JEWISH MAGIC AND SUPERSTITION by Joshua Trachtenberg 1939
In the field of medicine in particular was the reputed Jewish magical skill called upon to perform miracles. According to the popular view, demons and magic were often responsible for disease, and medicine was therefore the legitimate province of the sorcerer. Jewish physicians, though by no means free from the general superstitious attitude, were among the foremost representatives of a scientific medicine in the Germanic lands. Their wide knowledge of languages, the availability of Arabic-Greek medical works in Hebrew translation, their propensity for travel and study abroad, their freedom from the Church-fostered superstition of miraculous cures, relics, and the like, these often conspired to make of them more effective practitioners than their non-Jewish competitors. Paradoxically, their scientific training, such as it was, made them superior magicians in the popular view, and every triumph of medical science enhanced the Jew's reputation for sorcery.
(יז) מְכַשֵּׁפָ֖ה לֹ֥א תְחַיֶּֽה׃
(17) You shall not let a sorceress live.
מַתְנִי׳ הַבָּנִים יוֹצְאִין בִּקְשָׁרִים וּבְנֵי מְלָכִים בְּזוֹגִין, וְכׇל אָדָם — אֶלָּא שֶׁדִּבְּרוּ חֲכָמִים בַּהוֹוֶה. גְּמָ׳ מַאי קְשָׁרִים? אָמַר אַדָּא מָרִי אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר בָּרוּךְ אָמַר רַב אָשֵׁי בַּר אָבִין אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: קִשּׁוּרֵי פוּאָה. אָמַר אַבָּיֵי, אֲמַרָה לִי אֵם: תְּלָתָא — מוֹקְמִי, חֲמִשָּׁה — מַסּוּ, שִׁבְעָה — אֲפִילּוּ לִכְשָׁפִים מְעַלּוּ. אָמַר רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב: וְהוּא דְּלָא חֲזִי לֵיהּ שִׁמְשָׁא וְסֵיהֲרָא, וְלָא חֲזִי מִיטְרָא, וְלָא שְׁמִיעַ לֵיהּ קָל בַּרְזְלָא, וְקָל תַּרְנוּגְלָא, וְקָל נִיגְרֵי. אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: נְפַל פּוּתָא בְּבֵירָא. מַאי אִירְיָא בָּנִים? אֲפִילּוּ בָּנוֹת נָמֵי! מַאי אִירְיָא קְטַנִּים? אֲפִילּוּ גְּדוֹלִים נָמֵי! אֶלָּא מַאי קְשָׁרִים — כִּי הָא דְּאָמַר אָבִין בַּר הוּנָא אָמַר רַבִּי חָמָא בַּר גּוּרְיָא: בֵּן שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ גַּעְגּוּעִין עַל אָבִיו — נוֹטֵל רְצוּעָה מִמִּנְעָל שֶׁל יָמִין וְקוֹשֵׁר לוֹ בִּשְׂמֹאלוֹ. אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: וְסִימָנָיךְ — תְּפִילִּין, וְחִילּוּפָא סַכַּנְתָּא. אָמַר אָבִין בַּר הוּנָא אָמַר רַב חָמָא בַּר גּוּרְיָא: סַחוֹפֵי כָּסָא אַטִּיבּוּרֵי בְּשַׁבְּתָא — שַׁפִּיר דָּמֵי. וְאָמַר אָבִין בַּר הוּנָא אָמַר רַב חָמָא בַּר גּוּרְיָא: מוּתָּר לָסוּךְ שֶׁמֶן וּמֶלַח בְּשַׁבָּת. כִּי הָא דְּרַב הוּנָא מִבֵּי רַב, וְרַב מִבֵּי רַבִּי חִיָּיא, וְרַבִּי חִיָּיא מִבֵּי רַבִּי, כִּי הֲווֹ מִיבַּסְּמִי מַיְיתוּ מִשְׁחָא וּמִילְחָא, וְשָׁיְיפִי לְהוּ לְגַוָּיָיתָא דִּידַיְיהוּ וְגַוָּיָיתָא דְּכַרְעַיְיהוּ, וְאָמְרִי: ״כִּי הֵיכִי דְּצָיֵל הָא מִישְׁחָא לֵיצִיל חַמְרֵיהּ דִּפְלָנְיָא בַּר פְּלָנִיתָא״. וְאִי לָא — מַיְיתֵי שִׁיעָא דְּדַנָּא וְשָׁרֵי לֵיהּ בְּמַיָּא, וְאָמַר: ״כִּי הֵיכִי דְּצָיֵל הַאי שִׁיעָא לֵיצִיל חַמְרֵיהּ דִּפְלָנְיָא בַּר פְּלָנִיתָא״. וְאָמַר אָבִין בַּר הוּנָא אָמַר רַב חָמָא בַּר גּוּרְיָא: מוּתָּר לֵחָנֵק בְּשַׁבָּת. וְאָמַר אָבִין בַּר הוּנָא אָמַר רַב חָמָא בַּר גּוּרְיָא: לַפּוֹפֵי יָנוֹקָא בְּשַׁבְּתָא — שַׁפִּיר דָּמֵי. רַב פָּפָּא מַתְנֵי ״בָּנִים״, רַב זְבִיד מַתְנֵי ״בֵּן״. רַב פָּפָּא מַתְנֵי ״בָּנִים״, וְתַרְוַיְיהוּ מַתְנֵי לְהוּ בְּאָבִין בַּר הוּנָא. רַב זְבִיד מַתְנֵי ״בֵּן״ — קַמַּיְיתָא מַתְנֵי בְּאָבִין בַּר הוּנָא, וְהַאי מַתְנֵי לַהּ בְּרַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה. דְּאָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: לַפּוֹפֵי יָנוֹקָא בְּשַׁבְּתָא — שַׁפִּיר דָּמֵי. אָמַר אַבָּיֵי, אֲמַרָה לִי אֵם: כֹּל מִנְיָינֵי — בִּשְׁמָא דְאִימָּא, וְכֹל קִטְרֵי — בִּשְׂמָאלָא. וְאָמַר אַבָּיֵי, אֲמַרָה לִי אֵם: כֹּל מִנְיָינֵי דְּמִפָּרְשִׁי — כִּדְמִפָּרְשִׁי, וּדְלָא מִפָּרְשִׁי — אַרְבְּעִין וְחַד זִימְנֵי. