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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
MYTH, MAGIC}
MYSTICISM
eg SECOND EDITION
:
REVISED, EXPANDED & ILLUSTRATED ———<~——-
ais 60 DENNIS A
x
THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF
JEWISH
MYTH, MAGIC
& MYST
About the Author
Rabbi Geoffrey Dennis is adjunct instructor of Rabbinics in the Jewish
Studies Program at the University of North Texas and rabbi of
Congregation Kol Ami in Flower Mound, TX.
His articles have appeared in Journal of Ritual Studies, Parabola: the
Magazine of Myth and Tradition, Journal of the Central Conference of
American Rabbis, American Journal and The Journal of the Anthropology
of Consciousness. He co-authored the recent article, Vampires and Witches
and Commandos: Oy Vey! Comic Book Appropriations of Lilith, with his
son, AVI.
He has also authored over 20 encyclopedia entries for The Encyclopedia
of the Bible and Its Reception; The Encyclopedia of Possession and
Exorcism; and The Encyclopedia of Miracles.
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THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF *
*
‘JEWISH
MYTH, MAGIC
& MYSTICISM
—$—$————. SECOND EDITION. ———~ ——_
REVISED, EXPANDED & ILLUSTRATED
GEOFFREY W. DENNIS,
Llewellyn Publications
Woodbury, Minnesota
Copyright Information
The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism Second
Edition © 2016 by Geoffrey W. Dennis.
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Concerning everything that cannot be grasped, its question is its
answer.
— Ketem Paz
To my sons, Avi and Micah, who love secrets.
To Robin, the greatest angel I know.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Introduction To The Second Edition
How to Use This Book
The Encyclopedia A-Z
A/B/IC/D/E/(F/(G/A/I/J/K/L
MINIFOLPIOFRIESTITIULV I WIXI VIZ
Abbreviations Of Citations
From Traditional Texts
Quick Reference Glossary
Of Frequently Used Terms
Bibliography
List of Art Credits
Acknowledgments
My deep appreciation to my classmates and friends Rabbi Martha
Bergadine, Rabbi George Gittleman, Dr. Dana Kaplan, Rabbi Max
Weiss, and Rabbi Stan Zamek for taking the time from their busy
lives to read the manuscript and offer insights and suggestions.
Their contributions greatly improved the final product.
Thanks too to my brother John, to Charles Gregory, to Terry
Hansen, and to Scott and Kelley Snowden. Though nonexperts in
matters Jewish, they also read the book and helped me see it
through the eyes of a general reader.
My gratitude also goes to Dr. Richard Golden. He unwittingly
triggered the creation of the EJMMM and then graciously offered
me encouragement once I finally owned up to what I was doing.
I want to acknowledge my teachers at Hebrew Union College-
Jewish Institute of Religion, for teaching me the tools I needed to
research this book: Rabbi Steven Balaban, Dr. Marc Bregman,
Rabbi Chanan Brichto z’/, Dr. Alan Cooper, Dr. Susan Einbinder,
Rabbi Ben Hollander, Dr. Adam Kamasar, Dr. Robert Katz z”’/, Dr.
Steve Kaufmann, Masha Klein, Dr. Michael Klein z”/, Dr. Barry
Kogan, Dr. Paul Liptz, Dr. Michael Meyer, Dr. Eugene Mihaly z”’J,
Dr. Alvin Reines z’”/, Hannah Saggi, Dr. Richard Sarason, Rabbi
Julie Schwartz, Ezri Uval z”/, Dr. Ben Zion Wacholder z”/, Dr.
Mark Washofsky, Dr. David Weisberg z”/, and Dr. Isaac
Yerushalmi.
I want to thank Natalie Harter, Karl Anderson, and all the editors
at Llewellyn, both for taking an interest in an unsolicited proposal
from an unknown author, and also for being the nicest and most
pleasant people I’ve yet encountered in the publishing world.
My greatest and eternal thanks must go to my wife and soulmate,
Robin, who encouraged my vision and gave me the confidence to
write this book. Not only did she read and help revise countless
manuscripts, but she has been more patient and forgiving of me
during the years of writing this book than I deserve or merit. May
her reward be waiting in the World to Come, because she’s stuck
with me until then.
Introduction
Judaism is one of the oldest living esoteric traditions in the world.
Virtually every form of Western mysticism and spiritualism known
today draws upon Jewish mythic and occult teachings—magic,
prayer, angelology, alchemy, numerology, astral projection, dream
interpretation, astrology, amulets, divination, altered states of
consciousness, alternative, and rituals of power—all have roots in
the Jewish occult.
But for millennia, many of these core teachings have been
unavailable to the general public, concealed by barriers of language
and by the protective principles governing the teaching of
Kabbalah, which has both nurtured and guarded such knowledge.
Now, however, many more traditional texts of Jewish mysticism
and magic are being translated into English and many more almost-
forgotten manuscripts of Jewish esoteric teachings have been
recovered and identified. At the same time, people of all
backgrounds are thirsty for the kind of wisdom that can only be
drawn from ancient wells. This confluence of factors inspired me to
write a book like The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and
Mysticism.
When Adam HaRishon, the First Man, sinned, he blemished all
the nitzotzot (Holy Sparks) ... causing them to become
immersed in the kelipot ... The kelipot are the husks or shells
[of impurity, evil, and entropy] that imprison the fallen Holy
Sparks |
This is a book full of husks and sparks: of things concealed and
revealed, lost and then recovered. This encyclopedia focuses
exclusively on the esoteric in Judaism—the fabulous, the
miraculous, and the mysterious. In this book the reader will find
many kelipot, husks from the ancient and shattered world of Jewish
occult teachings: the seemingly eccentric, the offbeat, the
peripheral, and the outlandish. Much of it will strike a modern
reader as dark, strange, and alien stuff indeed —husks.
Because so much has been lost over the past two centuries of
what we term “modernization,” even many Jews will be puzzled by
the contents of this book. And to be frank, most Jews can live very
satisfactory spiritual lives never having known, or never knowing,
much of what can be found in these pages. So be forewarned: this
is not a primer on Judaism, providing a conventional perspective on
those beliefs and practices most people associate with Torah and
Jewish faith. On the other hand ...
Concealed within these many husks there are nitzotzot, or “holy
sparks.” Since Jewish esotericism is the oldest and most influential
continuous occult tradition in the West, shaping everything from
angelology to the zodiac, this book contains lore that can spiritually
enrich the lives of anyone, Jewish or not, who wishes to understand
the mysteries that underlie our universe. The reader who looks
carefully into this book will glimpse flashes of insight, glimmers of
inspiration, and sparks of wit and wisdom. For Jews, this book
uncovers aspects of Judaism that have been lost to most of us until
recently. For every reader, this book is meant to be a portal into an
exotic alternate spiritual world, for this is a book about three things
that have profoundly shaped human experience: myth, magic, and
mysticism.
Already, with the word “myth,” the puzzlement begins and our
modern prejudices take over our thinking. For is not a myth a kind
of fairy tale, a fantastic account about something that never really
was? Modern Jews are constantly taught that Judaism is a religion
without mythology, a faith unburdened by fanciful and grotesque
“adventures of the gods.” To that claim I answer, “Well, yes and
99
no.
First of all, let us clear something up: a myth, a really good myth,
is not a story about something that never happened. It’s a story
about something that happens all the time. Myths are archetypal
tales, fabulous stories told to help us fathom important truths—
truths about ourselves, our universe, and how things really are. And
while it is true that Judaism (mostly) lacks stories about “God as
action-hero,” it nevertheless revels in mythological tales about
those things which are, to paraphrase the Psalms, “little less than
God”; angels and demons, primeval monsters, magicians and
miracle-workers, agents of good and evil. After all, what are the
first eleven chapters of Genesis if not a carefully crafted mythic
account of exactly what human beings are and how our world came
to look the way it does? The simple fact is that Jewish tradition
overflows with myths of deep complexity and singular wisdom.
It is much the same with regard to the magical. Modern Jews like
to imagine that magic has been swept into the dustbin of history by
the long, inexorable progress of rationalism. More than that, Jews
have been taught from our youth that Judaism has always
possessed an essentially naturalistic worldview and that magic,
merely a marginal Jewish preoccupation at most, was just an
anomaly resulting from our being situated (and corrupted) by the
superstitions of our neighbors. But that’s not entirely accurate. It is
only in the last two centuries that Jews have fully embraced
science, but we have always been looking for ways to change the
world for the better, whether it be through science, medicine, or
“practical Kabbalah.”
Even today, rationalism has not completely displaced our sense
that there is a mystical potential at work in the world; Occam’s
razor has never been able to fully overpower the Sixteen-Sided
Sword of the Almighty.’ Millions of people, both Jews and gentiles,
continue to believe that the stars influence our lives. Most
Americans believe in the reality of angels. Jewish techniques of
dream interpretation and for combating the evil eye are still widely
practiced today. When you read the entries of this book on topics
such as these, you will realize that magical thinking and enchanting
deeds have always had a place in Judaism and, however much
some might want to dismiss Judaism’s miraculous and wondrous
traditions, the presence of Jewish magic in Jewish life has merely
been eclipsed, never uprooted; it still has the potential to empower
us.
Mysticism, the quest for an intimate encounter with God, has
fared little better in modernity than Jewish myth or magic, but for
different reasons than those discussed above. For despite a long
retreat from its disciplines among many Western Jews from the
eighteenth through twentieth centuries, Kabbalah has continued to
have its champions and its practitioners.
Instead, there is a terrible irony that haunts the contemporary
seeker in regard to Jewish mysticism. For it was in the middle of
the last century, just at the time when sparks of renewed interest in
Kabbalah were released in the world, that a terrible demonic force,
Nazism, arose to engulf and extinguish the lights emanating from
the countless spiritual centers of Jewish mysticism in eastern
Europe. The Nazis slew many, if not most, of the precious teachers
and disciples of Jewish mysticism in its monstrous campaign to
blot out all things Jewish from the world. Because of the scope of
that crime, those of us who would use Kabbalah in our soul
journey, or who long to storm the gates of heaven, have been left
with few teachers to guide us. Thus many of us have had to
rediscover the ancient paths to supernal wisdom without
accomplished masters to guide us on our way.
Thankfully, as we enter into a new millennium, new teachers
have arisen and this generation has yielded many new devotees.
Students of Kabbalah, inspired by a small but vigorous circle of
self-educated leaders, have shown themselves determined not to let
such divine mysteries slip into oblivion, and they have recovered
and reclaimed much. Moreover, as this generation has come to
better understand the wisdom and power of Kabbalah, that
recovered knowledge has also helped inspire interest in related
Jewish traditions—mythic traditions and occult traditions—other
holy sparks, that are now included in this encyclopedia.
As I said at the beginning of this introduction, this book is a
combination of kelipot and nitzotzot, of husks and sparks. While I
have learned many divine lessons from these traditions, lessons that
have both enriched my understanding and influenced my life, many
more of them remain still trapped in their husks; I apprehend them
but do not yet understand or appreciate what they are trying to
teach me. Moreover, in teaching this lore to my congregants, to my
university students, to Jews, and to non-Jews alike, I have come to
understand that holy sparks do not always reveal themselves to
everyone at the same time, or even reveal themselves at all.
Spiritually, the student has to be ready to see a spark before it can
shine forth. Some teachings that I find enlightening or empowering
continue to remain dark and inert for my students. Other teachings
that I fail to appreciate myself, my students find illuminating.
Therefore my philosophy in writing this book has been to include
all the Jewish mystical, occult, and fabulous teachings I have found
—even those I neither fully understand nor accept—in the hopes
that a reader somewhere will perhaps find a spark in something I
cannot (yet).
It has also been my approach in writing these entries to describe
more than I interpret, and to interpret more than judge. At times,
some interpretation is called for, and I give it my best effort, trying
to be clear without oversimplifying. At other times, judgment of
some sort is also appropriate, and at such occasions, I offer mine;
the reader is welcome to disagree with me—in fact I encourage it.
And on occasion I include comments that reflect, as one early
reader called it, an “insouciant sense of humor.” I feel it is right to
do this because humor has always been an honored method of
Jewish wisdom development. The Bible, rabbinic literature, and
Kabbalah are all filled with sayings, stories, and teachings that are
supposed to make us laugh. Furthermore, I hope that it will be clear
to the reader that I use humor in a spirit of love, for I do love this
lore, all of it, even those practices and ideas that puzzle me, trouble
me, or seem at odds with my own philosophy of Torah.
INTRODUCTION
TO THE SECOND EDITION
The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism was
released in 2007 to remarkable reception. It was honored by both
the Jewish Book Council and the Association of Jewish Librarians,
and it received enthusiastic popular interest. Almost immediately
people, in person and through e-mails, letters, and my blog Jewish
Myth, Magic, and Mysticism would draw my attention to the need
for something more: more Hebrew, more direct quotes from the
sources, more illustrations, as well as terms, concepts, and themes
that really deserved their own entries or expanded treatment or
revision. Moreover, over the past decade, as I have continued to
publish articles in academic journals and write entries for other
people’s encyclopedias in the fields of biblical studies, mysticism,
theology, and ritual studies, I constantly uncovered new esoteric
traditions and source materials.
So soon after its release, I took a copy of the EJMMM and started
adding notations, comments, and source citations for further
research and development. That copy went with me when I taught
my own university classes, when I heard others lecture, and when I
went to conferences, to retreats, and to study sessions. That
battered (a mirror, perhaps, of its owner) copy of the EJMMM, now
inked over with seven years of additional information and
discoveries, sits next to me even now as I write this, the last
element in the process of replacing it.
As with the original EJMMM, many hands have contributed to
this edition. I have had the privilege to hear the presentations of
leading researchers—most notably Moshe Idel, Pichas Giller,
Arthur Green, Jay Michaelson, and Elliot Wolfson—who have
influenced and, at times, changed my perspectives on a variety of
issues. My colleagues and study chevruta, Rabbi Charles
(“Charlie”) Cytron-Walker and Rabbi Benjamin (“Ben”) Sternman,
have helped me investigate many issues in depth. My ongoing
dialogue with my dear (but sadly distant) colleague, Rabbi Stan
Zamek, has been an ongoing boon in my work. As always, my
blessing, my wife Robin, has been both a ready research assistant
and a patient hand-holder through this process.
And I especially want to thank the many interlocutors, most of
them anonymous, on my blog who have added to this revised work.
However, I do want to (partially) name Aharon, Charles, and Brem,
who engaged me on several occasions and drew my attention to
useful new sources and information.
Finally, my appreciation goes out to my publisher, Llewellyn
Worldwide, and Elysia Gallo, its Acquisitions Editor, for giving me
this opportunity to continue and advance this labor of love.
TIT) TITS OW
Elul 1,5774/August 27, 2014
How to Use This Book
The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism is the first
and only comprehensive one-volume reference guide to the lore of
the great Jewish esoteric traditions. For the first time, a reader has
ready access to ancient mysteries and powerful practices. The
EJMMM provides over one thousand A to Z entries, running from a
single sentence to article length, on virtually every aspect of Jewish
Kabbalah and occult lore.
In addition, each entry is cross-referenced to multiple related
topics elsewhere in the EJMMM, weaving together the many
Jewish esoteric concepts, terms, and practices, in order to give the
reader the fullest possible understanding of the depth of Jewish
wisdom and the interconnected nature of Judaism’s occult
teachings. Such cross-references are signified by a word appearing
in bold font. I have also included a Quick Reference Glossary of
Frequently Used Terms in the back to help individuals with the
Hebrew and historical terms frequently used in the EJMMM. It
might even be wise for the reader to begin there.
As a tule, I have tried to use the English translations of terms,
making the entries easier to use for those not so familiar with
Hebrew. Thus, one will find the major entry on the day of rest
under “Sabbath” rather than “Shabbat.” I break with this
convention when I deem that a Hebrew term will be more familiar
to the reader than its translation: “dybbuk” rather than “clinging
spirit,’ “Sefer Zohar” rather than “Book of Splendor.” I apply the
same rule when there simply is no adequate English translation of a
term, such as “‘sefirot.”
Yet, even as much as the EJMMM reveals, much more remains
concealed. For while it explains a great deal, there is so much more
to be learned by reading the original sources. Moreover, Jewish
occult traditions have always been deliberately elliptical, forcing
students to do further searching on their own, requiring the
disciples of the wise to draw their own conclusions and form their
own practice. I feel obliged to honor that approach, for it is based
on sound pedagogy and admirable caution in dealing with deep
matters. There is no “lazy man’s path to enlightenment” in Jewish
tradition. For this reason, I have provided copious citations taken
from the full scope of Jewish tradition, sources both familiar and
obscure; from the Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, apocalyptic,
magical, rabbinic and Kabbalistic literature, and beyond. I provide
these citations in the expectation that any true seeker of wisdom
will have the discipline to go deeper in his or her pursuit of insight
and empowerment. The footnotes and bibliography at the back of
the book serve as similar resources; there is much more that can be
learned on all of these topics from the teachers, books, and articles
listed there.
These entries, intentionally, are only finger posts pointing a way.
It is up to you, dear reader, to decide if you will continue on to the
places where they point. As is said in Jewish spiritual circles, ha-
maskil yavin, “the enlightened will understand.”
On Translated Passages
All passages from the Hebrew Bible are based on the Jewish
Publication Society 1917 translation, unless otherwise indicated.
The translation may be modified by the author, however, to better
reflect a word meaning or phrasing in the original Hebrew that is
relevant to an esoteric interpretation. Short passages may be direct
translations by the author.
All passages from the Talmud are based on the 1939 Soncino
translation, unless otherwise indicated. The translation may be
modified by the author, however, to better reflect a word meaning
or phrasing in the original Hebrew that is relevant to an esoteric
interpretation.
All passages from Midrash are based on the 1939 Midrash
Rabbah Soncino translation, unless otherwise indicated. Again, a
translation may be modified for the purposes of emphasizing a
particular interpretation of the passage.
All passages from Sefer Zohar, unless otherwise indicated, are
based on the Pritzker Edition Zohar.
All translations of Sefer ha-Bahir are the author’s.
Some Remarks on Hebrew Usage
In writing this book, the author has adopted a transliteration system
that is user friendly to a general reader. It mostly follows modern
Israeli-Sefardic pronunciation. The guttural chet and chaf are
represented by a “ch” in the Latin alphabet; that’s “ch” like “Bach,”
not “church.” Since many other translators today opt to transliterate
the Hebrew letter chet as “h,” let the reader be aware: the now-
common transliteration “Hasidim” will appear in this work as
“Chasidim.”
The author avoided most of the diacritical marks used in scholarly
transliteration of Hebrew, with the exception of the occasional (’)
to signify a syllable stop.
Names generally follow older English usage— Abraham rather than
Avraham—unless it is a word that has no tradition of an Anglicized
name. Thus the biblical Yaakov is “Jacob,” but the angel Yehoel is
not changed to “Jehoel’” because no one (I know) bothers to do that.
The Hebrew fayh is transliterated as “f’ rather than the older
convention of “ph,’so in the EJMMM, phylacteries will appear as
“tefillin,’ not “tephillin,’ and the Kabbalistic diagram of divine
emanations as “‘sefirot,” not “sephirot.”
All “a” sounds are “ah,” as in “father.”
In the EJMMM, the Hebrew kuf is (usually) transliterated as “k”
rather than the more linguistically justified “g,’ though a “q” is
used if it appears in a familiar name like “Qumran.” Defying any
linguistic consistency, the author uses “Kabbalah” when referring
to the Jewish mystical phenomenon, but “Qabbalah” when
referring to the Christian/Spiritualist offshoot. Wondering why?
This would be a good time to look at the entry QABBALAH.
Some Remarks on the Illustrations
The second edition of The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic,
and Mysticism includes a massive increase in illustrations, from the
five included in the appendix of the first edition, to now scores
embedded within the entries in the second. The goal has been, as
much as possible, to use or reproduce images created by Jews
themselves. With a few exceptions, such is the case. Occasionally,
the art of an Israelite or Jewish artifact or ancient inscription has
been redrawn. A few images, too, are the work of non-Jewish
artists.
By far the most prominent contribution is the many pen-and-ink
illustrations by the Austrian-Jewish Jungenstil (Art Nouveau) artist
and photographer, Ephraim Moses Lilien. Immensely popular in his
time, sadly neglected today, his moody and evocative images of
biblical and Jewish mythic themes still retain their power. Because
his works have long since passed into the public domain (he died in
1925), it is my good fortune to be able to share many of them with
you. I am delighted to be able to use the EJMMM as a platform to
re-familiarize the public with this talented, creative artist.
|. Sefer ha-Gilgulim, 3, as translated by Yitzchak bar Chaim.
2. See Sixteen-Sided Sword of the Almighty in the “S” section.
Aaron: The brother of Moses and Miriam, Aaron was both a prophet and
the first High Priest. In Jewish tradition, he exemplifies the virtues of duty
and peacemaking.
Alongside Moses, he performed various miraculous deeds and signs
before Pharaoh and his court. Aaron transformed his Rod into a Serpent,
which consumed the serpents created by Egyptian magicians (Ex. 7). The
first three of the ten Plagues (Blood, Frogs, and lice) were initiated by
Aaron at God’s command (Ex. 7-8). He is one of a few select individuals
who were permitted to gaze upon God while alive.
In his role as High Priest of the new sacrificial cult of God, Aaron enjoyed
supernatural protection. He survived a trial by Ordeal when his authority
was challenged by Korach ben Izhar and his kinsmen. His status as High
Priest evidently immunized him from divine punishment (Ex. 34; Num. 8),
and he was instrumental in checking a plague sent by God among the
Israelites by performing a rite with Incense from the Altar (Num. 17:1-15).
According to the Bible, Aaron died by the will of God before entering the
Land of Israel.
Rabbinic literature describes miraculous events surrounding the death of
Aaron. God placed one Mountain on top of another to mark where Aaron
would be buried, which is why the Bible calls his Burial place Hor ha-Har
(“Mount Mountain’). Aaron was laid to rest on a couch in a luminous
Caves on Mount Hor by Angels. He was then enveloped by a Cloud and he
died by the Kiss of God (Yalkut Chukkat 764; Lev. R. 10; Mid. Teh. 83.1).
In the mystical theosophy of the Sefirot, Aaron symbolizes the
Emanation of Hod, divine glory. He is also one of the Ushpizin, the
spiritual ancestors invited to sit in the Sukkah with the living during the
holiday.
It is interesting to note that despite the many theurgic-religious elements
in the biblical accounts of him and the magical attributes of his Rod, unlike
Moses, Aaron is not widely portrayed as a magician in non-Jewish circles.
Aaron of Baghdad: A mysterious, possibly mythical figure, whom early
medieval mystics in Western Europe credited with the pivotal role of
bringing Jewish esoteric traditions to them from the East.! A number of
miraculous tales about him have been preserved in books such as Yuhasin,
Sefer: Exorcism, dispelling witchcrafts, and combating Zombies . He is
also referred to by the honorific Abu Aharon “Father Aaron.” SEE Abba.
1.G. Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (New York: Schocken, 1961), 41,
84.
Abaddon: (]''=8). “Destruction.” One of the compartments of
Gehenna/Gehinnom (MG). In the book of Job, it is Death personified. The
New Testament identifies Abaddon as the “Angel of the Abyss” (Rev. 9:11).
Abba: (S28). “Father.” A Talmudic holy man who, although not an ordained
rabbi, has shown spiritual or healing powers. The word is also applied in
various ways to the mystical Pleroma.sSEE Partzufim; Sefirot .
Abbahu, Rabbi: Talmudic Sage (ca. 3rd—4th centuries). Abbahu was a man
of exceptional physical perfection, rivaling that of Jacob (also Israel) and
Adam (B.M. 84a). When he sat and interpreted the Torah, supernal fire
would flash around him (S of S R. 1:10). He experienced clairvoyant
Dream (J. Tan. 1:4, 64b). He once escorted Elijah to Eden, Garden of,
where he gathered Healing leaves, wrapping them in his cloak. Afterward
he discovered his cloak had such a heavenly scent that he could sell it for a
great price (B.M. 114a—b). An avid collector of lore, both legal and
legendary, such as this Many Worlds teaching:
R. Abbahu said: This proves the Blessed Holy One went on creating
worlds and destroying them until He created this one ... This is
Abbahu’s reason: And God saw everything that He made and behold; it
was very good [comparatively, meaning]. This pleases Me, but those
[worlds] did not please Me. (Gen. R. 3:7)
He also preserved stories of how Angels intervened in the lives of biblical
figures (PdRE 16, 43). He was given a glimpse of his reward in the Olam
ha-Ba (the World to Come) before he died, which appeared to him as
thirteen rivers of soothing balm (J. A.Z. 3:1). When he did die, the building
pillars in his hometown, Caesarea, voiced their mourning (M.K. 25b; J.
A.Z. 3:1, 42c).
Abaye: A Talmudic Sage, folk and metaphysical healer. He credited his
Healing skills to the teachings of his foster mother (Shab. 134a; Kid. 31b).
He provided a pivotal interpretation of the Bible, which establishes that
humans may attempt to heal others (i.e., practice medicine), even though
God may have been the source of the affliction (Ber. 60a). Something of a
trickster, Abaye once manipulated Rabbi Acha ben Jacob into exorcizing a
Demons from his house of study (Shab. 66b; Kid. 29b).
According to later Kabbalah, Abaye was descended from Cain, which
accounts for why he never settled in one place. Nevertheless, through his
great mastery of the Torah, he brought significant rectification to his
damaged “root-soul,” improving the future for his descendants (Sha’arei
ha-Gilulim Ch. 36.4).
Abbreviations: (2h "W8). The use of abbreviations appears in Hebrew
writings as early as the 2nd century BCE. Variously called Notarikon,
siman, or roshei tevot, abbreviations have been widely used for the
functional purpose of saving space at a time when writing materials were
costly and scarce. But even though the origins of the practice are obviously
utilitarian, this method of writing is, in fact, a kind of Encryption. As such,
abbreviations can also be a form of esoteric communication. Over time,
certain kinds of abbreviations, such as acronyms (words formed from the
first letter or syllable of other words) and Acrostic (verses arranged so that
a particular letter from each line, taken in order, spells out a word or
phrase), came to be regarded as dynamic sources of Secret knowledge and
power to Jewish mystics and to magical practitioners of all persuasions.!
Thus the name for the month preceding the High Holy Days, 7>x/ Elul, is
seen as an acronym for Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li (“I am my beloved’s and He is
mine”). In another example, F’WS123/Bereshit (Gen. 1:1, “In the
beginning”) is understood to be an acronym for Bara Rakia, Eretz,
Shamayim, Yam Tahom (“He created the Firmament, land, heaven, sea,
and Abyss’). The use of a biblical verse or phrase for the purpose of
invoking its innate power as God’s words is very common, though it should
be noted that the Mishnah (Sanh. 10:1) objects to the use of Torah verses in
medicinal spells. Jewish folk healers may have regarded the abbreviation of
such verses as a way to make an end-run around that objection.’ Examples
of various such abbreviations include biblical verses:
I7®/ShYChN—Shuvah Yah Chatzah Nafshi, “Return Adonai, save my
life” (Ps. 6:5)
or a title of God:
"W/ Shy — Shomer Yisrael, “Guardian of Israel” (Ps. 121)
An abbreviation can also be derived a “powerful” verse from Jewish
Prayer:
s5o8/ AGLA—Atah Gibor L’olam Adonai, “You are Forever Powerful, O
Eternal” (Gevurot prayer)
or an adjuration:
1S8&2/ BAChV—Bashem El Chai V’kayyam, “[Do this] in the name of
the living and enduring God” [2]
Or a petition for blessing:
DO22/ BMT— B’Mazal Tov, “[Bless me] with good fortune”
It can be for invoking the protection of angels:
}229°8/ ARGMN— Uriel, Rafael, Gavriel, Mikhael, Nuriel
or for the kabbalistic sefirot:
OM22/ CHBTM —Chochmah, Binah, Tiferet, Malchut
In Kabbalah, abbreviations are sometimes called tzeruf otiyot, or letter
combinations. Perhaps the most famous of these is related to the Talmudic
story (Ber. 55a) of the Four Sages who entered Pardes (“Paradise’’).
Tradition teaches that pardes (“orchard”) is also an acronym for the four
methods of the Torah interpretation: O'772/Pashat, Remez, D’rash, and
Sod (“plain meaning, allegoric, homiletic, and esoteric”). In other words,
the living may find entry to Paradise by penetrating into the mysteries
concealed within the Torah text.
Abbreviations are also an almost universal feature on Amulet. One
talismanic acronym is the word Shaddai, El (1) that appears on a
Mezuzah. The word itself is a biblical Names of God, but also stands for
Shomer Delatot Yisrael (“Guardian of the doorways of Israel”). The
presence of this acronym-incantation helps give the mezuzah its protective
power. Magic Square and diagrams constructed from different kinds of
abbreviations dot medieval Jewish books on mystical knowledge, Magic,
and Alchemy.
Names of worthy figures are sometimes held to be abbreviations of
esoteric teachings. Thus the name Jacob, YAaKoV, is actually made up of
four titles of God, Yotzrecha, Osecha, Konecha, and Borecha (your Former,
your Maker, your Owner, your Creator), revealing God’s special
relationship with Jacob, and through him, his descendants. The most
notable and widespread name abbreviation custom to this day is the various
methods adopted for writing an abbreviation for the Tetragrammaton so
that it may not be pronounced and to thereby prevent the erasure or
destruction of God’s written name. SEE Hafuch;Israel; Temurah;Tzeruf/Tzerufim.
1. I. Singer, Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 1 (New York: KTAV, 1901), 39-43.
2.5, Davis, “The Psalms in Hebrew Medical Amulets,” Vetus Testamentum, XLII, 2
(1992).
Abdiel: (78722). “Servant of God.” An angel mentioned in Raziel, Sefer
and Zohar Chadash (Yitro 39.4). John Milton uses him as a character in
Paradise Lost.
Abel: According to Etz Chayyim, the Soul of the murdered eldest son of
Adam and Eve underwent successive transmigrations, first into Seth, then
Noah, and finally Moses, where he achieved the Tikkun, or rectification of
his soul (“Palace of Adam Kadmon’).
Abihu: The brother of Nadav. SEE Nadav And Abihu.
ABiYAh: (2°38). This word is a mystical acronym for the Four Worlds of
Emanation of kabbalistic cosmology: Atzilut, Beriyah, Yetzirah, and
Asiyah .
Ablution: SEE Immersion;Mikvah Or Mikvaot; Water.
Abner: The commander of Saul’s army. The Philistines were not the only
ancients who employed Giants. Abner was so enormous that while he slept,
David was able to crawl beneath his crooked knees and so escape a trap
Saul had set for him (Eccl. R. 9:11; Yalkut Jer. 285; AbbS). He was the son
of the woman of Endor (PdRE 33).
Abracadabra: (SUATON IAN). The archetypal voce magica, magical word.
Many claim it to be of Jewish origin, reading it as a kind of fractured
Aramaic, 80272-8728 /ab’ra k’dabra, meaning, “I will create according to
the word.” This is plausible, assuming the Aramaic syntax has undergone
corruption. It is also plausible that it is of non-Jewish origin. Some
speculate it is derived from the same root as the angelic name Abraxas. SEE
Hebrew And Hebrew Alphabet;Incantations, Spells, And Adjurations;Magic.
Abraham: The progenitor of the Jewish people, Abraham is also considered
in rabbinic tradition to be a natural philosopher, a mystic, and a Prophet
second only to Moses. He personifies loving-kindness, devotion, and
faithfulness.
In the Bible, Abraham not only responds to the direct command of God to
leave his homeland for Canaan, he has several encounters with Angels
(Gen. 18, 22). He also engages in a mysterious divinatory Ritual, either a
dream Incubation or a summoning ceremony that brings no less than God
to earth in the form of a fiery pillar (Gen. 15). In the Midrash, he is
granted many miracles. To save him as an infant from the wrath of evil
King Nimrod, he is secreted away in a cave, where the angels feed and
minister to him. According to the text Ma’asei Avraham Avenu, God later
delivers him from a fiery martyrdom planned for him by Nimrod.
In several sources, he is celebrated as an astrologer (Book of Jubilees;
B.B. 16b). In one Midrash, he sees his infertility is written in stars, but
comes to learn that God has power over even the astral influences. This then
explains God’s decision to change his name from Abram to Abraham (Gen.
15), for in changing his name, God also changes his fate. From this
experience, Abraham gives up the practice of astrology (Zohar III:216a;
Aggadat Bereshit). He also possesses the legendary tzohar stone that gives
him the power to heal others (B.B. 16b).
The reason God commands him to circumcise himself (Gen. 17) is that
this act of self-perfection will make the spirit of Prophecy more accessible
to him (PdRE 29; Tanh. Lech Lecha 20). The story of his self (and selfless)
surgery leads one source to declare Abraham serves as a kind of
psychopomp, directing Souls after Death to their destination. Just as he did
in this world, in the World to Come, the beloved ancestor awaits
wayfaring souls —just not in the place one would expect:
As he sat in the tent door in the heat ... R. Levi said, “[I]n the World-To-
Come, Abraham will sit at the entrance of Gehenna and permit no
circumcised child of Israel to descend there ...”(Gen. R. 48:8)
In the Zohar, he is credited with the knowledge to create a golem (Zohar
I:79a), a knowledge alluded to in the biblical text (Gen. 12:5). This tradition
springs from a single reference to him in the final chapter of Sefer Yetzirah.
Because of this same reference, some mystics also regard Abraham to be
the author of that work. Abraham also possessed a miraculous healing
stone, the tzohar. After his death, God suspended it from the sun, enhancing
the sun’s healing powers (B.B. 16b).
In early Kabbalah, Abraham comes to be regarded as an archetype, a
personification of sefirotic attributes. In later works, this logic is reversed,
with Abraham being treated as a divine attribute whose dynamic function in
the world is expressed allegorically through the Abraham saga found in the
Torah. He represents the sefirah of Chesed, pure love. (Pes. 118a; Gen. R.
38, 61; Seder Eliyahu Rabbah 1:13; Zohar 1:203b). The spirit of Abraham
still comes to call upon his descendants when they dwell in the sukkah
during the holiday of Sukkot. He is welcomed in a ritual of greeting and
hospitality. see PATRIARCHS AND MATRIARCHS; RIGHTEOUS, THE .
Abraham, Apocalypse of: A 2nd-century-CE document that contains
revelations of future history and a vision of Heaven, probably of Jewish
origin but also now including Christian glosses. It exists today only in
Slavic language translation. It recasts Abraham as the archetypal priest,
initiated into this role by the angel Yahoel. The rabbinic sources also
preserve hints of the idea of Abraham initiating a priesthood that prefigures
the levitical priests (Gen. R. 43:6, 46:5, 55.6; Ned. 32b; Lev. R. 25.6).
Abraham Azulai: Kabbalist (Moroccan, ca. 17th—18th century). He wrote
Avraham L’chesed and an influential commentary on the Zohar. One
source credits him with performing wondrous deeds, but as there are at least
three prominent Abrahams in the Azulai family, this cannot be verified.
Abraham ben David of Posquieres: Legalist, mystic, and polemicist
(Provencal, ca. 12th century). He experienced a visitation of Elijah, who
provided him with guidance in his studies (Commentary on Yad ha-
Chazakah).
Abraham ben Moses: Kabbalist (Egyptian, ca. 13th century). A mystic
influenced by Sufism. Because most of his works have been lost or only
survived in fragmentary form, he is most notable for being the son of
Maimonides .
Abraham ben Simeon: Magician, alchemist, and world traveler (German, ca.
14th century). Abraham is the author of Cabala Mystica, “The Mysterious
Tradition” (or alternately, Segulot Melachim, “Angelic Remedies’’).
Abraham not only told tales of how he enjoyed royal patronage from many
European princes, he even claimed to have given two popes occult advice.
Much of what we know about Abraham is in doubt—the veracity of these
stories themselves, or even whether Abraham was actually a Jew or a
Christian of Jewish parentage.!
1.R. Patai, The Jewish Alchemists: A History and Source Book (Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press, 1994), 271-89.
Abraham ibn Ezra: SEE Ibn Ezra, Abraham.
Abraham, Testament of: The Testament is a 2nd-century-CE apocalyptic text
describing Abraham’s ascent into Heaven. It appears to be a Jewish text
heavily glossed by Christian copyists. It survives only in Greek.
Abraxas: An Angel mentioned extensively in the Gnostic tradition. His
name may be an acronym for the Greek names of the planets. Modern
scholars Abraham Geiger and Giuseppe Barzilai attempt to explain his
name as derived from Hebrew, but their theories are not widely accepted.
While most likely of non-Jewish origins, in Greek magical texts he is often
listed alongside Hebrew-derived names for God. He eventually gets
assimilated into Jewish angelology and appears in later Jewish amulets and
in medieval Jewish lists of angels.
Abu Aharon: SEE AARON OF BAGHDAD.
Abulafia, Abraham: (1240-12917). Medieval Spanish Kabbalist, self-
proclaimed Prophet, and failed Messiah. Abulafia practiced and taught a
sophisticated and novel form of ecstatic (or as he called it, “prophetic’’)
Kabbalah that, until recent times, has not received much general attention,
no doubt due to his controversial personality and career. In his own lifetime,
his claims and unorthodox teachings earned him condemnation from
rabbinical authorities. Fortified by belief in his own messianic identity,
Abulafia at one point sought an audience before Pope Nicholas III in order
to convert him. Not surprisingly, he was imprisoned for spreading his
“gospel.” More surprising is that he actually survived the ordeal, outliving
the pope in question. His teachings are enjoying a revival on two fronts:
renewed scholarly research, and the revival of his techniques within
contemporary meditative circles.| see MEDITATION; TZERUF/Tzerufim;
VISION.
1. Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, 120-46; A. Kaplan, Meditation and
Kabbalah (York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1982), 57-71. Also M. Idel, The
Mystical Experience in Abraham Abulafia (New York: SUNY Press, 1988).
Abyss: (QV15V/Tehom). The name for the primordial waters that preceded
Creation and are now trapped below the crust of the Earth (Gen. 1:2; Gen.
R. 13:13; Ps. 104). Linguistically, the word is derived from the same root as
the Akkadian Tiamat, the watery chaos monster of Mesopotamian
mythology. It was the tehom that God released like fountains from under the
earth to initiate the Flood (Gen. 7:11).
The stone upon which Jacob rested his head was the stone that kept the
tehom sealed up. This would later serve as the foundation of the Temple
(PdRE 23). In temple times, the ritual of the water libations was performed
to draw up these tellurian waters to help to moisten and fructify the earth
(Tan. 25b). The purpose of the ritual was to draw the now domesticated
underground waters of the abyss toward the surface of the earth, to trigger
the fructifying mingling of tellurian (subterranean/circular/feminine) and
heavenly (rain/linear/masculine) waters that would allow growth in the
coming season (T. Tan. 1:4; Tan. 10b; PdRE 23).
In its less literal applications, tehom can also refer to the realm of the
dead, the place where evil spirits and wicked Souls dwell. In later Jewish
eschatology, it is one of the seven compartments of Gehenna (MG). The
Midrash also uses the term metaphorically, as referring to Israel’s
subjugation under Rome (Gen. R. 2.4). Lovers of gematria note that tehom
has the same numeric value as ha-mavet, “death.” The concept of the abyss
is thus a multivalent mythic symbol for the negative and undesirable traits
of this world, which have their roots in what preceded the formation of the
cosmos. SEE CHAOS; WATER.
Academy on High: SEE YESHIVA SHEL MALAH.
Acha ben Jacob: Talmudic Sage (ca. 4th century). He was a storyteller, folk
healer, and exorcist.
In a famous extended discussion of Job reported in the Talmud, Acha
expounded on the nature of ha-Satan, the adversary, explaining that both
“Satan and Peninah have a pious function [in their roles as
adversaries/antagonists].” This insight on the divine necessity of spiritual
obstacles inspired Satan to appear before Acha in person and kiss his feet
(B.B. 16a).
He once defeated a demon in the form of a seven-headed hydra:
Jacob the son of R’ Acha bar Jacob: his father sent him to Abaye [to
attend Abaye’s house of study]. When he [Jacob] returned, he [R. Acha]
saw that his lessons weren’t sharp. He said to him, “I take priority to
you; you return [home] so I can go [study there and see the problem] ...
Abaye heard that he was coming. There was a djinn in Abaye’s
Rabbinical academy, such that when they [students] entered in pairs,
even during the day, they would be hurt. He [Abaye] said [to the
academy]. “Perhaps a miracle will occur [because of Acha’s merit].” He
[R. Acha] entered and slept in the academy. It appeared to him as a
seven-headed serpent. Every time he prostrated himself [prayed], another
head fell off. In the morning he said to them, “Had a miracle not
occurred, you would have endangered me.” (Kid. 29b)
Acha’s end is also a cautionary tale of the dangers of the evil eye.
According to Baba Batra 14a, he made a Torah scroll so perfect in form
and dimensions that his colleagues were overwhelmed with envy, causing
his death.
Acherit ha-Yamim: (O72 F778). “The End of Days.” see ESCHATOLOGY;
JUDGMENT, DAY OF; MESSIAH.
Acosmism: The doctrine that the created, material universe is an illusion.
This radical theology is most commonly associated with the Hasidic
CHaBaD movement, beginning in the early 19th century. According to this
belief, God is the only reality. The biblical proof text for this claim is
Deuteronomy 4:35, “It has been clearly demonstrated to you that Adonai
alone is God; there is no more than Him alone.” The same can be inferred to
the phrase in the Aleinu Prayer, “In truth, You are our King, there is
nothing else.”
In point of fact, the CHaBaD teaching is more complicated than simply
denying reality. It is “subjective acosmism,” the belief that the world does
not exist from God’s perspective because all things unfold within divinity
(Tanya 320, 155, 174), while from human perspective, the universe is real,
because we cannot discern the oneness and innate divinity of all things
(Sha’arei ha-Yichud ve’>ha-Emunah 1:2). In short, we exist, but have no
substance, like a [divine] thought. The resemblance between this and Hindu
cosmology is often noted. The doctrine has not enjoyed wide popularity
beyond CHaBaD, because it seemingly undermines the reality of all
distinctions, especially moral ones, historically a central premise of
Judaism.
Acrostic: SEE ABBREVIATIONS; HAFUCH; NOTARIKON; TEMURAH;
TZERUF/Tzerufim.
Adam
Adam: ()®87 5°8/Adam Rishon). Adam is the first human being and an
archetype for all humanity. One Kabbalistic teaching reveals that the word
ADaM is a mystical abbreviation for the essence of human nature: Adamah
(earth), Dibur (speech), and Ma’aseh (action).
God placed him in the Garden of Eden. According to Alef-Bet of ben
Sira, he was wed first to Lilith, whom God had made simultaneously with
him. When they argued, she flew off to become the queen of demons. Only
after that did God create Eve (AbbS).
He also had numerous other dealings with Angels and demons. Gabriel
and Michael were the witnesses at his Wedding to Eve. Not only was he
later tricked by the serpent, but he was also seduced by succubae,
generating demonic offspring (Eruv. 18b; Gen. R. 20:11; PdRE 20). Before
his expulsion from Eden, Adam was clothed in divine glory. After the fall,
God made miraculous garments for both Adam and Eve that never wore
out. Adam also received from the angel Raziel the tzohar , a gemstone
holding the primordial light of Creation. Along with Eve, he was laid to
rest in the Cave of Machpelah in the middle of the Garden of Eden, where
their bodies lie concealed from mortal sight in a state of luminescent and
fragrant preservation. The Zohar teaches that at the hour of Death every
person sees Adam (Num. R. 19:18; Gen. R. 17; B. Eruv. 18b; A.Z. 8a; Sot.
9b; Tanh. Bereshit; Zohar I:127a—b). SEE GARMENTS OF ADAM.
Adam Kadmon: (17? 578). “Primordial Man.” Also called Adam Elyon or
Adam Ila’ah. Not to be confused with the frail figure of Adam in the
Genesis account, who is formed from clay (Gen. 2:7), Adam Kadmon is the
supernal, first creation of God that is made in the divine image (Gen. 1:26-
27). Drawing on Platonic notions of “forms,” the teachings about Adam
Kadmon explain that he is the true “image of God,” a majestic vessel of
divine glory, the ideal human (PdRK 4:4, 12:1; Lev. R. 20:2). All earthly
humans are in His image. We are an image of an image, as it were (B.B.
58a):
Said Rabbi Hiyya: “When the Holy One created man to dwell upon the
earth, he formed him according to the likeness of Adam Kadmon, the
heavenly man. When the angels gazed upon him [Adam Kadmon], they
exclaimed: “You have made him almost equal to God and crowned him
with glory and honor.’ After the transgression and fall of Adam, it is said
the Holy One was grieved at heart because it gave occasion for repeating
what they had said at his creation, ‘What is man that You should be
mindful of him, or the son of man that You should visit him.’ ” (Ps. 7:5)
According to the Midrash, Adam Kadmon is androgynous, incorporating
all the aspects of both genders. He is also a macrocosm, extending from one
end of the universe to the other and containing all Creation. The Rabbis
believed Adam Kadmon embodied and exemplified the Creation. Thus the
medieval Bible commentator Abraham ibn Ezra wrote,
One who knows the secret of the human soul and the structure of the
human body is able to understand something of the upper worlds, for the
human body is the image of a microcosm. (Commentary on Ex. 25:40) !
When he was created, in fact, he was so awesome the angels mistook him
for a god and began to worship him (Gen. R. 8:1; Lev. R. 14:1; Chag. 12b,
14b).
The “heavenly man” becomes a prominent aspect of many Kabbalistic
systems, starting with the Bahir, which sees Adam Kadmon as the source
Soul of all human souls:
In its [the World to Come discussed earlier] hand is the treasury of souls.
In the time when Israel is good, these souls are worthy of going forth and
coming into this world. But if they are not good, then [these souls] do
not go forth. We therefore say, “The son of David will not come until all
the souls in the Guf [Body] are completed.” What is the meaning of “all
the souls in the Guf [Body]”? We say this refers to all the souls in the
body of Adam [Kadmon]. [When they are completed] new ones will be
worthy of going forth. (Bahir 184)
In many mystical sources, Adam Kadmon signifies the totality of the
sefirot. Often, the ten sefirot are shown superimposed on the figure of the
Adam Kadmon to represent his mediating role between God and Creation—
he is literally the embodiment of divine attributes as well as the place of the
universe.
Adam Kadmon
In Lurianic Kabbalah, he is the light that fills primordial space after the
light of God is withdrawn. Luria sees the Jewish project as bringing a
restoration of humanity to the state of Adam Kadmon. Chayyim Vital,
elaborating on the Bahir, sees Adam Kadmon as a kind of “world soul” that
precedes the rest of creation and finds repetitions of him at each stage of the
chain of Creation (Gen. R. 8:1, 10; Sanh. 38a; Zohar II:48a, 70b; Etz ha-
Chayyim 1). He also teaches that various facets of all the subsequent human
souls reflect the location from which they were derived (Sefer ha-
Hezyonot).
Some scholars theorize that Gnosticism is the source for the Jewish
tradition of Adam Kadmon.” Christian scriptures also allude to the tradition
of Adam Kadmon, linking the idea to Jesus (1 Cor. 15:45-50). This idea
reappears in the heretical sect of Shabbateanism, which holds Shabbatai
Tzvi to be both the Messiah and the incarnation of Adam Kadmon.
The concept of Adam Kadmon has served mystics in their efforts to exalt
and elevate the status of humanity (in potential) and emphasize the divine
aspect of man.
1. Jacobs, “Olam Katan,”
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ethics/Our_Bodies/Themes_and_Theol
ogy/Body_as_Microcosm.shtml.
2.1. P. Couliano, The Tree of Gnosis: Gnostic Mythology from Early Christianity to
Modern Nihilism (San Francisco: Harper-Cross, 1990), 99-100, 113, 165-66.
Adamah: (1/278). “Earth.” In Midrash and the Zohar, based on the source,
it is the second, third, or sixth of the seven material worlds (Hag. 12a—b;
MhG 1.16; Seder Rabbah ha-Bereshit 5-28). Adam had to journey through
it after his expulsion from Eden. Abel, Cain, and Seth were born on this
plane. The creatures that dwell there are perpetually sad. This is where
humans and om God had made simultaneously with him. When they
argued, she flew off to become the queen of demons interacted freely (Sitre
Torah, Zohar 1:253b—254a). SEE WORLDS, MANY.
Adar: (1718). This month in the Hebrew calendar falls in the spring. Its
zodiac is Dagim. The minor holiday of Purim occurs in Adar. As the last
month before Nisan, the month of Exodus, before the events of Purim it
was considered an ill-fortuned month.!
1.G. Erlanger, Signs of the Times: The Zodiac in Jewish Tradition (Jerusalem:
Feldman Publishing, 1999), 245.
Adat El: (78 72). “Divine Assembly.” The Bible describes the God of
Israel as presiding over a conclave of divine and numinous beings (Deut.
32; Pss. 82, 89:6, 95:3; Job 1). The assembly gathers in a sacred tent atop a
cosmic mountain (Ps. 15; Isa. 14:13). This was likely derived from pre-
Israelite Canaanites who believed that the gods assembled in the sacred tent
of El, the supreme god:
She [Anat] stamped her feet and left the earth; then she headed toward
El, at the source of the two rivers [Mount Zaphon] in the midst of the
two seas’ pools; she opened El’s tent and entered the shrine of the King,
Father of Time ... |
The construction of the tabernacle by the Israelites is meant to provide
God with a parallel earthly abode (Ex. 24-34). In the later books of the
Bible and _ post-biblically, this assembly was updated, refined, and
reimagined into the concept of the angelic court attending upon God, who is
envisioned as a divine monarch who consults with the court, but is not
bound by their opinions (Sanh. 38b; Gen. R. 8:4). Coinciding with the
creation of a permanent earthly Temple, the same sources start to re-
envision the sacred tent of assembly as a heichal, a “palace.” SEE Angel And
Angelology ; HOST OF HEAVEN.
1.M. D. Coogan, trans., Stories from Ancient Canaan (Louisville, KY: Westminster
Press, 1978), 12,95.
—5
Adiriron Adiron: (7 7"). In quasi-Hebrew, this is “Mighty One” or
“Mighty of the Mighty.” The odd —ron ending resembles the morphology of
Metatron. Sometimes the name is divided into Adir Yiron.
This is a divine title, originally a euphemism for the Tetragrammaton, !
but later regarded as a magical name in its own right, or a cherub,
identified with Akatriel-YaH.’ It is most often mentioned in association with
some aspect of the Merkavah, the divine chariot. Thus it appears in
Hechalot Rabbati 14:
When a person seeks to descend to the Chariot he will call upon Surya,
the Prince of the Countenance, and make him swear one hundred and
twelve times in the name of Tutrusyiyah [with many titles] ... and
Adiriron-YHVH, Lord of Israel ... >
In Sefer Hechalot, he is listed as one of three high Angels that personify a
divine attribute. In the case of Adiriron, that attribute is God’s koach
(“power”). This association of Adiriron with “power” is repeated elsewhere
—Michael receives some of his angelic power from Adiriron. He
commands every Saraf Angel. Later he is described as the rokeiv (“rider’’)
upon the wheels [of the divine chariot], perhaps this means he is a cherub,
but by any account Adiriron is a driving force in the divine superstructure,
suggesting that he is a personification of the “dynamos,” the attribute of
power within the Pleroma,* and the reason that the name/entity fades from
use is that later Kabbalah would refer to this same divine phenomenon as
Gevurah. The name continues to be used in magical literature, as part of
amulets made of deerskin to protect a newly constructed dwelling place
(Mifalot Elohim 59) and in cherem adjurations.
1. D. Abrams, “From Divine Shape to Angelic Being: The Career of Akatriel in
Jewish Literature,’ Journal of Religion 76 (1996): 58.
2.Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, 56, 363.
3.R. Margaliot, Malachei Elyon (Jerusalem: Mossad ha-Rav Kook, 1987), 2
[translation is the author’s].
4.J. Dan, The ‘Unique Cherub’ Circle (Tubingen: J.C. B. Mohr, 1999), 113.
Adjuration: SEE Magic
Adonai: (2178). “My Lord.” A Jewish appellation for God that gradually
became a euphemism commonly used in order to avoid saying the
Tetragrammaton (Yoma 39b—40a). The word Adonai eventually developed
an aura of mystery itself. As such, it became a name of power, alongside the
Tetragrammaton, attractive to both Jewish and non-Jewish magical
practitioners. Consequently, it frequently appears in spells, amulets, and
other magical devices. SEE NAMES OF GOD.
Adonaiel: An angel mentioned in the Testament of Solomon.
Adversary, the: SEE SATAN OR Ha-Satan.
Af and Chemah: (79/8), Af and Chemah (or Hemah) are Hebrew for
“Wrath” and “Anger.” The angelic names are derived from Psalm 37:8 and
Deuteronomy 9:19, where these two words are understood to be proper
nouns — the personifications of God’s fury.
Af and Chemah are two of the five—or six— Angels of Death (sources
vary), the others being Gabriel over kings; Kapziel over youths; Mashbir
over animals; Mashchit over children. Af and Chemah are the destructive
angels over men and beasts (BhM 2:98). Unlike the others, however, these
are often paired together, apparently because they are chained to each other
with bonds of black and red fire on the seventh level of heaven (Gedulat
Moshe).
They have been unleashed on Earth several times, most notably to
destroy Jerusalem for its sins (Shab. 55a) and to punish Moses for failing
to circumcise his son Gershon (Ex. 4):
R. Judah b. Bizna lectured: When Moses was lax in the performance of
circumcision, Af and Hemah came and swallowed him up, leaving
naught but his legs. Thereupon immediately Zipporah “took a sharp
stone and cut off the foreskin of her son”; straightway he [they?] let him
alone. In that moment Moses desired to slay them, as it is written,
“Cease from Af and forsake Hemah.” (Deut. 9:19; Ned. 32a)
Though it does not mesh with the chronology of other stories about these
entities, one of the most oft-repeated legends is connected to Exodus 32:11-
13. In this story, God unleashes Af and Chemah as two of five “destroying
angels” against the people of Israel. Moses summons the amudei ha-olam,
the meritorious ancestors (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the three names he
invokes in verse 13) to neutralize three of the angels with their powers of
love, but Moses is left to dispatch the other two himself. Being a prayer-
warrior, the son of Amram slays them with his sincere supplications. Af and
Chemad are then buried in the valley of Moab, and Moses is buried in front
of them to ensure they can never return to harm the Jewish people (variant
accounts of this appear in Ex. R. 41.7, 44:8; Tanh. Ki Tissa 20; PdRE 45;
and Deut. R. 3.11).
Afikoman: (I®)P’=8), sEE PASSOVER; UNLEAVENED BREAD.
Afterlife: SEE DEATH; ETERNAL LIFE; KINGDOM OF _- GOD;
REINCARNATION; RESURRECTION.
Aggadah: (7738). “Story/Narrative/Legend.” This is the catchall term for all
the nonlegal materials in rabbinic literature—narratives, interpretations,
poems, theology, etc. Most mythic, fabulous, and occult teachings are found
embedded in the aggadic portions of Jewish literature.
AGLA: (8738). An acrostic name of God constructed from the Hebrew
phrase, Atah gibor l’olam Adonai, “You are eternally mighty, O Eternal”
(Gevurot prayer, Siddur). It was often used in exorcism rites, Christian as
well as Jewish, and appears on amulets.
Agrat: SEE IGRAT.
Agriculture: SEE FERTILITY; FIRSTBORN; FOOD; ISRAEL, LAND OF.
Ahijah: (Alternately, Ahia ha-Shiloni) . A biblical Prophet who lived in the
time of King Jeroboam. He died a martyr’s death. The teacher of Elijah, he
was a master of the esoteric Torah(J. Eruv. 5:1; Sanh. 102a; Mid. Teh. 5:8).
Long after death, this biblical figure reappears in mystical testimonies. In
the Zohar , his Soul undergoes a tikkun , a restoration, through the actions
of Shimon bar Yochai (Zohar I:32a). Centuries after that, he reappears as
the maggid, the spirit guide to the Baal Shem Tov (Toldot Yaakov Yosef
156a; SAB).'
1. G. Nigal, “The Rabbi and Teacher of the Baal Shem Tov,” Sinai 79 (1976): 150—
159.
Ahimaaz, Megillat or Sefer: SEE YUHASIN, SEFER.
Ahimaaz ben Paltiel: Adventurer and wunder-rabbi (Italian, ca. 11th
century). His magical deeds and the deeds of his family are recorded in
Sefer Yuhasin.
Aish M’tzaref: “Fire of the Refiner.’ A 16th-century tractate on Alchemy
and Kabbalah.
Akatriel-YaH: (7°s7n>8). “Crown of God-Yah.” Super-angelic figure
mentioned in Talmud tractate Berachot 7a—b. In this passage, he is seen
sitting on the Throne of Glory and the voice of God speaks through him:
It was taught as Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha says: “I once entered the
innermost part of the Temple to offer incense and saw Akatriel-YaH,
seated upon a high and exalted throne. God said to me: ‘Ishmael, My
son, bless Me!’ I replied: ‘May it be Your will that Your compassion
overcome Your anger. May Your compassion prevail over Your other
attributes. May You deal with Your children compassionately. May You
not judge us solely with strict justice!’ And God nodded to me.” (Ber. 7a)
This enigmatic passage, which parallels the prophetic call of Isaiah (Isa.
6:1-13) has been subject to much interpretation; some scholars regard
Akatriel-YaH to be yet another name for Metatron, while others theorize
that perhaps Akatriel is a personification of God’s glory. Extra-Talmudic
texts only deepen the confusion.! In his Sod ha-Yichud, Eleazar of Worms
alternately calls him “the Glory” and “the Angel that changes to many
forms.” The confusing nature of this entity is also discussed, without
resolution, in the commentary to Berachot 7b in Otzar ha-Geonim. Later
Kabbalah equates him with Malchut, the lowest of the sefirot. One angel-
adjuring text includes Akatriel in a list of seven angels. On the other hand, a
Cairo Geniza fragment clearly regards Akatriel-YaH to be a name of God.”
SEE MALACH ADONAI.
1. Abrams, “From Divine Shape to Angelic Being,” 46-63.
2.E. Wolfson, Through a Speculum that Shines: Vision and Imagination in Medieval
Jewish Mysticism (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1997), 261-262.
Akiba (or Akiva) ben Joseph: Talmudic Sage, biblical exegete and mystic (ca.
1st—2nd century). He is arguably the most celebrated figure in the Talmud,
and a seminal figure in the development of Jewish mysticism, giving his
special imprimatur to the Song of Songs as the Jewish esoteric text, par
excellent. He was the only one of the four Sages who entered Pardes and
returned unscathed. His Prayers were credited with ending a drought. He
encountered a ghost and subsequently exorcised it by teaching the dead
man’s son the daily liturgy; this is credited by some with establishing the
tradition of reciting Kaddish for the dead (Seder Eliyahu Zuta). As one of
the ten martyrs, his willingness to die for the sake of God’s honor prevented
God from undoing Creation (Midrash Eleh Ezkarah). His name becomes
associated with a variety of mystical practices (Hechalot Rabbati; Hechalot
Zuta) and magical (Havdalah de-Rabbi Akiba).
Akkum: (O122/Akkum). An acronym formed from the words Oved
Kochavim U’Mazilim “worshipper of stars and constellations.” As such, it
serves as a standard Talmudic term for a Pagan. Some Christians claimed it
stood for Oved Kristos U’Miriam, “worshipper of Christ and Mary” (highly
improbable, since it involves conflating Greek and Hebrew) and that all
negative references to Pagans found in the Talmud were actually directed
at Christianity, a belief that resulted in widespread Christian censorship of
the Talmud in Europe.!
1. Singer, The Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 1,312.
Akrav: (78). “Scorpion.” The zodiac sign for the month of Cheshvan. This
is the weakest of the signs, a water sign, and it is associated with the forces
of decay, melancholy, and disorder. It is the month during which the Flood
occurred and the Matriarch Rachel died.!
1. Erlanger, Signs of the Times, 145-58.
Alchemy: (77298). The Hermetic tradition, one part theosophy, one part
astrology, and one part experimental science, was first expounded in
writings attributed to the Egyptian Hermes Trismegistus. Emerging in late
antiquity, alchemy was a profoundly spiritual pursuit, a quest to uncover the
potential for transformation of the natural order through the study of
transformation in certain iconic natural substances—metals. Some
alchemists even envisioned their ritualistic chemistry as a kind of sacrificial
rite.!
Alchemy has been associated with Jews since antiquity. Moses is credited
with being the teacher of Hermes himself, but this may also represent a
conflation of the biblical Moses with the figure of Moses of Alexandra, an
Egyptian-Jewish alchemist of antiquity. Some traditions credit the
Patriarchs with transmitting alchemical knowledge (along with the
philosopher’s stone) that was learned from Adam. Bezalel, the builder of
the Mishkan (Ex. 31:1—5), is said to have been an alchemist. Late traditions
associate David and Solomon with the Hermetic arts, based on biblical
accounts of how David produced massive amounts of gold, and gave
Solomon stones, assumed by later readers to be philosopher’s stones (1 Chr.
22:14). Other biblical figures, such as Elijah and Isaiah, were claimed as
alchemists, on the most tenuous textual evidence. Ancient alchemists even
interpreted the sacrifices made in Solomon’s Temple as nascent alchemical
rituals.
Zosimos, a 5th-century Greek writer, claimed Jews learned the “sacred
craft” and the “power of gold” from the Egyptians while in slavery, and
they spread the practice of alchemy from then on. By far the most important
and influential historical Jewish alchemist of ancient times is Maria
Hebraea.
Medieval alchemists, both Jewish and gentile, frequently claimed occult
knowledge of Kabbalah. The Zohar of Moses de Leon and the writings of
Abraham Abulafia show a familiarity with alchemy. Directions for the
making of gold appear in several Kabbalistic works, and Jewish scholars
debated whether such transformations were actually possible.
Apparatus Used in Alchemy.
(From wauuseript in possession of Dr. Gaster.)
Alchemical instruments from a
Hebrew manuscript
Because Kabbalah was so widely applied by Christian alchemists to their
work, by the dawn of the modern era alchemy and Jews were uniquely
linked, though this appears to be more perception than reality. So ingrained
was this perception that, in order to give their ideas more gravitas, a number
of treatises on alchemy were evidently published by non-Jews using Jewish
pseudonyms.
Actual Jewish practitioners include Jacob Aranicus (French, ca. 13th
century), Isaac and John Isaac Hollander (Dutch, ca. 15th century),
Mordecai Modena (Italian, ca. 16th century) and Samuel de Falk (English,
ca. 18th century). Even Baruch Spinoza expressed an interest in it. Though
there are hundreds of references to alchemy that appear in Jewish texts
across the centuries, dedicated works on the subject, in a Jewish language,
are rare. Moreover, no indisputably original works of Hebrew language
alchemical texts have survived to the present.
1. N. Janowitz, Icons of Power: Ritual Practices in Late Antiquity (Oxford, OH:
Littmann Library of Jewish Civilization, 2004), 109-22; also see Patai, The Jewish
Alchemists.
Alef: (s). The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, it is a silent letter, taking on
the sound value of whatever vowel is assigned to it. In gematria, it has the
numeric value of one.
It is the first letter of the first word in the Ten Commandments. One
tradition claims this silent alef was the only sound actually pronounced by
God at Mount Sinai, but even that “silent sound” was too much for the
mortal listeners, who were slain by the power of God’s voice and had to be
revived with angelic kisses (S of S R. 5:16). Its very shape is made from the
fusion of other letters, two yuds and a vav, whose combined numeric value
is twenty-six, the same value of the Tetragrammaton. Alef is therefore a
symbol of God’s utter unity and God’s mystery. In the writings of Moses
Cordovero, alef flows from Keter, the highest of the sefirotic emanations .!
SEE HEBREW AND HEBREW ALPHABET .
1.M. Munk, The Wisdom of the Hebrew Alphabet (New York: Mesorah, 1983), 43—
54.
ss =
Alef-Bet of ben Sira: (7 ]- "Y°8/Otiyyot ben Sira). Also called “Pseudo
ben Sira,” it is a controversial satirical Midrash composed in the Middle
Ages arranged in acrostic style: its twenty-two sections to mirror the
twenty-two letters of the alphabet. Each begins with a proverb, and then
launches into a series of midrashic interpretations. According to this book,
Joshua ben Sira was both the child and grandchild of the Prophet
Jeremiah. This is possible because a gang of villains forced Jeremiah to
masturbate in a pool and his semen later entered into his daughter as she
bathed. The resulting child is not only a prodigy, but born with a full set of
teeth. The rest of the narrative about ben Sira’s life continues on in a similar
insouciant tone. For example, the reader is treated to a treatise on farting,
and Ben Sira cures the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar of a flatulent malady:
she farts a thousand times an hour.
The whole book satirizes biblical figures, Jesus, and even God. Parts of
the book were so offensive that even the scribes who took the time to copy
it felt the need to censor it. Its most imortant passage is its unique version of
the Lilith legend, with its innovative Midrash establishing her as the first
wife of Adam. In the context of this work it is clearly meant as yet another
parody on traditional Judaism. There are many manuscripts, yet it is rarely
cited by other traditional commentaries and interpreters. Yet since its
inclusion in printed 16th—19th-century anthologies of Midrashim, it has
come to be regarded as a legitimate part of Jewish esoteric lore.!
1. Dan, The ‘Unique Cherub’ Circle, 16-29.
==
Alef-Bet of Rabbi Akiba: ("272 27 V°8/Otiyyot de Rabbi Akiba). A
collection of Merkavah teachings built around the study of the Hebrew
alphabet, it includes elements of Shi’ur Qomah, as well as many fabulous
tales of anthropomorphized letters. Compiled sometime between the 7th
and 10th centuries CE, the earliest version includes some magical traditions
as well. It was ridiculed by some medieval scholars for gross
anthropomorphism regarding God, and later recensions are bowdlerized,
with the most controversial material being edited out.
Aleinu: (52). This Prayer of Jewish liturgy, which makes one of its
earliest appearances in the Hechalot text Ma’aseh Merkavah,! is said to be
effective against spirit possession if recited seven times, forward and
backward (Zanfat Pa’aneah). Controversy seems to attach itself to this
prayer. It was added to the service for the monthly blessing of the moon to
discourage people from thinking Jews are worshipping celestial objects
(Mishnah Berurah). From about the 15th to 19th centuries, Jews in some
communities would spit upon reciting the word v’reik (“and emptiness’)
when it appeared in the hymn. Like the practice described above, this was
likely an apotropaic act of protection against the evil forces that would be
attracted by such negative language, but it was widely perceived by
Christian authorities as an insulting gesture directed at Jesus (using
gematria, the word has the same numeric value—316—as Yeshu). This
accusation persisted even after it was repeatedly pointed out that the
phrasing is lifted directly from the book of Isaiah. Rabbis eventually
extinguished this folk practice because of the controversy. On a more
positive note, another phrase in the prayer, /’takein ha-olam (“to rectify the
world”) mirrors, and may have even helped inspire, the kabbalistic doctrine
of Tikkun . SEE INCANTATIONS, SPELLS, AND ADJURATIONS; REVERSAL.
1.G. Scholem, Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition
(New York: Jewish Publication Society, 2012), 105-6.
Alemanno, Johannan: Magician and Kabbalist (Italian, ca. 15th century).
Alemanno was a tutor to Pico Della Mirandola, the Renaissance-era
Christian Qabbalist.
Alexander the Great: When Alexander (356-323 BCE) came to Jerusalem
during his conquests, Simon the Righteous came out to meet him and
Alexander bowed down to him, to the amazement of his servants.
Alexander told them that a vision of Simon’s image appeared to him in
battle and made him victorious. Alexander also saw God’s name written on
Simon’s diadem, remembered it, and thus introduced the gentiles to the
Tetragrammaton, God’s name of power (Ant. 6:317—39; Yoma 69a).
Alitha: ("7"). A fantastic substance, or beast, capable of extinguishing any
fire. The generation of the Flood claimed to be able to combat God’s fiery
wrath with this phenomenon, not realizing God had other weapons in his
arsenal (Sanh. 108b; MhG).
Alkabetz, Solomon: Mystical poet (Turkish, ca. 16th century). Author of the
mystical liturgical poem Lecha Dodi, Alkabetz was a spiritual practitioner
of gerushin, a mystical soul-projection technique achieved by incubation
on the graves of saintly individuals. He also introduced the ritual-spiritual
drama of meditative walking outdoors, dressed as a groom, on the eve of
Shabbat to “receive” the “Bride of Shabbat,” the personified Shabbat.
Allegory: (722). Today we assume the proper way to read Scripture is for its
plain (and/or historical) meaning. This way of reading started to appear in
the Middle Ages and accelerated with the Christian Reformation. While
rarely acknowledged, however, the plain sense of Scripture often presents
problems, to the point where modern exponents of the “religious” reading
of the Bible are forced to elide over large sections of material. Song of
Songs (or Song of Solomon or Canticles) is the signal example. The plain
meaning is wholly secular. It’s a collection of ancient love poems, perhaps
Wedding poems. This biblical book never mentions God, it teaches no
ethics, and it contains no metaphysics beyond the romantic assertion that
“love is stronger than death.” Even the most literal-minded person of faith
today is forced to immediately abandon the obvious meaning when it comes
to the Song of Songs.
In doing so, the readers revert to the indispensable ancient/medieval
strategy of “allegorical” reading, first fully developed by the Greco-Jewish
philosopher Philo of Alexandria and embraced by the early church. In order
to uncover useful spiritual ideas, allegory is the preferred hermeneutic
strategy. The book was probably included in the canon in the first place only
because the Rabbis were persuaded that reading it allegorically as the love
between Israel and God is the only real meaning.
For most of its interpretive history, in fact, the entire Hebrew Bible has
been treated as a cryptic text. The Jewish allegorical assumption has been
that all passages operate on (at least) two levels of meaning, the niglah and
the nistar (“the revealed” and “the concealed’). And Song of Songs was
held to be the most esoteric of all the canon, because it has no niglah, only
nistar. Thus the medieval Jewish commentator ibn Kaspi wrote:
Solomon, alav hashalom [“may he rest in peace”’] composed three books
which we possess, corresponding to three types of discourse ... entirely
open and literal ... entirely hidden, with nothing revealed ... the third
has both hidden and revealed ... Song of Songs is the second type. ...
(Commentary to Song of Songs) !
The challenge of the allegorical reading, then, is that once it is claimed one
holds the key to unlock the secret treasure (i.e., “It’s about God and Israel”
or “God and the Soul”) then the interpreter has to explain the parabolic
meaning of all the figures, symbols, or imagery—what do the “garden,”
“nut,” or “breasts” refer to? In Judaism, this has led to a vast array of
interpretive strategies and conclusions. SEE MIDRASH; PARDES.
1.A. Berlin, Biblical Poetry Through Medieval Jewish Eyes (Bloomington, IN:
Indiana University Press, 1991), 105.
99
Almoli, Solomon ben Jacob: Oneiromancer (Turkish, ca. 16th century). He is
author of Pitron Chalomot, “The Interpretation of Dreams,” the most
comprehensive text on oneiromancy written by a Jew. SEE Dream.
Almonds: ('F“/Shaked). With their fruit encased in a shell and their eyelike
shape, almonds are a symbol of concealed wisdom and divine favor. They
seem particularly linked to the priesthood. The oil cups on the menorah
were almond shaped (Ex. 26). Aaron’s rod was made of almond wood and
sprouted blossoms during his ordeal with other contenders for the High
Priesthood (Num. 17). Almonds are eaten in order to ward off the evil eye.
Almudhab: Arabic, “The Golden [One].” The demon that governs the first
day of the week (Sunday). He may be summoned by an adept and forced to
exercise his powers over love and friendship (Tzefunei Tzioni). This demon
is derived from Islamic tradition.!
1.B. Huss,“Demonology and Magic in the Writings of R. Menachem Ziyyoni,”
Kabbalah 10 (2004): 55-72.
Alphabet, Hebrew: ("2 578). SEE HEBREW AND HEBREW ALPHABET.
Alphabet, Magical: A set of symbols consisting of lines terminating in circles
that was a popular feature in ancient and medieval magical inscriptions and
amulets. Scholars sometimes refer to these symbols as “Angel script,”
“sigils,” or brillenbuchstaben (“eye-glass” symbols) because the circles at
the ends of the characters resemble monocles. The number of magical signs
found on Hebrew magical texts far exceeds the twenty-two letters of the
Hebrew alphabet, so evidently talisman makers assigned their own
phonetic or hieroglyphic values to these symbols. Consequently, no
definitive system for their translation or interpretation is available to us.!
TES HT ECI/L
FXANUSUKAIS HS
C26 MERU OKIE BRO
Magical alphabet from Sefer
Raziel
The methodology for their application is also somewhat of a mystery,
though one 14th-century text, Tzefunei Tziyyoni (p. 70), describes them as
seals which high angels use to subordinate om God had made
simultaneously with him. When they argued, she flew off to become the
queen of demons and compel them to serve God. The well-prepared adept
may likewise use them to bend demons to the service of man.
1. J. Naveh and S. Shaked, Magic Spells and Formulae: Aramaic Incantations of
Late Antiquity (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1991), 140-42.
Alroy, David: False Messiah (Iraqi, ca. 12th century). Alroy claimed to be
the Messiah ben David and declared war against the Seljuk Sultan. He was
an accomplished sorcerer, performing many wonders for his followers, and
even once escaping captivity by magical means. According to one legend,
he met his end by telling his followers to decapitate him so that he could be
resurrected. The first phase of his plan worked perfectly (Benjamin of
Tedula; Shalshelet ha-Kabbalah).
Altar: ((A'I23/Mizbei’ach). A surface used for sacrifices, usually elevated
upon a pillar of stone(s). Throughout the Hebrew Bible, altars are erected
at the sites of divine appearances or revelations (Gen. 15, 22, 28), which
were considered numinous places from that time forward. The presence of
an altar therefore constituted a shrine. In later Jewish thought, the altar
represents a harmonizing principle between God and humanity.
Israelite altars were made of a pillar of unhewn stones supporting a square
platform with “horns,” or projections rising at each corner (Ex. 22, 29).
Israelite practice featured two different kinds of altars, one for the animal
and meal offerings, and another for the burning of incense.
