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Prohibited Practices of Divination and Sorcery

TANAKH

The Torah strictly prohibits engaging in divination and sorcery, practices that were common among the Canaanites. Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Torah, lists specific forms of divination and sorcery that are forbidden, emphasizing the importance of relying solely on God's guidance.

Let no one be found among you who consigns a son or daughter to the fire, or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer,

Deuteronomy 18:10

The Strategic Wisdom of Moshe

MIDRASH

The story of Bilam and Moshe showcases the use of both natural and supernatural strategies in achieving military and political goals, emphasizing Moshe's wisdom and moral integrity. The Yalkut Shimoni, a medieval anthology of midrashim, provides additional context to Moses' life and actions, offering insights not found in the canonical Torah.

(...) En esos tiempos hubo una guerra entre Kush y los Bnei Kedem. Salió Konkos Rey de Kush a la guerra contra Aram y los Bnei Kedem, dejando a Bilam -que es Laban el Arameo... de Petor- el brujo y sus dos hijos Inus y Iamberus, al cuidado de la ciudad. Mientras tanto, Bilam fue hablando con la gente simple del pueblo acerca de rebelarse contra el Konkos el Rey para que no volviese a la ciudad, y el pueblo lo escuchó y lo aceptó, le juraron y lo nombraron a Bilam como Rey sobre ellos y a sus hijos como generales del ejército. Levantaron los muros por dos de sus lados…

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 168:2

Eradicating Sorcery

TALMUD

Simeon ben Shetach's decisive actions against sorcery demonstrate the importance of piety and justice in Jewish tradition. The Jerusalem Talmud recounts how Simeon ben Shetach eradicated sorcery by eliminating eighty women sorcerers in Ascalon.

What happened in Ascalon supports him who said, Simeon ben Sheṭaḥ was president. Two pious men were in Ascalon. They ate together, drank together, and studied Torah together. One of them died, and nobody attended his funeral. The son of Ma`yan the publican died; the entire city stopped working to attend his funeral. The other pious man started crying and said woe, do the haters of Israel have no hope? He was shown in a dream that it was said to him, do not denigrate your Master’s children. This one committed one sin and died with it, the other one did one good deed and died with it…

Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah 2:2:6

Immunity to Witchcraft

TALMUD

Certain personal habits and behaviors can provide protection against witchcraft and magical influences. In the Talmudic tractate Chullin, an encounter between Rav Ḥisda, Rabba bar Rav Huna, and a matron who uses witchcraft illustrates how their specific personal habits made them immune to her spells.

The Gemara relates: Rav Ḥisda and Rabba bar Rav Huna were traveling on a boat. A certain matron said to them: Seat me together with you on the boat, but they did not seat her alongside them. She said something, an incantation, and thereby tied the boat to its spot so that it could not move. They too said something and thereby released it. That matron said to them: What can I do to you? Witchcraft has no power over you, as after attending to your bodily functions, you do not wipe yourselves with an earthenware shard…

Chullin 105b:14

The Limits of Magical Practices

SECOND TEMPLE

Divine intervention and prayer play crucial roles in revealing hidden knowledge and saving lives, something magic is powerless to do. Josephus recounts the biblical story of Daniel interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, after his magicians could not.

3. Now two years after the destruction of Egypt, king Nebuchadnezzar saw a wonderful dream, the accomplishment of which God showed him in his sleep; but when he arose out of his bed, he forgot the accomplishment. So he sent for the Chaldeans and magicians, and the prophets, and told them that he had seen a dream, and informed them that he had forgotten the accomplishment of what he had seen, and he enjoined them to tell him both what the dream was, and what was its signification; and they said that this was a thing impossible to be discovered by men…

The Antiquities of the Jews 10:10:3

Unveiling Endor's Ancient Mysteries

JEWISH THOUGHT

The story of King Saul and the witch of Endor raises profound theological and philosophical questions about the nature of prophecy and the afterlife. Rabbi Isaac Arama, in his 15th-century work 'Akeidat Yitzchak,' critically examines this narrative, ultimately rejecting the notion that the witch genuinely summoned Samuel's spirit.

The repeated references not to tolerate soothsayers, and the sudden switch to discussing impurity caused by the consumption of forbidden foods, requires further elaboration. Vayikra Rabbah 26, describes King Saul's search for the witch of Endor as a violation of his own efforts to eradicate witchcraft. His quest is compared to a ruler who enters a town, decrees the killing of all roosters the same evening, and then wishes to be awakened by a rooster next morning. Various statements in that Midrash all represent Saul as guilty of the very sin he had been so diligent in eradicating…

Akeidat Yitzchak 65:1:14

Solomon Master of the Demons

MIDRASH

King Solomon's legendary control over demons showcases his unparalleled wisdom and mastery in Jewish folklore. Louis Ginzberg's early 20th-century compilation, Legends of the Jews, weaves together various midrashim and ancient sources into a continuous narrative.

SOLOMON MASTER OF THE DEMONS Never has there lived a man privileged, like Solomon, to make the demons amenable to his will. God endowed him with the ability to turn the vicious power of demons into a power working to the advantage of men. He invented formulas of incantation by which diseases were alleviated, and others by which demons were exorcised so that they were banished forever. As his personal attendants he had spirits and demons whom he could send hither and thither on the instant. He could grow tropical plants in Palestine…

Legends of the Jews 4:5:83-86

The Dangers of Sorcery

MUSAR

Sorcery is portrayed as a direct submission to impure forces, with severe spiritual consequences. The 17th-century ethical and mystical work, Kav HaYashar, by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Kaidanover, delves into the intimate connection between sorcery and idolatry.