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: יוֹצְאִין בְּאֶבֶן תְּקוּמָה בְּשַׁבָּת. מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי מֵאִיר אָמְרוּ: אַף בְּמִשְׁקַל אֶבֶן תְּקוּמָה. וְלֹא שֶׁהִפִּילָה, אֶלָּא שֶׁמָּא תַּפִּיל. וְלֹא שֶׁעִיבְּרָה, אֶלָּא שֶׁמָּא תִּתְעַבֵּר וְתַפִּיל. אָמַר רַב יֵימַר בַּר שֶׁלֶמְיָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּאַבָּיֵי: וְהוּא דְּאִיכַּוַּון וְאִיתְּקַל. בָּעֵי אַבָּיֵי: מִשְׁקָל דְּמִשְׁקָל מַאי? תֵּיקוּ. וְאָמַר אַבָּיֵי, אֲמַרָה לִי אֵם: לְאִשָּׁתָא בַּת יוֹמָא — לִישְׁקוֹל זוּזָא חִיוּוֹרָא, וְלֵיזִיל לְמִלְחֲתָא, וְלִיתְקוֹל מַתְקָלֵיהּ מִילְחָא, וְלִצְיְירֵיהּ בַּחֲלָלָא דְבֵי צַוָּאר בְּנִירָא בַּרְקָא. וְאִי לָא — לִיתֵּיב אַפָּרָשַׁת דְּרָכִים, וְכִי חָזֵי שׁוּמְשְׁמָנָא גַּמְלָא דְּדָרֵי מִידֵּי, לִישְׁקְלֵיהּ וְלִישְׁדְּיֵיהּ בְּגוּבְתָּא דִנְחָשָׁא, וְלִיסְתְּמֵיהּ בַּאֲבָרָא, וְלִיחְתְּמֵיהּ בְּשִׁיתִּין גּוּשְׁפַּנְקֵי, וּלְבַרְזוֹלֵיהּ, וְלִידְרֵיהּ, וְלֵימָא לֵיהּ: ״טְעוּנָךְ עֲלַי וּטְעוּנַאי עֲלָךְ״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב אַחָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרַב הוּנָא לְרַב אָשֵׁי: וְדִילְמָא אִינִישׁ אַשְׁכְּחֵיהּ וְאִיפְּסִק בֵּיהּ? אֶלָּא לֵימָא לֵיהּ: ״טְעוּנַאי וּטְעוּנָךְ עֲלָךְ״. וְאִי לָא, לִישְׁקוֹל כּוּזָא חַדְתָּא, וְלֵיזִיל לְנַהְרָא, וְלֵימָא לֵיהּ: ״נַהֲרָא נַהֲרָא, אוֹזְפַן כּוּזָא דְמַיָּא לְאוֹרְחָא דְּאִיקְּלַע לִי״. וְלַיהְדַּר שָׁב זִימְנֵי עַל רֵישֵׁיהּ, וְלִשְׁדְּיֵיהּ לַאֲחוֹרֵיהּ, וְלֵימָא לֵיהּ: ״נַהֲרָא נַהֲרָא, שְׁקוֹל מַיָּא דִּיהַבְתְּ לִי, דְּאוֹרְחָא דְּאִיקְּלַע לִי בְּיוֹמֵיהּ אֲתָא וּבְיוֹמֵיהּ אֲזַל״. אָמַר רַב הוּנָא: לְאִשָּׁתָא תִּילְתָּא — לַיְיתֵי שִׁבְעָה סִילְוֵי מִשִּׁבְעָה דִּיקְלֵי, וְשִׁבְעָה צִיבֵי מִשִּׁבְעָה כְּשׁוּרֵי, וְשִׁבְעָה סִיכֵּי מִשִּׁבְעָה גְּשׁוּרֵי, וְשִׁבְעָה קִיטְמֵי מִשִּׁבְעָה תַּנּוּרֵי, וְשִׁבְעָה עַפְרֵי מִשִּׁבְעָה סֻנְרֵי, וְשִׁבְעָה כּוּפְרֵי מִשִּׁבְעָה אַרְבֵי, וְשִׁבְעָה בּוּנֵי כַּמּוֹנֵי, וְשִׁבְעָה בִּינֵי מִדִּיקְנָא דְכַלְבָּא סָבָא, וְלִצְיְירִינְהוּ בַּחֲלָלָא דְבֵי צַוְּארָא בְּנִירָא בַּרְקָא. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: לְאִשָּׁתָא צְמִירְתָּא — לִישְׁקֹל סַכִּינָא דְּכוּלֵּהּ פַּרְזְלָא, וְלֵיזִיל לְהֵיכָא דְּאִיכָּא וַורְדִּינָא, וְלִיקְטַר בֵּיהּ נִירָא בַּרְקָא. יוֹמָא קַמָּא, לִיחְרוֹק בֵּיהּ פּוּרְתָּא וְלֵימָא: ״וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ ה׳ אֵלָיו וְגוֹ׳״. לִמְחַר, לִיחְרוֹק בֵּיהּ פּוּרְתָּא וְלֵימָא: ״וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אָסֻרָה נָּא וְאֶרְאֶה״. לִמְחַר, לִיחְרוֹק בֵּיהּ פּוּרְתָּא וְלֵימָא: ״וַיַּרְא ה׳ כִּי סָר לִרְאוֹת וְגוֹ׳״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב אַחָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרָבָא לְרַב אָשֵׁי, וְלֵימָא: ״וַיֹּאמֶר אַל תִּקְרַב הֲלֹם וְגוֹ׳״? אֶלָּא לְיוֹמָא קַמָּא, לֵימָא: ״וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ ה׳ אֵלָיו וְגוֹ׳ וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה וְגוֹ׳״, וְלִמְחַר, לֵימָא: ״וַיַּרְא ה׳ כִּי סָר לִרְאוֹת״, וְלִמְחַר: ״וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ אַל תִּקְרַב הֲלֹם״. וְכִי פָּסֵק לֵיהּ, לִיתַתֵּיהּ וְלִיפְסְקֵיהּ וְלֵימָא הָכִי: ״הַסְּנֶה הַסְּנֶה! לָאו מִשּׁוּם דִּגְבִיהַתְּ מִכׇּל אִילָנֵי אַשְׁרִי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא שְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ עֲלָךְ, אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם דְּמָיְיכַתְּ מִכׇּל אִילָנֵי אַשְׁרִי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא שְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ עֲלָךְ. וְכִי הֵיכִי דַּחֲמִיתֵיהּ אִשָּׁתָא לַחֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה וַעֲרַקַת מִן קֳדָמוֹהִי, כֵּן תִּחְמֵינֵיהּ אִשָּׁתָא לִפְלוֹנִי בַּר פְּלוֹנִית וְתִיעְרוֹק מִן קֳדָמוֹהִי״. לְסִימְטָא, לֵימָא הָכִי: ״בַּז, בַּזְיָיה, מַס, מַסְיָיא, כַּס, כַּסְיָיה, שִׁרְלַאי, וַאֲמַרְלַאי, אִלֵּין מַלְאֲכֵי דְּאִישְׁתְּלַחוּ מֵאַרְעָא דִסְדוֹם וּלְאַסָּאָה שְׁחִינָא כְּאִיבִין, בְּזָךְ, בַּזַיִךְ, בַּזְבְּזִיךְ, מַסְמְסִיךְ, כַּמּוֹן, כָּמִיךְ, עֵינִיךְ בִּיךְ, עֵינִיךְ בִּיךְ, אַתְרִיךְ בִּיךְ, זַרְעִיךְ כְּקָלוּט וּכְפִרְדָּה דְּלָא פָּרָה וְלָא רָבְיָא, כָּךְ לָא תִּפְרֵה וְלָא תִּרְבֵּה בְּגוּפֵיהּ דִּפְלוֹנִי בַּר פְּלוֹנִית״. לְכִיפָּה, לֵימָא הָכִי: ״חֶרֶב שְׁלוּפָה וְקֶלַע נְטוּשָׁה לָא שְׁמֵיהּ יוֹכַב חוֹלִין מַכְאוֹבִין״. לְשֵׁידָא, לֵימָא הָכִי: ״הֲוֵית דִּפְקִיק, דִּפְקִיק הֲוֵית, לִיט תְּבִיר וּמְשׁוּמָּת בַּר טִיט בַּר טָמֵא בַּר טִינָא, כְּשַׁמְגַּז מְרִיגַז וְאִיסְטְמַאי״. לְשֵׁידָא דְּבֵית הַכִּסֵּא, לֵימָא הָכִי: ״אַקַּרְקָפֵי דַאֲרִי וְאַאוֹסֵי דְגוּרַיְיתָא אַשְׁכַּחְתּוּן לְשֵׁידַאי בַּר שְׁרִיקָא פַּנְדָּא, בְּמֵישָׁרָא דְכַרָּתֵי חֲבַטְתֵּיהּ, בְּלוֹעָא דַחֲמָרָא חֲטַרְתֵּיהּ״. וּבְנֵי מְלָכִים בְּזֹגִין. מַאן תַּנָּא? אָמַר רַבִּי אוֹשַׁעְיָא: רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן הִיא, דְּאָמַר: כׇּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי מְלָכִים הֵם. רָבָא אָמַר: בְּאָרִיג בִּכְסוּתוֹ, וְדִבְרֵי הַכֹּל. מַתְנִי׳ יוֹצְאִין בְּבֵיצַת הַחַרְגּוֹל וּבְשֵׁן שׁוּעָל וּבְמַסְמֵר מִן הַצָּלוּב, מִשּׁוּם רְפוּאָה — דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹסְרִין אַף בַּחוֹל, מִשּׁוּם דַּרְכֵי הָאֱמוֹרִי.
MISHNA: Young boys may go out on Shabbat with knots as a folk remedy and princes with bells. And any person is permitted to go out on Shabbat with those objects; however, the Sages spoke in the present, addressing situations that were prevalent. GEMARA: We learned in the mishna that young boys may go out on Shabbat with knots. The Gemara asks: What are these knots? Adda Mari said that Rav Naḥman bar Barukh said that Rav Ashi bar Avin said that Rav Yehuda said: They are garlands of the madder plant that are tied for their medicinal qualities. Abaye said: Mother, actually his foster mother, said to me about the healing properties of madder: Three garlands maintain the illness at its present state and prevent it from worsening, five garlands heal the illness, and seven are effective even against sorcery. Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: And that benefit provided by the madder plant is specifically in a case where one on whom the knots were tied does not look at the sun and the moon, and does not see rain, and hears neither the sound of clanging iron, nor the sound of the hen, nor the sound of footsteps. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: If that is the case, the remedial powers of the madder fell in a pit, i.e., if so many conditions exist, for all intents and purposes it provides no benefit at all. The Gemara asks: If these knots in the madder plant have remedial qualities, why specifically were boys mentioned in the mishna? Even girls can benefit from the cure as well. By the same token, why specifically were young boys mentioned in the mishna? Even adults can benefit from the cure as well. Rather, what are these knots? Like that which Avin bar Huna said that Rav Ḥama bar Gurya said: A son who has longings for his father and has a difficult time leaving him, the father takes a strap from the right shoe and ties it on the boy’s left arm as a talisman to help the child overcome his longings. These feelings are more common in small children and especially in boys for their fathers, as fathers were more involved in raising their sons than they were in raising their daughters. Therefore, the Sages allowed specifically young boys to go out with these knots. With regard to this practice, Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: And your mnemonic for where to tie the strap is phylacteries, which are tied by the right hand on the left arm. And the opposite, tying the strap from the left shoe onto his right arm, is dangerous because it will exacerbate his longings. On the topic of the use of various forms of healing and medicinal practices and their permissibility on Shabbat, the Gemara cites additional statements by that Sage on these topics. Avin bar Huna said that Rav Ḥama bar Gurya said: With regard to overturning an empty cup in which there had been hot water and placing it on one’s navel for healing purposes on Shabbat, he may well do so. And Avin bar Huna said that Rav Ḥama bar Gurya said: It is permissible to smear oil and salt on oneself on Shabbat. As in this case of Rav Huna, who departed from the house of Rav, and Rav, who departed from the house of Rabbi Ḥiyya, and Rabbi Ḥiyya, who departed from the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, when they were drunk, the rabbi would bring oil and salt and rub them on the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet and say: Just as this oil is clear, so let the wine of so-and-so, son of so-and-so, his mother, become clear. In other words, let them become sober. And if he could not bring oil and salt, or if they did not work, he would bring the sealing clay of a barrel and soak it in water and say: Just as this sealing clay is clear, so let the wine of so-and-so, son of so-and-so, become clear. And Avin bar Huna said that Rav Ḥama bar Gurya said: It is permitted to strangle, i.e., tightly bandage the neck of one whose vertebra was dislocated in order to reset it, on Shabbat. And Avin bar Huna said that Rav Ḥama bar Gurya said: With regard to tightly swaddling a baby born on Shabbat in order to align any limbs that may have been dislocated in birth, one may well do so. There were different versions with regard to the halakhot of Avin bar Huna. Rav Pappa taught two halakhot with regard to children in his name and Rav Zevid taught one halakha with regard to a child in his name. The Gemara explains: Rav Pappa taught two halakhot with regard to children, and he taught both of them in the name of Avin bar Huna, i.e., the halakha with regard to knots and the halakha with regard to swaddling. Rav Zevid taught one halakha with regard to a child. The first, with regard to knots, he taught in the name of Avin bar Huna. And this, with regard to swaddling, he taught in the name of Rabba bar bar Ḥana, as Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: With regard to tightly swaddling a baby on Shabbat, one may well do so. The Gemara cites additional statements said by Abaye in the name of the woman who raised him with regard to remedies. Abaye said, Mother said to me: All incantations that are repeated are intoned using the name of the mother of the one requiring the incantation, and all knots tied for the purpose of healing are tied on the left. And Abaye said, Mother said to me: All incantations for which the number of times they must be intoned is specified, one recites them as they are specified; and those for which the number of times they must be intoned is not specified, one recites them forty-one times. The Sages taught in a baraita: One may go out with a preservation stone, which prevent miscarriages, on Shabbat. They said in the name of Rabbi Meir that one may go out even with the counterweight of a preservation stone; i.e., a stone or another object that was weighed against and found equivalent to the weight of the preservation stone, which is also effective. And this leniency applies not only to a woman who miscarried in the past and is concerned that she may miscarry again; rather, it applies even to a woman who never miscarried and is concerned