The word itself, Mizbei’ach, is regarded to be an acronym for Mehila,
Zachut, Berachah, Chayyim (forgiveness, merit, blessing, and life’).
Once found on innumerable high places across the land, such altars
disappeared when all sacrifice was centralized in Jerusalem as a reform
measure to curb idolatry and syncretistic practices. Licit sacrifices in the
cult of the God of Israel, according to the Bible, included incense, kosher
animals, meal, oil, salt, and even water.
There is evidence that Jews living far from their homeland erected altars
to the God of Israel, despite the prohibitions stipulated in the Bible. For
example, the Jewish garrison in Elephantine, Egypt, had one, but also
engaged in syncretistic worship of local deities alongside the God of Israel.
There is also an episode reported in Talmud in which a sacrifice was made
even without an altar (Zev. 116b). Over time this kind of practice was
extinguished and anything even remotely resembling an altar in form or
function was purged from Judaism. Thus any use of an altar from that
period forward only occurs in occult or illicit rituals. The use of such an
unsanctioned altar is mentioned, for example, in Sefer ha-Razim.
In the absence of the cult, the Rabbis declared the kitchen table (i.e., the
Jewish home) to be the “small altar’ of God.
Aluka: ("P"7”). “Leech.” This is a traditional Hebrew term for a vampire.
Some texts also identify it as a name for one of the seven compartments of
Gehenna (Gedulat Moshe 41; SCh).
Amalek: The tribal and metaphysical nemesis of Israel. Deuteronomy
commands Israel to “blot out” Amalek— originally identified in the Bible as
a tribal people who massacred vulnerable Israelites coming up from
Egyptian slavery—from under Heaven, for God “will be at war with
Amalek throughout the ages” (Ex. 17, 18; Deut. 25). The later failure of
Saul to kill Agag, the King of the Amalekites, alienates God from him.
Because of Saul’s error, descendants of the Amalekites continue to
threaten Israel across the ages. Haman was a descendant of Agag. The
Romans were also identified as children of Amalek. Since rabbinic times, it
has been idiomatic to describe any implacable enemy of the Jews as
“Amalek” (Ant. 11; Ex. R. 26; PdRK 27). In some Kabbalistic thought,
“Amalek” becomes an idiom for impure things, including flaws within the
believer. I. A. Kook, for example, considers “Amalek” any ungodly thing in
the world, and that such things can only be overcome by love (Middot ha-
Rayah).
Amazarak: This fallen angel taught sorcery to humanity (I Enoch 8).
Amemnar: Sorceress mentioned in Talmud (Pes. 110).
Ammi: Talmudic Sage, folk healer, and diviner (ca. 3rd century). His
remedies appear in Horayot 12a and Avodah Zarah 28a-b.
Ammon of No: (®j"°*), Variations of this name appear in lists of fallen
angels and om God had made simultaneously with him. When they argued,
she flew off to become the queen of demons across Jewish literature. He is
the angel/demon governing Alchemy, dreams, and Christianity.! szz
REINA, JOSEPH DELLA.
1.A. Schwarz, Kabbalah and Alchemy: An Essay on Common Archetypes
(Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 2000), 108.
Amtachat Binyamin, Sefer: An 18th-century compilation of segulot, formulae
for making amulets, and medicinal prayers and treatments, composed by
the Baal Shem Binyamin Binush.
Amulet: (*"""*/Kamia). An amulet or a charm is an object or a device,
usually with writing on it, which provides protection against harm, whether
of natural or supernatural origin. The use of amulets and charms is virtually
universal across human cultures and across time, and Jews are no exception.
Jewish amulets have been used to ward off a variety of ills: disease,
mishap, dangerous animals, sorcery, and/or malevolent spirits. They can
also serve as love charms. They have been particularly used by Jews to
induce fertility, protect women during pregnancy, and to shield newborn
infants. For many Jews, amulets signified human empowerment in the face
of unseen and malevolent forces in the world.!
Amulets take many forms throughout the different periods of Jewish
history. The use of amulets to ward off evil spirits and/or disease was
pervasive in the cultures that surrounded ancient Israel, and examples of
Canaanite, Phoenician, Assyrian, and Egyptian origin have been recovered.
The use of amulets by biblical Israelites is specifically criticized in Isaiah
3:18—-20. It is unclear from the context whether amulets qua amulets are
being condemned, or whether they are merely included in a list of vanities
and luxuries associated with women. Only two physical examples of
amulets from the biblical era have been uncovered so far. The first is a tomb
inscription found at Khibet el Qom dating to the 8th century BCE asking for
the protection of YHVH and his Asherah. The second is also a tomb
artifact, but this one consisting of two rolled-up copper plates inscribed
with the Priestly Blessing (Num. 6:24—25) found at Ketef Hinnom and
dating from the 7th century.”
Evidence for the use of amulets grows dramatically post-biblically. It is 2
Maccabees 12:40 that reports disapprovingly of slain Jewish warriors found
wearing amulets with foreign gods inscribed on them. Again, it is unclear
whether the author objects to talismans in general or to just these
syncretistic examples. Of course, the tefillin worn by Jews on the head and
arm to fulfill the commandment (Deut. 6:8) are regarded as having
talismanic properties by some Jews, though that is not their formal function.
The Latin word for tefillin, phylactery (“safeguard”) highlights this
perception. Likewise, in some circles the mezuzah put on the doorpost of
Jewish homes is also regarded as a charm against misfortune.
The Sages are largely at ease with the use of amulets, saying that
“anything that effects Healing is not considered witchcraft” (Shab. 67a),
and discuss their use to protect people (particularly children), animals, and
property. Amulets were considered a regular part of the medical response to
illness and the Sages speak of experienced kamia makers who have a
proven track record of making efficacious amulets. They also discuss the
criteria for judging a good medical amulet (Shab. 61b; Yoma 84a). They do,
however, place limits on the sanctity with which amulets may be treated,
even ones with God’s name inscribed on them (Shab. 115b). The
Babylonian Talmud distinguishes between written amulets and folk
amulets, the latter being called kamia shel ikrin and being made from roots
(rather like a medicine bag). We have a number of written metallic amulets,
mostly in Aramaic, from that era. Features of these charms include biblical
phrases, names of God, and strings of nomina barbara, or nonsense words
and phrases. Atbash (letter substitution) codes are sometimes used. Often
foreign loan words appear and, on occasion, unpronounceable divine and
angelic names. Diagrams, magical alphabets, and crude illustrations are
common but not constant features. Many written amulets were rolled up
and inserted in metal tubes, the same way a mezuzah is protected and
displayed (Sanh. 63b; Pes. 111a—b).
Of the sample of amulets from late antiquity that have been found,
perhaps the most intriguing are incantation bowls: pottery dishes painted
with incantations and then buried under the doorpost of a house to trap
underworld spirits who attempt to enter.
Beginning in the Middle Ages, amulets appear that are designed to protect
against the ayin ha-ra, the evil eye. Many more physical examples of
amulets from the medieval period have survived, giving us a clearer picture
of the forms, as well as the logic behind them. Many examples of silver,
lead, and pewter amulets have come down to us, so metal is apparently a
preferred material for amulet making, though it may also be that metal’s
durability means more examples of these types of charms have survived.4
Despite the ridicule of a few rationalists like Maimonides, amulet making
was considered a worthy religious undertaking by most Jews. Eleazar of
Worms and Moses Zacuto were both advocates for them. Sefer Chasidim
even permits the limited use of amulets made by non-Jews (SCh 247, 1114).
Quite a number of amulet recipe books have survived, but by far the most
influential was Sefer Raziel, which describes their manufacture in detail
and prescribes specific times on certain days when engraving amulets will
make them potent. Innumerable Jewish amulets have been preserved that
were based on the models found in the 1701 printed version.
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Most controversies about the use of amulets arose not over their
effectiveness, but about whether individuals were selling amulets with false
claims or whether certain amulet designs may have originated in heretical
circles, such as that of the false Messiah, Shabbatai Tzvi.
With the advent of modern printing and stamping techniques, amulets
have been mass-produced in both metal and paper as pendants, small sheets,
or broadsides. The most famous of these is the Middle Eastern tradition of
the Shivitti talisman, using the words from Psalm 16:8 “I have placed the
Eternal always before me.” Select amulet makers, like Chayyim Azulai (ca.
18th century), became celebrated figures. The Chasidic community has
been very enthusiastic about their use from the very beginnings of their
movement (SHB 23, 107, 187), which actually may have dampened the
enthusiasm for amulets in the Orthodox community at large because of their
distaste for all things Chasidic.
Even today, amulets enjoy widespread use in some traditional Jewish
circles, especially among the Chasidic, Asian, and North African
communities. More modern amulet makers will often use the same kind of
animal skin parchment and ink that is used in making a Sefer Torah. These
modern amulets, sometimes called segulot, feature either verses from
Scripture with perceived protective properties, or permutations of the
names of God. Often these words and anagrams are arranged in magic
squares, circles, hexagrams, and other enclosed patterns (either to block
out or to trap the malevolent forces) to enhance their power. These also
have mathematical associations, being grouped in threes, nines, or other
significant numbers.
Popular images appearing on amulets include the protective hand or
chamsa, menorahs, fish, and Angels. A few examples even have crude
pictures of the very demonic forces the amulet is meant to ward off. One
suspects that the primitive quality of these demonic illustrations is
deliberate—yet another way of degrading the power of the evil spirits—
because many amulets are designed with attention given to aesthetics and
are quite beautiful.
Beyond the materials used, there are rituals of power that must be
observed when creating an amulet. Thus the maker will subject himself to a
period of purification, usually three days, following the example of the
Israelites who purified themselves for three days prior to receiving the
Torah. Amulet-making manuals list Prayers and incantations that must be
recited while constructing the kamia, along with those spells that will be
written on it.
Certain days and times are better for making amulets, and these are
carefully observed (Sefer Raziel). SEE ANGEL AND ANGELOLOGY; BIRTH;
CIRCLE; HEALING; INCANTATIONS, SPELLS, AND ADJURATIONS; MAGEN,
DAVID; MAGIC SQUARE.
1.M. Klein, A Time to Be Born (New York, Jewish Publication Society, 1999), 37—
38, 151-52.
2. A Mazar, Archaeology of the Land of the Bible: 10,000—586 B.C.E. (New York:
Doubleday Publishing, 1992), 522-26.
3- Naveh and Shaked, Amulets and Magic Bowls: Aramaic Incantations of Late
Antiquity (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1985), 15-20.
ad GH Roth, ed., Encyclopedia Judaica (Jerusalem: Keter, 1974), 907-14.
Ana B’choach: ([2= MIR). A mystical Prayer used in both liturgical and
theurgic contexts. Supposedly the composition of a 2nd-century sage, R.
Nechunyiah, it is more likely a 13th—14th-century work. This prayer
incorporates all the signal elements that mark all mystical thought—the idea
of esoteric knowledge (God in the prayer is called Yodeia taalumot,
“Knower of secrets”), mathematical symmetry (seven lines of six Hebrew
words each), but most of all here, an allusion to secret divine names: 6 x 7 =
42, the 42-letter name of God that can be constructed from the opening
verses of Genesis and is, therefore, the key to Creation. This poem is an
acrostic, but not of the alef-bet variety common to many psalms and
mystical poems. This is an acrostic formed from those 42 letters of God’s
name. So this is a prime example of Kabbalistic name mysticism:
By the great strength or Your right hand [God’s “right hand” is an
emblem of salvation. (Ex. 15:6)], release the bound [a petition that
frequently appears in Jewish prayer].
Accept your people’s song, elevate and purify us, O Awesome One.
Mighty One, those who strive for Your Unification [of the male and
female polarities of the Pleroma (Zech. 14:9)], guard them as the pupil of
an eye.
Bless them, purify them, pity them, may your righteousness reward
them.
Mighty Holy One, in goodness lead your congregation.
Unique Exalted One, turn to your people who recall Your holiness.
Accept our petitions, and hear our cries, O Knower of Secrets.
Blessed be the reputation of His noble kingdom for all eternity.
Ultimately, the semantic meaning of this prayer is secondary to the
talismanic performance of the concealed/revealed name, invoking its power
to heal the fractures in creation and restore life to its fullness at every level
by simply reciting it. The Ana B’choach is often incorporated into amulets.
Anafiel: (7#°EL2). “Bough of God.” A princely Angel who appears in
Merkavah literature (III Enoch 6, 18; Hechalot Rabbati; Zohar I:108b). He
guards the heavenly palace of Zebul, or in other sources, Aravot, and was
instrumental in assisting God with the process of Creation:
Why is his name Anafiel? Because of the branches of his crown of
crowns, this is laid upon his head, which conceals and covers all the
chambers of the palace of the arevot ragia like the Maker of Creation.
What [is special about] the Maker of Creation? Scripture teaches in
reference to Him: His majesty covers the sky [Hab. 3:3], so does this
apply to the prince Anafiel, who is named after the name of his master.!
In Sefer Iyyun, he emanates seven serafim. He wears a crown and holds
the “signet ring” of God (serves as God’s vizier). He is described as the
“the head above all limbs” (Zohar III:289b). His status resembles that of
Metatron in other texts, and in III Enoch it is Anafiel that administers the
pulsa denura punishment upon Metatron. Joseph Dan argues they were once
two names for the same entity.”
1. P. Schafer, The Hidden and Manifest God: Some Major Themes in Early Jewish
Mysticism (New York: SUNY Press, 1992), 31.
2.J. Dan, “Anafiel, Metatron, and the Creator,” Tarbiz 52, (1982): 447-57.
Anagram: (127), SEE ABBREVIATIONS; HAFUCH; NOTARIKON; TEMURAH;
TZERUF/Tzerufim.
Anak, Anakim: Human-angelic offspring, a race of giants related to the
Nefilim (Deut. 2:12—21), especially associated with the city of Hebron
(Josh. 14:15). They resettled in Philistine territory after the Israelite
conquest, accounting for Goliath and his brother (Josh. 11:22). According
to the Midrash, they received their name from the jewelry they heaped
around their anakim (“necks”) (Gen. R. 26). Three Anakim brothers,
Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, where the giants who terrified the Israelite
spies in Numbers 17 and meet their comeuppance in Joshua 15:14.
Ancestors: (M7ii8) M28). The belief in the continuing presence of the dead
and their influence on the living has been, in different forms, a feature of
Jewish belief from earliest times. This has led to venerating the ancestral
dead, and even cults dedicated to them. The Bible itself refers to such
practices as ensuring the dead are gathered together with the clan on
ancestral land (Gen. 50:24—25), caring for the dead spirits (Deut. 26:14; Isa.
57:6), and consulting them for occult knowledge (Deut. 18:11; Isa. 8:19—22,
19:3; 1 Sam. 28:3—25).
It is clear that ancient Israel venerated its dead (Deut. 10:15). Many
scholars also believe that the Children of Israel inherited a cult of the
ancestral dead, possibly even deified dead, from their Semitic milieu and
that it remained a popular belief among Israelites despite the opposition of
the prophets. References in the Bible to the ob (a familiar spirit apparently
derived from the same Hebrew root as “father’) have been considered part
of that covert tradition. Other scholars argue that a cult of the beneficent
dead was introduced by influence of the Assyrians, who were obsessed with
necromancy, in the 8th through 7th centuries BCE. From this perspective,
all seemingly earlier references found in the Bible are actually
anachronisms introduced by later editors.! Contrary to the proscription of
the Torah, the only clear example of a biblical figure who consulted the
ancestral dead for guidance is that of Saul summoning the dead spirit of the
prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 28:4—25). The account clearly illustrates that the
author of Samuel believed necromancy was real, though the end results for
Saul were personally disappointing.
With the prophetic verse Jeremiah 31:15—16 serving as locus classicus,
“A cry is heard in Ramah, wailing, bitter weeping, Rachel weeps for her
children, she refuses to be comforted ...” The Sages of Talmudic times
believed that their ancestors were aware of what transpired on earth and
would plead before God on behalf of their descendants (Tan. 16a; Men.
53b). Midrash Lamentations Rabbah includes a description of biblical
figures like Abraham, Moses, and Rachel interceding before the Divine
Throne when God’s judgment is being pronounced against Israel (Lam. R.
24). They would even combat evil spirits attacking Israel (Ex. R. 41.7, 44:8;
Tanh. Ki Tissa 20, PARE 45; and Deut. R. 3.11).
In time, this idea of the positive influence of the beneficent dead expanded
into the doctrine of zechut avot (the merit of the ancestors), which became
canonized in the daily liturgy with the Avot Prayer (“You remember the
faithfulness of our ancestors and therefore bring redemption to their
children’s children ...”). Sefer Chasidim describes how the dead pray for
the living (452). As late as the Zohar, we find the theme of being reunified
with one’s relatives is still a prominent expectation of the afterlife (Va-yehi
218b). In later Kabbalah, there is a shift from veneration of biological
ancestors to “Soul” ancestors.
Under the influence of Christian and Muslim saint veneration, the
doctrine of zechut avot eventually evolved into a more direct veneration of
the meritorious dead, with practices such as praying to them for their
intercession in personal matters. The purported graves of many luminaries
—biblical (Rachel’s tomb in Bethlehem), rabbinic (Simon bar Yochai in
Meron), Medieval (Meir ha-Baal Nes in Tiberias), and modern (Nachman
of Bratzlav)—have become the focus of pilgrimages and prayers for divine
intervention among the ultra-Orthodox. Even the tombs of Jews who would
have scoffed at such behavior, like Maimonides, have become destinations
for Jewish pilgrims and supplicants.
The custom of graveside veneration endures and thrives to this day in
some sects of Judaism, and is extended even to such 20th-century figures as
the Moroccan faith healer Baba Sali and the seventh CHaBaD rebbe,
Menachem Mendel Schneerson. SEE DEATH; GHOST; IBBUR; Reincarnation;
RIGHTEOUS, THE.
1.B. Schmidt, /srael’s Beneficent Dead: Ancestor Cult and Necromancy in Ancient
Israelite Religion and Tradition (Lake Geneva: Eisenbraun, 1996), 132-263.
Atik ha-Atika). Another idiom for God, based on Daniel 7:9. In Talmud, it
is that aspect of God that will reveal esoteric teachings to the wise (Pes.
119a; Ber. 17a), but it is also the redemptive aspect of deity (Likkutai
MoHaRan 1:21). In the Zohar this term is used to specifically refer to the
most hidden aspect of God, either Ein Sof or Keter (III:130a—b; I:136b).
SEE PARTZUFIM.
Androgyny: According to the rabbinic interpretation of Genesis 1:27, the
first human, Adam Kadmon, was created androgynous, with both male and
female aspects. Noting that the Torah has no punctuation, the Rabbis parse
the verse this way: “And God created man in His image, in the image of
God he created him male and female.” Thus man was truly “one,” most
closely resembling God. Later, God decided that man needed to be bi-
sexual and more like the other creatures. Only then did God divide Adam
into two persons, one male and one female:
“You have formed me before and behind” [Ps. 139:5] ... R. Jeremiah b.
Leazar said: When the Blessed Holy One created the first adam, He
created it with both male and female sexual organs, as it is written,
“Male and female He created them, and He called their name ‘adam, ”
[Gen. 5:2]. R. Samuel b. Nahmani said, “When the Holy One, blessed be
He, created the first ‘adam,’ He created him with two faces, then split
him and made him two backs—a back for each side.” [Gen. R. 8:1; Ber.
6lal
When people enter into a fit marriage, the complete, primeval human is
reconstituted through the union (Yev. 63b; Gen. R. 17:2; Zohar [:85b).
Though this myth strikes us today as odd, it conveys the idea that God
conceived humanity in essential gender equality, regardless of historical
social realities.
Angel and Angelology: (187°/Malach). In Judaism, an angel is a spiritual
entity in the service of God. Angels play a prominent role in Jewish thought
throughout the centuries, though the concept has been subject to widely —at
times wildly —different interpretations.
A number of numinous creatures subordinate to God appear throughout
the Hebrew Bible; the Malach (messenger/angel) is only one variety.
Others, distinguished from angels proper, include Irinim (Watchers/High
Angels), Cherubim (Mighty Ones), Sarim (Princes), serafim (Fiery Ones),
Chayyot ({Holy] Creatures), and Ofanim (Wheels). Collective terms for
the numinous beings serving God include Tzeva (“Host”), B’nai ha-Elohim
or B’nai Elim (“Sons of God”), and Kedoshim (“Holy Ones’). They are
constituted into an Adat El, a divine assembly (Ps. 82; Job 1). A select
number of angels in the Bible (three to be precise) have names. They are
Michael, Gabriel, and (assuming it’s a proper name) ha-Satan.
Angels can come in a wondrous variety of forms, although the Bible often
neglects to give any description at all (Judg. 6:11—14; Zech. 4). They appear
humanoid in most biblical accounts (Num. 22) and as such are often
indistinguishable from human beings (Gen. 18, 32:10—13; Josh. 5:13—15;
Judg. 13:15), but they also may manifest themselves as pillars of fire and
cloud or as a fiery bush (Ex. 14:3). The psalms characterize phenomena
that we regard today as “natural,” like lightning, as God’s melachim (Ps.
104:4). Other divine creatures appear to be winged parts of God’s throne
(Isa. 6) or of the divine chariot (Ezek. 1). The appearance of cherubim was
well enough known to be artistically rendered on the Ark of the Covenant
(Ex. 25). Perhaps the most ambiguous creature is the Malach Adonai, an
angel that may or may not be a visible manifestation of God (compare the
wording of Ex. 13:21—14:19).
Biblical angels fulfill a variety of functions in the lower worlds, including
conveying information to mortals (Zech. 1-4), shielding (Ex. 14), rescuing
(Gen. 21), and smiting Israel’s enemies. It is interesting to note that by and
large, biblical angels have responsibilities but no authority. This begins to
change with the biblical book of Daniel. Daniel includes a number of ideas
about angels that are elaborated upon in post-biblical texts, including named
angels and guardian angels. Most significant for future Jewish angelology,
Daniel posits that all the nations of the world have their own angelic
prince, that angels are arranged hierarchically, and that angels have actual,
if limited, spheres of authority over mortal realms (also Deut. 32).
In Job, God grants temporary authority over Job to Satan (Job 1). Angels
seem to have a particularly prominent role in those biblical books written
by, or under the influence, of priests (Genesis, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and
Zechariah).
Jewish sources of the Greco-Roman period add considerable detail to the
traditions of angels found in the Hebrew Scriptures (Jubilees 2:2; Ben Sira
16:26—-30). We especially see the first systematic organization of biblical
host of heaven into a hierarchy of different castes of angels governing and
serving on different levels of Heaven. Zechariah’s reference to the seven
eyes of God (4:10), for example, is understood to refer to either seven
archangels or the seven angel hosts in the seven heavens (I Enoch 61;
Testament of the Patriarchs Levi).
We also see a “quasi-polytheistic” view of the divine order recast in
monotheistic terms. Now instead of having minor gods with specific
spheres of power, lists of angels appear, all subordinate to God, but each
designated with their sphere of authority (III Enoch). This is accompanied
by a proliferation of named angels. For the first time we hear of Uriel,
Raphael, Peniel, Metatron, and many, many others (I Enoch; Tobit; IV
Ez.). Angels also increasingly represent the personification of impersonal
entities, the forces of nature (lightning, clouds, rain), the reification of
human concepts and constructs (childbirth, forgetfulness, nations), or the
hypostasis of divine attributes (justice, love, forgiveness).
There is also an awareness of an affinity between angels and mortals.
Already hinted at in the Bible, it is made clearer post-biblically that the
boundary between human and angelic states can be quite permeable.
Elaborating on cryptic passages found in the Bible (Gen. 5:24; 2 Kings
2:11), it is taught that exceptional mortals, such as Enoch, Elijah, and
Serach bat Asher may be elevated to angelic status (I Enoch; Zohar I:100a,
129b; T.Z. Hakdamah 16b).
A sense of dualism, stronger than what is found in the Hebrew Scriptures,
starts to find expression in late antiquity and leads to angels being divided
into camps of light and darkness, as exemplified by the angelology in the
War Scroll and the Manual of Discipline found among the Dead Sea
Scrolls. The mythic allusion to the misadventures of the sons of God in
Genesis 6:2 becomes the locus classicus for this (I Enoch from the section
sometimes called the Book of the Watchers). The mythos of fallen angels,
central to the dualistic priestly mysticism of the Qumran sect, eventually
becomes a major theological motif in Christianity, but remains largely in
the background in rabbinic Judaism, exerting far less influence over
subsequent Jewish angelology. It is here also we first see the idea that
angels envy humanity, a theme that continues in rabbinic and medieval
literature (Sanh. 88b—89a, 109a; Gen. R. 118:6). The belief that angels may
be invoked and employed by human initiates, later a staple element of
Ma’asei Merkavah mysticism, first appears at this time (Jestament of
Solomon).
Generally speaking, rabbinic literature de-emphasizes the importance of
angels when compared with their role in the priestly Qumran, apocalyptic,
and mystical traditions. For the first time, the idea is suggested that angels
have no free will (Shab. 88b; Gen. R. 48:11). But they do have intellect and
an inner life; they argue and are capable of errors (Sanh. 38b; Mid. Teh.
18:13). Most angels exist to do a single task (B.M. 86b; Gen. R. 50:2) and
exalted as they may be, angels are subordinate to humanity, or at least the
righteous (Gen. R. 21; Sanh. 93a; Ned. 32a; Deut. R. 1).
Still, references to angels in rabbinic literature are almost as vast as the
host of heaven themselves.! Many divine actions described in Scripture
were now ascribed to various angels (Deut. R. 9; Gen R. 31:8; Sanh. 105b).
Contrary to this trend, however, the Passover Haggadah pointedly denies
that angels played any role in the pivotal event of delivering Israel from
Egypt (ha-Maggid).
Angelic functions are revealed to be even more varied and their role in the
operation of the universe even more pervasive. The figure of Mavet (Death)
in the Bible is now identified as the Malach ha-Mavet (the Angels of
Death). The Early Jewish concept of a personal angel, of malach shareit,
mazal, or memuneh, “ministering” or “guardian” angel and an angelic
“deputy,” also comes to the fore in rabbinic literature (RaSHI on Meg. 3a;
Mid. Mish. 11:27; SCh 129, 633, 1162). The idea that the angels form a
choir singing the praises of God also captures comment and speculation by
the Sages (Gen. R. 78:1). While rabbinic writings offer no systematic
angelology comparable to that coming out of contemporaneous Christian,
mystical, and magical circles, certain parallel notions can be seen. Thus we
learn in Talmud that Michael, the angelic prince over Israel, serves as High
priest in Yerushalyim shel malah, the heavenly Jerusalem (Chag. 12b).
Legends concerning the prophet-turned-angel Elijah (Ber. 4b) become one
of the most commonplace angelic tales. Elijah frequently appears among
mortals, bearing revelations from heaven and resolving inscrutable
questions.
That all angels (and not just serafim and cherubim) have wings is first
mentioned during this period (Chag. 16a; PdRE 4).
Lilien illustration of Balaam’s angel
The size of angels may vary from small to cosmic (Chag. 13b). Angels
also move at different speeds, depending upon their mission:
A Tanna taught: Michael [reaches his goal] in one [flap], Gabriel in two,
Elijah in four, and the angel of Death in eight. In the time of plague,
however, [the Angel of Death arrives] in one. (Ber. 4b)
There is a debate as to whether angels eat, and argument driven by the
question of whether they have any materiality at all (Yoma 75b). Later
tradition attempts to split the difference, declaring they do eat, but not food
of the same order as humans:
From whence are they [angels] nourished? Rabbi Yehudah says in the
name of Rabbi Isaac: “From the splendor of the Shekhinah, as it is
written, ‘In the light of the King’s face there is life.’ ” (Prov. 16:15; PR
16:15)
As the tradition makes more specific claims about angels, there emerges a
fundamental disagreement about the nature of angels. Some consider angels
to be God’s “embodied decrees,” while others regard them to be elementals
made of fire, like an Islamic frit, or from an impossible combination of fire
and water (SY 1.7; S of SR. 10; J. RH. 58; Gedulat Moshe). Others regard
them as immaterial, disembodied intellects. Likewise, there seems to be an
ongoing controversy about what, or whether, angels eat (Judg. 13; Gen. R.
48:14; B.M. 86b; Zohar I:102b).
Angelology is a major element in Merkavah mysticism. Any practitioner
wishing to ascend through the palaces of the heavens and achieve a vision
of the divine glory needed to know how to get past the angelic guardians
(usually by knowing and invoking their names) at each level (III Enoch).
Perhaps even more important to this mystical tradition, angels can be
summoned and brought down to earth to serve a human initiate. Many
rituals and practices devoted to this end have been preserved in the
Hechalot writings.
Starting in late antiquity, angels are increasingly related to and seen as
part of the everyday life of individuals and the functioning of the world.
Thus, the names of angels have protective properties and frequently appear
on amulets, magical inscriptions, and formulae. In the bedtime ritual Kriat
Sh’ma al ha-Mitah, the angels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael are
invoked for protection through the night.
Unlike the biblical writers, the Sages allow themselves to speculate on the
origins of angels. They teach, for example, that angels did not pre-exist
Creation, but were formed as part of the heavens on the second day (Gen.
R. 1:3, 3). Another Rabbi posits that they came into existence on the fifth
day, along with all “winged” and “gliding” (bird and fish) creations. Later
traditions reconcile the different positions by asserting different kinds of
angels came into being at different stages of Creation (Chag. 14b; PdRE 4).
The Zohar teaches that all angels are the products of specific sefirot—
angels of love emanate from Chesed, punishing angels emanate from
Gevurah—and each type came into existence coinciding with the
emergence of the sefirah that is its source. (1:46a—b). Gradually, a
distinction emerges between named angels, which are enduring, and
anonymous ephemeral angels, which are constantly coming in and going
out of existence (Chag. 14a; Gen. R. 78:1).
Medieval Midrash reiterates and further develops earlier teaching about
angels, but it is during this period that individual philosophers start to offer
systematic and idiosyncratic interpretations of angels. Maimonides, for
example, talks about them at length in his Mishneh Torah, in Hilchot
Yisodei ha-Torah (“Laws of the Foundations of the Torah”). While he
meticulously classifies angelic rankings (there are ten) in his rationalistic
system, Maimonides equates them with the Aristotelian “intelligences” that
mediate between the spheres. As such, they are conscious and govern the
spheres in their motion, but in his Aristotelian context Maimonides is
saying they are forms of natural causation rather than supernatural beings.
He also expands his definition to include natural phenomenon and even
human psychology (he refers to the libidinous impulse as the “angel of
lust’). He also denies that angels ever take corporeal form; the encounters
described in the Bible are only the dream visions of the Patriarchs and
Matriarchs.
By contrast, other thinkers, like the German Pietist Eleazar of Worms,
adhere to esoteric and unapologetically supernatural angelologies. Because
of the exalted status of Torah study among Ashkenazi Jews, rituals for
summoning angels, especially angels who could reveal secrets of the Torah,
like the Sar ha-Torah and Sar ha-Panim (“the Prince of the Torah” and “the
Prince of the Presence”), became widely known.
The early medieval magical work Sefer ha-Razim catalogs hundreds of
angels, along with how to influence them and use their names in
constructing protective amulets, throwing curses, and otherwise gaining
power. The Zohar continues the tradition of angelic taxonomy, ranking them
according to the four worlds of emanation (I:11—40), as well as assigning
angels feminine as well as masculine attributes (I:119b).
Visitations by angels were widely reported among medieval Kabbalists.
The mystic-legalist Joseph Caro wrote of his maggid, the spirit of the
Mishnah, who visited him in the night and taught him Torah ha-Sod, the
esoteric Torah (Maggid Mesharim).
Despite the more traditional view of some Chasidic masters like the Baal
Shem Tov, who characterized angels as “the garments of God,” the most
novel contribution of Chasidic thought to angelology was a distinctly
anthropocentric, even psychological, interpretation of angelic nature.
Elaborating upon the teachings of Chayyim Vital,” some Chasidic masters
held that ephemeral angels, like om God had made simultaneously with
him. When they argued, she flew off to become the queen of demons, were
the direct result of human action. Goodly deeds created good angels,
destructive behavior created destructive angels, etc. In other words, most
angels are the creation—really a byproduct—of humans rather than God.
Thus the balance between the angelic and demonic forces in the universe is
a direct result of human decision and action: “Man stands upon the earth
and his head reaches to the heavens, and the angels of the Eternal ascend
and descend within him” (Ben Porat Yosef 42a). Despite this, or perhaps
because of it, the Chasidic masters emphasize the value of seeking the help
of angels. Again, a more psychological interpretation would be that they are
calling on Jews to draw strength from their own past good deeds. The most
comprehensive Chasidic meditation on angelology is Sichat Malachei ha-
Sharet (“Meditation on the Guardian Angels”) by Tzadok ha-Kohen
Rabinowicz.*
In the last quarter of the 20th century, there has been renewed interest in
angels throughout the Jewish community as evidenced by a boom in books
from a Jewish perspective on the subject.
1. J. Lauterbach, “The Belief in the Power of the Word,” Hebrew Union College
Annual 14 (1939): 293-300.
2.R.J.Z. Werblowsky, Joseph Karo, Lawyer and Mystic (Philadelphia, PA: JPS,
1977), 79.
3.A. Steinsaltz, The Thirteen Petalled Rose (Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1998),
10.
4.T. Rabinowicz, ed., The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, (Northvale, NJ: Jason
Aronson, 1996), 23-24.
Angel of Death: (= 18"°/Malach ha-Mavet, also Mar Mavet; Malach
Ahzari). God’s agent of death in the world and the most dreaded of all
numinous beings. First mentioned in biblical literature simply as Mavet
(personified Death), Mashchit (the Destroyer), Malach Adonai (Angel of
the Lord), and in at least one place as multiple “messengers/angels of
death,” in later literature the title “Angel of Death” becomes conventional.
God created the Angel on the first day, along with light. Some traditions
fuse Satan and the Yetzer ha-Ra with the Angel. Others give the Angel the
name Samael (“the Gall of God”) or Suriel (Seder Olam 10).
Death is the slowest of all the angels, except in times of epidemic, when
he is the fastest. The Malach ha-Mavet is monstrous in appearance, full of
eyes that see all creatures:
It has been said that the angel of death is all eyes, and that when a sick
person is dying, the angel stands above him, sword drawn with a drop of
bile dangling from it. When the sick person sees the angel he is shocked
and opens his mouth; the bile falls into the open mouth and from this the
person dies, from this the person deteriorates, from this his face turns
green. (A.Z. 20b; Ber. 4b)
He can alter appearance, such as manifesting with seven dragon heads
(Testament of Abraham). He is robed in a mantle that allows him to change
appearance. Death can command hosts of om God had made simultaneously
with him. When they argued, she flew off to become the queen of demons
(Gen. R. 26). Some traditions hold the Angel was created on the first day,
along with darkness, while others say he arose after the first sin (PdRE 13;
A.Z. 22b; Zohar I:35b).
Despite the piety and cleverness of such extraordinary mortals as
Abraham, Moses, and David, who delayed their demise, no one can resist
this angel forever. A select righteous few, like Moses, die directly from the
kiss of God, rather than through the harsh agency of the Angel. Supposedly
the biblical city of Luz was immune to death, and the Angel could only
strike those who left the confines of the city (Sot. 46b). One can, however,
not give the Angel an opening to claim you before your time. This famous
passage offers some advice from the mouth of Death himself:
R. Joshua b. Levi says: Three things were told me by the Angel of Death.
Do not take your shirt from your attendant when dressing in the
morning, and do not let water be poured on your hands by one who has
not washed his own hands, and do not stand in front of women when
they are returning from the presence of a dead person, because I go
leaping in front of them with my sword in my hand, and I have
permission to harm. If one should happen to meet them what is his
remedy?—Let him turn aside four cubits; if there is a river, let him cross
it, and if there is another road let him take it, and if there is a wall, let
him stand behind it; and if he cannot do any of these things, let him turn
his face away and say, (Zech. 3) “And the Lord said unto Satan, the Lord
rebuke thee, O Satan etc.,” until they have passed by. (Ber. 51a)
As evidenced above, a number of people are said to have had dealings with
the Angel while still alive, including David, Solomon, and a number of
Talmudic Sages, most famously Simon (Shimon) ben Halafta and Joshua
ben Levi (Ket. 77b). The greatest mortal nemesis of Death, until the coming
of the Messiah, has been Moses, who had many dealings with it during his
own life and was able to thwart it in various ways. Either God, or the
Messiah acting as God’s agent, will slay the Angel of Death at the end of
time (Passover Haggadah; Isa. 25; PR 161b).
The teachings about the Angel found in the whole expanse of Jewish
literature are quite diverse and hard to reconcile into a coherent whole.
There exists, for example, an isolated tradition that there are actually six
malachei ha-mavet, with each one empowered to slay a different category
of creature. Another strand of tradition teaches that the same angel that
brings a Soul into the world is also the one that will bring it back to the
higher realms. There are also traditions concerning Domah, the angel of the
grave, who pronounces the initial judgment against the soul while it still
clings to the Body. In some texts, Domah functions exactly as the Angel of
Death does.
