The cross of the Jews is an important shrine - Judaism. Jerusalem cross - a symbol of Christians

Who can name the main sign that distinguishes Jews from other peoples? National Costume. A description of it will be presented to your attention in the article, since it is clothing that always distinguishes a Jew from the crowd.

Jews are the people of the West Semitic group, related to the Arabs and Amharts (Ethiopians). Yes, no matter how strange it may seem, Arabs and Jews, who are always at war and do not like each other, are close relatives, much like Russians and Poles.

However, religion, culture in general and clothing in particular among these peoples are not at all similar. The traditional clothing of the Jews is very colorful and distinguishes the representatives of this nation from the crowd. To people modern and far from religion - and the manner of dressing Jews is entirely based on religious ideas - it may seem ridiculous and some kind of old-fashioned, "anachronistic". What does the national costume of the Jews look like? Black frock coats, hats, belts - these items of Jewish costume have become the "calling card" of a real Jew. A little less known is the yarmulke - a round cap. However, this is not all the details of the Jewish wardrobe. What does the national costume of the Jews look like? The photo in the article shows us the image of a real Jew, dressed according to all the rules of his people.

Jewish ideology in clothes

The peoples of the Jews have their roots in ancient times. Over the centuries, they have been constantly changing, and the reason for this is the desire of the Jews to disguise themselves (after all, in many countries they were forbidden to live at all or were allowed to settle in strictly designated places) or to assimilate. The last trend appeared at the beginning of the 19th century: educated representatives of the Jewish people decided to change their traditional attire for European clothes; they began to dress in the fashion of those times - so those very long black frock coats and hats entered into Jewish life. Later, this style was "mothballed" and became one of the variants of the "traditional Jewish" attire, while in the rest of the world it went out of fashion.

But this transformation has a certain meaning - national, ideological and even religious. His principle is reflected in a common anecdote. Allegedly, at the beginning of the 19th century, one of these educated Jews approached a rabbi, supposedly the custodian of ancient piety, and, deciding to “prick” him, asked: “Rebbe, what did our forefather Abraham wear?” The rabbi calmly replied: “My son, I don’t know what Abraham wore - in a silk robe or shtreimla; but I know exactly how he chose his clothes: he looked at how non-Jews dressed, and dressed differently.

Indeed, the Jews strove to be different from all other peoples and did this with more fanaticism than all other Eastern peoples. The pagan religion of the Jews is still stubbornly refused to be called “paganism” (although, if strictly according to science, only the Jewish faith can be recognized as real “paganism”, since it practically did not undergo mixing with foreign cults).

Jewish music, cooking, behavior, clothing - all this should always be different from the surroundings, but exactly how it should look is the tenth thing. Even kashrut - a list of culinary (and not only) dogmas - many Orthodox Jews interpret only this way: "Kashrut was introduced in order to distinguish a Jew from a non-Jew." Same with cutting...

Therefore, it is not surprising that the Western European costume of the beginning of the century before last is officially considered traditional Jewish clothing today. The national costume of the Jews in Russia may seem something strange and unusual, but a different people that must be respected.

Yermolka

It's the same round hat. Jews from the former USSR are accustomed to believing that its name is derived from the Russian name Yermolai. But when they come to Israel, the locals explain to them that the hat is so called from the expression "yere malka" - "afraid of the lord." That is, wearing a yarmulke, in theory, means that its owner deeply and sacredly believes in God.

How to choose a yarmulke?

Choosing a yarmulke is not as simple a task as it seems to the uninitiated. In Israeli stores, they are sold like ordinary hats - yarmulkes of various sizes, materials, colors and styles are laid out on the shelves. However, which one the buyer chooses depends on the characteristics of his religion and mental attitude. For example, Hasidim do not recognize velvet and knitted yarmulkes. A religious Jew acquires a cap of the style worn in his community. This is also a reflection of the principles of Judaism: to outside observers, it seems to be a monolithic, uniform cult, but in fact it is divided into dozens of movements that differ in dogma, rules, clothing, etc. Relations between many movements are far from friendly.

Cape

The national costume of the Jews includes a cape. In Hebrew, it is called "talit katan" or "arbekanfes." Like the yarmulke, this is also an obligatory attribute of the Jewish costume. It is a piece of quadrangular matter with a hole for the head and four tassels (tzitzit) along the edges. The cape can be worn under clothing or worn over the top like a shirt, but the tassels are always placed over trousers. Each brush has eight threads. Here, too, there are elements characteristic of certain currents of Judaism.