lest she miscarry for the first time. And it applies not only to a woman who is aware that she is pregnant; rather, it applies even if a woman suspects that she may become pregnant and miscarry. Rav Yeimar bar Shelamya said in the name of Abaye: And this applies only when he happened upon an object that was found equal to the preservation stone when he weighed it against that stone, not when one alters the object to equal the weight of the preservation stone. Abaye raised a dilemma: With regard to a counterweight to the counterweight, i.e., one who finds an object and determines its weight by weighing it against the counterweight of the preservation stone, what is its legal status? May a woman go out into the public domain with it? The Gemara concludes: Let this dilemma stand unresolved. And Abaye said, Mother said to me: To heal a fever of one day, let one take a pale, i.e., newly minted, dinar and go to the salt pools, and weigh its weight in salt against it, and let him bind the salt to the opening of the neckline of his garment with a thread made of hair. And if this remedy is not effective, let him sit at a crossroads, and when he sees a large ant carrying something, he should take the ant and place it in a copper tube, and close it with lead, and seal it with sixty seals, and shake it, and lift it, and say to it: Your burden is upon me and my burden, my fever, is upon you. Rav Aḥa, son of Rav Huna, said to Rav Ashi: And perhaps a different person already found this ant and used this remedy to end his illness. In that case, by accepting the burden of the ant, he is bringing another’s illness upon himself. Rather, let him say to the ant: My burden and your burden are upon you. And if that remedy is not effective, let him take a new jug, and go to the river, and say to it: River, river, lend me a jug of water for a guest who happened to come to me. And let him turn it around his head seven times, and pour out the water behind him, and say to it: River, river, take back the water that you gave me because the guest who happened to come to me came on its day and left on its day. Rav Huna said: For tertian fever, which afflicts one every three days, let one bring seven thorns from seven palm trees, and seven slivers from seven beams, and seven pegs from seven bridges, and seven types of ashes from seven ovens, and seven types of dust from seven door sockets, the hole in which the hinge of the door revolves, and seven types of tar from seven boats, and seven cumin seeds, and seven hairs from the beard of an old dog, and let him bind it to the opening of the neckline of his garment with a thread made of hair. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: For healing a burning fever, let one take a knife that is made entirely of iron, including the handle, and let him go to a place where there is a bush and tie a string of hair to it. On the first day, let him carve the bush a little, and recite: “And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within the bush and he looked and behold the bush was aflame in fire and the bush was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2). On the following day, let him carve the bush a little more and recite: “And Moses said: I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned” (Exodus 3:3). On the following day, let him carve the bush a little more and recite: “And the Lord saw that he turned aside to see and God called to him within the bush and said: Moses, Moses, and he said: Here I am” (Exodus 3:4). Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, said to Rav Ashi: And let him say: “And the Lord said: Do not come close, take off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). This verse is more suited to be recited as an incantation to cure a fever. Rather, on the first day, let him recite the first two verses: “And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within the bush and he looked and behold the bush was aflame in fire and the bush was not consumed,” as well as, “And Moses said: I will turn aside now and see.” And on the following day, let him recite: “And the Lord saw that he turned aside to see.” And on the following day, let him recite: “And the Lord said: Do not come close, take off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). And when he carves the bush, let him lower himself and cut it close to the ground, and recite as follows: The bush, the bush; not because you are higher than all trees did the Holy One, Blessed be He, rest His Divine Presence upon you. Rather, it is because you are lower than all trees did the Holy One, Blessed be He, rested His Divine Presence upon you. And just as the fire saw Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and fled from before them, so too, let the fire of the fever see so-and-so, son of so-and-so, his mother, flee from before him. For healing boils, let him recite as follows: Baz, Bazya, Mas, Masya, Kas, Kasya, Sharlai, and Amarlai, these are the angels who were sent from the land of Sodom and this was all in order to heal painful boils. Bazakh, Bazikh, Bazbazikh, Masmasikh, Kamon, Kamikh, may your appearance remain with you, may your appearance remain with you, i.e., the boils should not grow redder. May your place remain with you, i.e., they should not spread, may your, the boils’, seed be like one who is barren and like a mule that is not fruitful and does not multiply, so too, do not increase and do not multiply in the body of so-and-so, son of so-and-so. For healing a wound, let him recite as follows: A drawn sword and a readied sling, its name shall not be ache, sickness, and pains. To be saved from a demon, let him recite as follows: You were stopped up, stopped up you were. Cursed, broken, and excommunicated be the demon called bar Tit bar Tamei bar Tina as Shamgaz, Merigaz, and Istemai. To be saved from the demon of the bathroom, let him recite as follows: On the head of a lion and on the nose of a lioness we found the demon named bar Shirika Panda. With a bed of leeks I felled him, and with the jaw of the donkey I struck him. We learned in the mishna that princes may go out with bells, and the same is true for anyone else. The Gemara asks: Who is the tanna who holds that all people of Israel are permitted to conduct themselves like princes with regard to going out with precious ornaments? Rabbi Oshaya said: It is Rabbi Shimon, who said: All of Israel are princes. Therefore, precious ornaments are suitable for every person of Israel. They will neither remove them to show to others nor will they remove them due to concern that people will think them pretentious. Rava said: The mishna is referring to a case where the bell is woven into his garment, obviating the concern lest he remove it, and the halakha in the mishna is in accordance with the statements of all tanna’im, not merely the statement of Rabbi Shimon. MISHNA: One may go out on Shabbat with a locust egg, and with a fox tooth, and with a nail from the crucified, for the purpose of healing; this is the statement of Rabbi Meir. The Rabbis prohibit using these remedies even during the week, due to the prohibition of following the ways of the Amorite. These are superstitious beliefs and the customs of gentiles from which one must distance oneself.
from Woman's Lore by Sarah Clegg 2023
...But there are suggestions in our sources that practising magic in order to protect one's family was widespread among women. As the famous line in the Babylonian Talmud states:
Most women are sorcerers.