Fearful that the Angel will use a person’s name to “find” him or her, some
Jewish parents will not name newborns until the day of their circumcision
or Synagogue naming, when they will enjoy the added protection of Jewish
ritual. Symbolically “selling” an ill child, changing its name, or giving
away its clothing to someone else can confuse the Angel. It is customary
that the Prayers for Rosh Chodesh are not recited on the month of Tishrei
in order to mislead the Angel about the coming High Holy Days, the time
when it is determined who will die in the coming year. The giving of
charity and the study of Torah has the power to postpone death, but not
prevent it (Gen. R. 21:5; Ex. R. 30:3, 38:2; Num. R. 23:13; Tanh. Bereshit
11; Me’am Loez Bereshit).
Angel of the Covenant: SEE ELIJAH
Angel of the Lord: SEE MALACH ADONAI.
Angelic Script: An alphabet that appears in Sefer ha-Razim, Sefer Raziel,
and on medieval amulets. see ALPHABET, MAGICAL.
Angelification: In early Jewish mysticism, the experience of unio mystica,
mystical union with God, was most often expressed in the notion that a
human could, either temporarily or eternally, achieve angelic status and
become part of the divine assembly. The archetypal figure for this kind of
transformation is Enoch, who was transubstantiated into Metatron(III
Enoch 3). According to a medieval Midrash, nine people entered Paradise
alive (and, by implication, underwent transformation into Angels): Enoch,
Elijah, the Messiah, Eliezer (the servant of Abraham), Ebed Melech,
Batya (the daughter of Pharaoh), Hiram (who built Solomon’s Temple),
Jaabez (son of R. Judah the Prince), and Serach bat Asher (Derekh Eretz Zut
1).
The priests who contributed to the Dead Sea Scrolls also apparently
believed they enjoyed a transitory fusion with the angels when they
performed their mystical liturgy, the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice.
Ma’asei Merkavah mystics sought a similar kind of angelic experience on a
personal level through their practices of mystical ascent.!
Medieval Judaism preserved a variant form of this idea in teaching that
the Righteous are elevated after death and dwell among the angels (E/
Malei Rachamim Prayer). SEE PURITY OR PURIFICATION; THRONE OF
GLORY; YORED MERKAVAH.
1.C.R.A. Murray-Jones, “Transformational Mysticism in the Apocalyptic-Merkavah
Tradition,” Journal of Jewish Studies 43 (1992): 1-31.
Angelus Interpres: Latin, “Interpreting angel.” An angelus interpres is an
entity who helps a prophet or other mortal experiencing a revelation to
make sense of it. One of the conventions of apocalyptic writing is that
divine messages are oracular; they are conveyed in linguistic and visual
codes that conceal their full import— surreal images, obscure phrases, or the
like, and some explanation is necessary. Probably through the influence of
Angel-centric priestly spirituality (Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah were all
priest), these angels become a prominent aspect of later Prophecy .! For
example, Ezekiel (40:3-44:4, where an angel guides him through the
messianic Temple), Daniel (7:16, 8:16-19, 9:22, 10:14), and Zechariah
(chapters 1-6)—these books all feature angels who assist these respective
prophets in understanding the visions bestowed upon them. Occasionally,
the explanations are as opaque as the visions themselves (Zech. 4).
These angels continue to appear in post-biblical sources, especially
apocalyptic writings (many of them also priestly compositions), such as the
Books of Enoch. Scholars have offered various theories as to why the angel
becomes important, most arguing that as the biblical period draws to a
close, there is a greater sense of God’s exalted transcendence, so an
intermediary entity must be interposed between a perfect God and imperfect
humanity, something analogous to a royal herald. This is the same attitude
that made other kinds of divine intermediaries, like the logos of Philo, the
memra of Targum literature, Wisdom, or Jesus, necessary in the minds of
Greco-Roman religious writers and translators.
Moreover, in Judaism there emerges a kind of “parenthetical” concept of
prophecy —that while prophecy brackets the time before and after our time
(the biblical period and the Messianic Age), we live in a period of history
when prophecy no longer functions. Still, lesser forms of revelation
continue to be available to us. The angelus interpes occupies this role of
“lower” communion.
There are any number of entities who can interpret the world for humans
—sarei chalom (dream angels), maggidim (spirit guides), ibburim (the
spirits of the righteous dead), and bat kols (echoes from heaven). But by far
the most common and well known is Elijah, styled the angel of the
covenant based on Malachi 3:1. Elijah appears frequently in rabbinic
tradition, either to tell what is happening in the celestial spheres, to help
someone make sense of an experience, or even to comment on
controversies of Jewish law, as in this passage:
[in arguing concerning the rights of a concubine ...] R. Abiathar said
[so-and-so], and R. Jonathan said [so-and-so]. R. Abiathar soon
afterwards came across Elijah and said to him: “What is the Holy
Blessed One, doing [in this moment]? and he answered, “He is
discussing the question of the concubine in Gibea.” “What does He
say?” said Elijah: [He says], “My son Abiathar says So-and-so, and my
son Jonathan says So-and-so.” Said R. Abiathar: “Can there possibly be
uncertainty in the mind of the Heavenly One?” He replied: “Both
[answers] are the word of the living God.” (Git. 6a)
1.R. Elior, The Three Temples: On the Emergence of Early Jewish Mysticism
(Oxford, OH: Littmann Library of Jewish Civilization, 2004).
Animals: (e"" 422). The term chayya (“living thing”) usually refers to land
creatures, birds and fish being traditionally classified separately. Jewish
tradition teaches that all animals, regardless of intelligence, constantly
praise God through their voices, sounds, and characteristic behaviors and
gestures (Perek Shirah; Mid. Teh. End). But while the Bible clearly regards
animals to have consciousness, the question of whether animals have souls
begins in the Middle Ages, with the earliest rational philosopher, Sa’adia
Gaon, responding in the positive. Jewish mysticism, with its belief in
reincarnation, embraced Sa’adia’s position early on. Solomon Aderet
taught that animals and humans share souls. Chayyim Vital argued that
souls transmigrate between humans, animals, plants, and even inanimate
objects. Numerous Chasidic masters claimed the Jewish tradition of
showing compassion toward animals, baal chayyim, was partly based on the
knowledge that animals were transmigrated souls. Consuming meat
slaughtered according to the rules of Jewish ritual law, kashrut, allows those
souls to be properly released and permits the consumer to absorb the
nitzotzot, the holy sparks, contained in the flesh (Meirat Einayim 279;
Tanya 7).
Animals possess innate wisdom from which human beings can learn (2
Kings 5; Job 12). Animals naturally acknowledge the Creator and his
messengers (Num. 24; Pss. 65, 148; Yalkut Ps. 150). Certain enlightened
humans, such as Solomon and Hillel, can commune with the animal world
(S of S 16:9).
Normally regarded as mundane aspects of God’s Creation, Jewish sources
nevertheless include stories of fantastic creatures and animals with
supernatural abilities. The Bible credits two ordinary creatures with the
human capacity of speech: the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3) and
the ass of the gentile prophet Balaam ben Boer (Num. 24). While the Bible
explicitly accounts for the speech of the ass (it is a temporary angelic gift),
no clear explanation is given for why the serpent, of all God’s other
creatures, has the ability to speak. A subsequent tradition fills in this lacuna
by proposing the animal was really Satan in disguised form, an
interpretation that later became central to Christian exegesis.
Fantastic animals mentioned in the Bible include Leviathan (Isa. 27:1),
Nehash (Isa. 27:1), and Rehab (Isa. 57:9), mighty sea monsters, which have
their roots in the Pagan traditions of the Babylonian chaos monster Tiamat
and/or the Canaanite sea god, Judge River. Like their Pagan counterparts,
these mythic beasts threaten the cosmos and must be subdued. Two others,
Behemoth and tannin, may in fact be references to mundane creatures, the
buffalo and crocodile, but in later tradition become regarded as a monstrous
giant oxen and a dragon, respectively.
A number of fantastic creatures borrowed from Pagan mythology appear
in Jewish writings of antiquity, most notably the phoenix. The Apocalypse
of Baruch, for example, incorporates the phoenix into its description of how
Heaven operates. The sphinx is also mentioned in III Baruch.
While animal fables were a staple element of rabbinic literature, tales of
fantastic creatures actually believed to exist are less common. The most
famous such creature is the Shamir worm, the stone-eating creature the
Rabbis claim allowed Solomon to build the Temple in Jerusalem without
resorting to using iron tools, which God had prohibited (Ex. 22). Tales of
Leviathan and Behemoth multiply, including a description of Leviathan as
God’s pet and an oft-repeated tradition that these two beasts will be the
main course at the messianic banquet, their slaughtering being a metaphor
for the final triumph of God over the forces of chaos at the end of time. Ziz,
a gigantic bird, appears along with Leviathan and Behemoth as being
created on the fifth day of Creation (Mid. Konen).
The Jews of medieval Europe included in their bestiaries those creatures
widely held to exist by their non-Jewish neighbors, including unicorns and
barnacle geese.' Animals also feature prominently as symbols in Jewish
dream interpretation. SEE BIRDS; DIVINATION; DOG; DREAM; EAGLE;
FISH; SOUL.
1. D. B. Ruderman, “Unicorns, Great Beasts, and the Marvelous Variety of Things in
Nature in the Thought of Abraham ben Hananiah Yagel,” in Twersky and Septimus,
Jewish Thought in the Seventeenth Century (Cambridge: Harvard University Center
for Jewish Studies, 1987).
Anointing: SEE MESSIAH; OIL.
Anthropomorphism: SEE ADAM KADMON; IMAGE, DIVINE; PLEROMA.
Apocalypse of Abraham: SEE ABRAHAM, APOCALYPSE OF,
Apocalypse of Baruch: SEE BARUCH, APOCALYPSE OF OR BOOK OF.
Apocalyptic Literature: A genre of Jewish religious writing mostly composed
between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE. A few apocalyptic
texts appear in the Bible (specifically the book of Daniel, parts of
Zechariah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel), but the bulk of the writings considered
apocalyptic, such as the Apocalypse of Baruch, the Apocalypse of
Abraham, the Testament of Levi, the Ascension of Isaiah, and the Books
of Enoch, were never included in the biblical canon. The vast majority of
them were not even preserved in the sacred Jewish languages of Hebrew or
Aramaic, but instead have survived only in Christian revisions, having been
translated into a variety of Western and African languages. Some never
even existed in Hebrew/Aramaic, but were originally composed by Greek-
speaking Jews.!
Inspired by biblical prophetic traditions, apocalyptic literature sees itself
as the continuation of Prophecy, but there are certain features that
distinguish it from classical Hebrew prophecy. These documents are usually
(but not uniformly) characterized by:
1. Occultism: The revelation in these works is purportedly a “secret.”
Unlike prophecy, it is meant to be revealed only to a privileged few,
usually the “elect.”
2. Pseudepigrapha: Being cast as the work of some figure of the ancient
biblical past, often a figure that is rather peripheral in the canonical
Scriptures, such as Levi, Baruch, or Enoch.
3. Cosmic revelation: The books often provide a revelatory tour of
Heaven, hell, the primordial past, and/or events at the end of time.
4. Symbolic images: The events portrayed will be presented in heavily
encoded figurative images including hands, bowls, scrolls, Angels, or
dragons, which must be interpreted in order to understand their import.
Gematria and word mysticism is also a frequent feature.
5. Angel- and demonologies: The denizens of the divine spheres play a
far more prominent role in apocalyptic texts than they do in most
canonical biblical prophecy or in rabbinic literature. Often an angel is a
mediumistic figure, called the angelus interpres, in the text who explains
the meaning of the revelation.
6. Dualism: These books are starkly dualistic, more so than the Bible,
with forces of good and evil, light and darkness, clearly and
diametrically opposed to one another.
7. Determinism: This genre features a marked sense of fatalism. The
prophetic sense of contingency, that the future could change based on
human moral decision and action, is largely absent in apocalyptic works.
Instead, history is seen as a vast, cosmic machine moving toward an
inevitable conclusion. The only role of human free will is in making the
decision of which cosmic force to ally with.”
Recent scholarship suggests that apocalyptic literature may have largely
been a product of priestly circles in Early Judaism. During the later
corruption of the Temple and then after its destruction, these writings
flourished as a mystical visionary alternative to the lost earthly sanctuary.
This also explains its decline. It began to fade with the progressive loss of
priestly prerogatives and the rise of rabbinic influence. Christianity and, to
a lesser extent, Islam inherited and continued to produce and study
apocalyptic traditions for centuries after they had lost their currency in
Jewish circles. Still, these works continued to have an influence in Judaism,
shaping the language and practices of the Ma’asei Merkavah and Hechalot
literature, which pursued apocalyptic and occult visions, but muted or
discarded their eschatological and dualistic preoccupations.4
1. Metzger and Coogan, eds. The Oxford Companion to the Bible (New York:
Oxford Press, 1993), 34-39; I. Gruenwald, Apocalyptic and Merkavah Mysticism
(Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1980), 2—23.
2.M. Buber, /srael and the World: Essays in a Time of Crisis (Syracuse, NY:
Syracuse University Press, 1997), 36.
3.M. Barker, “Beyond the Veil of the Temple: The High Priestly Origins of the
Apocalypses,” Scottish Journal of Theology 51, no. 1 (1998): 34-48.
4. Elior, The Three Temples, 259.
Apocrypha: A collection of religious writings from early Judaism that have
some canonical status in the Church, but none in Judaism. The collection
includes both apocalyptic and pseudepigraphic writings.
Apple: SEE FRUIT.
Apple Orchard, the Holy: An idiomatic phrase appearing in the Zohar drawn
from the imagery of the Song of Songs. It refers to the state of union of
human beings with the Shekhinah, the ultimate attainment of communion
with the divine.
Aravot: (Fa). The highest of the seven heavens, it is the location of the
Throne of Glory and the host of heaven. It is the storehouse for
righteousness, justice and mercy, as well as the treasures of life, peace and
blessing. It also contains the Treasury of Souls yet to be born (Chag. 12b-
13a; EY ad. loc.).
Archangel: Greek, “chief messenger/principal messenger.” Archangels are a
class of princely Angels with authority over heavenly realms, earthly
nations, or other angels. The term “archangel” does not actually exist in
Jewish literature until almost modern times. Instead, it is a default
translation for several Hebrew angelic terms such as [rinim (Watcher), Sar
(Prince/Archon), or Sharet (Ministering angel). Angels with names, such as
Metatron, Michael, or Gabriel, are often styled as “archangels.” SEE
ANGEL AND ANGELOLOGY.
Arel: (772). “Uncircumcised.” In the Bible, the foreskin is used as a symbol
of the imperfect, the profane, and the foreign. But it also makes a great
Wedding gift (1 Sam. 18; 2 Sam. 3). The sages debate if Adam was created
circumcised (AdRN 5:2; Ex. R. 46:3). Rabbinic tradition notes that the term
orlah can refer to several parts of the Body, each signifying a part of the
body that may be vulnerable to spiritual shortcoming: an uncircumcised
penis, ears, lips, or heart (PdRE 29). In Maaseh ha-Shem, foreskin
embodies all the barriers between God and humanity. In Jewish mysticism,
it comes to signify the demonic (Zohar I[:13a, 18a, 91b). SEE
CIRCUMCISION; PHALLUS.
Arelim or Aralim: An angelic rank listed in the Zohar. SEE ERELIM.
Arfiel: (78272). In Hechalot texts, this is the angel who guards the
heavenly palace Rakia.
Ari, ha- or Arizal: SEE LURIA, ISAAC.
Arikh Anpin: (12 ™"), “Long [suffering] Visage.” This is a title for the
pinnacle divine entity in the Zohar and in Lurianic Kabbalah (Zohar
I:135a). It draws on the Jerusalem Talmud, where it is taught,
God is long [suffering] with the righteous and the wicked (Tan. 2:1, 65b).
SEE PARTZUFIM.
Ark of the Covenant: (74 ("8®/Aron ha-Eidut). A portable chest that served
as the repository for the Ten Commandments and the thirteenth Torah
scroll written by Moses (the other twelve went to each of the tribes). More
importantly, the Ark served as a locus of God’s presence among the
Children of Israel. At God’s commission, the biblical wonder-craftsman
Bezalel built the Ark while the Israelites sojourned in the desert.
The Ark was a box plated in gold inside and out, mounted with two
carrying poles and adorned with two Cherubim. The wings of these
cherubim came together to form the “mercy seat” of God and from there
God spoke with Moses (Ex. 25). As the “Strength and the Glory of God,”
the Ark was carried into battle by the Israelites (Josh. 6:6—15; Judg. 20:27; 1
Sam. 4:3-5), where it served as a sign that YHVH-Tzevaot (The Lord of
Armies) was present.
The Ark was imbued with numinous holiness so profound that mortals
risked Death simply by touching it (2 Sam. 6:6—8). When the Philistines
briefly captured it, its power was such that they were afflicted with boils (or
hemorrhoids, the Hebrew being uncertain) and vermin, and their idols
humiliated. It is last mentioned during the reign of Josiah and is not
accounted for after the Babylonian exile.
According to the Talmud, the Ark could flatten the hills where it was
carried (Ber. 54a—b) and destroyed all snakes and scorpions along its path.
It was also extra dimensional and did not actually occupy physical space at
all (B.B. 99a). Its very presence also caused great fertility (Yoma 30b). The
cherubim on it would rotate as an omen; when Israel earned God’s favor,
they would embrace, like lovers (B.B. 99a; Lam. R. Hakdamah; PdRK 19).
Some traditions claim it was taken into captivity in Babylon along with
the people, while another tradition claims it was buried on Mount Nebo.
Still another teaches it was secreted on the Temple grounds, filled with
manna, anointing oil, the rod of Aaron, and the treasures of the Philistines,
where it awaits rediscovery in the time of the Messiah (PR 26:6; PdRK
13:114b).
Ark, Holy: ("7 ("®/Aron ha-Kodesh, also Teivah; Heichal). A niche or
cabinet in a synagogue for the storage of the Torah scrolls. Mounted on the
east wall (toward Jerusalem), it functions as the visual focal point of the
sanctuary. Protective and miraculous powers begin being attributed to the
ark by the late Talmudic period, coinciding with the rising status of the
synagogue as the holy place, par excellence, in rabbinic Judaism. People
would on occasion sleep before the ark in order to receive a revelatory
dreams or in the hope of experiencing a miraculous healing. Amulets were
sometimes placed inside the ark for a period to enhance their power. SEE
Incubation.
Arka: (®°"®), “Earth.” One of the seven underworld realms mentioned in
the Zohar. The descendants of Cain, monstrous humanoids, dwell there
(Sitre Torah; Zohar I: 253b—254a).
Arkiel: A fallen angel who taught humanity geomancy (I Enoch).
Armageddon: (171"°32/Megiddo). Christian tradition identifies this ancient city
in Israel as the place of the final conflict between God and the forces of
Satan. The city does not have the same dramatic role in Jewish
eschatology. SEE ARMILUS BEN BELIAL; GOG AND MAGOG; MESSIAH.
Armaros: Fallen angel who taught mankind Magic (I Enoch).
Armilus ben Belial: The eschatological nemesis of the Messiah. The tradition
of Armilus is medieval in origin, first surfacing textually during the 8th
century. While there are several variations, the core story is that Armilus is
a king who will attack Jerusalem in the last days, killing the Messiah, son
of Joseph. In turn the Messiah, son of David, will counterattack and slay
Armilus, either with the breath of his mouth (an allusion to Isaiah 9) or by
fire raining from Heaven. Sefer Zerubbabel reports he will be the offspring
of sexual congress between a beautiful Roman statue (the Virgin Mary?)
and Satan. Armilus thus is a monstrosity with green skin, gold hair, and
two heads who thinks himself God. Armilus narratives can be read as a
counter-narrative (or parody) of Christian eschatological beliefs (Sefer
Zerubbabel; BhM 1:56, 2:51, 3:141).
Armisael: A guardian angels with power over the womb and childbirth. He
can be summoned by reciting Psalm 20 while invoking his name.
Artapanus: Egyptian-Jewish writer (ca. 2nd century BCE). He wrote that
Abraham taught astrology to the priests of Heliopolis and that the
mysterious figure of Hermes Trismegistus, founder of the alchemical arts,
was actually Moses.
Aryeh: (7°1%). “Lion/Leo.” Astrological sign for the Hebrew month of Av.
This signifies tragedy, power, destruction and redemption. The First and
Second Temples were both destroyed in the month. Other disasters have
befallen the Jewish people under this sign.!
1. Erlanger, Signs of the Times, 87-108.
Arzaret: (1131). The mythical land beyond the Sabatayon River where
the ten lost tribes dwell until the time of the messianic restoration.
Asaf ha-Rofe, Sefer: “The Book of Asaf the Physician.” This medieval
magico-medical manual claims to be based on traditions received from
“Shem the son of Noah,’ linking it to the mysterious lost book of Noah.
Some of the material clearly draws upon the ancient Book of Jubilees,
especially chapter 10.
Ascent, Heavenly: The mystical experience of projecting oneself into higher
realms while still alive. Judaism has long taught this practice. Moshe Idel
identifies three types of ascents described in Jewish texts: somanoda (bodily
ascent), psychanodia (Soul ascent), and nousanodia (ascent of the
intellect).!
Bodily ascent can itself take two diverse forms—the “taking up” of the
physical Body, as in the case of Elijah, or of the “spiritual body,” called the
guf ha-dak in Hebrew. On the other hand, the idea of projecting the
intellect is a particularly medieval one, based on the Aristotelian notion that
the Intellect is an attribute linking the person to the higher spheres.
Both apocalyptic literature and the New Testament (Paul, obliquely
describing himself—2 Cor. 12:3) make it clear that such ascensions were
known of and accepted in Early Judaism. Different versions of these ascents
can be found at virtually all periods of Jewish history.
Rabbinic literature, for example, offers many stories about biblical and
Talmudic heroes entering Heaven. In this elaborate story, Moses must
ascend beyond Mount Sinai, into the Seven Heavens, to receive the Torah:
Rabbi Joshua b. Levi said, “When Moses ascended on high, the
ministering angels spoke before the Blessed Holy One, ‘Sovereign of the
Universe! What business has one born of woman among us?’ ‘He has
come to receive the Torah,’ answered God to them. They said to Him,
‘That secret treasure, which You have concealed for nine hundred and
seventy-four generations before the world was created. You desire to
give it to flesh and blood! What is man, that You are mindful of him, and
the son of man, that You visit him? O Lord our God, How excellent is
Your Name in all the earth! Who has set Your glory [the Torah] upon the
Heavens!’ (Ps. 8:1—2) Moses [then] spoke before God, ‘Sovereign of the
Universe! The Torah which You give me, what is written in it—I am the
Lord Your God, who brought you out of the Land of Egypt.’ Said Moses
to the angels, ‘Did you go down to Egypt? Were you enslaved to
Pharaoh? Why then should the Torah be yours? ... Again, what is written
in it? Honor your father and your mother. Have you fathers and
mothers?’ ... Immediately the angels conceded to the Holy One ... [and]
Immediately each angel saw Moses as beloved. ...” (Shab. 88b)
Apocalyptic traditions likewise tend to limit ascents to the mythic past; only
biblical worthies merited such experiences, figures such as Enoch and
Abraham. There is little or no indication in apocalyptic writings, however,
that the experience is accessible to the contemporary reader. By contrast,
the Dead Sea Scrolls suggest for the first time that mingling with angelic
realms is possible, at least for the priestly elite.
Later Hechalot literature radically “democratizes” (for lack of a better
word) the possibility of mystical ascent—any intellectually and spiritually
worthy person can now do it, though it is exceedingly dangerous—and
offers descriptions of some of the rituals and preparations necessary for
such ascents.>
The German Pietists and early Kabbalists, inheritors and conservators of
the Hechalot materials, preserved and continued these practices.* Sefer
Chasidim also reports a near-death ascent (270). Famous post-biblical
practitioners of ascent include Rabbis Akiba and Ishmael, Isaac Luria, the
Baal Shem Tov, and Abraham Joshua Heschel of Opatov.
Terminology for the experience of entering divine realms changes over
Jewish history, being known variously as Nichnas Pardes (‘Entering
Paradise”), Yored ha-Merkavah (“Descent to the Chariot”), Yichud
(“Unification”) and Devekut (“Cleaving”). Techniques for ascent in Jewish
sources include ritual purification, immersion, fasting, study of sacred and
mystical texts, sleep deprivation, reciting word mantras (especially divine
names), self-isolation, and even self-mortification.
The purposes of heavenly ascension can include various forms of unio
mystica, sometimes in an ineffable experience, other times by a visionary
enthronement before God or angelification, receiving answers to questions,
gaining inspiration (for composing liturgical songs), or obtaining an
apocalyptic vision of the future (Chag. 14b— 15a; Mid. Teh. 19:4; Gen. R.
2:4). SEE Ma’asei Merkavah; Meditation; Throne Of Glory; MEDIUM; TRANCE.
1. M. Idel, Ascensions on High in Judaism Mysticism: Pillars, Lines, Ladders
(Budapest: Central Europoean University Press, 2005), 27-28.
2.L. Schiffman and J. VanderKam, Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls (New
York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 26; Elior, The Three Temples, 180-83.
3. Schafer, The Hidden and Manifest God, 146-47.
4.J. Dan and R. Kiener, The Early Kabbalah (Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1986), 2—
4.
Asenat: The Egyptian wife of Joseph. Rabbinic legend identifies her as the
daughter of Dinah who survived being abandoned by her grandfather Jacob
through the agency of an amulets inscribed with God’s name. An Angel
carries her to Egypt where she is adopted by Potiphar and later marries her
uncle Joseph (PdRE 38).
Asherah: (7%). Either (a) a totem-pole-like Pagan symbol or (b) the local
Canaanite version of Astarte, the consort goddess of Baal.! Most references
found in the Bible are meant in the former sense, though two extra-biblical
inscriptions found in modern Israel prove that at least someone thought of
Asherah as a consort goddess for YHVH (Khirbet el Qom and Kuntillet
Arjud inscriptions).* Because of the very ambiguous way the Bible treats
the term, the exact relationship between the pole and the goddess is subject
to considerable contemporary scholarly debate. Likewise there is no
consensus as to whether the numerous “pillar figurines” that have been dug
up at Isralite archaeological sites are meant to be representations of
Asherah.
A pillar figurine
possibly depicting
Asherah
Some students of the occult believe that Asherah “went underground” in
increasingly monotheistic Israelite religion, eventually morphing into the
quasi-divine feminine figures of wisdom and/or Shekhinah. Evidence to
sustain this thesis can be found in the Zohar, where Asherah makes a
startling reappearance in post-biblical Jewish mysticism as another name
for the sefirah of Malchut (I: 245b), bringing the pre-Israelite idea of a
divine consort back almost full circle.
1. Metzger and Coogan, The Oxford Companion to the Bible, 62.
20K Smelik, Writings from Ancient Israel: A Handbook of Historical and Religious
Documents, (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1991), 152-60.
Ashes: (“=®). Ashes are closely linked to Death and nonbeing in Jewish
thought. The ashes that are the byproducts of certain rituals and sacrifices
have power over death. Thus, in the priestly purity system of ancient Israel,
the ashes of a red heifer sprinkled upon a person have the power to take
away the impurity that comes from contact with a corpse. Certain kinds of
ashes (of cat placenta, for example), appear as ingredients in magical
formulae and healing remedies (Key of Solomon; Sefer ha-Likkutim 86a).
Asimon: (12°). “Formless.” Either a demon or punishing Angel mentioned
in the Zohar. He torments those who transgress on the Sabbath. He is
multihued and has eight wings (I: 14b; II: 249b).
Asirta: (BETO). An evil spirit who serves Lilith (Zohar II).
Asiyah: ("23). “[World of ] Action.” The “lowest” of the four worlds of
emanation, the four-fold structure of Creation derived from Isaiah 43:7,
Asiyah is the material plane, the place of the world as we experience on a
day-to-day basis, though it also contains select spiritual forces as well.! The
Ofan angels, for example, govern this world. It corresponds to the physical
dimension of human experience, as well as the divine capacity for speech”
(Masechet Azilut; Bahir, 197). Most of the kelipot came to rest in this
dimension after the breaking of the vessels. The other three spiritual worlds
are Atzilut, Beriyah, and Yetzirah.sEE EMANATION; SEFIROT.
1.G. Scholem, Kabbalah (New York: Meridian Books, 1974), 118-19.
2.H. Schwartz, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2004), 16. Also see Steinsaltz, The Thirteen Petalled Rose, 4-6.
Aslai: “Spirit Possession.” A demonic possession illness reported among the
Jews of Moroccan cultural background.!
1. M. Goldish, Spirit Possession in Judaism: Cases and Contexts from the Middle
Ages to the Present (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2003), 352-53, 356-58.
Asmodeus: (# 1EOB/Ashemdei). An evil spirit. The name Asmodeus may be
derived from the Zoroastrian Aesmadiv, the “spirit of anger” who serves
Ahriman, the Persian god of evil. Asmodeus is first mentioned in the
apocryphal book Tobit, where he slays seven grooms of a young girl before
being bested by the hero. He also appears in the Testament of Solomon.
In Pesach 110a he is dubbed the “king of om God had made
simultaneously with him. When they argued, she flew off to become the
queen of demons.” The locus classicus for Asmodeus is the wonderful
Talmudic tale of how he usurps the Throne of Solomon (Git. 68a—b) after
the king initially binds him to service by means of a magical ring.
Surprisingly, the demon is treated rather sympathetically and humorously.
He both morally instructs Solomon and provides him with the Shamir
worm. His foreknowledge of human destiny is credited to his daily Torah
studies in Heaven. The tale may reflect an effort by the Sages to reconcile
their belief in the demonic with monotheism, portraying evil spirits as yet
another tool of God’s inscrutable will. The passage also highlights the belief
that magical practitioners can summon and “bind” demons and use their
powers for their own purposes, a staple belief of medieval sorcery.
In Kabbalistic works such as Treatise of the Left Emanation, Asmodeus is
portrayed as a deputy or even the offspring of Samael. He is also assigned a
consort demoness, Lilith “the lesser.”
Like rabbinic literature, medieval Jewish tales link Asmodeus with august
Jewish figures, such as Simon bar Yochai, the Talmudic mystic. In one such
story, Asmodeus is portrayed as doing what he does in order to serve the
Sage and God. The Bar Yochai story and other references to Asmodeus in
Kabbalistic texts, where his name is invoked to beneficent purposes, reflect
the ongoing effort among Jews to reconcile the existence of demons with
pure monotheism. SEE DEMONS; EVIL; SITRA ACHRA.
Ass: (“1'T). Several fantastic traditions about donkeys and asses appear in
Jewish history. Balaam’s talking donkey is one (Num. 24). There is a tale in
the Talmud of a man who is turned into an ass and then sold to a Sage. The
Sage takes the ass to water, where the purifying influence undoes the
charm.
Even more bizarre has been the accusation, first popularized by ancient
Greek and Roman anti-Semites, that Jews worship an ass. According to the
Roman writer Democritus, Jews venerate a golden bust of an ass, and
regularly sacrifice a gentile victim to it.! This constitutes the first ever
appearance of the blood libel myth. The calumny may have its roots in a
certain Gnostic sect who evidently did use a donkey as an important
symbol. This Gnostic group used elements of biblical tradition in its
teachings, thus providing the connection.
Sefer ha-Razim mentions the magical use of donkey blood and flesh. A
Hebrew magic formula found in the Cairo Geniza uses an ass’s shoulder
bone for a hate spell. see ANIMALS.
1. P. Schafer, Judeophobia: Attitudes Toward the Jews in the Ancient World
(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994), 55-62.
Assembly, Divine: SEE ADAT EL; HOST OF HEAVEN.
Assembly of Israel: SEE K’ NESSET ISRAEL.
Astrology: (Mtn masn/Chochmat ha-Mazzalot, also Chavirah). Belief that
the heavens influence human affairs and may be consulted for purposes of
divining the future has been popularly accepted in virtually all cultures in
which Jews have lived. While condemnation of its practice, on a variety of
grounds, is a common theme throughout Jewish religious literature, it is
also true that belief in the influence of the heavens has been prevalent
among Jews and has been practiced by very prominent Jewish historical
figures.!
The first chapter of Genesis (1:14) provides the locus classicus for the
practice of reading the sky for omens and signs:
And Elohim said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to
divide the day from the night; and let them be for ofot (signs), and for
seasons, and for day, and years.
Astrology was already a very ancient art among Semites. Ugaritic texts
from Syria dating from the second millennium BCE include a list of omen
interpretations of the moon.” Though there are Toraitic prohibitions against
worshipping celestial objects (Ex. 20:4; Deut. 4:19-20), evidence for the
actual practice of astrology appears relatively late (the 7th through 6th
centuries BCE) in the biblical record. This may reflect the rising influence
of Assyrian culture, which had well-developed and_ sophisticated
astrological sciences. Astral cults, along with their priests, were reportedly
introduced into the Temple in Jerusalem during this time. This cult
included the worship of the Tzeva ha-Shamayim, the host of heaven; Baal,
the storm god; Shemesh, the sun; Yareach, the moon; and Mazzalot, the
constellations, or as some scholars translate it, the zodiac (2 Kings 23:4—5).
When King Josiah initiated a reform of the Temple, symbols of celestial
worship found there, like a chariot representing the journey of the sun god,
were purged. It is during and after this period that we find specific prophetic
condemnation of astrological augury (Jer. 10:2; Isa. 47:13-14). The
experience of exile among the Babylonians, who were avid astrologers
(called Chaldeans in Daniel), only served to expand Jewish exposure to
this form of divination (Dan. 2). The fact that Daniel was made the
supervisor of all astrologers, sorcerers, and wizards (Dan. 2:48) may have
helped legitimize the practice to later generations of Jews.
Astrology continued and expanded during Classical Antiquity, though its
practice remains a point of controversy among Jews. Josephus reports that
Jews looked to the heavens for favorable signs in their war against Rome
(War 4:5). The testimony of the Sibylline Oracles, on the other hand, lauds
the Jews for eschewing astrology entirely, while I Enoch regards it as one
of the sins of primordial humanity (8:3). The Book of Jubilees has
Abraham discredit the astrologers of his time (12:16—18). And yet, a tale
that runs counter to that attitude is a passage in Tosefta that claims one of
God’s blessings to the Patriarch was the knowledge of astrology (Kid.
5:17). Both of these attitudes are replicated in rabbinic stories about
Abraham (Gen. R. 44:10; Shab. 156a).
Several of the rabbinic attitudes toward astrology can be found in Talmud
tractate Shabbat, particularly in one passage, 156a—b. Belief in the influence
of the stars was mostly accepted among the Sages of Talmudic times (Shab.
53b; B.M. 30b), which should not be so surprising, given the Babylonian
milieu in which so many rabbis lived. There are also multiple accounts of
astrological predictions that are given credence, though, in best Talmudic
tradition, contrary evidence and skeptical remarks are preserved alongside
them (Sanh. 65a—b. Also Sif. D. 171; Sif. Kedoshim 6). Intriguingly, a few
Sages steered a middle course between the two opinions, claiming God
granted Israel special immunity from celestial influence, though they
conceded the stars had power over the rest of mankind (Gen. R. 37:1, 44:12,
79:2). This idea was later developed more fully in the Zohar as part of a
theology of Jewish uniqueness (III: 216b). At least one Sage, Mar Samuel,
actively practiced astrology. King Solomon is identified as a master of the
science (Eccl. R. 7:23:1).
Many well-educated Jews studied and practiced astrology well into the
modern era, it being an accepted part of medieval medicine and sciences.*
No philosophic education would have been considered complete without
some knowledge of how the stars affect the sublunary realms. Examples of
horoscopes written by Jews have been found in the Cairo Geniza. A wide
array of famous scholars, ranging from mystics to rationalists, wrote
treatises on the topic, including Sa’adia ben Joseph, Abraham ibn Ezra,
Nachmanides, Levi ben Gershon, Judah Loew (the Maharal of Prague), and
the Vilna Gaon. Rationalist philosophers Maimonides, Crescas, and Albo
were among the few skeptics, attacking its validity and condemning it as
forbidden by Scripture. On this point they were largely ignored.
Starting with Sefer Yetzirah and its commentaries and continuing through
the Zohar and beyond, astrology plays a significant role in many
Kabbalistic systems. It was a central concern of a wide array of lesser
works and commentaries.
The applied magical use of astrological forces is an interest of many
Jewish astrological texts, such as Sefer Raziel, Sefer ha-Chayyim, and Sefer
ha-Razim. The increasing influence of Hermetic theories of astrologically
based magic in the Renaissance become evident in the writings of several
contemporary Jewish writers, especially Johannan Alemanno and Abraham
Yagel, who sought to fuse Jewish angelic theories of planetary influence
with gentile “natural” alchemical/astrological magic.*
A number of Jews identified as astrologers have had at least parts of their
work survive down to today, including Masha’allah (Sefer She ‘lot) and
Abu Da’ud (Sefer Nevuot). A few, such as Abraham Zacuto (Sefer Yuhasin)
and Jacob ben Emanuel (Prognosticum), achieved a fame that extended
beyond the Jewish world.
Since the rise of scientific astronomy, the more negative assessments of
astrology have become normative, and even most traditional Jews shy away
from it. Still, a number of Jewish customs have their basis in astrology, such
as selecting propitious days for initiating a project and wishing one another
“mazal tov” (literally, “A good star’).>
1.L. J. Ness, Astrology and Judaism in Late Antiquity (Dissertation, Miami
University, 1990), http://www.smoe.org/arcana/diss.html, 1-14.