So you see that the impure art of sorcery is intimately tied up with the impure institution of idolatry. It follows that whoever pursues and engages in sorcery cannot possibly be a servant of the Holy One Blessed is He. Rather, he is a servant of the Sitrah Acharah. Woe to him and woe to his soul! The crime is no less severe if he does not engage in the sorcery himself but asks another to do so on his behalf. For the sorcerer must approach the Sitrah Acharah and the demons appointed over magic and say to them, “So-and-so sent me to you to act as his agent…

Kav HaYashar 28:9

The Deceptive Power of Knowledge

TALMUD

A sorcerer, like a tanna who teaches the Mishna without understanding, uses his knowledge to mislead people. In the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Sotah, the rabbis discuss the dangers of teaching without comprehension, comparing it to the deceit of a sorcerer.

Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov says: This person is comparable to a sorcerer [magosh], who uses his knowledge to mislead people. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: It is reasonable to accept the opinion of Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov, as people say proverbially: The sorcerer chants and does not know what he is saying; so too, the tanna teaches the Mishna and does not know what he is saying.

Sotah 22a:3

Joseph and the Magicians of Egypt

TARGUM

The magicians of Egypt were bitter and angry, attempting to bring Joseph down with slanderous accusations. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, an Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Torah, provides a vivid account of the hostility Joseph faced from Egyptian magicians.

And all the magicians of Mizraim were bitter and angry against him, and brought accusations against him before Pharoh, expecting to bring him down from his honour They spake against him with the slanderous tongue which is severe as arrows.

Targum Jonathan on Genesis 49:23

Real Sorcery vs. Illusions

MISHNAH

The Mishnah makes a critical distinction between genuine sorcery and mere illusions, with severe consequences for true sorcery. This early third-century legal text from the Mishnah outlines the laws regarding sorcery, emphasizing the difference between real acts of sorcery and deceptive tricks.

The warlock is also liable to be executed by stoning. One who performs a real act of sorcery is liable, but not one who deceives the eyes, making it appear as though he is performing sorcery, as that is not considered sorcery. Rabbi Akiva says in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua: For example, two people can each gather cucumbers by sorcery. One of them gathers cucumbers and he is exempt, and the other one gathers cucumbers and he is liable…

Mishnah Sanhedrin 7:11

The Finger of God

COMMENTARY

Even the magicians of Egypt, who were skilled in secret arts, recognized the divine power behind the plague of lice. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explores the moment in the Exodus narrative when Pharaoh's magicians acknowledge the 'finger of God' during the third plague.

Throughout all Egypt the dust turned into lice. But when the magicians tried to produce lice by their secret arts, they could not. The lice attacked men and animals alike. The magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen. (Exodus 8:13–15)

Covenant and Conversation; Exodus; The Book of Redemption, Vaera, A Handful of Dust 3

Pharaoh's Stubborn Heart

COMMENTARY

Pharaoh's perception of Aaron as merely another sorcerer led to his heart remaining obstinate. The 13th-century Torah commentary Chizkuni explains Pharaoh's reaction to the miracles performed by Moses and Aaron.

ויחזק לב פרעה, “Pharaoh’s heart remained obstinate;” seeing that his sorcerers had been able to duplicate Aaron’s feat, he concluded that Aaron was another sorcerer.

Chizkuni, Exodus 7:13:1

The Prohibition Against Sorcery

HALAKHAH

The Torah explicitly commands not to allow a witch to live, extending this prohibition to anyone practicing magic. The Sefer HaChinukh, a 13th-century Spanish work, discusses the 613 commandments, including the prohibition against sorcery based on Exodus 22:17.

To not keep a witch alive: To not keep a witch alive. Rather, we kill her, as it is stated (Exodus 22:17), “You shall not keep a witch alive.” And it is not specifically a witch, but rather anyone that does magic. It is just that it stated it according to what is common, as women are more involved with magic than men (Sanhedrin 67a).

Sefer HaChinukh 62:1

Sorcery and Its Prohibition

COMMENTARY

Understanding the categorization and practices of different types of sorcerers highlights the importance of monotheism and reliance on God. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s commentary on Deuteronomy 18:11 delves into the specific methods used by enchanters, mediums, oracles, and necromancers.

or an enchanter, who engages in sorcery by gathering animals together; or a medium, who seeks to communicate with the dead; or an oracle, one who tells the future by means of the bones of the dead. All these are professional sorcerers who seek to contact hidden worlds. The verse adds: Or a necromancer, an individual who prays to the dead for their assistance.

Steinsaltz on Deuteronomy 18:11

The Ten Types of Forbidden Magicians

KABBALAH

Jewish law categorizes and forbids various forms of divination and sorcery, listing ten specific types of magicians. The Zohar, a central text of Jewish mysticism, delves into these prohibitions from Deuteronomy 18:10-11, emphasizing their significance in Jewish law and ethics.

These ten kinds of witchcraft are alluded to in the verse saying: “There shall not be found among you… one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer” (Deut. 18, 10-11).

Zohar, Vayishlach 2:35

The witch of Endor summons the spirit of Samuel the prophet at Saul's request. By Ary Scheffer, 19th century

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