The most interesting and even mysterious part is one (there may be two) threads in the brush, dyed blue. It means that the owner of this cape is Radzinsky or Izhbitsky Hasid. There is a legend about the origin of such threads. It is believed that the blue dye - "teylet" - was present on Jewish clothing in ancient times, but two thousand years ago the recipe for its preparation was lost. At the end of the 19th century, the Hasidic rabbi Gershon-Hanokh received the khalet anew, but his recipe was not recognized by the majority of the Jewish community as “the same” paint. Therefore, this tailet remained the property of only the indicated Jewish movements.

In fact, attempts to restore the ancient recipe and get thailet have been proposed by many Western and Jewish scholars since the Middle Ages. Archaeologists, who have explored the remains of ancient factories, and modern chemists have also contributed to this matter.

Tzitzit, according to religious canons, must be worn by all men who have reached the age of 13. This means coming of age (Bar Mitzvah). Wearing brushes indicates that the boy is already able to take responsibility for his actions and participate in the affairs of adults, including reading and discussing the Torah in the synagogue.

Casket and hat

The national costume of the Jews necessarily includes a headdress. Every religious Jew is required to wear a yarmulke. However, it is usually hidden under the second headdress. It can be a cap, a hat or a "casket" (aka "dashek") - an old-style cap. The latter is especially popular among Russian and Polish Jews, including Hasidim.

But the most famous traditional one is worn by Jews on weekdays. You should not think that all hats are the same: by its appearance, you can tell even more about the personality of its owner than by a passport. The size of the hat, its position on the head, the nature of the crease and other elements indicate to which stream of Judaism the owner of the hat belongs and even what social status he has.

Strimble

The shtreimble is the third type of headdress that is included in the national costume of the Jews. But it is common only among the Hasidim. Shtreimble - a cylindrical fur hat. They also have more than two dozen types. At the same time, three large groups are distinguished: the shtreimble itself - wide and low, of the correct form; Chernobyl - just low, more free form; and spodik - a very high fur hat. Shtreimble Hasidim are worn only on solemn occasions - on Shabbat, at weddings and other holidays, during a visit to the rabbi. There are also types of shrimble that are worn only by the heads of communities.

Tie and beard

There are elements of clothing that only some Jewish communities recognize. One of them is a tie. It is the prerogative of the Litvaks only. But the Hasidim hate ties fiercely; this they explain by the fact that the first act in tying a tie is to tie a knot in the shape of a cross. Everything that is connected with the cross, a zealous Jew is supposed to hate.

Another part of the "clothing" is the beard. Some Jews go clean-shaven, others trim their beards neatly, but the Hasidim do not recognize any modification of the beard at all, so they have the thickest and blackest among all Jews.

tailcoat

What else can be included in the national costume of the Jews? In some communities (for example, among the Litvaks), such an old-fashioned according to European concepts, wardrobe element as a tailcoat has been preserved. It is also black, long and has no pockets. It is interesting that the buttons on the tailcoat (and on any Jew) are fastened so that the right half covers the left - that is, from the point of view of a non-Jew, “like a woman”. Jews put on a tailcoat, as a rule, during a holiday.

What does the national costume of the Jews look like? The photos in the article clearly demonstrate to us a colorful and unusual style of clothing for a simple European. This may seem strange to many, but this is what Jews are special about. They are firm in their views and true to their customs. And these features would not interfere with every nation!

and whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me

In Christian symbolism, the cross, of course, occupies one of the most important places.

The cross became the instrument for the execution of Mashiach. On it He died a martyr's death. Was it by chance that Mashiach was executed on the Cross? Christian tradition says that this was predestined from the beginning. Some scribes even claim that the tree for the cross was planted by Lot. And others say that it was made from the bridge over which the Queen of Sheba crossed the Jordan.

We will not delve into the Christian tradition on this issue, but will try to find out whether the cross was part of the Jewish tradition, and whether there was an understanding of why the Messiah should die on the cross.

Let's start from the very beginning:

In Genesis 38, we read the story of Judah and Tamar. Desperate to wait for a levirate marriage, Tamar, disguised as a harlot, waits by the road for Judas, the son of Jacob. It so happened that Judas went to the harlot, left her a pledge, and later, could not find her to pay.

About three months passed, and they said to Judah, saying: Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has fallen into fornication, and, behold, she is pregnant from fornication. Judas said, bring her out and let her be burned.