2. Hallo and Younger, eds. The Context of Scripture (Leiden, Netherlands: Brill,
2000), 290.
3.H.J. Zimmels, Magicians, Theologians, and Doctors (Northvale, NJ: Jason
Aronson, 1997), 15.
4.D.B. Ruderman, Kabbalah, Magic and Science: The Cultural Universe of a
Sixteenth-Century Jewish Physician (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1988),
89-101; Idel, “Jewish Magic from the Renaissance Period to Early Hasidism” in J.
Neusner, ed., Religion, Science, and Magic (New York: Oxford University Press,
1989), 82-117.
5. Roth, Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 3, 788-95.
Asuta: (RiT'OR). “Healing.” The word most used to describe a miraculous or
theurgic healing. It appears frequently on amulets and incantation bowls.
SEE MAGIC; SEGULAH OR SEGULOT.
Atbash: A letter-substitution code, perhaps the oldest system of encryption
on record. It involves a “mirror” code of the alphabet. The first letter has the
value of the last letter, the second letter the value of the second to last, and
so on. The name ¢bta/ATBaSH itself is an acronym constructed from the
methodology of the code: Alef = Tav, Bet = SHin. Making their first
appearance in the Bible, atbash codes are a ubiquitous feature on amulets,
especially in the form of encoded divine names.! see ENCRYPTION;
HAFUCH; HEBREW AND HEBREW ALPHABET; TEMURAH;
TZERUF/Tzerufim.
1. Metzger and Coogan, Oxford Companion to the Bible, 64-65.
Atik Yomin: ("8 F"™*), “Ancient of Days.” see ANCIENT HOLY ONE.
Atzilut: (Pn*us).““Emanation.” The highest of the four worlds created by the
divine emanations, a realm of pure spirit and intellect. The world of Atzilut
is closest to the Infinite Light of Ein Sof, even though it is not united and
identified with it. Atzilut is the first plane or world of immanence, of
structure separable from or “outside” God.
Automatic Writing and Speech: SEE XENOGLOSSIA AND AUTOMATIC
WRITING.
Avodah B’gashmiyut: (S222 07122). “Worship by [mundane]
Action/Actualized Worship.” Judaism has always emphasized “deeds over
creeds” and taught that service to God is best realized through bringing a
higher consciousness (kavanot) to the ordinary tasks (eating, drinking,
labor, sex, bodily functions) of living.! SEE COMMANDMENT; TIKKUN.
1. Y. Buxbaum, Jewish Spiritual Practices (Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, 1990),
43.
Awan: The sister of Cain and, later, his wife (Jubilees 4:1).
Ayin: (»). Sixteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, vocalically it is only a
glottal stop. Numerically it has the value of seventy. The word for the letter,
ayin, means both “eye” and “fountain.” Ayin signifies vision, insight,
consciousness, and the world. The number seventy reminds one of the
seventy nations, the seventy languages, and seventy names for God (Baal
ha-Turim; Num. 11:16). In the traditional text of the Torah, the ayin that
appears in the word sh’ma (Deut. 6:4) is enlarged, signifying that all Israel
must be an aid, “witness,” to God’s oneness.!
1. Munk, The Wisdom of the Hebrew Alphabet, 171-79.
Ayin ha-Ra: (* "' |"). “evil eye.” A malevolent form of witchcraft.
Azael: SEE AZZAH.
Azariah: (1° “fB). “Aid of Yah.” A conventional biblical name, it is also the
name the angel Raphael uses when he travels in disguise on Earth (book
of Tobit).
Azariah, Menachem: Kabbalist (Italian, ca. 16th century). His teachings, that
the Torah is actually a narrative of the divine dynamis rather than about
mortal deeds, connect the seven biblical prophetesses—Sarah, Miriam,
Deborah, Channah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther—to the seven lower
sefirot.
Azazel: (7112). Azazel is a term of considerable controversy, referring either
to (a) an evil power, or (b) a location. Even the meaning of the name is a
topic of considerable controversy. If we assume the spelling has undergone
some kind of corruption, it most likely means “Wrath of God.”
Azazel features prominently in the Yom Kippur ritual described in the
Torah known to modern readers as the “Scapegoat” ritual. In this
ceremony, the High priest transfers the sins of the people on to a goat, and
then releases it into the wilderness, “to Azazel.” It is not clear, however, if
the word refers to an entity or a place, perhaps an infernal realm, to which
the scapegoat is dispatched (Lev. 16:8—10). Some scholars believe that the
term refers to a barren, rocky zone in the desert. Others theorize that Azazel
was a goat-demon, or satyr, a remnant of pre-monotheistic Israelite beliefs
(Lev. 17:7).
Both interpretations of the word continue to have currency post-biblically.
The expression “L’ Azazel” becomes a colloquialism for “go to hell!” On
the other hand, given the general Near Eastern belief that the
desert/wilderness was the dwelling place of om God had made
simultaneously with him. When they argued, she flew off to become the
queen of demons, it is not surprising to see Azazel appear as a fallen angel
or a demon in various post-biblical texts, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls
(Damascus Document II) and in the Apocalypse of Abraham and I Enoch.
The most famous tradition identifies him as one of the angels that fell from
Heaven because he became enamored with mortal women (Gen. 6:2). In I
Enoch, he is the angel who taught mankind the impure arts of war, lapidary,
and cosmetics. In the end, he is exiled to the desolate wilderness (I Enoch 9,
10, 13).
Aside from etymological discussions of the meaning of the word, Azazel
appears as a demon in Talmud (Yoma 67b; RaSHI commentary) and
medieval Midrashic sources, such as Yalkut Shimoni. In one text, Azazel is
regarded to be the serpent that tricked Adam and Eve into sin. Some claim
Azazel is an alternate name for other demonic personalities, such as
Samael. In one Midrash, the goat offering to Azazel on Yom Kippur is a
bribe that God requires Israel to give Satan/Samael every year in order that
he will deliver a good report about Israel’s conduct when called to the
celestial court (Me’am Loez, Achrei Mot-Kedoshim). SEE FALLEN ANGELS.
Azriel of Gerona: Mystic (Provencal, ca. 13th century). Azriel was a student
of Isaac the Blind and the teacher of Nachmanides. Along with his
contemporary Ezra ben Solomon, his teachings regarding the ten sefirot
provided the foundations of speculative Kabbalah.
Azulai, Chayyim: Rabbi and Kabbalist (Turkish, ca. 18th century). Azulai
was one of the leading rabbis of his generation and he held important
positions among the Jews of the Ottoman Empire. He was also a famed
amulet maker and those samples that survive have been prized for their
efficacy.
Azzah, Azael: A fallen angel in I Enoch, he opposes the transubstantiation
of Enoch into Metatron in III Enoch. see UZZA.
[contents ]
re
a
Baal: (>22). “Lord/Master/Husband.” The chief active god of the Canaanite,
Ugaritic, and Phoenician pantheons. A god of thunder and fertility, several
biblical authors considered him YHVH’s chief rival for the loyalties of the
people Israel. The Bible sometimes speaks of “baalim” in the plural. This
may reflect the common custom of identifying a local spirit with Baal.
Thus, in different places, the Bible mentions a Baal Hadad and a Baal Pe’ or
(“the lord god of Hadad” and “the lord god of Pe’or’’).
Baal ha-Chalom: (c17n7 Sux). “Lord of Dreams.” Based on Job 33:14-18,
Judaism identified an Angel of dreams (Otzer Geonim 4). The name of the
angel varies from source to source. In the Talmud, it can also refer to a
professional oneiromancer (Ber. 56a—b). SEE Angel And Angelology; Divination;
Dream; Sar Ha-Chalom.
Baal ha-Sod: (T0742). “Master of secrets.” A general, nontechnical
moniker for a teacher of Jewish esoteric traditions.
Baal [Baalat] Ov: (28 7u2). “Master [Mistress] of Ov.” A Necromancer. This
term first appears in the Bible in a list of forbidden occupations (Deut. 18).
An oy is a familiar, a term that may be derived from Akkadian. It is also
possible, though less likely, that an ov is a dead ancestral spirit. In that case
the word is being derived from the Hebrew avah, “father,” the Arabic aba,
“return,” or aabi, Hittite for “grave.” | According to the Talmud, a Baal Ov
is a medium who causes the dead to speak, either through his own Body or,
in the Mesopotamian custom, through a skull (Sanh. 65b; Shab. 152b—153a;
Josephus, Ant. 4:4). SEE Death; Divination; Ghost; Medium; Necromancer And
Necromancy; Possession, Ghostly; Xenoglossia And Automatic Writing.
1. Schmidt, /srael’s Beneficent Dead, 150-52; Roth, Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 3,
114.
Baal Shem: (ou 722). “Master of the [Divine] Name.” An informal title given
to wonderworkers and/or saints. From earliest Judaism it was believed that
the Names of God, but most often the Tetragrammaton, could be
manipulated for theurgic or magical purposes. The Talmud also teaches
that truly Righteous persons have the power to bend God’s will to their
own (M.K. 16b). Such people were sometimes called anshei ma’aseh, “men
of [wondrous] deeds.”
The term “Baal Shem” for a wonderworker, however, is early medieval in
origin. Though it was sometimes applied to religious poets, most people
designated Baal Shems as either folk healers who used Segulah or Segulot
cures, rainmakers, or the manufacturers of amulet. Some achieved fame as
exorcists.!
Many writers used the term pejoratively, as synonymous with “quack” or
“charlatan.” Even a marginal figure like Abulafia, Abraham looked down
upon them. Some books of their cures and incantations, such as Miflaot
Elohim (“The Wonders of God’), have been published in the modern era.
The most famous of all Baalei Shem is Israel ben Eliezer, the founder of
Chasidism.
1. Scholem, Kabbalah, 310-11.
Baal Shem Tov: SEE Israe! Ben Eliezer.
Baaras: A location in Israel which yields a mysterious magical root uniquely
effective in extracting demons, if one can overcome its lethal touch while
harvesting it (War 7:180-185).
Baba Sali: Kabbalist and wunder-rabbi (Moroccan, ca. 20th century). He
was famous for his healing powers. His gravesite in southern Israel is still a
popular place of pilgrimage.
Babel, Tower of: SEE Babel, Tower Of.
Babylon: (722). Derived from Akkadian: Bab-ilum, “Gate of Heaven.” An
ancient city-state empire centered in what is now Iraq. Supposedly founded
at the command of the god Marduk, this city became the place of Jewish
exile after 586 BCE. Babylon was a culture permeated with supernatural
beliefs and magical practices. Under its hegemony in the years following
the destruction of Jerusalem, Jews became increasingly preoccupied with
such matters. Astrology, divination, the use of amulet, and the practice of
Magic in a variety of forms, all became more pervasive folkways among
Jews living in Iraq and Persia. Referring to the country as Bavel or Shinar
interchangeably, the Bible repeatedly ridicules the pretensions of the
Babylonians, especially in the fable of the Babel, Tower of (Gen. 11).
The Gates of Babylon with
guardian Lamassu
Bachya ben Asher: Mystical Bible commentator (Spanish, ca. 13th—14th
century). A student coming out of the circle of Nachmanides, his works
include many occult teachings and esoteric interpretations of biblical
episodes. Bachya particularly believed in the theurgic power of the
commandment—that their proper performance empowered God, while Sin
weakened God’s power in the world.!
1. M. Idel, Kabbalah: New Perspectives (New Haven, CT: Yale Press, 1988), 162—
64.
Backwards: SEE Reversal (Magical).
Bahir, Sefer ha-: “The Book of Illumination.” This document is the most
influential early book in what would become the classical Kabbalah of the
Middle Ages. Though written in a Midrashic style and credited with great
antiquity, it is more likely the work of early medieval Provencal mystics.
Like the earlier Yetzirah, Sefer, the Bahir is deeply immersed in the
supernal power of words and letters and wordplay and creative philology
plays a major role in its esoteric oeuvre. The first description of the sefirotic
Tree of Life appears in its pages. The concept of reincarnation is
introduced in the form of cryptic parables. It is also one of the first works to
treat the mundane nomina of the Bible as allegories for metaphysical
realities. Thus, according to the Bahir, “Abraham” is really the divine
attribute of love, and his saga recorded in Scripture is actually an Allegory
for how God’s love functions in the created realms. It expounds on divine
names and their magical uses, as well as how to theurgically activate divine
power through the performance of commandments!
1. Dan and Kiener, The Early Kabbalah, 28-31; A. Green, Guide to the Zohar
(Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2002), 16-18.
Bakol: (722). The daughter of Abraham. Her existence is derived from
reading the verse, “And God blessed Abraham with 521 [everything] (Gen.
24:1)” as a pun: how could he have everything if he didn’t have a daughter?
(B.B. 47b, 16b; Gen. R. 59:7). The Bahir (78) regards her to be a supernal
entity, either an angelus interpres, wisdom, or the Shekhinah, who grants
Abraham insight into the cosmic order (Zohar [:223a. Also see
Nachmanides’ and Bachya’s comments to Gen. 24:1).
Balaam ben Beor: Ancient gentile seer from Transjordan. An extended story
about Balaam appears in Numbers 22-24. Balaam is summoned by the
King of Moab to collectively curse the Israelites. Being on good terms with
YHVH, Balaam initially refuses, but is eventually induced to go help the
king. Riding on an ass to join the king, he is confronted by a Sword-
wielding Angel. Once he arrives, rather than cursing Israel, he is instead
possessed by God and pronounces four extended blessing oracles upon
them.
Gnostics declared Balaam to be a Prophet of the High God of goodness,
and an enemy of the God of Israel, whom they equated with the evil
Demiurge. They interpret the conflict of these two deities as the cause of
Balaam’s various reversals of fortune. In the Midrash, Balaam is described
as everything from a magician to a prophet. Based on the verse, “he knows
the mind of the Most High” (Num. 24:16), one legend even declares him
the greatest of the seven prophets God sent to the non-Jewish Nations, the
gentile counterpart to Moses (B.B. 15b; Num. R. 20:1), perhaps even his
superior (Sif. D. end). He is generally, but not consistently, portrayed as a
wicked conspirator against Israel; he is credited with giving Pharaoh the
suggestion to drown the Israelite children. Another tradition treats him as
the most evil practitioner of Witch; he even derived his power by bestiality
—copulating with his donkey (Sanh. 105a—b; Zohar [:126a). It was
commonly held in the Middle Ages that Balaam was also a master of
Astrology. Renderings of him in illuminated manuscripts often showed him
holding an astrolabe. Raziel, Sefer claims he knew the workings of the
divine Chariot (B.B. 15b; Tanh. Balak; A.Z. 4a—b; Avot 5).
Baladan: (17872). “Not a Man.” A dog-faced demons mentioned in rabbinic
literature (Sanh. 96a) and the Zohar, Sefer ha- (1:6b). The name is
evidently derived from the biblical character, Merodach-Baladan (1 Sam.
39:1; 2 Kings 20:12). Isaac Safrin may also be referring to these same imps
when he speaks of the “evil dog” who works against humanity (Megillat
Saterim).
Balsam: (G2"/Bosem). The juice of this plant is extracted for medicinal and
perfumery uses. It may also have been an ingredient in the Incense burned
in the Temple. In the World to Come, thirteen streams of balsam oil will
flow for the pleasure of the Righteous (Tan. 25a; Gen. R. 62:2; Zohar I:4b;
Zohar II:127a). SEE Herbs And Vegetables; Pharmacopoeia.
BaN: (i=). An acronym for “52,” a divine name appearing in Chayyim,
Sefer ha-’s Etz Hayyim. The name is YHVH if each letter were given its
full (malei) spelling: Yud H-H Vav H-H. It is sometimes used in a
meditative permutation exercise.
Baneman: Yiddish, “changeling.” A wood-and-straw doll that demons
substitute for a living infant. The parents are enchanted so as to perceive the
doll as living, while the actual infant is taken and raised to serve infernal
forces (Toldot Adam sec. 80). SEE Banim Shovavim.
fed
Banim Shovavim: (2°22i0 O12). “Mischievous Sons.” Originally used to
describe wayward children (Jer. 3:22; Chag. 15a), it took on a supernatural
interpretation, being used to refer to changelings who are the offspring of
human-demonic couplings. The concept can be seen in_ biblical
interpretations of Cain that assume he had dual parentage through both
Adam and the edenic serpent (Chochmat ha-Nefesh, 26c), whom the
Talmud suspects copulated with Eve:
When Adam, doing penance for his sin, separated from Eve for 130
years, he, by impure desire, caused the earth to be filled with shedim,
lilin, and evil spirits. (Gen. R. 20; Eruv. 18b)
Incubi and succubae presumably continue to haunt men and women,
appropriating their procreative powers to replenishing the ranks in every
generation.
There seem to be two threads to this tradition. One assumes that such
demonoid beings are the seemingly normal people who reveal their hybrid
natures when they engage in heinous acts, while the other envisions these
“sons” as spirits. All these creatures are a threat to the moral children of
their parent and the demonic offspring must be redeemed by means of a
graveside ritual of incantations and magical Circle (Tikkun Shovavim).! SEE
Demons; Nocturnal Emission.
1.G. Scholem, On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism (New York: Schocken, 1965),
154-56.
Banquet, Messianic: ("7 7% ™°), “The Meal of Leviathan.” Inspired by Job
41:6, one of the most popular mythic images of the reward awaiting the
Righteous in the World to Come is the Seudah shel Livyatan, the
messianic banquet (PdRE 10). There the great Chaos monsters, Ziz,
Behemoth, and Leviathan, will finally be slaughtered for the enjoyment of
all. In one version of this legend, there were originally two Leviathans. God
killed the first in primordial times and salted away the meat for the banquet.
The other sea monster will be served fresh (B.B. 74b; PR 16:4, 48:3; Mid.
Teh. 14:7). The banquet appears in Akdamut, the 11th-century poem sung
on the holiday of Shavuot:
And each righteous one under his canopy will sit,
In the Sukkah made from the skin of Leviathan,
And in the future
He will make a dance for the righteous ones,
And a banquet in Paradise,
From that Leviathan and the Wild Ox,
And from the wine preserved from the Creation—
Happy are those who believe and hope and
Never abandon their faith forever!
The subtext of this myth is that in messianic times the last forces of
destruction, Chaos , and entropy will finally be swept away, and the world
will achieve its perfect state.
Bar Hedya (or Hadaya): Talmudic oneiromancer (ca. 4th century). He is
portrayed as a man of doubtful character whose interpretations depended on
the amount of money paid him. The story of Bar Hedya also features a
humorous episode about one of his predictions that came to pass: Rava was
told by Bar Hedya that his dream signified he would be hit twice with a
club. The Sage is in fact later attacked, but averts a third blow by declaring
to his attacker, “Enough! I saw only two [blows] in my dream!” This
suggestive story may help explain Bar Hedya’s maxim, “All dreams follow
the interpretation.” In other words, dream interpretations are no more than
self-fulfilling prophecies (Ber. 56a—b).
Bar Jesus: A Jewish magician mentioned in the Christian Scriptures (Acts
13:6-11).
Bar Nifli: ( "722 72). “Son of the Clouds.” A messianic figure, based on the
book of Daniel (7:13), described in IV Ezra, Babylonian Talmud, and
Targum Yerushalmi. SEE Messiah.
=i,
Bar Yochai: ("=7" 4). A gigantic Roc-like bird mentioned in Talmud (Bik.
57a; Yoma 80a; Suk. 5a—b). Some stories of this bird overlap those of the
Ziz.
Baradiel: (78772). “Hail of God.” The Angel of Hail (I Enoch). He is one of
the “seven wondrous, honored princes” and governs the third Heaven (III
Enoch).
Baraita de Yosef ben Uziel: This esoteric commentary on Yetzirah, Sefer,
pseudepigraphically ascribed to the authorship of the mysterious Joseph ben
Uziel, grandson of the prophet Jeremiah, was an important text created
within the mystic Circle of the Unique Cherub.!
1. Dan and Kiener, The Early Kabbalah, 24; Also see Dan, The ‘Unique Cherub’
Circle, 59-79.
Baraita mi-Pirke Merkavah: “Tradition from the Chapters of the Chariot.” A
book of Ma’asei-Merkavah.
Barakiel or Baragiel: (*77=). “Lightning of God.” The Angel of lightning (1
Enoch, PdRE 8, Zohar II:252b). One of the “Seven Princes” of Heaven (III
Enoch).
Barkayal: The Fallen Angels who taught Astrology to humanity (I Enoch
8).
Barminan: ("> ™). “Far from Us.” An expression meant to ward off the evil
eye (think in terms of the Prayer of the rabbi in Fiddler on the Roof: “God,
bless and keep the Czar—far away from us!”). It can also be used as a
euphemism for a dead Body.
Barnacle Geese: Fantastic Birds thought to metamorphose from Shell.
Christians used this creature as an Allegory for Jewish conversion to
Christianity (a humble shellfish can be transformed into a beautiful bird).
Jewish versions of the barnacle geese legend have them growing on Trees
(Zohar III: 156).
Barrenness: SEE Fertility.
Baruch, Apocalypse of or Book of: A cluster of pseudepigraphic works, with
different versions existing in Greek and Syriac, claiming to be Baruch ben
Neriah’s firsthand accounts of the destruction of the earthly Jerusalemand
his ascension to the heavenly Jerusalem. In one vision, Jerusalem is actually
destroyed by angelic forces rather than Babylonians. Then the sacred
vessels of the Temple are secreted away, after which the spirit of Prophecy
seizes Baruch and he experiences eschatological visions. This is how the
Syriac version ends. The Greek version picks up with Baruch ascending
bodily into the Seven Heavens, where he sees fantastic visions of the past,
the future, hell, and the celestial workings. Both versions, though evidently
of Jewish origin, have been so heavily reworked by Christian writers that it
is difficult to tell what is original and what has been superimposed on the
text over time.!
1. Metzger and Coogan, The Oxford Companion to the Bible, 76-77.
Baruch ben Neriah: Secretary to the prophet Jeremiah (ca. 6th century
BCE). Like many other peripheral characters that appear in Scripture,
Baruch becomes a prominent figure in Jewish occult tradition. He becomes
the protagonist of the Apocalypse of Baruch. The Rabbis identify him with
the character Ebed Melech mentioned in the book of Jeremiah, making him
an Ethiopian (PdRE 53). Counted as a Prophet by some Sages, later
legends claim his Body experienced a saintly Death untouched by decay.
His grave was a place of highest sanctity; like the Ark of the Covenant,
those who touched it died. Other stories have him ascend bodily into
Heaven, like Elijah. (Meg. 14b, 15a; Sif. Num. 99; Il Baruch). SEE
Righteous, THE.
Baruch She ‘Amar: ( “*" 7"). A liturgical hymn recited on the Sabbath
morning. Consisting of ten stanzas, Chayyim, Sefer ha- taught that one
should contemplate the ten sefirot in sequence with the singing, an act of
elevating the Soul through intention. The Prayer serves as a pivot point in
Luria’s model of the four world worship, for it is the prayer that lifts the
worshipper beyond the world of Asiyah into the higher state of Yetzirah
(Sha’ar Kavvanot I). In time the Lurianic siddur, Nusach ha-Ari, adopted a
thirteen-stanza version of the hymn, to mirror the thirteen divine attributes
(Ex. 34),!
1. M. Hallamish, Ha-Kabbalah b’Tefillah, b’Halakhah, uv’Minhag (Ramat Gan:
Bar-Ilan University Press, 2000), 33.
Bashert: (uf 184). “Destiny.” A term for something perceived as inevitable,
or meant to be. This term has a decidedly positive connotation, and is most
often used in reference to a good Wedding match.
Bat: Not mentioned in the Bible, in rabbinic literature the bat is a shape-
shifting creature that takes a number of forms over time but eventually
morphs into a demons (B.K. 16a). SEE Animals.
Bat Kol: (7? ™). “Daughter of a Voice/[Heavenly] Echo.” A minor form of
revelation described in Talmud and later Jewish literature:
Our Rabbis taught: Since the death of the last prophets, Haggai,
Zechariah and Malachi, the Holy Spirit departed from Israel; yet they
were still able to avail themselves of the Bat Kol. Once when the rabbis
met in the upper chamber of Gurya’s house at Jericho, a Bat Kol was
heard from Heaven, saying: “There is one amongst you who is worthy
that the Shekhinah should rest on him as it did on Moses, but his
generation does not merit it.” The Sages present set their eyes on Hillel
the Elder. (Sanh. 11a)
Not prophetic in the prescient sense, instead it proclaims God’s will,
judgment, or in the above example, God’s regret (Ber. 3a).
It appears most famously in the miraculous duel between Rabbi Eliezer
and the Sages (B.M. 59b; J. Ber. 2). It sometimes is heard extolling the
Righteous at the time of their death, and will be heard by the newly
resurrected when they arise from the grave (Zohar I:118a). By the Middle
Ages, it becomes equated with attaining a mystical state of communion
(Kuzari 3:11). SEE Prophecy And Prophets; Vision.
Batraal: A Fallen Angels mentioned in I Enoch, chapter 7.
Batya: ("2). “Daughter of Yah.” The daughter of Pharaoh, she adopted
the infant Moses. Later she repudiates Idolatry and marries the Israelite
Caleb (1 Chron. 4:15, 18). One interpretation concludes she had the spirit of
Prophecy in her and knew she was raising an agent of God (Aggadat Yam
Talmud). Others state she was at the river to treat her Leprosy and was
moved by pure compassion to spare the child (Sot. 12b; Ex. R. 1:23).
Regardless, this act of adoption meant God adopted her in return, earning
her the name “daughter of Yah” (Lev. R. 1:3), and counted an Israelite
(Meg. 13b). One oft-repeated tradition is that God miraculously extended
her arm, ala Mr. Fantastic, to pull the child to safety. One claim puts her
reach at 60 cubits (Bachya ben Asher’s comment to Exodus 2:5). She is
one of the select few who ascended to Heaven without tasting Death. In
Edenshe rules over one of the palaces of the righteous dead (Meg. 13a; Ex.
R. 1, 18).
Beard: SEE Hair.
Beard of Faith: The beard that is described as adorning the “Ancient of
Days” in Daniel. Since the “glory of the face is the beard” (Shab. 152a), the
divine “beard,” whether assigned as an attribute to the Zeir Anpin or Atika
Kadisha within the Pleroma, is part of the divine Glory and subject to
elaborate, at time inscrutable, metaphysical speculation. It has thirteen locks
(tikkunim), conduits for the thirteen divine attributes of Exodus 33 that
stream into the material world, as well as the thirteen “rivers of balsam”
that await the righteous in the World to Come (S of S 5:13; Zohar II:177a—
b, 122b; Zohar III:130b, 139a—140b).!
1. P. Giller, Reading the Zohar: The Sacred Text of the Kabbalah (New York: Oxford
University Press, 2000), 116-119.
Beelzebub: (2121 722). A demons. He is first mentioned as a Phoenician god
in 2 Kings 1. His name probably derives from Ugaritic “Lord Baal,” though
it is often translated as “Lord of Flies.” By Greco-Roman times he is a
demon lord and he is mentioned in Christian Scriptures (Matt. 12:24—27).
He may be the same as Belzebouel, who appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls
(DSS).
Beer Shachat: (FIT “W2). “Well of Destruction.” A term derived from Psalm
55:24, it is one of the seven compartments of Gehenna, the destination of
the “wicked Nations.” Kushiel is its principle Ange! (Masechet Gehinnom).
Behemoth: (M72). A mythical beast mentioned in Job 40:15—24 and Psalm
50:10, which calls him the first of God’s creations. Other sources insist he
was created on the sixth day (Mid. Konen). Behemoth drinks up all the
waters that flow from Paradise (PR 16:4, 48:3). He is so big he sits on a
thousand mountains (Ps. 50:10; Zohar I:18b). His bones are hard as tubes of
bronze and his limbs are like Iron rods.
At the end of time he will do battle with Leviathan, a battle neither will
survive. In the World to Come, he will be an entrée at the messianic banquet
(I Esdras 6:52; B.B. 74b; Lev. R. 13:3, 22:10; PdRE 11). In Zohar, the
beast sometimes symbolizes the Shekhinah (Zohar I: 223b). Behemoth is
often portrayed in medieval Jewish illuminated manuscripts as an ox of
gigantic proportions. SEE Animals.
a
Beinonim: (E*2'1"2). “The In-betweens/the Doubtful.” Starting in Talmud
(Ber. 7a; R.H. 16b) and highlighted in HI Enoch, it is the designation for
those who are neither pious, tzadikim, nor evil, rashaim. The bulk of
humanity, the Beinonim, are those whose Fate in the afterlife is still in
question. The condition and rectification of the Beinonim is the topic of the
first chapter of the Tanya, and serves as the premise for the chapters that
follow. (Tanya, Sefer Shel Beinonim).
Beit El Circle: This Jerusalem-based kabbalistic fellowship has been one of
the most influential Jewish mystical movements among Sefardi and Hasidic
Jews since its start under the leadership of the Yemenite mystic Shalom
Sha’bari in the mid-18th century. The circle focuses on the teachings of
Isaac Luria as recorded by Chayyim Vital. The academy that Sha’bari
nurtured emphasized a curriculum of mixed Kabbalah, Talmud, and
medieval philosophy. Arranged in around-the-clock “watches” so that study
would be going on perpetually, the Beit El system cultivated in the
adherents a vigorous lifestyle centered on _ study, Prayer, and
contemplation. The adherents go so far as to wear two sets of tefillin
simultaneously during daylight hours, in order to honor the differing
practices of two famous sages. The circle continues into the 21st century.!
Prayer is the emphasized rite of the group, and the Beit El philosophy
teaches the extensive use of kavvanot, ritualized concentration, in prayer, as
well as contemplating divine names, as means to achieve devekut, union
with God. The group has been usually preoccupied with the proper
observance of the biblical system of shemittah and yovel, sabbatical and
jubilee years.”
1.L. Jacobs, The Jewish Mystics (London: Kyle Cathie, 1990), 156-169.
2. Ibid.
Beit ha-Midrash, heavenly: SEE Yeshiva Shel Malah.
Beit Shean: This town at the south side of the juncture of the Jezreel and the
Jordan valleys is the gate to Eden (Eruv. 19a).
Bela ben B’or: (“> 2 272), “Devourer Son of Consumption.” First of the
eight Edomite kings who “ruled before there was a king in Israel” (Gen.
36:31-39). In the Lurianic creation myth, the “eight kings” are an
Allegory, and Bela is Knowledge, the first vessel to shatter, releasing evil
into the cosmos.
Beli Ayin ha-Ra: (2 1? 7). “No evil eye!” An adjuration against witchcraft.
Belial: (72°72). “Worthless.” Belial is a demons mentioned in the Dead Sea
Scrolls (DSS), apocryphal books, and the Gospels. As is so often the case,
the word appears in the Bible as an adjective, meaning “worthless” (1 Sam.
10:27) and/or rebellious person (Job 34:18), but in post-biblical tradition
becomes reified as an entity, place, or supernatural force (see, for example,
Abaddon and Ketev Meriri). Talmud Baba Batra 10a uses the word
ambiguously, so that the reader could infer the term to mean either
“worthlessness” or “devil.” Based on the Book of Jubilee’s description of
him as the accuser and tempter (1:20. Also see Testament of the Twelve
Patriarchs, Reuben 2), Belial may be an alternative name for Samael,
Satan, ha-Satan, or a conflation with both. In some medieval works, Belial
gives birth to Armilus.
Belimah: (7°52). A term that may or may not first appear in Job 26:7, where
b’li-mah seems to mean “emptiness.” As used in Sefer Yetzirah to refer to
the sefirot prior to their unfolding, it means either “containment/restraint”
(the divine restraint that pre-existed the Emanation) or “Silence” (the
cosmic silence that preceded God’s first words, “Let there be light”).! Other
interpretations referencing the passage in Job, divide it into two words,
ma *o2/b’li-mah, “without whatness,” in the sense of “without substance.”
Thus Belimah becomes associated with Keter, the first emanation.
Other works, such as Baraita de Yosef ben Uziel, understand it as a
reference to the ten metaphysical concepts the average Jew is forbidden to
investigate: what is before Creation, after the judgment, the reward of the
righteous, the punishment of the wicked, and the remotest ends of what is
up, down, east, west, north, and south. As this encyclopedia reveals, this
prohibition is mostly honored through the breach.
1. Green, Guide to the Zohar, 54; A. Kaplan, Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Formation
(New York: Samuel Weiser, 1978), 25-26.
Bell: Bells appear in a significant role only during biblical times, when the
High priest was required to wear them on the hem of his Ephod (Seventy-
Two of them according to the Talmud):
You shall make the robe of the ephod entirely of blue wool. Its collar
shall be folded over within. It shall have a woven border around its
opening ... it may not be frayed. On its hem you shall make
pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet wool, on its hem all around.
Between them, there shall be gold bells all around ... It must be on
Aaron when he serves; so that its sound is heard when he enters the Holy
before Adonai. (Ex. 28:31—35)
These bells served to placate or drive back the Guardian Angels (Sar ha-
Panim) that surround the Ark of the Covenant when the high priest enters
the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur (Az be-En Kol piyut). Lilith is
compared to a “golden bell” that disturbs men in their Sleep (Gen. R. 18.4).
Unlike Christian-based theurgic practices, bells do not appear to have been
used much by Jewish practitioners.
Belomancy: The casting of arrows for the purposes of divination is well
attested to in Semitic cultures surrounding Israel. Not only do Akkadian and
Arabic documents refer to it, but archaeologists have found bronze
arrowheads with the inscription chetz (arrow) on them. Since inscribing an
arrow with the word “arrow” seems pointless, at least one scholar
speculates that the word is meant as a pun of the Ugaritic word for “luck.” !
The practice of belomancy is explicitly mentioned twice in Hebrew
Scriptures, once with condemnation (Ezek. 21:26), the other as a legitimate
way for a Prophet to discern the future (2 Kings 13:14—-19). It is alluded to
in another passage (1 Sam. 20:19-—22). This third passage may be meant as
satire, showing it (and the interpretation of word omen in general) to be
nothing more than a sleight-of-hand trick to convey messages already
known to the practitioner.
The methods of belomancy vary. According to Ezekiel, a bundle of
arrows is shaken and then cast down, possibly in front of an Idol. The
pattern in which they fall was presumably interpreted, I Ching fashion, by
the baru (diviner). Arab sources suggest that arrows (usually three, just as
described in the 1 Samuel passage) were shot, and the message then derived
from the pattern of their landing.
1. Singer, The Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 2, 307; Roth, Encyclopedia Judaica, vol. 3,
114-15.
Ben Azzai, Simon: Talmudic Sage and mystic (ca. 2nd century). Several
sources report that when Ben Azzai expounded Torah, the flames of Sinai
enveloped him:
Once, when Ben Azzai was interpreting Scriptures, flames blazed up
around him, and when asked whether he was a student of the mysteries
of the “Chariot of God,” he replied, “Like pearls, I string together words
of the Torah with those of the Prophets; those of the Prophets with those
of the Writings; and thus the words of the Torah rejoice as on the day
when they were revealed in the flames of Sinai.” (Lev. R. 16; S of SR.
1.10)
He is one of the Four Sages who entered Pardes or PaRDeS. According to
the account in Chagigah 14b, “He looked and died.” Genesis Rabbah takes
this as a sign of his piety; for he is credited with saying that the pious see
the rewards awaiting them in the moments before their Death. The Sages
taught, “He who sees Ben Azzai in a dream is assured piety” (Ber. 57b).
Ben Stada: A practitioner of witchcraft mentioned in Talmud (B. Shab.
104b). He derived his knowledge from Egypt, one of the great sources of
arcane knowledge (Sanh. 67a; Ka. 1:16).
Ben Temalion: A beneficent demon that helped a group of Jews, led by
Simon bar Yochai, sent as emissaries to Rome. He did this by first
possessing the daughter of Caesar, then allowing Bar Yochai to perform an
exorcism on her. When Ben Temalion finally left her Body, Bar Yochai
earned Caesar’s gratitude and his cooperation (Me. 17b). Among medieval
Jews of the Rhineland, “ben Temalion” becomes an idiom for any
mischievous spirit.!
1. Singer, The Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 2,257.
Ben Zoma, Simon: Talmudic Sage and mystic (ca. 2nd century). He is one of
the Four Sages who entered Pardes or PaRDeS. The experience drove him
mad (Chag. 14b). Prior to this misadventure, Ben Zoma was noted for his
obsession with Ma’asei-Bereshit, the mysteries of Creation. So powerful
was his hold over the imagination of the Sages that the Talmud offers this
promise, “He who sees ... Ben Zoma in a dream is assured of wisdom”
(Ber. 57b).
Bereshit: (G8 72). “When God Created ...” This first word of the first book
of the Bible serves both as the Hebrew name for the book Genesis and as an
idiom for “Creation.” Because of its pride of position at the “start” of
creation, as well as its uniqueness (the word never appears again in
Scriptures), the word is subjected to intensive and varied exegetical
analysis. Many, many meanings are derived from this one six-letter word.
Since the time of RaSHI, it has been widely understood that the
conventional sequential translation, “In the beginning ...” is inaccurate.
