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Can I Say ‘Mazel Tov’ to My Pregnant Jewish Friend?

JL;DR SUMMARY Many Jews avoid saying "mazel tov" to pregnant women due to the belief in the evil eye, which suggests that undue attention could bring misfortune. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish CustomsJewish LawPregnancyEvil EyeMazel TovJewish SuperstitionCommunity PracticesB'shaah TovahPregnancy TraditionsPregnancy Etiquette

Places mentioned

Israel
"If youve travelled in Jewish circles, or if youve seen pregnancy announcements of Jewish people online before, you may have noticed that people say bshaah tovah."

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Cairo Item ID 86446
Cairo Source ID 33
Retrieved 2026-06-30 05:31:08 UTC
Curated 2026-06-30 08:30:47 UTC