Yet this statement is full of negative connotations - sorcery was black magic and witchcraft. The bowl writer Gushnazdukh was making spells specifically to protect herself from sorcery. It might seem a little much to equate apotropaic magic, used against demons threatening women and children, with the 'sorcerers' of the Babylonian Talmud.
The problem is that the Talmud was written by rabbis, and their definition of sorcery seems to have included any sort of ritual and magic used by women on their own. Female practices were
put into the category of dark magic - condemned as illegitimate, in contrast to the legitimate power of the rabbis. Even when men performed the same act - even when that act was specifically acknowledged as something that would otherwise be sorcery - it was not dark magic when it was a rabbi doing it. At the very worst, it was learning' or 'research'.* What this statement in the Talmud tells us is not that most women were evil witches, but that the rabbis felt most women practised some form of ritual or magic outside of rabbinic influence. Incantations against child-stealing, mother-killing Liliths would certainly fit into this category.
מַתְנִי׳ יוֹצְאִין בְּבֵיצַת הַחַרְגּוֹל וּבְשֵׁן שׁוּעָל וּבְמַסְמֵר מִן הַצָּלוּב, מִשּׁוּם רְפוּאָה — דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹסְרִין אַף בַּחוֹל, מִשּׁוּם דַּרְכֵי הָאֱמוֹרִי. גְּמָ׳ יוֹצְאִין בְּבֵיצַת הַחַרְגּוֹל — דְּעָבְדִי לְשִׁיחְלָא. וּבְשֵׁן שֶׁל שׁוּעָל — דְּעָבְדִי לְשִׁינְתָּא. דְּחַיָּיא — לְמַאן דְּנָיֵים. דְּמִיתָא — לְמַאן דְּלָא נָיֵים. וּבְמַסְמֵר מִן הַצָּלוּב — דְּעָבְדִי לְזִירְפָּא. מִשּׁוּם רְפוּאָה — דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר. אַבָּיֵי וְרָבָא דְּאָמְרִי תַּרְוַיְיהוּ: כׇּל דָּבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ מִשּׁוּם רְפוּאָה אֵין בּוֹ מִשּׁוּם דַּרְכֵי הָאֱמוֹרִי. הָא אֵין בּוֹ מִשּׁוּם רְפוּאָה יֵשׁ בּוֹ מִשּׁוּם דַּרְכֵי הָאֱמוֹרִי? וְהָתַנְיָא: אִילָן שֶׁמַּשִּׁיר פֵּירוֹתָיו סוֹקְרוֹ וְצוֹבֵעַ אוֹתוֹ בְּסִיקְרָא וְטוֹעֲנוֹ בַּאֲבָנִים. בִּשְׁלָמָא טוֹעֲנוֹ בַּאֲבָנִים, כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלִיכְחוֹשׁ חֵילֵיהּ. אֶלָּא סוֹקְרוֹ בְּסִיקְרָא מַאי רְפוּאָה קָעָבֵיד? כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלִיחְזְיוּהּ אִינָשֵׁי וְלִיבְעוֹ עֲלֵיהּ רַחֲמֵי. כִּדְתַנְיָא: ״וְטָמֵא טָמֵא יִקְרָא״. צָרִיךְ לְהוֹדִיעַ צַעֲרוֹ לְרַבִּים, וְרַבִּים יְבַקְּשׁוּ עָלָיו רַחֲמִים. אָמַר רָבִינָא: כְּמַאן תָּלֵינַן כּוּבְסֵי בְּדִיקְלָא — כִּי הַאי תַּנָּא. תָּנֵי תַּנָּא בְּפֶרֶק אֱמוֹרָאֵי קַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי חִיָּיא בַּר אָבִין. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: כּוּלְּהוּ אִית בְּהוּ מִשּׁוּם דַּרְכֵי הָאֱמוֹרִי, לְבַר מֵהָנֵי: מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ עֶצֶם בִּגְרוֹנוֹ מֵבִיא מֵאוֹתוֹ הַמִּין וּמַנִּיחַ לֵיהּ עַל קׇדְקֳדוֹ, וְלֵימָא הָכִי: ״חַד חַד נָחֵית בָּלַע, בָּלַע נָחֵית חַד חַד״, אֵין בּוֹ מִשּׁוּם דַּרְכֵי הָאֱמוֹרִי. לְאִדְּרָא לֵימָא הָכִי: ״נִנְּעַצְתָּא כְּמַחַט, נִנְעַלְּתָא כִּתְרִיס, שַׁיָּיא שַׁיָּיא״.