Many different assumptions have been made by commentators to answer the question: why is Judas' sentence so harsh. In Midshrash Talpiot HaYashan, we suddenly meet this:

“In fact, Yehuda did not intend to burn Tamar. He meant to burn a brand on her face, in the form of the letter "Tav", so that everyone who met her would know that she was a harlot. And the stigma is evidence that she has already been punished. So they did with depraved women in the Arab countries. And this is the same brand with which the Holy Blessed One branded Cain, so that the oncoming one would not kill him.

Now, let's go back a little - to Cain.

The first murderer in history - the fratricide Cain - was very afraid of punishment. And the Almighty, by His mercy, promised him:

And the Lord told him that whoever kills Cain will be avenged sevenfold. And the Lord [God] made a sign to Cain, so that no one who met him would kill him.

As is often the case, the Torah uses the word "from" here, which has so many different meanings and understandings. This is a miracle, and a sign and a sign, and just a letter. But a sign can be a letter, and a letter can be a miracle! This passage is very difficult to understand, let alone translate.

Suggested possible understandings of this verse can be roughly divided into five parts:

1. The Almighty created a sign for Cain that strengthened his faith.
2. Gave him a sign in the body that would constantly strengthen his faith
3. Showed him a sign that taught him right conduct
4. Gave him a sign in the body, forcing him to do the right thing.
5. Made Cain himself a sign.

Yosef of Shoshan, in one of his letters, combines the last two points into one:

In the very heart of it he placed the letter "tav", similar to a cross. So that through this letter he does not deviate from the law either to the right or to the left. For this letter is the seal of the Most High. As they say: “The Seal of the Most High Emet (true). But in simple Kushans - contracts, this seal is placed with one letter "Tav". And the same sign draws on the foreheads of the righteous, which is also an abbreviation for "met" - "died." And having this seal on himself, he could be rewarded with the highest direct direction from above, blessed by Him, but he did not stand in this either.

A small digression: a few words about the alphabet

If the reader attended the ulpan, and even if he went to the yeshiva for serious study, he will still be surprised that the letter "TAV" can somehow be associated with the cross.

Well, here it is the letter TAB:

Maybe it will remind someone of a gallows with a very ancient rope, but certainly not a cross!

And here the point is that the Jews did not always use the alphabet that they use today.

When the biblical heroes traveled the biblical land, they used a different alphabet. Today it is called the "Paleo-Hebrew alphabet" or the ancient Hebrew script. And the letter "Tav" looked like this:

And this is quite a cross. And that's where we end our digression to the alphabet.

Subtotals

We were able to see that the cross is not a symbol alien to the Jewish tradition. It can be a seal of sin on a person's face, but it can also be a "compass" in the spiritual life. Encouraged by this, we will try to take a few more steps to better understand the use of the cross and its meaning.

Consider the Anointing of the Priests

This is how the Almighty commands Moses to anoint Aaron for the priesthood:

And take the [sacred] garments, and clothe Aaron in a tunic and in a tunic, in an ephod and in a breastplate, and gird him according to the ephod; and put a kidar on his head and fasten the holy diadem on the kidar and take the anointing oil and put it on his head and anoint him (Shemot 29)

For us, in this whole story, it will now be important to focus on the anointing - “and anoint” Rashi - one of the most authoritative commentators on the Talmud and Torah, relying on the Talmud, explains this verse as follows:

He will write the Greek letter "Chi" on his forehead.

Since Rashi's contemporaries are not familiar with the Greek alphabet, in some editions of the Talmud this letter was drawn as χ or simply as X.

In both spellings, the letter resembles the Paleo-Hebrew "tav" already mentioned above. But Rashi obviously did not want to get into a discussion about changing alphabets. But just 400 years later, with Rabbi Moshe Basol, we find an interesting interpretation.

I saw in one manuscript: the priest is anointed, anointed with the letter "tav", in order, like Yitzhak, to carry his cross to the crucifixion.