Bereshit is a construct, not absolute form, so a temporal “When [God]
began to ...” 1s more accurate. So already on the merely syntactical level
the word has its complexities. But Jewish tradition has also held the six
letters contain secrets that the wise will understand. For example, by
making a Notarikon (in this case, separating the word into two words, it
yields:
Mm" 74 He created six [things] ... (Gen. R. 1:4; MhG)
A secret is revealed—six critical entities preceded the actual creation of
Heaven and Earth: The Throne of Glory [positive existence], Torah [the
blueprint for existence], the ancestors [the righteous pillars that support
existence], the concept of the Temple [the link between worlds], and the
name of Messiah [redemption and rectification].
Although the Torah itself suggests that certain hylic entities coexisted
with God at the beginning (water, darkness), by separating out the
diacritical dagesh [it is the dot in the first letter] from the word and treating
it as a metaphysical symbol, the exegete reads it as:
Beginning with a point ... PR + I/b’ reshit], (Zohar I:15a)
and from this the Zohar demonstrates the philosophic principle creation ex
nihilo [from nothing] in the first word. The author of the Zohar also finds
hints of the sefirotic structure in the first sentence, Bereshit bara Elohim:
With Wisdom [reishit = Chochmah, a claim based on Proverbs 8:22;
3:18], the Infinite [= Keter, the subject being implicit in the verb form
bara] created Elohim [= Binah].
In a different vein, all Jewish mysticism takes very seriously the pathos (the
caring) of God. Kabbalah emphasizes that God is driven by a “need” to
create and relate to that creation, an idea scandalous to rationalist
philosophy, which posits that God must be impassive. Rearranging the six
letters yields a phrase that reveals that creation is a:
“ KD/A song of desire (Attributed to Isaac Luria)
and confirms the mystical premise of a deity longing for us.
These are just a few examples. Tikkunei Zohar alone has seventy d’rashot
on the word Bereshit. But this kind of freeform interpretation creates other
problems for the tradition. For example, Christians can play this game too.
The six letters can be regrouped to spell out: father; son; fire [equaling the
Holy Spirit, though the association seems tenuous]; fortunate daughter
[i.e., the Virgin Mary]; even crucifixion on the sixth day. This last element is
based on an alphabetically/morphological pun: the Hebrew Tav, the sixth
letter in the word, is the equivalent of the Greek tau ... which is cross-
shaped (De Naturis Rerum, a commentary by 12th-century monk Alexander
Neckham).
Christian exegetical demonstrations like this may in part explain the
gradual Jewish shift to more contextual, plain-sense [Pashat] interpretations
of the Hebrew Bible favored by later generations of commentators such as
RaSHI, David Kimhi, and Sforno; contextual readings offer less chance of
having one’s own hermeneutics used against one. SEE CHAOS; CREATION;
MA’ ASEI-BERESHIT.
Beriyah, World of: (1%" 72). “Creation.” The second of the four worlds of
emanation, this is the level in which positive existence emerges. It
encompasses the “lower” worlds of Yetzirah and Asiyah. Some traditions
associate this with the highest orders of Angels and the Throne of Glory.
As the first world that is “created” rather than purely “emanated,” it is said
to function as the first garment concealing the supernal shefa of God’s
creative force. It is, nonetheless, a realm of pure intellect and the place from
which human reason emanates. It is also the domain of pure law (Etz
Chayyim). Jewish word mysticism also associates it with the first letter hay
in the Tetragrammaton, the four-letter name of God.
Beruchim, Abraham: Kabbalist (North African, ca. 16th century). He
advocated the mystical discipline of midnight study andPrayer. He was
such a severe advocate of repentance that he was believed by many to be
the reincarnation of the prophet Jeremiah.
Berudim: (C°T174). “Spots.” In the Lurianic cosmic-allegorical
interpretation of Genesis 31:10, this refers to Yetzirah, the World of
Emanation.
BeSHT: SEE ISRAEL BEN ELIEZER.
Bestiality: Sexual relations with animals are explicitly forbidden by the
Torah (Lev. 18). Stories of inter-species intercourse do, however, appear in
Jewish literature. The most famous of these is a Talmudic reference to Eve
copulating with the serpent (Shab. 146a). There is also a more obscure
tradition that Adam first gave vent to his libido with God’s other creations,
a story that serves as an etiological rationale as to why God felt compelled
to create a female partner for him. One Midrash claims that antediluvian
people engaged in bestiality with all the land creatures, thereby contributing
to the absolute corruption of all Creation, requiring the great Flood to
purge the Earth of this obscenity (Gen. 6; Eruv. 18b). Interestingly, as in
Greco-Roman religions, such tales of bestiality are mostly set in the mythic
past.
Bestiality is closely associated in the Talmudic imagination with
witchcraft, and the Sages believed that it was through intercourse with
animals that Balaam gained his infernal powers (Sanh. 105a—b; Zohar
I:126a).
Thus in Talmud, there are several apparently earnest discussions as to
whether a Jew should let a Pagan serve as a bailiff for Jewish livestock, out
of fear the animals will be used for immoral/infernal purposes. It would be
easy to assume that these are simply cases of Jews stereotyping their
neighbors, but the fairly frequent representation of human-animal coupling
on Greek pornographic urns might suggest and explanation for the Talmud’s
preoccupation with this issue.!
1.S. Deacy and K. Pierce, eds. Rape in Antiquity: Sexual Violence in the Greek and
Roman Worlds (London: Duckworth, 2002), 69-96. Also see P. Mathieu, Sex Pots:
Eroticism in Ceramics (New York: A & C Black, 2003).
Bet: (2). Second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It has the numeric value of
two. It is the first letter appearing in the Torah. According to Genesis
Rabbah, the shape of the letter (closed above, below, and on one side, with
only one side open) is meant to teach that a person should not engage in
speculation about what is above, below, or precedes Creation; a lesson
respectfully but more or less completely ignored by the author of this book.
Based on its numeric value, it reveals that God created two worlds
simultaneously:
Rabbi Yehudah ben Pazzi explained according to Bar Kappara: Why was
the world created with a bet? To teach you there are two worlds: this
world and the world to come. Another interpetation: Why [begin] with a
bet? Because bet is the language of berachah/’blessing.” And why not
with an alef? Because alef is the language of arur/’cursing.” (Gen. R.
1.9)
According to Deuteronomy Rabbah, the ber at the beginning of Torah (with
its value of 2) teaches us about the inherent duality of Creation (2:31).
1. Munk, The Wisdom of the Hebrew Alphabet, 43-54.
Beth (or Beit) Alfa: This archaeological site of an ancient synagogue (ca.
A4th—5th century CE) is most notable for the richly decorated mosaic floor
consisting of numerous Jewish motifs surrounding an elaborate zodiac at
the center. The most puzzling element of this display is that Helios, the
Greek god of the sun, is clearly represented there in the hub of the design!
1. M. Avi- Yonah, The Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land
(London: Oxford University Press, 1975), 187-90.
Beth El: “House of God.” The location, near biblical Luz, where Jacob had
his dream of a stairway to Heaven (Gen. 29). It would later become a
sacred center for the early cult of YHVH. The story of Jacob’s dream may
have been meant to provide an etiology for why the shrine was established
at that location.
Betulah: (702). “Virgin’/Virgo.” The zodiac sign for the month of Elul.
This sign signifies the Earth, night, sensuality, materiality, and the
feminine principle.!
1. Erlanger, Signs of the Times, 99-120.
Bezalel: (7#7%2). “In the Shadow of God.” This Israelite craftsman, “filled
with the spirit of God,” was primarily responsible for the construction of the
tabernacle (Ex. 24-25). Bezalel was identified as a gifted artisan in the
Bible, and legends of his fantastic skills multiplied.
So great was his insight into God’s intention that the Sages dubbed him
the R’aiah, the Seer, along with other honorific names. Bezalel built the
tabernacle according to a heavenly pattern shown to him. He could do this
because he knew how to manipulate the Hebrew alphabet to unleash its
supernal powers, just as God used them to create the universe (Ber. 55a;
Zohar I: 9a). This legend is related to the widely held belief that the
tabernacle was itself a model of the cosmos (Num. R. 12:13). The
medievals credited his talent as a metallurgist to his knowledge of
Alchemy.
Bible: (1°/TaNaKH also ®"F®/mikra). TaNaKH is an acrostic for the three
divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures: Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim
(Pentateuch, Prophets, and Writings). This arrangement also roughly
reflects the decreasing degree of divine inspiration credited to each book,
with Torah being the most direct of God’s revelations and the Writings
generally credited to the more modest influence of the Ruach Elohim, the
“Holy Spirit.’ The Hebrew Scriptures consist of thirty-nine canonical
books (there are other methods of counting the collection, including treating
the twelve minor prophets as a single book). The authoritative collection
emerged out of a little-understood and mysterious process of canonization,
a canonization not completed until at least the end of the 2nd century CE.
The Bible also mentions within its pages several other mysterious lost
books. These include the Book of Jashar, the Book of the Wars of the Lord,
and the royal chronicles of both Judah and Israel.
Like any other Jewish tradition, Jewish esoteric traditions look to ground
themselves and justify their teachings in the authority and authenticity of
Scripture. And certainly, the Hebrew Bible provides plenty of obvious
examples of the fabulous: Angels, giants (Gen. 6), miraculous staves (Ex.
7), and monsters (Ps. 74). But the logic of the occult assumes that for all the
wonders and forces that are visible and revealed, there are much more
powerful things in the text which are concealed and must be detected. There
are multiple proof texts for this premise, such as Psalm 62, “One thing God
has spoken, two things I have heard,” and Proverbs 25:2: “It is the glory of
God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is a glory of kings” (Also
see Job 28; Prov. 25:11; Deut. 29:28). Thus, before the rise of Protestantism
with its hermeneutic conceit that the meaning of the Scriptures was mono-
vocalic, explicit, and self-evident, the Bible was widely regarded by both
Jews and Christians to be a cryptic text: multi-vocalic, filled with layers of
meanings, occult secrets, and powers that had to be_ extracted
hermeneutically, or filled with teachings not meant for the masses. These
secrets are concealed in the laws and stories by means of hints, allusions,
allegories, and are even encoded into the very language itself. In fact, the
more difficult the message was to ascertain, the more precious it was to be
considered.!
This perception of the Bible as an exoteric text is illustrated in a famous
legend that the Earth trembled when Onkelos the Proselyte and Jonathan
ben Uziel first translated the Scriptures from the Holy Tongue (Hebrew)
into popular Aramaic. When Ben Uziel further dared to make explicit the
esoteric meanings embedded in Scriptures through his translations, a
heavenly voice ordered him to stop (Meg. 3a; En Yaakov).
Evidence that the words of Scripture were held to have numinous and
apotropaic powers already begins in biblical times, as indicated by the
discovery of metal amulets inscribed with the Priestly Blessing (“The Lord
bless and guard you ...”) dating from the Monarchy period. Tefillin and
mezuzahs, both of which contain biblical texts, were similarly credited
with offering protection to their users (Ber. 23b; S o S R. 3:7; Num. R. 12).
Reciting Psalm 91 came to be regarded as the first line of defense against
demons. In the Middle Ages, a scroll or book of Scriptural verses would be
placed at the head of a crib to protect an infant.
Despite the words of Rabbi Akiba, who declared that all those who use
Bible verses for spells have no place in the World to Come (M. Sanh.
10:1), many biblical verses, such as Exodus 15:26, were used as healing
incantations. In order to heal a seriously ill person, one might look in a
book of Scripture, take the first word the eye falls upon, and add that word
to the ailing person’s name. Biblical names, words, and phrases appear on
virtually every inscribed amulet. Perhaps the most frequently used verses in
a theurgic context are Genesis 49:18, Zechariah 3:2, and Numbers 6:24—26.
Psalms were particularly popular in this regard. An entire book, Shimmush
Tehillim, “Useful Psalms,” is devoted to cataloging verses for treating
various conditions.
Passages would also be recited over crops to increase fertility and over
property to protect it. According to Chayyim Vital, one can read and
pronounce Scripture in such a way that it draws down an Angel that grants
the summoner further revelations of secrets contained in the text (Sha’ar
ha-Nevuah 2).
In classic magical fashion, verses were often read both forward and in
reverse, or in permutations. Scriptures can also be used for purposes of
divination. SEE BIBLIOMANCY; CODES; HEBREW AND HEBREW
ALPHABET; PSALMS; TEMURAH; TORAH; TZERUF/Tzerufim.
1.J. Kugel, How to Read the Bible: A Guide to Scripture (New York: Free Press,
2007), 14-16. Also see F. Talmage, “Apples of Gold: The Inner Meaning of Texts in
Medieval Judaism,” in Jewish Spirituality, A. Green, ed., vol. 1 (New York:
Crossroad, 1994), 313-355.
Bibliomancy: (120 M7Nw /Sheilat Sefer). Using sacred Scriptures as a means
of divination. Above and beyond the familiar interpretative tradition that
finds references to current events in the words of the Prophets. This kind of
interpretation can be found in the pesher commentaries found among the
Dead Sea Scrolls. And, of course, it is still a popular way to interpret the
book of Revelations among some contemporary Evangelical Christians.
A verse can also be selected at random in the hopes of receiving an
ominous message (Chag. 15a; SA Yoreh Deah 179:4). Some Sages believed
in the mantic science of kleidon, treating the serendipitous overhearing of
verses recited by school children as omens :
Says Rabbi Johanan, “It is clear that I have a Master in Babylon; I must
go and see him.” So he said to a child, “Tell me the verse you have
learnt.” He answered, “Now Samuel was dead.” Said [R. Johanan], “This
means that Samuel has died.” But it was not the case; Samuel was not
dead then, and [this revealed] only that R. Johanan should not trouble
himself [to go]. (Chul. 95b; also see Git. 58a)
The Baal Shem Tov compares the Bible to the Urim and Thummim as a
potential source of mantic knowledge (Sod Yakhim u’Vo’az).
Binah: (-::). “Understanding/Insight.” In the sefirotic system, Binah is the
offspring and compliment to Chochmah. It is the dark receptacle of
Chochmah’s light, the female counterpart to its masculine principle (Zohar
II:290a), though in principle it also holds “masculine” qualities. It suckles
the lower worlds. As such, it is also called Jma, “Mother,” and Heichal,
“Palace.” It is the womb of God’s light, giving birth to all the “lower”
sefirot.! Binah is one of the root aspects of the Tree of Life. It is also,
however, the beginning of judgment because it is the beginning of division
(Bahir 186). In the context of Jewish ritual, Binah is associated with the
Holy Ark, which contains the Torah. Removing the Torah from its
concealment activates the divine flow from Binah to Tiferet (Or ha-Yashar).
1. H. Eilberg-Schwartz, ed. People of the Body: Jews and Judaism from an
Embodied Perspective (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1992),
119-120.
Binush, Binyamin, of Krotoszyn: (Polish, 1660?-1730). Wandering Baal
Shem and author of two books: a magical manual, Sefer Amtachat
Binyamin, and a collection of Lurianic healing Prayers, Shem Tov Katan.
He was famed for his efficacious amulets, especially ones for the protection
of women during and after childbirth.
Birds: (“23/Tzipor; Oaf ). Birds are a symbol of immortality and the Soul.
Studying the behavior of birds was a form of divination most popular
among the Hittites.! Since biblical times, Jews have also regarded birds as
portending the future. According to one strand of tradition, human souls
take the form of birds in Heaven (Baruch Apocalypse 10; SGE). The Vilna
Gaon, in his mystical interpretation of the book of Jonah, also teaches that a
dove symbolizes the transmigrating human soul. sEE ANIMAL; HOOPOE;
MILHAM BIRD; PHOENIX; ZIZ.
1. Hallo and Younger, The Context of Scripture, 206; Roth, Encyclopedia Judaica,
vol. 3, 114.
Bird’s Nest: SEE PALACE OF THE BIRD’S NEST.
Birth: SEE CHILDBIRTH
Birth Pangs of the Messiah: (M’Zi27 772N/Chevlei ha-Mashiach). This refers
to the various tribulations and disturbances — political, social, and cosmic —
that precede the coming of the Messiah (Shab. 118a; Sanh. 98a).
Bitachon, Sefer ha-: This esoteric work by the little-known Iyyun Circle
includes passages on the creation of a golem.
iy
Bitter Destruction: (“"? ="F/Ketev Meriri). The demons of catastrophe is
identified from biblical passages (Deut. 32:24; Ps. 91:6; Isa. 28:2). He is
featured in a discussion of having a fortunate nature:
Abaye was walking. Rav Papa was on his right and Rav Huna was on his
left. He saw Ketev Meriri approaching him on his left—he had Rav Papa
and Rav Huna switch sides. Rav Papa said, “Why aren’t you concerned
for me?” [Huna replied] “Your Mazel is good now.” (Pes. 111a—b)
His power is greatest between the seventeenth of Tammuz, the date when
the walls of Jerusalem were breached by the Romans, and the ninth of Av,
the day the Temple was destroyed. He is scaly and hairy and rolls about
like a ball. His gaze brings instant Death (Num. R. 12.3, 7:9; Me’am Loez).
Bittul ha-Torah: (771 22). “Nullification of (precepts) of the Torah.” In
general, this is regarded as a bad thing, and Jews are forbidden to engage in
any activity that is so distracting from engagement with Torah it effectively
crowds it out of one’s life (A.Z. 18b; Tos. Shab. 7.5; Tos. A.Z. 2.2). In
certain Haredi and Hasidic circles, this can be applied quite restrictively,
effectively prohibiting any “secular” pursuit at all.
Bittul ha-Yesh/Bittul ha-Nefesh: (#7 7122).““Nullification of the
Ego/Selfhood.” This can mean a range of self-negating conditions from
total submission to God’s will to ego-annihilation. Since the ego stands as
an impediment between the Soul and God, Chasidic teachings encourage
the spiritual seeker to sublimate or even overthrow the self in order to
achieve devekut, unification with the true reality that is God.!
1. Rabinowicz, The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, 48; A. Green, Jewish Spirituality,
vol. 2 (New York: Crossroad, 1986), 181-91.
Black: SEE COLOR.
Blasphemy: ( G2 M272/Birkat ha-Shem [euphemism]). While the Torah
prohibits insulting God (Lev. 24:10—23), the exact parameters of this
offense are unclear. In Jewish tradition the offense of blasphemy is limited
to one who pronounces the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) for the purpose of
profaning it (M. Sanh. 7.5; Sanh. 56a). In the Bible, the punishment could
include Death, but that has been nullified since Talmudic times. The
Mishnah statement on the matter, “Let YHVH curse YHVH,” makes the
issue so puzzling, it becomes legally impossible to define or enforce. The
Gospel accounts that claim Jesus was condemned by a Jewish court for
“blasphemy” for calling himself son of God has no basis in any known
Jewish law (M. Sanh. 7:5), suggesting the charge may be the Gospel
writer’s own invention.
Blessed Holy One: (7 72 8F1/ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu). A title for God
popularized in Talmudic times, in Kabbalistic thought “The Blessed Holy
One” designates the specifically male aspect of the Pleroma and it is
identified with the sefirah of Tiferet. see NAMES OF GOD; SEFIROT.
Blessing: ((212/B’rachah). The capacity to bless something belongs
foremost to God (Gen. 1, 12). A human may also bless, but with the
understanding, either explicitly stated (“May it be Your will ...”) or
implied, that the power of blessing comes from the Deity. Because a
blessing is the exercise of divine power, even if humans utter it, Jewish
literature regards blessings to have real consequences (Gen. 28, saga of
Esau and Jacob). Though Isaac intended the blessing he spoke over Jacob
for Esau, once it was given, it could not be rescinded. In this sense a
blessing is also more like an adjuration or decree of destiny than a Prayer.
The fact that humans have the capacity to bless is a sign of our exalted
status in the cosmos (Meg. 15a; Ber. 7a; Chag. 5b).
As is the case with so many other aspects of Jewish practice, the Zohar
eroticizes blessing, claiming its existence only flow through the union of
male and female forces (III:74b). The theme of drawing down blessing
through the sefirot via the sexual act becomes a recurrent theme is later
Kabbalistic teachings.’ seg CURSE.
1. M. Idel, Kabbalah and Eros (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005), 122, 183,
205-206.
Blood: (©1/Dam). Blood is considered the essence of life, full of numinous
qualities, and the handling of blood is of tremendous concern to God:
And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers
that sojourn among them, that eats any blood, I will set My face against
that person that eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
For the life of the meat is in the blood; and I have given it to you upon
the altar to make atonement for your lives; for it is the blood in the living
thing makes atonement [for consuming them]. Therefore I said unto the
Children of Israel: No person of you shall eat blood, neither shall any
stranger that sojourns among you eat blood. (Lev. 17:11—12)
For that reason, many taboos and laws concerning blood are found in
Jewish law (Lev. 19:26; M. Ker. 5:1; Yad, Ma’achalot Asurot 6:2). The
sprinkling of blood from the sacrifices upon the altar was an element in the
rituals of atonement and purification, and blood resulting from slaughter
for food had to be poured out on the ground and covered over (Lev. 17:13).
The Torah expressly forbids the use of blood for divination (Lev. 19:26).
It is the first of the plagues God unleashes upon Egypt—every body of
water , from the sacred Nile to the cooking kettles, was turned to blood and
defiled. Blood also has protective power against numinous forces, as
demonstrated during the Exodus from Egypt (Ex. 12:7, 12:22-23).
Medieval physiology held that menstrual blood (niddah) was
transferred/transformed into mother’s milk during and following gestation.
The Jewish awe regarding blood continued to have a paranormal aspect—
the Zohar develops a dichotomous metaphysic around the symbolism of
blood of circumcision (symbolizing purity) and blood of menstruation
(symbolizing impurity). It also offers a contrast between the “blood of
Jacob” and the “blood of Esau,” a polemical mirror image of the emerging
Spanish obsession with limpieza de sangre, blood purity of lineage.! Jewish
men were particularly in awe of the weird and frightening power of
menstrual blood, a fascination with a strongly misogynistic tone. One
medieval tradition held that menstruating women who gaze into mirrors
will leave blood marks on the glass.
As alluded to above, blood from sacrifices and food slaughtering must be
poured out on the ground and covered, a means of legitimizing the taking
and consumption of animal life through a rite of acknowledgment,
“returning” the “life” to its maker and legitimate owner. Subsequent Jewish
law requires that Jews go to great lengths to extract blood from animal
carcasses, first hanging the animals for draining, then soaking and salting
the flesh afterward to draw out any additional blood. This taboo about
eating blood has meant that blood is not a regular materia magica used in
Jewish magical formulae, rituals, or potions. Occasional exceptions appear
in magical manuals such as Sefer ha-Razim, where we learn lion’s blood,
mixed with wine and rubbed on the soles of the feet, gives one persuasive
power over princes. Later religious authorities, usually drawing from non-
Jewish sources, start to permit blood as an ingredient in therapeutic
formulae (Shevut Yaakov II: 70).
Ironically, the Jewish attitude of aversion to blood may have inspired
Christian anti-Semites to regard Jews as blood obsessed and even blood
lusting. Among American folklorists, the custom of hanging slaughtered
animals and draining the blood practiced among Hispanics of the Southwest
is taken as evidence of Crypto-Jewish occult folkways.? szE—E BLOOD
LIBEL.
1. D. Biale, Blood and Belief: The Circulation of a Symbol between Jews and
Christians (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008), 106-107.
2. J. Neulander, ““The New Mexican Crypto-Jewish Canon: Choosing to be ‘Chosen’
in Millennial Tradition,’ Jewish Folklore and Ethnology Review 18, no. 12 (1996):
140-58.
Blood Libel: The claim that Jews kill gentiles motivated by ritual/demonic
impulses. While accusations of Jews engaging in ritual murder go as far
back as the Ist century CE (Against Apion 2, viii 95), in what amounts to a
remarkable disregard of all the evidence that Jews loathed the consumption
of blood, medieval Christian superstition held that Jews, vampire-like,
craved the blood of innocent Christians. This accusation, now known as a
“blood libel,’ enjoyed great currency in Christian circles from the Middle
Ages until well into the 20th century, though it was sporadically debunked
by Church authorities.!
Early versions of the libel claimed Jews would steal the consecrated host
from church sacristies and then perform satanic rituals upon the bread in
order to make it bleed. Because Easter was the time of Jesus's death, the
rumor then arose that Jews ritually reenacted the death of Christ by killing
an “innocent,” usually a child, and using the child’s blood for the making of
matzah for Passover. The first such accusation occurred in Norwich,
England, in the 12th century. A long series of similar accusations arose
across Europe in the centuries that followed. The purported Christian
victims were frequently beatified, while the Jews accused mostly met
manifold gruesome ends, the manners of death being limited only by the
local imagination.
Woodcut of the mass execution of
Jews in Nuremberg, 1493
During the Black Death plagues of the 14th century, it was widely believed
that Jews were spreading the contagion by poisoning the wells used by
Christians, leading to numerous savage persecutions across Europe. Actual
trials of Jews for ritual murder peaked during the 18th century.
A Russian clerk, Menachem Mendel Beilis, was the last Jew tried for the
crime of ritual murder in 1911 (he was acquitted). In the 19th and early 20th
centuries, Catholic newspapers revived the charge against Jews as part of a
campaign to combat the liberal, socialist, and democratic ideas then
sweeping Europe (Jews were seen as central players in these infernal
ideologies). Partly as a result, accusations continued to arise in Catholic
countries in the first half of the 20th century.” Gleefully promoted by the
Nazis in the 1930s—40s,the blood libel is enjoying a new life in the Arab
world, where the media and leaders in Syria and Saudi Arabia periodically
claim that demonic Jews are filled with (literal) blood lust directed at non-
Jews?
1. J. Trachtenberg, The Devil and the Jews (Philadelphia, PA: JPS, 1943), 140-58.
2.D, Kertzer, The Popes Against the Jews: The Vatican’s Role in the Rise of Modern
Anti-Semitism (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001).
3. “Top Hamas Official Osama Hamdan: Jews Use Blood for Passover Matzos,”
MEMRITYV, Clip No. 4384 (transcript), July 28, 2014,
http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4384.htm.
Blue: SEE COLOR.
Body: (!"*/Guf ). The body is both a precious vessel for the Soul and a mirror
of higher realities (Lev. R. 34:3). Generally speaking, Judaism does not
view the body as inferior to the soul, as did the Greeks, Gnostics, and some
sects of Christianity.! Nor do Jewish sources perceive sexuality as a
“product” of the fall from Eden (RaSHI, comment on Gen. 3:1). Rather, all
material things are, as God describes them in the first chapter of Genesis,
intrinsically “very good.” Two millennia later, the anonymous 14th-century
mystic who composed the Igeret ha-Kodesh, “The Holy Missive,” archly
defends the intrinsic holiness of the body against the kind of popular
perception that was current then among people under the sway of Greek-
derived rational philosophy:
The matter is not as Rabbi Moses of blessed memory thought and
believed in his Guide to the Perplexed, when he praised Aristotle’s
statements ... Heaven forbid! Matters are not as the Greek work states,
since this work contains subtle traces of heresy. If that Greek had
believed that the world is renewed by intent, he would not have said that.
But we, who possess the holy Torah believe that the blessed God created
everything as His wisdom decreed and created nothing shameful or ugly.
For if we say that copulation is shameful, then the sexual organs are
contemptible. But God, blessed be He, created them according to His
word: “And you established them ...”
Isaac of Akko likewise taught that the body is the necessary vehicle for
human spirituality. But for the same reason, the management of the body is
a major Jewish concern.
For this reason, the preeminent concept concerning the afterlife is that of
resurrection, of having the body (perhaps in a more perfected form)
reunited with the soul. Thus the body comes close enough to God’s ideal
that we can expect to be reunited with it in the World to Come.
From Early Judaism onward, the Rabbis perceive all humans, regardless
of differentiating features, as equally in the divine image, and actually
encourage interracial procreation (Bek. 45b). The body is regarded as a
microcosm, a replica of the universe in miniature (AdRN 31:3). According
to many Sages, to study the human body is to gain insight into the nature of
God. The body in certain ways concretizes Torah: The 248 positive
commandments contained within it correspond to the 248 “limbs” of the
human body (Mak. 23b; Targum Jonathan Gen. 1:27). Kabbalists find the
sefirot manifest in the organization of the body, associating its limbs and
members with each of the ten aspects of God’s emanations (Pardes
Rimmonim, Sha’ar Hatzinorot). Ulustrations superimposing the sefirotic
Tree of Life on a human form are commonplace. Others, like Abraham ibn
Ezra, see the human form as analogous to the Temple and its furnishings.
Kabbalah articulates the principle that “limb strengthens limb”; human
bodily performance of commandments strengthens the “limbs” (..e.,
attributes) of God. All such comparisons only serve to highlight the sacred
nature of the body, its status as a precious vessel of divine purpose, and as a
potential receptacle of divine power. SEE ADAM KADMON; BONE; FINGER;
TZORECHA GEVORAH.
1.A. Altmann, “Homo Imago Dei in Jewish and Christian Theology,” Journal of
Religion 48 (1968): 235-259.
2.5 J, Cohen, The Holy Letter: A Study in Jewish Sexual Morality (New York:
KTAV, 1976), 323.
3- Idel, Kabbalah, 184-185.
Boel: (7812). An Angel mentioned in Sefer ha-Razim, he is the principle
angel who governs the “seventh camp of the first firmament.’ He is
probably a Judaized version of the Greco-Egyptian god Bouel.
Bone: (C2%/Etzem). Rabbinic tradition identifies 248 bones in the human
body, equaling the number of positive commandments found in the Torah.
This number may be purely symbolic, or may be the result of actual
empiricism. Counting teeth along with the 200+ bones classified by modern
physiologists helps shrink the gap between what the Rabbis claim and what
is known today.
In the Bible, God uses bone as the starting point in creating (or recreating)
a living person (Gen. 2; Ezek. 37).
These last remains of the dead are regarded as having an enduring
connection to the spirit. Joseph asks that his bones be brought up from
Egypt to Israel, apparently not out of mere sentimentality, but in order than
he might eventually dwell with the society of his dead ancestors (Gen.
50:25). This also may be the reason for the particular distress and pathos
regarding the death of Rachel, whose bones must be left in a roadside
grave, far from the ancestral tomb at Machpelah (Jer. 31:15—16).
Skulls were used to commune with the dead in Assyrian and Neo-
Babylonian necromancy, but even the few incidents of necromancy
reported in the Bible do not make mention of this practice. In the Midrash,
however, the terafim mentioned in Genesis 30 are explicitly linked to this
practice, claiming the terafim stolen from Laban were actually shrunken
heads that spoke auguries (PdRE 36).
Ezekiel’s Vision of the Valley
of Dry Bones by Gustave
Doré
The Midrash speaks of a bone called the Luz that, like the soul, is
indestructible. It is from this bone that God will resurrect the body (Lev. R.
18:1). It was believed that postmortem diagnosis of a person’s habits could
be made by examining their bones (Gen. R. 89:2). One tradition goes
further, claiming on the basis of Psalm 38:4 and Ezekiel 32:27 that the sins
of mortals are inscribed on their bones (Masekhet Kallah Rabbati 3:1).
A late Kabbalistic tradition holds that after Death the bones that bear the
marks of iniquity (see above) are transformed into demons (Kitzur Shelah).
This is a variation on the idea that would emerge in Chasidism that Angels
and demons are the byproduct of human moral actions.
In the priestly system of purity, human and animal bones are ritually
impure. This severely curtails the use of bones in Jewish magic. An
exceptional example found in the Talmud involves an incantation ritual for
freeing a bone lodged in the throat by placing a similar (nonhuman) bone on
the top of the head (Shab. 67a). Archaeologists have found finger bones
buried beneath the thresholds of the Dura-Europos synagogue (ca. 3rd
century) in Syria, evidently a prophylactic custom also attested to in
neighboring pagan shrines. A magical text from the Cairo Geniza (T-S K
1.15) prescribes burying a dog or donkey shoulder bone under the houses of
two people you want to alienate from each other. The bones of kosher
animals could be incorporated into medical treatments (Shevut Yaakov
III:responsum 77).
The fingernails, while not technically bones, play an important role in the
Kabbalistic imagination, because they represent the kelipot, the “husks” of
impurity that attach themselves to, and obscure, the divine nitzotz/spark
(Zohar Shemot).Therefore it is customary in Kabbalistic/Chasidic circles
for people to clip their nails on the eve of Shabbat as an act of purification.
SEE BODY; BURIAL; FINGER.
Book of Formation: SEE YETZIRAH, SEFER.
Book of Illumination: SEE BAHIR, SEFER HA-.
Book of Jashar: SEE YASHAR, SEFER.
Book of Life: (E°N1 BO/Sefer ha-Chayyim). The heavenly book in which
the names of individuals are recorded for life in the coming year. Not being
recorded in the book signifies that the person will die in the next twelve
months. The names are written in the Book starting on each Rosh
Hashanah, and the Book is then sealed on Yom Kippur>. The concept
appears in the Bible in various guises; it may be related to the concept of
the Tup Shimati the Mesopotamian “Tablet of Destinies” battled over by the
gods (Ezek. 2:8; Zech. 5:1; Jer. 17:1; Mal. 3:16; Enuma Elish).
Exclusion from the Book means a death sentence in the coming year. The
Book of Life is a major theme in the High Holy Day liturgy, a way of
reminding the wayward to repent (High Holy Day Machzor; R.H. 16a; Ex.
R. 45:6; PR 8).
Book of Radiance: SEE ZOHAR, SEFER.
Book of Raziel: SEE RAZIEL, SEFER.
Book of Secrets: SEE RAZIM, SEFER HA-.
Book of the Pious: SEE CHASIDIM, SEFER.
Book of the Wars of the Lord: SEE MILCHAMOT ADONAIT, SEFER.
Book of the Watchers: SEE ENOCH, FIRST BOOK OF.
Bor: (“13). “Pit.” The Underworld. Going there is not a good thing (Ezek.
26:20). A biblical synonym for Sheol, in later Jewish literature it becomes
the name for one of the seven levels of Gehenna. SEE BOR SHE’ON.
Bor She’on or Bor Sha’on: ("8 =), “Pit of Turmoil.” A term derived from
Psalm 40:3. It is one of the seven compartments of Gehenna mentioned in
the ‘Talmud (Sot. 10a; Eruv. 19a).
Botarel, Moses: Sorcerer and failed Messiah (Spanish, ca. 15th century).
Botarel was a magician who used amulets, sacred names, and angelic
summonings. He wrote an eccentric commentary for Sefer Yetzirah. After a
visitation from Elijah, he declared himself messiah, but the claim came to
nothing.
Bow: (““F/Keshet). Biblical rhetoric often envisions God as a cosmic warrior
with a bow (Zech. 9, 10). The rainbow, of course, is a sign of God’s
peaceful intent toward the world after the Flood, God having “hung up” the
bow (Gen. 9). Jewish children in traditional circles often include bow-and-
arrow play on the holiday of Lag B’omer in commemoration of this
promise, as well as the special association of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai with
rainbows (Zohar I:72b). Starting in Talmudic times, the bow takes on a
sexual association, becoming a euphemism for a penis (Gen. R. 87:7; Chag.
15a; Sanh. 92a; Zohar I:58a, 247a).
Bratzlav Chasidim: The so-called “Dead Chasidim” first formed around the
charismatic and enigmatic Nachman of Bratzlav in the first decade of the
19th century. Unable to move past his death, they have been unique among
Chasids for having no living rebbe to lead them. Their particular practices
and outlook have provoked suspicion and hostility from other Jewish
groups. They have even been suspected of being secret Frankist heretics.
Today they are among the most open, if undisciplined, of the Chasidic
sects, attracting many seekers from the larger Jewish world.
Bread: (En°%/Lechem). “Rabbi Isaac teaches that in the Torah, the Prophets,
and the Writings, we find bread is food for the heart” (Gen. R. 48.2). Bread
is the archetypal sustenance in Judaism. The use of bread for ritual
purposes extends back to the beginnings of the people Israel.
In the biblical age, bread was one of the acceptable forms of offerings in
the sacrificial cult. The afternoon offering was even coined minchah,
meaning “meal offering.” Theurgic practices included the display of lechem
ha-panim, Bread of the Presence or “shew bread,” twelve loaves that were
set in the sanctuary of the Temple and replaced on a weekly basis.
Unleavened bread, or matzah, also plays a central role in the rites and
observance of Passover. Manna was the miraculous bread that fell from
Heaven, feeding the Israelites for their forty-year sojourn in the
wilderness.
Chief among the purely ritual uses of bread is challah. A small amount of
it is pulled from the dough and burnt, in commemoration of the portion set
aside for the priest. An additional ritual use is the ceremony of tashlich.
Some say this custom is based on the notion that sins could be “transferred”
to a substance which led to the custom of casting bread upon a natural
water source.! In authoritative interpretations this act is purely symbolic,
but some apparently believed there was a metaphysical efficacy to this
custom and that they were literally casting away their sins through the
agency of the bread. Medieval customs included setting a loaf of bread
beside a dying man, perhaps as sustenance for the Soul’s journey after
Death.
Overtly magical traditions include the belief that bread and salt given to a
newlywed couple or the family moving into a new house will deter the evil
eye. Based on an interpretation of Exodus 23:25, it was believed that bread
and water hung in a home would prevent the spread of disease (Ja’amei ha-
Minhagim II1:142). A wounded vampire could fend off destruction if she
(Jewish tradition only mentions female vampires) could obtain and
consume the bread and salt of her assailant (Sefer Hasidim 1466, Testament
of Judah the Pious). Cakes decorated with magical incantations would be
consumed by people to “absorb” the magical result (Machzor Vitry; Sefer
Rokeach). This practice is most associated with magical methods for
improving memory and the mastery of Torah texts (Sefer ha-Rokeach,
Sefer Raziel).
