(ב) קסם קסמים. אֵי זֶהוּ קוֹסֵם? הָאוֹחֵז אֶת מַקְלוֹ וְאוֹמֵר אִם אֵלֵךְ אִם לֹא אֵלֵךְ, וכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (הושע ד') עַמִּי בְּעֵצוֹ יִשְׁאָל וּמַקְלוֹ יַגִּיד לוֹ (ספרי):
(ג) מעונן. רַבִּי עַקִיבָא אוֹמֵר אֵלּוּ נוֹתְנֵי עוֹנוֹת – שֶׁאוֹמְרִים עוֹנָה פְּלוֹנִית יָפָה לְהַתְחִיל, וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים אֵלּוּ אוֹחֲזֵי הָעֵינָיִם:
(ד) מנחש. פִּתּוֹ נָפְלָה מִפִּיו, צְבִי הִפְסִיקוֹ בַדֶּרֶךְ, מַקְלוֹ נָפַל מִיָּדוֹ (ספרי; סנהדרין ס"ה):
(2) קסם קסמים — What is a diviner? One who takes his stick in hand and says, (as though he were consulting it), “Shall I go, or shall I not go?” So does it state, (Hoshea 4:12) “My people ask counsel of their stick, and their staff declareth unto them” (Sifrei Devarim 171:6).
(3) מעונן AN AUGUR — Rabbi Akiba said, Such are people who assign times (עונות plural of עונה “period”, “time”) — who say, “This time is auspicious to begin some work”; the Sages, however, say, It refers to those “who hold your eyes under control” (who delude by optical deception; they connect מעונן with עין “eye”) (Sifrei Devarim 171:9). (4) מנחש A SORCERER — [one who draws prognostications from the fact that] the bread fell from his mouth, or that a stag crossed his path, or that his stick fell from his hand (Sifrei Devarim 171:10; Sanhedrin 65b; cf. Rashi on Leviticus 19:26).