But not a personal cross, but a common one for the entire priesthood. The cross on the forehead is the anointing, and the Levites, at the right time, will gather a cross for the anointed one, on which he will ascend, as in a tabernacle. So the priest anointed with oil will anoint the cross with his own blood. This is the sprout of our deliverance. The priest is “mashiach” (anointed), read (moshech) attracting, as it is said: Draw me, we will run after you. Carrying away one, it will carry away the whole people, to serve in the Land of our Redemption. And there we will know what is anointed each of us and what is the judgment for us, And what a seal the truth has put on us. How about this in the prophet: pass through the middle of the city

I apologize for such a long quote. Rabbi Moshe tells us several important things at once:

- anointing Cohen with the letter "tav", implies anointing with the cross
- this is reminiscent of Yitzhak, who took and carried the wood for the altar - the midrash says this: like a crucified man, carrying a beam for crucifixion
— the priest dies on this cross and invites us to do it.

The shedding of his blood is the beginning of our deliverance
- We can have a different court, according to the prophet.

Before we try to understand everything, or get completely confused, let's turn to the Prophet:

And the Lord said to him: go through the middle of the city, in the middle of Jerusalem, and on the foreheads of the people who mourn, sighing for all the abominations that are committed among it, make a sign (draw a tav). And to those he said in my ear: follow him through the city and strike; let not your eye pity, and do not spare; Beat the old man, the young man, the maiden, and the child, and the woman to death, but do not touch a single person who has a mark on him, and start from My sanctuary. And they began with the elders who were in front of the house. And he said to them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain, and go out. And they went out and began to kill in the city. (Ezek 9)

Another digression, for those who still do not understand:

The Seal of the Almighty is EMET. It is written in letters אמת

Let's look at the very first verse of the Torah.

ברשית ברא אלהים

I specifically highlighted the last letters in the first three words, "In the beginning God created." The same three letters as in the word EMET, but in a slightly different order. In the second chapter everything is already fixed

of his works which he did.

ברא אלהים לעשות

Here the letters in the word EMET are already in the correct order. Because man came into the world, and God foresaw beforehand man to advance towards the correction of the world. It is a human task to make the world a world of truth. So that the Almighty could stamp “EMET” on our joint work with him.

And from all this

The letter tav, which both symbolizes the cross and is it, began to denote the end of correction, or the end of one of the stages of correction:

Cain got the seal like a condemned sinner

Tamar almost got the same seal.

Those in Jerusalem who mourned the city received an ink seal

Those who did not mourn - a seal of blood

The cross may be the place where the priest dies for the redemption of the people.

Those who want to follow him must also take up the cross.

SUMMARIZING

In Jewish symbolism, the cross existed as a symbol long before the arrival of the Messiah. Therefore, the Teacher's call to "take up the cross and follow it" is also understandable to the disciples. And, although many of the images cannot be completely disassembled, at least within the framework of this article, it becomes clear that the cross and the instrument of reproofing us and the beginning of our salvation.

IUnderstandthat something is still unclear.

Don't worry, that's how it should be. Jewish symbolism is very complex and does not immediately let everyone inside. But you can befriend him.

Well, so as not to end on the incomprehensible

Remember the bearded joke from the bathhouse: “You, Moshe, either take off your cross or put on your underpants”?

It's been out of date for a long time! Want to see an Orthodox rabbi with a cross? And the chief rabbi of Israel with a cross? - yes, please:

This is the very first of the chief rabbis of Israel, Rabbi Yaakov Meir (bless his memory). He is not a Christian, but he wears cross-shaped awards and no one throws stones.)

Asks Lyudmila
Answered by Alexander Dulger, 04/20/2011

Ludmila writes: Hello! What kind of cross should be worn - the one that they put on at Baptism or buy another one? They just say that a baptized person should hang near the baby's bed so that he does not get lost or broken. And the other to dedicate and wear. Is it so?

Peace be with you, sister Lyudmila!

On this site, we answer questions only according to the teachings of the Bible. The Bible teaches that a believer should carry the cross of Christ exclusively in his heart.

Wearing the symbol of the crucifixion of Christ the Savior on the neck or in some other place is not a biblical teaching, but a human tradition, a church custom.

Also, nowhere in the Bible is it mentioned that crosses were given to those who are baptized at baptism. This is not found either in the description of the life of the apostles, or in the description of the life of the first Christians.

As an Orthodox Christian, you can of course wear a cross as a symbol of your faith or a symbol of your church. For example, many Jews wear the Star of David around their necks as a symbol of their faith and nationality. But a symbol is just a symbol. There is no mystery or holiness or hidden power in it. Therefore, you lose it or not - it does not matter. Buy another symbol.