The Hasidim develop many rituals around bread, especially bread that has
been imbued with a measure of holiness because it was blessed or handled
by a tzadik, a righteous person. SEE AFIKOMAN; MANNA; SUBSTITUTION;
TISH; UNLEAVENED BREAD.
1. E. Frankel and B. Platkin Teutsch, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols
(Philadelphia, PA: JPS, 2000), 24-25.
Bread of the Presence: (0187 onm?/lechem ha-panim). “Bread of Display,”
“Bread of the Presence,” or in that quaint King James idiom, “Shew Bread”
(Lev. 24:5—-9). These twelves loaves were displayed as a symbolic offering
for a week in the Mishkan, and later, the Temple sanctuary on a gold table
and then given to the priests to eat— yum (Git. 60a).
With the end of the Temple service, as part of transforming the Jewish
home a mikdash me’at, a small altar, Jews would have bread for Shabbat
and festivals on their tables, usually two loaves of challah (bread with a
token dedicatory offering removed from the dough before cooking),
signifying something different, the lechem mishnah (the two portions of
manna) received by the Israelites for Sabbath (Ex. 16:22).
Lurianic Kabbalah revived the twelve loaves, a custom preserved today
in Chasidism (Mishmeret Shalom 28e). The practice is drawn not directly
from the Bible, lest one be accused of engaging in nullified Temple ritual,
but from the teachings of Isaac Luria, who insisted twelve should be
obligatory. He noted that in the Zoharic phrase, “This is the table that is
before God,” the word zeh (“this”) equals twelve in gematria —rendering
it “12 is the table that is before God” (Pinchas 245). Twelve loaves ensured
that God would be present at that gathering. These needed to be arrayed six
on one side of the table, six on the other, just as the Jechem panim were.
The Hasidic work Sha’arei Teshuvah proposes a different arrangement:
four stacked double-decker on the right, left, and center (Sha’arei Teshuvah
274a). Some Hasidim don’t actually serve twelve loaves, but will bake large
challot made of twelve parts (either braids or just twelve different dough
samples) known as yudbeisnik.
Breaking of the Vessels: (c%20 nvov/Shevirat ha-Kelim). The primordial
dissolution of the cosmos. According to the cosmogonic theory of Isaac
Luria, God is the totality of all things, and it is the nature of God’s
abundant goodness to want to give. This divine desire to give immediately
created a receptacle (the primordial universe) to receive that abundant
goodness, in the form of light, flowing out from God. God created
intermediate vessels to contain the supernal light emanating from Adam
Kadmon. However, these vessels initially could only receive the divine
overflow but not return it or discharge it, so they filled to capacity and
shattered. The universe therefore suffered a cosmic disruption, or
misalignment (Etz ha-Chayyim, Sha’arei ha-Melachim 5; Sha’ar ha-
Gilgulim 3; Tanya 25).
In order to bring it back into balance, God reformed the structure of the
universe into vessels that could both give and receive. Often this new
structure is called the Partzufim. Therefore the universe now contains
unevenly distributed areas of abundance and areas of lack, with nitzotzot,
scattered divine sparks, which need to be gathered and given back so the
original order can be restored. Those sparks of the divine light that fell
deepest into Creation, however, were encased in kelipot (husks) of
impurity, evil, and entropy. This then is the Lurianic rationale for the Torah
and commandments: it is by the correct performance of these acts that we
unleash the divine sparks trapped in every aspect of worldly existence and,
in partnership with God, restore the divine order (Sha’ar ha-Gilgulim).
Various Chasidic writers, such as Nachman of Bratzlav and Sh’neur Zelman
of Laydi, have offered refinements and elaborations of this metaphysical
model. This myth is perhaps the most overt expression of Gnosticism
found in Jewish mysticism. SEE TIKKUN.
Breastplate: (2""/Choshen). The breastplate of the High Priest of the cult of
YHVH. It had both symbolic and spiritual significance. It consisted of
either a gold plate or gold threads interwoven with scarlet, purple, and blue
fabrics and mounted with twelve precious and semiprecious stones, each
one engraved with the name of a tribe, arranged in four rows across. There
may also have been a pouch behind it, made from folded fabric. According
to one rabbinic tradition, the engraving on the stones was done by the
Shamir worm (Git. 68a—b).
One of the functions of the Hoshen was divining YHVH’s will, and as
such it was sometimes referred to as the Hoshen mishpat, the “Breastplate
of judgment.” If and how it was used, and its exact relationship to the Urim
and Thummim, is unclear. Perhaps they were used in conjunction with each
other. Or perhaps the title “Breastplate of Judgment” simply derives from
the fact that the Hoshen held the Urim and Thummim when not in use.
Others believe that the High Priest gazed into the gemstones and received
oracles from the patterns of light refraction (lithomancy). Another tradition
holds that it functioned like a Ouija board, with the priest scrying the letters
in order to form word messages (Yoma 73b). SEE EPHOD; GEMSTONES;
PRIESTHOOD AND PRIEST.
Breasts: (C12). Human breasts become a mystical symbol by virtue of
Song of Songs 4:5, “your breasts are like two fawns,” and chapter 8, “We
have a little sister whose breasts are not yet formed” (8:8) and “I am a
fortress, my breasts are like towers” (8:10). Targum Song of Songs declare
Moses and Aaron the two breasts. The Zohar finds divine powers
allegorized in these verses (1:44b, 2:253a, 2:257a). The Hebrew word for
breasts, shadiyim, is also recognized to be part of the biblical name for God,
El Shaddai. Sefirah Binah “nurses” the lower worlds. In other texts, the
Shekhinah suckles the righteous, and in turn the righteous deeds of the
Jewish people are called the “breasts of the Shekhinah,’ because they
nourish the cosmos (Zohar II:80b).
Bride of God: (772 or 3f). While the Bible gives no indication that the God
of Israel has a divine consort, a piece of biblical-era graffiti reveals that
there were people who held that YHVH was linked to Asherah. In the
prophetic imagination, the people Israel are the bride of God (Jer. 2:2; Hos.
21722).
Rabbinic and mystical literature amplifies this teaching until it becomes a
major metaphor for the relationship between God and the Jews (Pes. 106b;
Sanh. 7a; PdRE 41; MdRI 3; Deut. R. 3:12; PR 31:10; Bahir, 196; Sha’ar
ha-Pesukim). The Zohar also speaks of the Shekhinah as the “bride of
God,” though this may be a distinction without a difference, since the
Shekhinah is regarded to be both the feminine side of the Pleroma and the
collective Soul of Israel (Zohar 1:120, 202a—203a; Zohar I:175b; Zohar
IlI:74b). Mostly startling of all is the Zohar’s claim that during this time of
exile and evil ascendant, Lilith has become God’s consort (II:118a—b;
III:97a). SEE MARRIAGE; PHALLUS; SEX; ZIVVUGA KADDISHA.
Brit Milah: SEE CIRCUMCISION.
Brontology: A method of divining the future from meteorological and
astrological observations. A genre of writing very popular in late antiquity,
there is one Jewish example, an Aramaic fragment (4Q318), which has been
found among the Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q138).
Broshah: (273). A child-stealing demoness.!
1.R. Eisenberg, The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions (Philadelphia, PA: Jewish
Publication Society, 2004), 6.
Burial: (7"="/kevurah). The period immediately following death is regarded
in many cultures as a liminal time in which the soul must be assisted by the
living to find its way into the afterlife. The consequences of failing to
properly do this include displacement of the soul as a ghost or other
distressed spirit or the bringing of evil upon those living who did not fulfill
their obligations to the dead.
Hints of this thinking are evident in the Bible, yet despite a few allusions
to rafaim (ghosts), the texts tell us only the most minimal facts about how
the Hebrews buried their dead. Specifically, we find the use of Caves for
family/clan burial, or barring that, the construction of a cairn with an
upright stone pillar. The desire of Joseph to have his bones transferred to
Israel may reflect a belief that his spirit would be in a kind of afterlife exile
unless he was buried alongside his kin (Gen. 50:25).
For several centuries Jews practiced secondary burial, which involved
first allowing the soft tissue to decay away and then reinterring the bones in
an ossuary or bone chamber with the bones of other family members (this is
the process being performed in the Jesus burial narrative). While there is
one mention of cremation in the Scriptures (1 Sam. 31:12), the burning of
bodies is never accepted as normative and is forbidden in Jewish law.
In the more expansive rabbinic literature, however, many more beliefs and
practices surrounding burial, including beliefs about the soul and its needs,
are recorded. A Body without a soul is vulnerable to possession by an
impure spirit, therefore the body needs to be interred before sunset (Deut.
21:23; Zohar III:88b). Bodies were buried with their feet directed toward
Jerusalem, so that in the moment of resurrection they would arise facing
the way home. Tradition mandates a body be buried quickly, for to leave it
to decay is a sign of disrespect. On the other hand, the bodies of the
Righteous do not decay (B.M. 84b; Zohar I:4a). According to Sefer
Chasidim, those who die bearing a grudge will seek vengeance against the
living after they are gone, so it is best to settle any disputes with a dying
person (708).
Many customs relating to fear of the evil eye are written down during the
Middle Ages. The formal existence of Chevraot Kadisha, communal burial
societies, helped preserve many of these. Examples include not allowing a
child to follow the coffin or even attend the funeral (there was already a
prohibition that applied to the sons of priests based on the rules of priestly
purity). Mourners in some communities shattered a pot in front of their
door when they left for a funeral, evidently to frighten away the evil eye.
Sephardic Jews were known to throw coins around the coffin of the dead in
order to “pay off’ evil spirits who might otherwise attack the vulnerable
spirit of the deceased. A grave should not be left dug and empty overnight,
lest the evil eye see it and cause another death. All the water in the house
would be poured out, either because the dead soul may have used it to
perform ablutions in preparation for its journey to the afterlife, or because
the Angel of Death might have used the water to wipe clean the knife used
to slay the deceased. Water would be poured over the threshold of a house
in mourning to prevent the spirit of the newly deceased from entering his
former abode. Those who accompany the body need to perform various
rites, such as the Tikkun Shovavim, to protect against evil spirits drawn to
the death. These might include ritual ablutions and interrupting the
processional to and from the grave (SA Yoreh Deah 339-75; Ma’avar
Yabbok).
Preparations of the body for burial have become increasingly elaborate,
and entail complex symbolic and mimetic rituals to ensure the soul safely
reaches God, or its next stage of reincarnation. Biblical verses are recited
over the body, equating the deceased to a priest, the Ten Commandments,
and other heirophanous entities beloved of God. The body is subjected to
purification in water, a gesture meant to represent the purification of the
soul.! In some communities, shards of pottery are placed over the eyes of
the dead. The thumb of the corpse is often bent to form the hand in the
shape of the letter shin and bound in place with tzitzit. Some burial societies
place a stick or a fork in the hand of the dead so that it may symbolically
dig its way to the Holy Land for the resurrection.
The dread of burying a person alive does not seem to have preoccupied
Jews. Thus when, as a response to this anxiety, European gentile authorities
started requiring bodies be kept above ground for three days, many Jewish
communities resisted. This was a controversy of metaphysical significance
to those who believed a delay in burial meant the soul could not
successfully transmigrate to its next incarnation.
The Baal Shem Toy was credited with being a kind of spirit guide to the
disoriented souls of the newly dead, guiding them to their reward on the eve
of the Sabbath. Pious Jews to this day will congregate into Chevra
Tehillim, “Psalm fellowships,” reciting psalms post mortem in order to ease
the transition for the dead. Many of the customs mentioned above, or
variations of them, continue to be observed in various traditional
communities. SEE BANIM SHOVAVIM; DEATH; GHOST; POSSESSION,
GHOSTLY; SOUL; WORLD TO COME.
1.G. Dennis, “Purity and Transformation: The Mimetic Performance of Scriptural
Texts in the Jewish Ritual of Preparing the Dead for Burial,” Journal of Ritual
Studies, 26:1 (2012): 51-64.
Burning Bush: (35/Senah). The fiery bush from which God’s Angel made
himself manifest to Moses, and from which God gave Moses _ his
commission to deliver the people of Israel (Ex. 3-4). It symbolizes both
God’s concern for Israel and God’s presence in even the lowliest part of
Creation. Exodus Rabbah 2:5 includes a debate whether the angel of the
bush was Michael or Gabriel.
Despite the fantastic nature of this apparition, the burning bush has not
received a great deal of esoteric interpretation. Whether the bush should be
regarded as belonging to the motif of the “cosmic tree” found in both Pagan
and Jewish cosmology is a matter of debate. St. Catherine’s Monastery in
the Sinai claims to have the original bush preserved in its courtyard as a
holy relic.
Moses at the Burning Bush by E. M. Lilien
In a classic example of the magical application of paradox, the word
senah can be recited over and over to combat fever (Shab. 67a). In more
elaborate versions, a bush is actually cut down as part of a fever-combating
ritual. SEE FIRE; TREE.
Burnt Offerings: ("w). SEE BLOOD; SACRIFICE.
[contents ]
Cabala Mystica: “The Mysterious Tradition,” or sometimes referred to as
“The Book of Sacred Magic.” An alchemical text composed by Abraham
ben Simeon. Variant manuscripts survive in Hebrew, French, and German.
It shows a broad knowledge of Jewish sources, but given its multiple
references to Christian ideas, it is unclear whether the author is a Jew or a
Christian. SEE ALCHEMY.
Cain: The first child of Adam and Eve. According to the Bible, Cain was
exiled from his family after he murdered his brother, Abel (Gen. 4). God
marked him so that all creatures would know not to kill him. According to
one rabbinic legend, God marked Cain by giving him a horn growing out
of his forehead. In old age, his vision-impaired grandson, Lemach, killed
Cain when he mistook him for a game animal. According to another
tradition, the letter vav (one of the letters of the Tetragrammaton) was
inscribed on his forehead, granting him theurgic protection (Ginzberg,
Legends of the Jews, 1:111). Post-homicide, Cain wandered not only the
Earth, but the seven worlds, spawning monstrous offspring.
Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer 21 calls him a “spawn of Satan,” reflecting a
tradition that Cain was actually the offspring of the coupling of Eve and the
serpent, rather than with Adam:
The “Beasts of the Field” are the offspring of the original Serpent who
had sexual intercourse with Eve ... From them came forth Cain who
killed Abel ... (Zohar 1:28b. Also see Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen.
4:1; Shab. 146a; PdRE 13; Zohar 1:34b, 54b—55a)
It was widely taught that all of his descendants, up to the time of Noah
were, in some way, perverse. This tradition is also used to reframe Genesis
6:4, replacing the “fallen angel” interpretation:
Rabbi Hiyya Said: “sons of divinity” (Gen. 6:2—4) were the sons of Cain.
For when Samael mounted Eve (Shab. 146a), he injected [semen of] filth
into her, and she conceived and bore Cain. And his aspect was unlike
that of the other humans and all those who came from his side [of the
human family tree] were called “sons of divinity.” (Zohar I:37a, 54a)
Thus, the children of Cain are the “sons of divinity” because Cain was sired
by an Angel. Another tradition that embraces the fallen angel thread claims
it was Cain’s daughters whose allure ensnared the “sons of divinity” in the
first place (Gen. 6), but his line ended with the bulk of humanity during the
Flood, a tragedy which his progeny helped trigger (Wisdom of Solomon
10:3—4; Chochmat ha-Nefesh 26b).
In Kabbalah, Cain is most often held to be the personification of the
fallen state of mankind, the symbolic representation of spiritual alienation
between man and God, while Tubal-Cain, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham
each signify a progressive restoration of the divine-human relationship. In
continuity with earlier traditions of his demonic associations, he wandered
the seven lower worlds, fathering monstrous and demonic children (Zohar
1:178b). The taint of Cain, passed down from his serpent-demon sire,
persisted with humanity until the giving of the Torah. In the writings of
Chayyim Vital , by contrast, as the first-born human, Cain possessed the
spiritual authority of both “kingship,” (and therefore messianic potential)
and “priesthood.” These qualities require that Cain’s Soul undergo multiple
rectification to restore the original potential to the world, and maps the
rectifying incarnations of Cain through Esau, Jethro, Nadav, Phineas,
Samson, Samuel, Elijah, Johannan ben Zakkai, Akiba, and Joseph Caro,
among many others. (Sha’ar ha-Gilgulim 34-35). Vital also believed he
himself was the most recent reincarnation of Cain’s soul.
Cairo Geniza: A geniza is a repository for damaged or discarded texts that
contain divine names, where they await eventual burial, like a human
corpse. In the ancient synagogue of Fostat, Egypt, outside of Cairo, the
Geniza there had not been emptied for some 1,200 years when Western
scholars discovered its existence at the end of the 19th century. This
collection of texts dates from as early as the 8th century CE. Along with
biblical, rabbinic, and liturgical texts, the Geniza includes a number of
astrological and magical documents such as the Testament of Solomon,
Sefer ha-Razim, the Book of the responding entity, and the Book of
Guidance, books which include incantations to invoke Angels and to
control and expel demons. amulets, herbal preventatives, spells for
combating illness, and mantic techniques, such as lecanomancy, are also
found among the documents. A partial list of magical texts in the Geniza
includes:
T-S K Oxford Ms. Heb. C 18/30: A fragment of Sefer ha-Razim. There
are multiple fragments of Sefer ha-Razim found in the Geniza.
T-S K 1.15: A Hebrew-Arabic fragment of a magical handbook. It
contains formulae for birth, love, and hate magic, and curses.
T-S K 1.19: A fragment of magical spells for fertility, for birth, “for
opening everything closed ...” for use against forgetfulness, and for
protection against poison.
T-S K 1.57: A fragment of spells for winning the favor of powerful
people and for protection against harm on a journey.
T-S K 1.58: A text of spells for silencing enemies and for protecting
against scorpions and against witchcraft.
T-S K 1.80: A fragmentary text of adjuring spells for angels to subdue
enemies, for augury, and for protection.
T-S K 1.91: A text of spells for healing, sleep, household tranquility,
counteracting curses, silencing enemies, and preventing stillbirth and
miscatriage.
T-S K 1.132: A fragment of incantations for divination, love, creating
enmity, learning, and gaining influence.
T-S K 1.171: Spell text with formulae for learning Torah, protection
from scorpions, creating divine fire, and influencing others.
There are many more magical texts among the Geniza collection, most little
more than scraps of material, which have some magical, mystical, or occult
purpose.
Calendar: ("77/Luach). Since biblical times, the Hebrew calendar has been
based on the cycles of the moon, corrected to the solar year, with the moled,
the “birth” of the new moon, signaling the start of each month. The
Babylonians had a significant influence on the organization of the Hebrew
calendar because of the Jewish exile in their midst. The current names for
the months are all, in fact, Babylonian names. The year-numbering system
is based on the years from Creation (PdRE 8).
The exact operation of the calendar has been a point of sectarian
controversy throughout Jewish history. Some, like the priests who collected
the Dead Sea Scrolls, adhered to an alternative solar calendar and
despised the lunar system as an impure and wicked artifact of the fallen
angel! At times the Samaritans, who also possessed an alternative calendar,
even attempted to interfere with the announcement of the Jewish new
moon, which was determined by direct observation and then publicized
using hilltop beacons (R.H. 22a). In later Kabbalah, the calendar is a
divine manifestation, a feature of Malchut/Zeir Anpin. SEE Enoch; Moon;
Numbers; Sun; Zodiac.
1. Ehior, The Three Temples , 54-57.
Candle: (“2/ner; nerot). Candles are a symbol of the human Soul (Shab.
31b—32a). Consequently, they have significant ritual and customary
functions in Judaism. They accompany Jews from birth to Death and
beyond. The linking of light to life cycle is probably inspired by the
passage, “The lamp of Adonai searches the spirit of a man; it searches out
his inmost being” (Prov. 20:27). According to the Talmud, a light shines
above the head of a soul while it awaits birth in the womb and the
illumination allows the soul to see from one end of the universe to the other
(Nid. 30b).
Candles can have mantic functions, usually two to burn when a soul will
be extinguished. According to tractate Horayot 12a, a person may divine
whether he or she will live out the year to come by kindling a lamp in a
draft-free location. If the lamp or candle burns until its fuel is utterly
consumed, the person would live. If, for whatever reason, it gutted before
the fuel was used up, that is a sign that death would come that year.
Apparently, this belief became so widespread that a separate custom of
lighting a candle for Yom Kippur> became conflated with this idea. In
order to keep panic from sweeping a household, it was decided in eastern
Europe that the synagogue sexton would tend all the candles together at the
shul. That way, individuals would not know if any candles that extinguished
prematurely among the multitude was their candle. For a Jew who had the
misfortune to see their candle go out, it was said that if they made special
supplications for the remainder of Yom Kippur and rekindled the light after
the holiday, and it subsequently completely burned up, it was a sign that
their repentance had redeemed them and the evil decree was repealed.!
Jews in Morocco had a variant belief. Two candles would be lit, one for
each of a newlywed couple, and the first candle that went out would be an
augury that that partner would die first. SEE LAMP; LIGHT.
1. D. Sperber, The Jewish Life Cycle (Ramat Gan: Bar-Ilan University Press, 2008),
359, 569-570.
Candlestick: SEE MENORAH.
Cannibalism: Accounts of cannibalism in Jewish literature are to be found in
accounts of starvation during sieges and famines (Lam.). SEE BLOOD LIBEL;
GIANTS; HIRAM.
Carmel, Mount: (7272 77). Mountain on the coast of northern Israel, where
the city of Haifa now exists. In biblical times, Carmel was evidently
regarded as a holy high place dedicated to the God of Israel. Elijah fought
his wondrous duel with the prophets of Baal and Asherah there (1 Kings
27:30), winning the argument when a miraculous fire from Heaven
consumed his offering. It was later, while hiding in Caves there, that he was
able to destroy troops of King Ahab, also by means of a flame strike. SEE
FIRE; MOUNTAIN; SACRIFICE.
Caro, Joseph: Legalist and mystic (Turkish, ca. 16th century). Caro authored
the Beit Joseph and Shulchan Aruch, the two most influential digests of
Jewish law in history. He also kept, over much of his adult life, a personal
mystical diary in which he records his regular encounters with his maggid,
or spirit guide:
No sooner had we studied two tractates of the Mishnah then our Creator
smote us so that we heard a voice speaking out of the mouth of the saint
[Karo], may his light shine. It was a loud voice with letters clearly
enunciated. All the companions heard the voice but were unable to
understand what was said. It was an exceedingly pleasant voice,
becoming increasingly strong. We all fell upon our faces and none of us
had any spirit left in him because of our great dread and awe.!
Caro sometimes identified this figure as the Mishnah personified. Other
times he called it the Shekhinah. The maggid revealed its sod ha-Torah, its
secret Torah, to Caro via xenoglossia. The authenticity of this mystical
testimony, published after his death in the collection Maggid Mesharim, has
been regarded as suspect. Many found it hard to believe that such an acute
legal mind also had such a bizarre esoteric inner life. Still, given that there
are independent accounts of Caro’s spiritual possessions written by his
contemporaries, most scholars today accept the Maggid Mesharim as
genuine eye-witness accounts of his mediumistic experiences. Caro also
performed exorcisms. Some have argued his is the first recorded example
of a Jewish exorcist who dealt with ghostly (as opposed to demonic)
possession. SEE IBBUR; MEDIUM; VISION.
1. L. Jacobs, Jewish Mystical Testimonies (New York: Schocken Books, 1976), 123-—
51.
Carpet of Solomon: The collection Beit ha-Midrash includes a narrative of
Solomon's magic carpet. Vast in dimensions, sixty miles by sixty miles,
Solomon and his retinue of princes, animals, powerful djinns and soldiers in
the thousands would sail across his lands. These adventures were occasions
for the proud Solomon to learn humility.
Cat: Being domesticated rather late in human culture, and only in certain
cultures, cats do not appear in Jewish literature before the Greco-Roman
period. Attitudes towards cats (lucky, unlucky) varied from one Jewish
community to another and may have been a reflection of how cats were
viewed in the larger communities. One Kabbalist believed that the Soul of
one who misuses the Divine name is reincarnated as a cat.
Offering menstrual blood to a cat, accompanied by the appropriate spell,
can render a man impotent (Shab. 75b). Sprinkling the ashes of a female
fetus of a black cat on one’s eyes makes demons visible (Ber. 6a). In
medieval Jewish communities, cat’s blood was used for medicinal purposes
(though was not in a potion to be consumed). Surprisingly, cats are never
mentioned in Sefer ha-Razim, which provides one of the most exhaustive
lists of Jewish materia magica preserved. SEE ANIMALS.
Caves: (1115'8/M’arah). Caves are archetypal symbols of the womb, Death,
and the underworld. Several caves are mentioned in Scripture, including the
caves where David hid himself from Saul (1 Sam. 24) and the cave where
Elijah dwelt on Mount Horeb prior to his theophany from God (1 Kings
18). The cave most associated with supernatural events, however, is the
Cave of Machpelah outside of Hebron, where Abraham’s family interred
their dead (Gen. 23; PdRE 39).
The Sages describe Machpelah as a nexus point of power, or even as the
entrance to Eden. Abraham stumbles upon Machpelah accidentally, only
to discover the perfectly preserved and radiant bodies of Adam and Eve
inside. This is what inspired him to buy the cave, despite the exorbitant
price (Gen. R. 58:8; Mid. Teh. 92:6).
The most famous cave in rabbinic tradition is the cave where Simon bar
Yochai and his son hid from the Roman authorities:
They went and hid in a cave. A miracle occurred for them: a carob tree
and a spring of water were created. They sat up to their necks in sand.
During the day, they sat and learned, and would cast off [their clothes].
At the time of Prayer, they got up and dressed, and covered themselves,
and left, and prayed. Then they cast off [their clothes] again, lest they
wear them out. They dwelt in the cave for thirteen years. (Shab. 33b)
Elijah finally appeared to them to announce the end of the Roman
persecutions, but when they went outside, their gazes incinerated any
impure thing they looked upon, whereupon God ordered them back to the
cave for another year. They came out more reconciled to the flaws of the
world, and Bar Yochai performed many miracles after that (Shab. 33b—34a;
Gen. R. 79:6; Eccl. R. 10:9; PdRK 11:16). The Zohar, it is claimed, was
written while Bar Yochai was in the cave.
Cemetery: ("SF ''3/Beit ha-Kevarot, also Beit Olam; Beit Chayyim). A
communal repository for the dead. As the resting place of corpses, the
cemetery is regarded as tamei, an “unclean,” or better translated, an
“uncanny” place. As the abode of the dead, the cemetery is frequently
regarded as a portal between this world and the next. As such, communion
between the living and the dead is more possible there than in other
locations.
In the Bible, the prophet Isaiah gives testimony to the practice of
incubation, of people sleeping on a grave overnight with the goal of having
a mantic or veridical dream (Isa. 8:19—22, 19:3). In rabbinic literature, the
voices of the dead and/or actual ghosts are encountered there. It was also a
place where demons and unclean spirits would lurk. Such traditions
multiply in later Jewish writings. Eleazar of Worms (ca. 13th century)
describes the lights of dead souls wandering around cemeteries at night,
engaging in some of the same activities as when they were living, such as
conversation, Prayer, and Torah study (Sefer Rokeach 313; SCh 35, 452).
Shabbatai Horowitz (ca. 18th century) recommended reciting Psalm 91 to
drive away demons before entering a graveyard.
Like their non-Jewish neighbors, Jews of antiquity consulted the dead for
advice, effectively ignoring both biblical and rabbinic prohibitions. Sefer
ha-Razim provides a ritual for ghost summoning in a graveyard. Like their
German neighbors, Jews of the Middle Ages believed that herbs gathered
from cemeteries had great medicinal powers. One ritual recorded involves
gathering them while reciting Psalm 19.! Ashkenazi women of the 17th and
18th centuries practiced the ritual of Kvorim Mesn, “measuring graves.”
They would loop tombstones, or even the entire cemetery, with candlewick,
while reciting prayers. Candles made from these wicks were believed to be
imbued with holiness and were used and given as donations to friends and
synagogues.”
There is littke evidence that human body parts were used by Jews for
medical or magical purposes, though archaeologists in one exceptional case
have found human finger bones imbedded in the walls of an ancient
synagogue in Dura-Europos. SEE BLOOD; BODY; BONE; DEATH; LAMP;
NECROMANCER AND NECROMANCY; YICHUDIM.
1.J. Trachtenberg, Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion.
Philadelphia, PA: JPS, 1939), 207.
2-R. Weissler, “Measuring Graves and Laying Wicks” in Judaism in Practice: From
the Middle Ages through the Early Modern Period, L. Fine, ed. (Princeton, NJ:
Princeton University Press, 2001), 61-73.
Census: SEE COUNTING.
Centaur: (“*°""). Centaurs were among the demonic offspring of the corrupt
generations starting with Enosh. Centaurs were wiped out by the Flood
(Eruv. 18b; Gen. R. 11:5, 23:6).
CHaBaD: (7127). Also known as the Lubavitch Chasidim, CHaBaD is the
second largest Chasidic community in the world, after the Satmars. The
word “CHaBaD” is an acronym derived from the Hebrew words
Chochmah-Binah-Da’at (“Wisdom-Insight-Knowledge’”’), the first triad of
the sefirot. CHaBaD espouses one of the most complex mystical
theosophies found among the Chasids, which is largely enshrined in the
Tanya, written by CHaBab’s first rebbe, Sh’neur Zalman of Laydi.
CHaBaD is also notable because, in contrast to most Chasidic groups, it
maintains a strong culture of outreach to other Jews, making it one of the
most accessible ways for nontraditional Jews to learn Chasidic teachings. In
recent years, the group has become highly controversial because many of its
members insist their deceased rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, will
return from the dead as the Messiah. Some Chabadniks have even gone so
far as to declare Schneerson a divine being, advocating a kind of quasi-
Christian heresy.!
1. D. Berger, The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference
(Oxford: The Littmann Library of Jewish Civilization, 2001), 104-5, 159-74.
Chafetz Chayyim: Rabbi and ethicalist (Israel, 1838-1933). Rabbi Meir
Kagen, universally known as the Chafetz Chayyim, dabbled in the
occasional spiritual exorcism.
Chalal: (77m). “Void.” One of several terms used in Lurianic writings to
describe the vacuum created by God’s tzimtzum.
Chaldean: A Babylonian. Later Jewish usage rendered it synonymous with
“astrologer.”
Challah: (57). SEE BREAD.
Chalomot She ‘lot: (Fitwe main). “Dream Questions.” A divination ritual
involving questioning Angels. SEE DREAM; INCUBATION.
Chamsa: (®@i37 *Noian). “Five.” A hand-shaped amulet. SEE HAND.
Chanameel: Cousin of the Prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 32), a prophet in his own
right, and a master of esoteric powers. He could adjure Angels. During the
siege of Jerusalem, he summoned armies of them to fight the Babylonians.
Since this contravened God’s will, God changed the angelic names. In
response, Chanameel summoned the Sar Olam, the “Prince of the
Universe,” to lift Jerusalem into Heaven, where it waits to be brought down
with the coming of the Messiah (Eikah Zuta, Lam. R. 2).
Chanina ben Dosa: Mishnaic wonderworker (ca. Ist century). Called an ish
ma’aseh, a “man of [wondrous] deeds.” Many miraculous stories of him
revolve around his abject poverty. Because of his piety, God replicated the
miracle of the manna just for him. When a shrewish neighbor sought to
humiliate Ben Dosa’s wife because of their poverty, God filled her oven
with savory bread (Tan. 25a). So poor he was able only to bring a polished
rock to the Temple as an offering, God sent angelic porters to him, who
then teleported him there instantaneously. In another legend, his wife
prayed for some of his heavenly reward to come to them while they were
still alive. A golden table leg miraculously appeared. But when Ben Dosa
dreamed of a table in heaven with only three legs, he made her return it to
its heavenly source (Tan. 24b).
Besides being a miraculous healer (Ber. 34b), he was invulnerable to
reptile toxin (Ber. 33a):
Chanina never permitted anything to turn him from his devotions. Once,
while thus engaged, a lizard bit him, but he did not interrupt his prayers.
To his disciples’ anxious inquiries he answered that he had been so
preoccupied in prayer as not even to feel the bite. When the people found
the reptile, dead, they exclaimed, “Woe to the man whom a lizard bites,
and woe to the lizard that bites R. Chanina b. Dosa!”
He once caused the beams of his neighbor’s house to grow by means of a
magical incantation constructed from the person’s name. He had the power
to stop and start the rain with a Prayer (Tan. 24b). He also made vinegar
burn like oil (Ibid., 25a). Such was the power of his saintliness that he could
overcome Igrat, a queen of demons (Pes. 112b). Other miracles are
credited to him (Shab. 112b; B.K. 50a; M. Sot. 9.15; En Yaakov). It was
said after his death that, “With his demise, men of wondrous deeds ceased
to exist.” SEE RIGHTEOUS, THE
Chanina ben Pappa: Talmudic Sage (ca. 4th century). Demonic forces
periodically tormented him. He was once confronted by evil spirits while
delivering charity at night, but drove them away with words of Scripture.
On another occasion, his Body spontaneously erupted into sores in order to
fend off a seduction. When witchcraftwas used to cure them, he was forced
to flee to maintain his modesty, only to end up in a haunted bathhouse (J.
Pes. 8; Kid. 39b, 81a). He also received dreams that guided him in his
teaching of the Torah. He was a close acquaintance of the Angel of Death,
whom he was able to outfox for a month. Before he died, he was shielded
by a pillar of fire and only died when he willingly acquiesced (Ket. 77b).
Chanina ben Teradion: Talmudic Sage (ca. 2nd century), he was one of the
ten martyrs of the Roman persecutions. According to RaSHI, Ben Teradion
knew how to use the power of the forty-two-letter name of God so well
that he could obtain whatever he desired. Though a pious man, his
martyrdom was punishment for abusing his occult knowledge (A.Z. 17b).
Burned to death while wrapped in a Torah scroll, he told his watching
disciples that he saw the letters of the text flying off to heaven (BhM 2:64—
I):
Chanting: Chanting is a spiritual practice that has occupied a central place in
Jewish worship from time immemorial. The Torah and the rest of Scripture
are chanted when read liturgically, following an ancient method known as
ta’amim. The merkavah mystics likely chanted divine names and word
permutations to achieve an altered state of consciousness. Chasids also use
chanting, especially the distinctive musical form of the niggun, a wordless
melody, to achieve states of ecstasy. SEE CHASIDISM; MUSIC.
Chanukah: (72°31). A minor Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days
beginning on the twenty-fifth of Kislev. The centerpiece of the holiday is
commemorating the miracle of oil, when a single day’s worth of olive oil
burned for the eight full days required to rededicate the Temple, which had
been desecrated by Israel’s enemies. This small wonder becomes the basis
for many legends and folktales of miraculous events occurring at the
Chanukah season. SEE MENORAH.
Chaos: (12) Y/Tohu or Tohu va-Vohu). The primordial state of existence
before the creation of the cosmos. In the Bible, God is the tamer of chaos,
forcing it to conform to His will. God’s words reshape chaos, usually
imagined as a watery void, into sky, oceans, and land (Gen. 1; Ps. 104; Job
38). In ancient Pagan cosmogonies, the gods must battle personified chaos
in order to create the universe. Personified chaos creatures, represented by
Leviathan, Rahay, and Behemoth, are still found in Jewish mythology, but
they are both figuratively and literally domesticated, becoming yet another
of God’s creations, and in some interpretations, God’s actual pets (A.Z. 3b).
Still, some biblical passages hint that chaos is a constant threat, a power that
lurks at the periphery of the cosmos, and there is a danger it can be
unleashed again, as it was in the Noah epic (Gen. 6-9). Even if physical
chaos is restrained, moral chaos is still a force in the world (Pss. 44, 74).
Chaos is also the antipode of life, and is often associated with death, a form
of chaos that humanity reintroduced into God’s universe (2 Sam. 22:5-6;
Gen. 2-3). In the End of Days, God will finally and completely subdue all
residual chaos, perfecting the world morally and defeating death utterly
(Isa. 2, 25:8).! SEE ABYSS; DEATH; EVIL; FOUNDATION STONE; WATER;
WATER LIBATION; YETZER HA-RA.
1. J. Levenson, Creation and the Persistence of Evil (Princeton, NJ: Princeton
University Press, 1988), 3-47.
Charba de Moshe: ((UE7 B27). SEE SWORD OF MOSES.
Chariot: (J 22°18/Merkavah). These vehicles of ancient elites were also
envisioned as the transport of the gods. The Canaanites described Baal
riding on a chariot of clouds. Astral cults envision the orb of the sun as
being the wheel of a celestial chariot. Sometime in the 6th century BCE, a
representation of a sun chariot was installed in the Temple in Jerusalem, a
move condemned by the Prophets (2 Kings 23:11-12).
God also rides a supernal chariot (Hab. 3:8). Like Baal, it is sometimes
envisioned as a cloud (Ps. 104:3). One passage suggests God maintains a
fleet of vehicles (Ps. 68:18). Elijah is transported to Heaven in such a
cosmic chariot.