MISHNA: One may go out on Shabbat with a locust egg, and with a fox tooth, and with a nail from the crucified, for the purpose of healing; this is the statement of Rabbi Meir. The Rabbis prohibit using these remedies even during the week, due to the prohibition of following the ways of the Amorite. These are superstitious beliefs and the customs of gentiles from which one must distance oneself. GEMARA: We learned in the mishna that in Rabbi Meir’s opinion one may go out on Shabbat with a locust egg, and a fox tooth, and with a nail from the crucified as a talisman or a cure. The Gemara explains the nature of each: One may go out with a locust egg, as they use it as a talisman to cure an earache; and with a fox tooth, as they use it as a talisman for sleep; the tooth of a live fox for one who sleeps too much to wake him up, and the tooth of a dead fox for one who does not sleep. And one may go out with a nail from the crucified, as they use it as a talisman for curing infection. We learned in the mishna that going out with those objects is permitted on Shabbat for the purpose of healing; this is the statement of Rabbi Meir. With regard to the halakha in the mishna, the Gemara cites Abaye and Rava, who both said: Anything that contains an element of healing and seems to be effective does not contain an element of the prohibition against following the ways of the Amorite. There is no cause for suspicion of one who engages in their practice, gentile or Jew. The Gemara asks: Is that to say by inference that if it is does not contain an element of healing, it does contain an element of the prohibition against following the ways of the Amorite? Wasn’t it taught in a baraita: A tree that sheds its fruit prematurely, one paints it and colors it with red paint and loads it with stones? Granted, he is permitted to load it with stones because that action produces an actual benefit, i.e., he does that so that its strength will weaken. Sometimes a tree sheds its fruits prematurely due to excessive blossoming. Sustaining those blossoms taxes the tree, rendering it incapable of sustaining the fruits that grow from the blossoms. The stones were used to slightly weaken the tree when blossoming, thereby reducing the number of blossoms that the tree must nourish. However, painting it with red paint, what healing is he performing with that action? The Gemara explains: He does so so that people will see the tree and pray for mercy for it. As it was taught in a baraita with regard to the verse: “And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be ripped and the hair of his head shall grow long and he will put a covering upon his upper lip and will cry: Impure, impure” (Leviticus 13:45). The leper publicizes the fact that he is ritually impure because he must announce his pain to the masses, and the masses will pray for mercy on his behalf. Ravina said: In accordance with whose opinion do we hang bunches of unripe dates on a palm tree that casts off its dates? According to that tanna who taught that one must publicize his pain to the masses. The tanna recited the chapter of the Tosefta discussing the actions of the Amorites before Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Avin. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Avin said to him: All those enumerated there contain an element of the prohibition against following the ways of the Amorite, except for these: One who has a bone in his throat brings a bone from the same species as the bone that is stuck in his throat, and places it on his skull, and says as follows: One by one descend and be swallowed, swallow and descend one by one. That does not contain an element of the prohibition against following the ways of the Amorite. For a fish bone stuck in the throat, let him say as follows: You are stuck like a needle, locked as a shutter, go down, go down.
אָמַר אַבָּיֵי, אֲמַרָה לִי אֵם: הַאי בַּר שֵׁית דְּטָרְקָא לֵיהּ עַקְרַבָּא בְּיוֹמָא דְּמִישְׁלַם שֵׁית — לָא חָיֵי. מַאי אָסוּתֵיהּ — מְרָרְתָּא דְּדַיָּה חִיוָּרְתָּא בְּשִׁיכְרָא, נִשְׁפְּיֵיהּ וְנַשְׁקְיֵיהּ. הַאי בַּר שַׁתָּא דְּטָרֵיק לֵיהּ זִיבּוּרָא בְּיוֹמָא דְּמִישְׁלַם שַׁתָּא — לָא חָיֵי. מַאי אָסוּתֵיהּ — אַצְוָתָא דְּדִיקְלָא בְּמַיָּא, נִשְׁפְּיֵיהּ וְנַשְׁקְיֵיהּ.
Abaye said: Mother told me that a six-year-old child who is stung by a scorpion on the day that he completes six years will not live without emergency treatment. What is his cure? The bile of a white vulture in beer. One should rub him with this mixture and make him drink it. She further said to him: A one-year-old child who is stung by a hornet on the day that he completes a year will not live without emergency treatment. What is his cure? Palm-tree fiber in water. Again, one should rub him with it and make him drink it.