If someone tells you that the pectoral cross protects the believer from the forces of darkness, evil spirits, attacks of Satan, etc. - do not believe it! Such words are not only not a biblical teaching, they are real occultism. In paganism, this is called a "charm" - a talisman that protects the wearer from evil spirits.
Talismans of every kind are the lot of pagan idolaters. There is nothing like it in the Bible. Believers are protected by God and He does it directly, and not through some kind of talismans and "holy" objects.

You can find other answers about crosses and crosses in our section

Sincerely,
Alexander

Read more on the topic "Cross":

Jerusalem is a favorite place of believers all over the world. Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the Holy Land to bow to holy places, pray for the health of their loved ones, pray for sins, and simply visit the place where Jesus Christ was two millennia ago. There are a lot of iconic places and shrines in Jerusalem that gather people from all over the world around them. They all hope to beg forgiveness for their mistakes and receive the blessing of the Lord.

The most important place for worship is the site which was once rich in holy places, but this is the main one. The church was built by King Solomon, but its history is rather tragic. She suffered either from conquerors or from fires. The First Temple was destroyed to the ground, but soon the Second Temple was built in its place. The erected building was significantly inferior in beauty to the original building, but still revered by all believers. The rebuilt shrine was burned to the ground during the Jewish War. All that remains to this day is a wall to which believers converge to ask for help from the Lord.

Having visited the Holy Land, one cannot return home empty-handed. Here, at every step, a huge number of souvenirs are offered: icons, crosses, bracelets, key rings, rosaries, red threads, Hanukkahs and much more. But tourists are most interested in the Jerusalem cross. You can buy a cross made of gold or other metal. It will become a real amulet and talisman, protecting its owner from harm.

The Jerusalem cross consists of one large cross and four small ones. There are several designations for it. According to one of them, it symbolizes Jesus Christ and his four apostles who wrote the four Gospels. There is an assumption that this symbol refers to Jesus himself and the four wounds he received during the crucifixion. There is also a third version, according to which the Jerusalem cross is a symbol of the crucifixion and four nails found in the Holy Land.

Very often this symbol is confused with the cross of the crusaders, but they are completely different. The symbol of the crusaders looks like a red equilateral cross on a white background. It was worn in front of everyone. It is believed that the Jerusalem cross is a sign of the tomb of Jesus. This order still exists today. He cooperates with the Catholic Church, remains faithful to the Pope, promotes the spread and strengthening of the Catholic faith.

The Jerusalem cross is used not only as an ornament. It is very often seen on the covers on the altar. It is also depicted on the flag of Georgia. Although this symbol is one, there are several modifications of it, which are symbols of various spiritual and military-monastic orders, including the Order of the Holy Sepulcher and the Order of the Templars (Temple of Solomon).

This cross is considered to be a symbol of the first Christians, therefore it contributes to the unification of all Christian churches. Maybe that's why he is depicted as a mosaic on the tombstone of the leader of the Civil Defense group, Yegor Letov. He revered this symbol, calling it It is generally accepted that the Jerusalem Cross protects from adversity, bestows peace. And many more European award orders have this form. Perhaps such a tradition has come down to us since the time of the Crusades, when knights returned from the East with such distinctive signs.

Now it has become very fashionable to tie a red thread on the wrist. Some say that this is the most powerful amulet from the evil eye, others say that it helps bodily ailments, others know for sure that this belongs to the teachings of Kabbalah. Celebrities and representatives of show business are almost all tied with this thread, even politicians of the most important level are also not shy about wearing it, let alone ordinary people who, looking at their idols, also tie it on their arm. Let's see what this "talisman" is fraught with?

The red thread is by no means a harmless amulet - it is a Jewish Kabbalistic talisman in the form of a red woolen thread that is tied around the wrist of the left hand. It is recommended that the thread be tied by a loved one and be sure to make seven knots, saying a special prayer. It is also important that the thread was bought with money, and not woven with one's own hands.

It is assumed that this talisman can protect against envy and the evil eye. At the beginning of the 21st century, the red thread gained popularity among the stars of American show business (Britney Spears, Madonna) and began to symbolize the passion for Kabbalah. This hobby has also reached Russia.

According to the beliefs of Kabbalists, a red woolen thread tied around the wrist by a close relative or lover is the strongest amulet against the evil eye and human envy. Kabbalists believe that negative energy enters the body and aura of a person through the left hand. By tying the amulet on your left wrist, you scare away all the evil that people and supernatural beings send you. For followers of Kabbalah, this custom means a lot, they wear only strings on their wrists brought from sacred places.

