlucky. Although not expressed in the same way, the logic of pairs in talmudic lore appears to derive from Akkadian omens.

Bibliography

Mark Geller

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