There is an even more incredible idea about this talisman. Kabbalists came up with the idea that this thread came from the Old Testament Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, that, it turns out, when she prayed to God for the gift of children, an angel appeared to her and indicated the solution to the problem - the red thread. And that later, having received this thread from the angel, Rachel solved all her problems, she gave birth to two sons to Jacob.

It is worth mentioning right away that these are all inventions of the Kabbalists. There is absolutely nothing of the kind in the Old Testament. The birth of children to Jacob was carried out by the Providence of God, and Rachel gave birth when God remembered her and opened her womb - "And God remembered Rachel, and God heard her, and opened her womb." (Gen. 30:22). However, this lie about Rachel and the red thread is planted by Kabbalists in every possible way to this day in order to make this “tradition” super-ancient.

Moreover, the Kabbalistic thread has several colors besides red. It can be blue, green, gold, pink, etc. And all of them are "responsible" for their well-being - health, wisdom, wealth, etc. It is noteworthy that, as mentioned above, in order for this thread to "work" - it must be bought for money. If you take an ordinary woolen thread and tie it - such a talisman is not quoted.

Who needs it? It is worth noting that the head of the Kabbalah Center, Rabbi Philip Berg, is a smart entrepreneur who does not miss a single opportunity to earn money. Therefore, the Los Angeles Kabbalah Center is a powerful trading enterprise. They take money for everything. The introductory course alone costs $250.

But the biggest business is done in the Kabbalah souvenir shop (as you know, Kabbalists are adherents of all kinds of symbols and numerology). There is a lot of "sacred" rubbish here. And the famous woolen threads, which allegedly protect from the evil eye, are bought up best of all. For one thread, you can lay out up to $ 30. And although the religious organization itself, with its 50 centers around the world, earning tens of millions of dollars, is considered non-profit, it is registered as a charity and is not taxed. As they say, nothing personal, just business.

Millions of people buy red threads as a talisman and become adherents of the teachings of Kabbalah without realizing it. Only a small part of the bearers of the red thread wears it precisely because they firmly believe in Kabbalah and want to follow this teaching with all their heart.
But if venerable Jews and ordinary people, non-Christians, seek their happiness and protection in an ordinary piece of red woolen thread, then how to understand Christians who are baptized in the Name of the Lord and also wear a cross around their necks?

Why do Christians need some other amulet or talisman, if the Lord has given us the Greatest Weapon against Satan - this is the CROSS. Know that if a person, being a Christian, dares to put on his body a Kabbalistic symbol, he betrays the Cross, he betrays the Lord himself, and in the name of what? In the name of wealth, glory, honor, mammon... A person becomes a servant of Satan, and the red thread is his hallmark. Many people falsely think that the red thread helps to regain lost health and protect against the evil eye. But how, tell me, can a satanic symbol protect against Satan? Unfortunately, no one thinks about it.

Some parents do not hesitate to even put red threads on newborn babies, supposedly protecting them from the evil eye, but in fact, entrusting them to demonic hands. At present, advertising is working in the hands of Kabbalists. The whole show business, tied with these threads, carries the propaganda of Kabbalah. Young people choose a thread instead of a cross, because "it's fashionable, that's how everyone wears it now."

The cross around the neck has ceased to be a saving tool for people, it often hangs for decoration, because it does not even have a Crucifix on itself, instead - pebbles and patterns. But the Jewish Kabbalistic thread, in their opinion, saves from the evil eye, envy and gives wealth and wisdom. This is another apostasy from God, another opposition to Him. Why then should one be surprised when punishment for such apostasy comes?

Diseases, wars, natural disasters - all this is a punishment from above for our admonition. And how the devil rejoices, seeing the trampling of the Cross of the Lord, which people neglect. After all, only the Cross can defeat the devil, and the Lord gave it to us for salvation. However, a person prefers to look for some other means of dealing with negativity.

Wake up, people!
Let God arise, and scatter against Him,
and let those who hate him flee from his presence.
As the smoke disappears, let them disappear;
like wax melts from the face of fire, so let demons perish
on behalf of those who love God and sign the sign of the cross,
and in the joy of those who say: Rejoice,
Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord,
drive away demons by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, crucified on you,
who descended into hell and corrected the strength of the devil,
and who gave us His Honorable Cross to you
to drive away every adversary.
O Most Honorable and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord!
Help me with the Holy Lady Virgin Mother of God
and with all the saints forever.
Amen.