In the most detailed, albeit confusing, biblical description of God’s
celestial chariot, it appears to be made of numinous creatures: Chayyot,
Ofanim, and Cherubim (Ezek. 1, also see chapter 10). Many of the
features of Ezekiel's chariot correspond to the objects and colors found in
the Temple sanctuary, suggesting that God’s chariot is the pattern for the
figures and implements found in and around the Holy of Holies. A heavenly
chariot, with Helios steering it, also appears in Jewish synagogue art.
According to Talmud, a mighty Angel, Sandalfon, stands behind the
chariot at all times, while Metatron stands beneath its wheels. Many of
these traditions overlap with the Throne of Glory, and the relationship
between the two divine conveyances is, at times, confusing. Many scholars
simply speak of God’s “Chariot-Thr
Judean coin with winged
chariot
In later Kabbalistic texts, merkavah takes on a more expansive meaning,
becoming an idiom for the sefirot, the totality of the Pleroma, the celestial
order, or divine providence.
Some Sages declare the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be the
“chariot” of God, inspiring the mystical-ethical teaching that we likewise
should strive to be God’s chariot in the world (Gen. R. 47:6). SEE ANGEL
AND ANGELOLOGY; ARK OF THE COVENANT; CHERUB OR CHERUBIM;
MA’ ASEI MERKAVAH.
Charity: ("P™3/Tzedakah). Proverbs 10:2 declares “Charity saves from
death.” Many Jews have taken this admonition quite literally and generous
giving to the poor and needy is perhaps the single most frequently
prescribed preventative and protective remedy in all of Jewish folklore.
Generous giving in this world also ensures resurrection in the World to
Come (PdRE 33).
The appearance of a beggar or poor person is even regarded as a “gift” to
the person encountering him, for God is providing an opportunity for the
donor to gain merit (R.H. 16a; B.B. 10a; Zohar I:104a; Sefer ha-Yashar 13).
Based on Psalm 111:3, Isaac Luria taught that giving charity leaves an
enduring mark on the soul. Chasidism celebrates self-sacrificing charity
and has numerous stories praising Chasidic masters who lived charitably
and died penniless. SEE COINS; RIGHTEOUS, THE.
Charms: SEE AMULET.
Chashmal: (7227). The mysterious substance or entity illuminating the heart
of Ezekiel’s chariot vision (Ezek. 1). The Talmud treats the word as a
notarikon, the division of which reveals two words, “words” and “quiet.”
Thus the heart of divinity is a matrix of silence and speech from which
Creation emanates (Chag. 14b).
According to Midrash Konen , Chashmal is the fiery substance that
makes up the pillars on which the world rests. Noting that the Bible offers
both a masculine and feminine spelling (Ezek. 1:4, 1:27, 8:2), some mystics
think it signifies the masculine and feminine principle present
simultaneously in divinity, as indicated by the existence of both masculine
and feminine forms of the noun.’ gematria yields several different
equivalences: ki zohar aish (“Like a fiery brilliance”), and kol minei zohar
(“all kinds of brilliance’), neither of which are terribly edifying, though a
third, dimyon tzivonim (“image of colors”), perhaps links it to the rainbow
(Sodei Razaya, p. 13).
But even these cryptic analyses can only approximate the truth. Those
who truly comprehend the significance of Chashmal place themselves in
mortal danger (Chag. 13a). Hechalot Zutarti and Midrash Konen (2:25)
attempt to resolve the confusion by designating Chashmal as yet another
class of angelic being. In Tikkunei Zohar 7b, it is one specific angel,
Metatron. In modern Hebrew, chashmal is the word for “electricity.” SEE
CHARIOT; EZEKIEL; FACE OF GOD; VISION.
1. E. Wolfson, Along the Path: Studies in Kabbalistic Myth, Symbolism, and
Hermeneutics (New York: SUNY, 1995), 2-3.
Chasidei Ashkenaz: SEE GERMAN PIETISTS.
Chasidim, Sefer: “Book of the Pious.” This 13th-century book of ethical,
esoteric, and occult teachings was the main and most influential work of the
German Pietist movement. It was written by Judah ben Samuel ha-Chasid.
It includes many fabulous beliefs and tales of the paranormal, including
descriptions of witches, vampires, and visitations from ghosts.
Chasidism: (E" 18%). While the word “Chasid” can refer to any pious Jew, in
the last 250 years chasidism has come to mean a pietistic movement within
Judaism that was founded by Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Toy, in
18th-century eastern Europe. It began among Jews who were reacting to the
then domination of Jewish community life by an elite culture of rabbis and
to the upheaval following the collapse of the messianic hopes raised by
Shabbatai Tzvi. Chasidism stresses the superiority of religious enthusiasm
and devotion over study and intellectualism. Many Jews found this message
inspiring and the movement quickly spread through eastern and central
Europe, especially among the poor and petty bourgeoisie.
The Baal Shem Tov taught largely through parables that stressed humility
and purity of heart. He also drew heavily upon Jewish mysticism,
particularly the teachings of Isaac Luria. He was also widely regarded to
be an exceptional “wunder-rabbi,’ performing many miracles and
supernatural feats, as his title of Baal Shem suggests.
His immediate successors created a dynamic and charismatic movement
of tremendous spiritual power and intensity, while later generations began
institutionalizing these teachings. Divisions gradually arose, and leadership
evolved into dynastic families, the heads of which were known as rebbes
(“masters”) or tzadikim (“righteous ones’”’).
The Chasidic groups that survived the Holocaust (and many did not)
differ in the degree to which they combine an intellectual emphasis with
their spiritualism, which is now known as Chasidut. As the last truly pre-
modern movement, they also hold to the accumulated supernatural and
occult teachings of traditional Judaism. Most Chasidic groups today live in
Israel and the United States.
While Chasidism is remarkable for its agenda of popularizing
mystical/theurgic teachings and practices, perhaps the most unique feature
of the Chasidic movement within Judaism is the exalted status of the rebbe,
the charismatic leader of a Chasidic “court,” who is perceived as a kind of
perfected human who serves as a conduit between the Chasids and God.
The Chasids assume, as a matter of course, that such spiritual enlightenment
is accompanied by a mastery of spiritual and miraculous powers. Many
disciples of a rebbe will appeal to him for Prayer and spiritual intervention
on their behalf, so the rebbe plays a shamanistic role for many of his
followers.
Most Chasidic communities are rife with tales of miracles that follow a
yechidut, a spiritual audience with a tzadik: barren women become
pregnant, cancer tumors shrink, wayward children become pious. Many
rebbes dispense segulah charms and healing folk remedies. The spiritual
power of the tzadik is such that after Death in this world, the proper name
of a tzadik can be treated as a quasi-divine name and has healing powers.
Therefore, the name of Chasidic masters may appear on amulets.
There is an enormous library of Chasidic metaphysics, philosophy, and
mystical speculation that has been produced, the vast bulk of which remains
un-translated from Yiddish!
1. Rabinowicz, The Encyclopedia of Hasidism, 188-95. Also see Roth, Encyclopedia
Judaica, vol. 7, 1383-88.
Chatom ha-Merkavah: “Seal of the Chariot.” A fragmentary text of
merkavah mysticism found in the Cairo Geniza collection.
Chayyah: (1""N). “Life-force.” In the later five-level configuration of the
human Soul which developed in medieval Kabbalah, this refers to the
fourth level, the higher moral consciousness.
Chayyei ha-Olam ha-Ba: “The Life of the World to Come.” A
mystical/theurgic manual by Abraham Abulafia.
Chayyim, Sefer ha-: (E"* “&2). “The Book of Life.” Composed in the 13th
century, this text includes mystical teachings on astrology, the divine
chariot, and theurgic rituals, such as making a golem. Not to be confused
with the celestial Book of Life, a legendary book which has the same
Hebrew name.
=i sy
Chayyot: (FN). “[Holy] Beasts.” Angelic entities that pull the divine
chariot. Sporting four wings and formed of fire and light, they sing praises
to God, but also have flaming breath that is a threat to other angels.
According to Hechalot Rabbati, each day they dance and cavort before God
at the times of Prayer. They can smell when a living human enters the
precincts of Heaven. (Ezek. 1; Chag. 13b; Gen. R. 2:2; Ex. R. 47:5; Mid.
Konen; Zohar I). SEE ANGEL AND ANGELOLOGY.
Chelm: A mythical city of fools, not to be confused with the actual city of
Chelm, Poland. Hundreds of Jewish parables, jokes, and short stories are
devoted to the misadventures of the ironically dubbed Chelmer Chacham,
“wise men of Chelm,’ whose deeds, springing from daft premises, silly
rationales, and logic run amok, serve as proverbial examples of how reason
and wisdom are not synonymous.!
1. Frankel and Platkin Teutsch, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols, 32.
Chemai, Rabbi: This minor Talmudic Sage is the purported author of the
mystical tract Sefer ha-Iyyun.
Chemdat Yamim: This digest of Kabbalistic practices, a kind of mystical
Shulchan Aruch, promises its rituals will affect Tikkun both on Earth and
in the Pleroma.
Cherem: (E71). “Ostracization/Excommunication.” This is normally a form
of legal punishment, a form of social isolation, not to be confused with the
biblical concept of karet, being spiritually cut off. Yet in esoteric circles it
is a term often used in incantations directed against demons, in effect
legally excommunicating them. It is the theurgic equivalent of a
“restraining order’ on evil spirits.! SEE EXORCISM; GET; POSSESSION,
DEMONIC.
1. Naveh and Shaked, Magic Spells and Formulae, 129.
Cherub or Cherubim: (217=/Keruv). “Mighty One.” A winged numinous
being in the service of God. A common motif in both Israelite and Pagan
iconography, a cherub is a hybrid creature with a human head, avian wings,
and a beastly Body, usually that of a lion. Such was a stereotypical way of
illustrating a supernal entity in the ancient Near East, much like the modern
convention of showing a glowing halo around the head of a spiritually
enlightened being.
Ny
An 8th century CE Israelite
carving of a cherub
The Israelites may have regarded them as the animating spirits of winds
and clouds (2 Sam. 22:11). Josephus declares that their exact appearance
was no longer known in his time. In the Talmudic accounts their appearance
is more varied and less stereotypical (Suk. 5b; Gen. R. 21).
Cherubim guard the entry to the Garden of Eden. They were a repeated
decorative image on the curtains in the Temple (2 Chr. 3:14), and two
statuary cherubim sat upon the Ark of the Covenant, their wings coming
together to form a “mercy seat,” or throne, for God. The voice of God
would emanate from there (Ex. 25-26). The fact that cherubim are
associated both with Eden and the Temple suggests that the inner sanctum
of the Temple was perceived, either symbolically or mystically, as
corresponding to the primordial Garden. Cherubim also served as the steeds
or chariot of God (2 Sam. 22).
Cherubim are incorporated into the elaborate and systematic angelology
of Early Judaism. They played a prominent role in the priestly spirituality of
the Dead Sea Scrolls sect (Song of the Sabbath Sacrifice; 4Q385).Ranked
above mere angels, I Enoch assigns them to the sixth and seventh heavens.
According to Talmud, when Israel offered its Prayers, the cherubim on
the Ark of the Covenant moved in response. They would either turn to
face each other or away from each other, depending on Israel’s state of sin
(B.B. 99a). In Yoma 54a, Rabbi Katina goes even further, claiming the
cherubim were actually sculpted in a posture of sexual union, signifying the
mystery of God’s passionate love for Israel. Other Sages reject this legend.
Still, the writings found among the Dead Sea Scrolls also hint at the idea
that the paired cherubim on the Ark somehow signified life and fertility,
perhaps even a hieros gamos (4Q405, frag. 19).
Intuiting the intention behind their hybrid appearance, the medieval
Kabbalists described the cherubim as symbolizing the union of Heaven and
Earth (Zohar, Tem. 2). The Zohar further teaches that the two cherubim on
the Ark represent the masculine and feminine divine attributes.
The idea that the cherubim serve as the creatures that pull the divine
chariot and/or guard the Throne of Glory is a major theme in Kabbalah.
Some writers even regard the cherubim as synonymous with the chariot
itself (Ezek. 1; Gen. R. 21:9; Yoma 54a). SEE ANGEL AND ANGELOLOGY
CHARIOT; CHERUB, THE UNIQUE.
Cherub, the Unique: (77"80 2193/Keruv ha-M’yuchad). A medieval
metaphysical concept of the Divine glory as forming a kind of
anthropomorphic apparition visible to mortals. This was also the favored
meditation technique, akin to creative visualization, practiced by the Circle
of the Unique Cherub mystics. It consisted of forming a vision of deity
(referred to as the “Unique Cherub’) during Prayer, to serve as a bridge to
the true, invisible Godhead. This practice is unique, in that it is virtually the
only example in Jewish tradition in which one is encouraged to imagine
what God looks like. SEE CHERUB OR CHERUBIM; FACE OF GOD; GLORY
OF GOD; PESEK HA-YIRA’AH V’HA-EMUNAH; REITYAT HA-LEV; VISION.
Chesed: (78%). “Love/Kindness/Devotion.” The fourth of the sefirot.
Chesed is born out of Binah and is the principle of boundless divine mercy,
grace, and blessing manifest in Creation. It is part of the “right side,” the
masculine, positive divine energy. The limitless love of Chesed is balanced
over against the power of Gevurah, God’s justice and power. An excess of
either degrades reality and threatens the existence of the universe. It is
especially linked to the Patriarch Abraham, who personified Chesed in
the world of action. It is sometimes called Gedulah and is symbolized by
the color white.
Chet: (7). The eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It has the vocalic value
of “kh/ch,” the guttural “h.” It symbolizes transcendence and grace.!
1. Munk, The Wisdom of the Hebrew Alphabet, 112-16.
Chibbut ha-Kever: ( “"" 52"). “Torments of the Grave.” The individual who
has not led an exemplary life can expect to find the separation of the Soul
from the Body extremely painful (SCh 30). Some teach that this pain is the
result of the soul (specifically the nefesh) remaining close to the body and
being forced to experience its gradual decay and disintegration (Job 14:22;
Ber. 18b). Others hold that punishments worse than what will be
experienced in Gehenna befall the newly dead: floggings with whips of fire
and iron, dismemberment by punishing angels and the like. Domah, the
angel of the grave, comes to the soul to pronounce the judgment of chibbut
ha-kever. Normally a soul can expect to be bound to the body for seven
days (Zohar I, If). During this time the soul can also expect to revisit the
episodes of its earthly existence (Tan. 11a). A medieval tractate, Masechet
Chibbut ha-Kever, gives a detailed account of the process. SEE CEMETERY;
DEATH; ETERNAL LIFE; JUDGMENT.
Childbirth: (77>). As the first commandment found in the Torah (be
fruitful and multiply), procreation occupies a special place in Jewish
thought (Gen. 1). Being a liminal time when forces of life and Death
potentially conjoin, it has attracted considerable occult interest. According
to the Torah, giving birth brings with it a state of uncanniness or weirdness
(in the Old English sense of the word). That plus the ample amount of
blood and other bodily fluids expelled meant that a woman was rendered
tamei (“impure”) following childbirth, thirty-three days for a male infant,
and twice that for a female (a blood-expelling event that yields a blood-
expelling child). At the end of the period, sacrifices must be brought (Lev.
12:1-2). Beyond these, no other ritual or theurgic practices regarding
childbirth are preserved in the TaNaKH. In the Scriptures, there are a
number of births associated with miraculous circumstances, including the
births of Isaac (Gen. 18-23) and Samson (Judg. 13).
By the time of the Rabbis, Angels, demons, and witchcraft began to be
associated with birth (Ber. 8a; RaSHI on Sot. 22b; Zohar I:264b, 267b). In
the face of the many threats to a woman in childbirth, there developed local
theurgic customs and protective rituals. A copy of Leviticus might be put in
the crib (SCh 1140), or circles drawn around the birthing bed, which would
also be draped with amulets called kindbet in Yiddish (“child’s crib’), or
chamsa in Arabic (“five [fingers]’”). In Poland, there arose the custom of
“womb blessing” in the presence of a Torah scroll. In some communities, a
Torah might be brought into the room to ensure a safe birth.
Psalms or germane biblical passages (Gen. 21; 1 Sam. 1) would be
recited.! In an example of analogous magic, all the doors of the house
would be opened and all the knots and bows of the woman’s garments
would be undone to ease the birth process. Alternately, some women would
wear a sash, amulet belt, or even a Torah binder around the abdomen.”
Mother- and/or child-protecting amulets and Prayers were often mass-
produced in Europe after the advent of the printing press.
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A printed childbirth amulet against Lilith
In Oriental communities, charms made of precious metals (silver in
particular, including coins) still continued. Many of these contained binding
incantations or pleas that protective angels or meritorious ancestors drive
off the lilot and/or destructive demons attracted by the birth. Many Chasids
still use a red string, either blessed by a living rebbe or taken to a dead
tzadik’s grave, and then tie it on either the woman or the bed. Vigils called
tachdid are still practiced by Oriental Jews in Israel to this day.
1. Klein, A Time to Be Born, 148-52.
2. Ibid., 111-15.
Children: Children are highly vulnerable to spiritual attack, so considerable
thought and energy have been given in Jewish tradition to protecting
children from demons and witchcraft through protective prayers,
incantations, and amulets. Children can also be a source of mantic
knowledge. The Talmud declares that Prophecy has been “given over to
children” (B.B. 12b). While the Talmud probably meant this as a
dismissive remark, some Jews have taken it seriously. Specifically,
overhearing the biblical verses a student recites at his studies can be
interpreted as omens (Chag. 15a; Git. 57a).
Likewise, from time to time there has appeared in Jewish literature the
idea of child prodigies —that a child, either consciously or unconsciously,
can have a special gift for prophecy. A child prophet arose in Spain during
the 13th century, and another among the Jews of Poland in the 15th. sEE
DIVINATION; EVIL EYE; KLEIDON; LILITH.
Children of Darkness: As described in the sectarian literature of the Dead
Sea Scrolls, the Sons of Darkness are the demons and their mortal minions
of evil and impurity who work to undermine the authority of God. The
priesthood in control of the Temple during the latter part of the Greco-
Roman period was evidently the human side of this evil conspiracy. SEE
WAR SCROLL.
Children of God: ( @°77#7 *2/B’nai ha-Elohim). A term for the heavenly host;
Angels (Gen. 6; Job 1). The singular term, Ben Elohim, son of God, is also
an honorific given to Israelite kings of the Davidic line based on 2 Samuel 7
and Psalm 2. This is not to be confused with the Christian doctrine that
Jesus is the “only begotten son of God.” The Children of Israel are also
called God’s “firstborn son” (Ex. 4:23). SEE ANGEL AND ANGELOLOGY;
DAVID; RIGHTEOUS, THE; SON OF GOD.
Children of Light: This term, which appears in the non-biblical materials of
the Dead Sea Scrolls, refers to the good Angels and their priestly
supporters who faithfully serve God and battle against the impure, demonic
Children of Darkness. The conflict of the Children of Light and Darkness is
a centerpiece of the dualistic mystical theology of the sectarian priests of
Qumran. SEE WAR SCROLL.
Children of the East: Fabled magicians and astrologers. The phrase is based
on | Kings 5:10 and Isaiah 11:11. This reflects a tradition about the
legendary esoteric talents of the people of the “East” (Egypt, Babylon, and
Persia). These skills included mastery of astrology, horoscopes,
ornithomancy, and divination (PdRK 4). SEE EAST; NAMES OF IMPURITY.
Chiromancy: Palm reading. This form of augury first appears in Jewish
circles in the Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q186). Examples of chiromantic
diagrams in Hebrew have been preserved.
Chitzon, Sefer: (12 =). “Outside Book.” The rabbinic term for any book of
antiquity that appears intended to be taken as authoritative, but is not
included in the Jewish scriptural canon. These books include works that
claim to be written by biblical figures (pseudepigrapha), such as the
Testament of Levi or the Books of Enoch, as well as apocalyptic literature
and those books that offer “revised” accounts of those found in canonical
books, such as Jubilees, which reworks Genesis, and the Temple Scroll, a
revisionist version of
Exodus-Deuteronomy.
Chitzonim: (C°7°3°N). “Outsiders.” An alternative term for kelipot, the
forces of evil.
Chiyya, Rabbi: Wonder-working Talmudic Sage (ca. 3rd century). He could
make the wind blow and the rainfall by his Prayers. The Talmud hints that
he could even raise the dead if he so wished (B.M. 85b).
Chochmah: (1/257), “Wisdom.” The second of the sefirot, it emerged from
the primordial power of Keter. It in turn is the source of Binah. It is the first
“being” to exist “outside” of God. It is equated with Torah, the blueprint
through which God makes the universe. It is also called Abba (‘father’),
reflecting the fact that it is the first expression of the binary/dualistic nature
of Creation. SEE Wisdom.
Chok I’Yisrael: An 18th-century collection of verses—biblical, rabbinic, and
Kabbalistic—that are believed to be able to effect divine Tikkun, repair of
the cosmos. The work is credited to Chayyim Vital. Jews are encouraged to
recite these verses daily.
Choleim Chalom: “Dream Diviner.’ An oneiromancer, linked to false
Prophets (Deut. 13:2). Yet based on the examples of Joseph and Daniel, in
post-biblical Judaism dream interpretation is regarded as a respectable form
of manticism. SEE DIVINATION; DREAM
Choni ha-Ma’agel: “Choni the Circle-Maker.” Wonderworker (ca. Ist
century BCE). This rainmaker was famous for his close relationship with
God. Several stories about his using magic circles to make rain appear in
rabbinic literature. His contemporary, the great Sage and witch hunter
Simon Ben Shetah, expressed his great displeasure with Choni’s theurgic
antics, but in the end conceded that Choni had a unique relationship with
his Creator. He once slept for seventy years (Tan. 19a, 23a). SEE
RIGHTEOUS, THE.
Chozeh: (111M). “Seer.” This person may be synonymous with a roeh;
someone who experiences premonitory or veridical visions. SEE FACE OF
GOD; PROPHECY AND PROPHETS.
Christian Qabbalists: As part of the Renaissance project to recover the
teachings of the classical non-Christian past, a number of 15th-century
Christian scholars became interested in Kabbalah and studied it under
Jewish teachers. The most famous of these men is Pico Della Mirandola,
but this number also includes Johannes Reuchlin, Pietro Gallatius,
Francisco Giogio, and Egidio da Viterbo. These men translated parts, even
whole books, of Jewish mysticism for the use of Christian scholars,
esoterics, and alchemists. Some even tried to use the doctrines of Jewish
Kabbalah to prove the validity of Christian doctrine.!
Eventually these translated works were read and used by 19th- and 20th-
century theosophists, influencing a variety of modern esoteric movements.
Much of what is published under the rubric “Qabbalah” today is derived
from these Christian Kabbalists. Such theosophical works are made up of
metaphysical ideas stripped of their Jewish assumptions and teachings,
often conflated with Christian and Hermetic teachings, and bearing little
resemblance to the Jewish mystical tradition it purports to explain. SEE
CHRISTIANITY.
1. Scholem, Kabbalah, 196-201.
Christianity: A religion emerging from Judaism in the Ist and 2nd centuries
CE. From very early on, Christianity and Judaism were faiths competing on
similar ground. Ideologically, both shared in the heritage of Israelite
religion and its texts and both participated in the esoteric traditions of
Jewish apocalypticism. In the matter of esoteric praxis, both engaged in
spiritual healing and both had traditions of demonic possession. Other
parallels, whether obvious or subtle, meant that even as critical ideological
differences drove them apart, certain affinities remained. Religious
leadership on both sides sought to keep those attractive elements of the
competing faith at arm’s length. Both groups regularly accused the other of
engaging in magic, a term which already had a pejorative connotation in
Roman times.! Thus, for example, in the Talmud we have one incident of a
rabbi who is criticized for seeking a healer among the Christian community.
Likewise, despite the obvious Jewish roots of the spiritual healings
performed by Jesus, early Christian leaders despised Jewish remedies and
faith healing and equated them with witchcraft and devilry (Dialogue with
Trypho 85:3; Council of Laodicea, Canon 35-37). Joannes Chrysostomus,
for example, railed endlessly at their Christian congregants who sought
medical or spiritual help in the synagogues. Chrysostomus in particular
carried on about the “synagogue of Satan” where demons found refuge
(Homilies against the Judaizers 1:6). This attitude became so pervasive that
medieval Christians became convinced that Jews in general were
practitioners of sorcery, and even simple Jewish customs and protective
acts, like opening doors at a time of Death, or casting Earth at a funeral,
were perceived as malevolent witchcraft and could bring dire consequences.
For a brief period during the Renaissance, Christians showed a renewed
interest in Jewish Kabbalah and theurgy.* But that same heightened
consciousness of Jewish occultism yielded a harsh backlash against Jews
during the Reformation period, especially given the witch-hunting hysteria
of the 16th and 17th centuries. This pervasive and often destructive
Christian stereotype of Jews helped contribute to the collective decision in
the 18th and 19th centuries by the Jewish community to distance itself from
the bulk of Jewish esoteric traditions and practices. And it is only in the last
half century, when Christian opprobrium has been muted, that many Jews
have again shown renewed interest in their own mystical and occult
heritage. SEE BLOOD LIBEL; CHRISTIAN QABBALISTS; HOST
DESECRATION.
1. L. Levine, The Ancient Synagogue (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press,
2000), 274.
2. Langermann, “Magic and Astrology,” Encyclopedia of the Renaissance vol. 3
(New York: Charles Scribners & Sons, 1999), 3,21, 23.
Chrysostomus, Joannes: Early Church Father and savage anti-Semite (ca. 3rd
century). His anti-Jewish polemics proved very influential on subsequent
Christian attitudes toward Jews and Judaism. Deeply offended by the good
relations he observed between the Jews and Christians of his time, he
authored a series of ferocious sermons directed at the Jews. Among the
things he objected to, were the Christian use of Jewish faith healers and
attendance of the Jewish holidays. Chrysostomus called the synagogue an
“assembly of Satan” and declared Jews to be in the thrall of the demonic.!
SEE CHRISTIANITY.
1. Trachtenberg, The Devil and the Jews, 21,58.
Circle: ( S220/Tun/Iggul/Ma’agel). As a symbol of centrality and infinity,
images of circles appear frequently in Judaism—the Temple, Jerusalem,
and Israel are concentric circles of holiness in the world (MdRI
BeShallach). As a sign of protection, magic circles first appear in Jewish
tradition in the Bible, when Joshua encircles Jericho seven times in order to
collapse its walls.
They also appear in Talmud and Midrash with the many stories of Choni
ha-Ma’agel, Choni the Circle-Drawer, a charismatic figure who could cause
rain (M. Tan. 3.8). It is a matter of debate whether the “heave offering”
described in the Torah involved waving the offering in a circle. Certainly
the custom of kapparah involves waving a chicken in a circle before it can
become a substitute bearer of the sins of the individual. The use of
protective circles, so familiar in medieval sorcery, also starts to appear in
Jewish practice. Such circles were also used to protect the birthing bed of
pregnant women (Sefer ha-Chayyim 2.8). Smaller circles drawn around a
wound or area of illness on a Body presumably exorcised the malaise-
causing spirit.
The book Zera Kodesh (“Holy Seed”), written in the 16th century,
describes making concentric circles on the ground (usually three or seven)
with an iron blade, often with an inscription or the names of Angels added.
The magical handbook Key of Solomon describes the use of magic
summoning circles in some detail. The Baal Shem Tov once defeated a
priest-witch by making a protective circle with his staff (Megillat Setarim).
Performative circles, created by walking or linking hands around someone
to ward off the evil eye, came to be part of both Jewish Weddings and
funerals. They are used in a variety of ways to treat illness.' European
Jewish women would circle a cemetery in a ritual of divination (Sefer ha-
Chayyim; Ma’avar Yabbok)? To animate a golem, an adept must circle the
form 462 times while reciting the necessary incantations of animation
(Pseudo-Sa’adia Commentary to SY).
1. Zimmels, Magicians, Theologians, and Doctors, 147.
2.7 Fine, Judaism in Practice: From the Middle Ages through the Early Modern
Period (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2001), 61.
Circle of the Special (or Unique) Cherub: A modern term for the largely
anonymous School of mystics (ca. 13th-century Rhineland) who focused
their esoteric teachings on Sefer Yetzirah. Only Avigdor ha-Tzarfati and
Elchanan ben Yakar have been linked by name to this mysterious group.
They devote a great deal of their esoteric speculation to the meaning of the
cherub that supports (or is) the Throne of Glory and is the mechanism
through which the Prophets and mystics experience visions of God in
physical form. They are the likely authors of several mystical tracts, but
most notably what is now known as the “Pseudo-Sa’adia” commentary on
Yetzirah (it was mistakenly ascribed to the 10th-century-CE Babylonian
philosopher Sa’adia Gaon)! SEE BARAITA DE YOSEF BEN UZIEL; CHERUB,
THE UNIQUE; PESEK HA-YIRA’AH V’HA-EMUNAH; PSEUDO-SA’ADIA.
1. Dan, The ‘Unique Cherub’ Circle, 56-75.
Circumcision: (9 M2/brit milah). The rite of circumcision, performed on
a male child on the eighth day after birth, is regarded to be a “sign of the
covenant” between Jews and God. It symbolizes the human role in
perfecting God’s Creation. It renders the males who undergo it tam,
“perfected” (Gen. 17).
The Bible credits circumcision with having a protective power. In at least
one enigmatic biblical passage (Ex. 4:24—-26), circumcision thwarts a
supernatural attack. Moses had failed to circumcise his son, Gershom, and
the Talmud explains that as a result Moses is all but swallowed up by an
angelic/satanic force (versions vary: Satan, Uriel, Gabriel, and the team of
Af and Chemah all are proposed in different texts) in the form of a serpent,
but it is unable to go past “the sign of the covenant.” When his wife
Zipporah sees that the creature cannot engulf Moses’s penis, she intuits the
meaning of the attack. She immediately performs the rite on her son, and
the attack ends (MdRI Yitro 1; Ex. R. 5:8; Ned. 31b—32a).
In the case of Abraham, circumcision overrides his fate as revealed in
the stars (Ned. 32a). So awesome is the power of circumcision that in the
World to Come, Abraham sits at the gates of Gehennaand does not allow
any circumcised Jew to be taken there. Domah, the angel of the grave, is
powerless to punish those who bear the mark of the covenant (and honored
it in life by restraining their lustful impulses) (Gen. R. 48:8; Zohar I:8b).
Since medieval times, when a brit milah is performed, a chair is set aside
for Elijah, the “Angel of the Covenant,” who is believed to be present at
every brit milah.
The Book of Jubilees calls the uncircumcised “sons of Belial.” In rabbinic
literature, certain exemplary figures were born already circumcised,
especially Adam and Noah.
The medieval mystics of the Rhineland found another rationale—that
circumcision ensures entry into Eden in the World to Come. This they
derive from a close reading of the Bible. For they take the wording of
Deuteronomy 30:12, “Who among us will ascend into heaven?” and note
that the first letter of each word in the phrase, nm2wT 2 =v’ %2, spells
MILaH, (“circumcision”). So, “Who among us will ascend into heaven?”
The verse, it is claimed, provides its own answer—those who have been
circumcised (Eleazar of Worms, commentary on Deut. 30:12).
Not that those without the seal of the covenant (gentiles and women, for
example) won’t eventually get to Eden. Brit milah, however, ensures one
takes the shortcut. Thus the circumcised circumvent Gehenna (Gen. R.
21:9; Eruv. 19a). The same interpretation also discovers the
Tetragrammaton, Manon 6 Mr "2, in the last letters of each word of the
same phrase. This in turn provides an explanation (beyond the shape of the
letter) for why later Kabbalists associate the Hebrew letter Yud (the first
letter of the Divine name) with the phallus.
The Zohar, not surprisingly, finds supernal secrets underpinning the rite
of circumcision. Moses de Leon, its author, was deeply engaged, if not
obsessed, with the numinous significance of circumcision. For example, de
Leon, expanding on a Midrash appearing in Pirke de-Rabbi Eliezer 29,
posits that it is only through circumcision that a human is able to receive
Prophecy and experience full unio mystica, mystical union with God (I:
97b—98a; also see Gen. R. 12:8; Tanh. Lech Lecha 20). Other sources
interpret the “garment of skins” given to Adam and Eve when they are
expelled from Eden to be a reference to the male foreskin and the female
hymen. Therefore circumcision restores the male Jew to an Edenic level of
access to God (Ma’aseh ha-Shem). In Lurianic thought, circumcision is a
mimetic reenactment of divine sovereignty, and tikkun ha-nahash, the act
that rectifies the sin of the serpent (disobedience to God) and facilitates the
union of the male with the female dimensions of the Pleroma.!
More than that, in the Zohar and in subsequent Kabbalistic thought, the
human penis is a reflection of the divine structure, the sefirot. This is based
on the principle that what exists above is mirrored below. Thus God has a
supernal “phallus,” of sorts, but this aspect of God actually is androgynous,
encompassing both the male and female principle; it is in itself combined to
make the hieros gamos, a schema that (more or less) keeps this mystical
doctrine within the bounds of Judaism’s monotheism. While the shaft
(Yesod/Tiferet) is male, the corona, as the phallic counterpart to the clitoris,
is considered female (Shekhinah/Malchut). Therefore the act of human
circumcision reveals the feminine aspect in the human male; brit milah, it
seems, is an act of ritual androgynization (Mashiv Devarim Nekhochim
193-96; Zohar I:29b; Shekel ha-Kodesh 67). SEE PHALLUS.
1. E. Klein, Kabbalah of Creation: The Mysticism of Isaac Luria, Founder of
Modern Kabbalah (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 2005), 102-103.
Cloud, Clouds of Glory: ("/Anan). As visible heavenly objects, clouds are
often associated with supernatural phenomena. God rides upon the clouds
(Ps. 104:3). Moreover, they serve as a mobile divine dwelling:
He made darkness His screen; dark thunderheads, dense clouds of the
sky were His hut (sukkah) round about him. (Ps. 18:11—12; Also see Job
36:29)
When God becomes manifest on Earth, clouds obscure what is happening
(Ex. 19-21; Job 22:13; Ex. 19; Lev. 16:2). Angels also manifest themselves
as clouds, most famously the pillar of cloud that guided the Children of
Israel during the day on the Exodus (Ex. 13:21, 14:19-24).
According to rabbinic tradition, a cloud is a sign of the Shekhinah, the
feminine divine presence (Gen. R. 1:6, 1:10). Such clouds hovered over the
tents of the Matriarchs (Gen. R. 60:16). Clouds (luminous shrouds called
“Clouds of Glory” by the Sages) not only led the Israelites, but actually
transported them, surrounding them on all sides and protecting them from
the harsh desert environment, thus in the Tosefta we read concerning the
Israelite’s time in the desert:
God gave to [Abraham’s] children seven clouds of glory in the desert,
one to their right, and one to their left, one before them, and one after
them, and one above their heads, and one as the Shekhinah that was in
their midst. And the pillar of cloud would precede them, killing snakes
and scorpions, burning brush, thorns and bramble, leveling hillocks and
raising low places, and making a straight path for them, a straight
continuing highway ...” (T. Sot. 4:2; Also see MdRI Bo 14; PR 20;
Targum Song of Songs)
A sign of Aaron’s prophetic merit, these clouds had supernal letters written
on them, serving as banners for each tribe. Moses ascended into Heaven to
receive the Torah wrapped in clouds (Men. 29b; Shab. 88b—89a).
A pillar of cloud became manifest over the altar of the Temple on Yom
Kippur, and its appearance was an augury of the future (Yoma 21b). The
presence of these clouds diminished and eventually disappeared due to the
accreted sins of Israel. Bar Nifli, “son of a cloud,” is a title for the Messiah,
who will appear riding one, according to the book of Daniel (7:13).
Virtuosos of Kabbalah, such as Moses Cordovero, sometimes had pillars of
cloud appear over or around them (Sefer ha-Hezyonot). In the liturgy, the
worshippers invoke the “bright clouds” by which they mean, the sefirot
(Shofarot, Musaf for Rosh ha-Shanah). The clouds of glory are most often
understood to refer to the 10th Sefirah, Malchut/Shekhinah (Zohar I:18a—
b).
Thus it becomes clear from all these images that the clouds of Glory are
multivalent in their mythic significance; they symbolize divine presence
(specifically the feminine divine presence), but also divine protection and
favor, along with God’s love and salvation.
Cock: (“22/gever). Domesticated among Jews first during Greco-Roman
times, roosters were a symbol of fertility. A cock would be carried before a
newlywed couple on the way to the bridal chamber. According to some
sources, the cock derives its knowledge of the sun's rising from the stirring
of the phoenix, which, being a fellow avian, was detectable by the rooster.
The cock is also the only animal that hears the cries of the Soul at Death
(Tanchuma, Pekudei 3).
Given that one word for a cock is gever, which also means “man,” it is
not surprising that roosters came to be used as magical substitutes. Thus a
cock is used by a man to perform the substitution ritual of kapparah. A
rooster can also be used for divination, by studying either the changes in its
comb or the pattern of scratches it makes on the ground. It can also be used
to make rain (Hor. 12a; Sefer ha-Raziel).
Codes: SEE ENCRYPTION.
Coins: Coins have several magical uses. They can be included in amulet
bags (silver being repellent to evil spirits), made into magical rings, used as
bribes for witches and even demons, or for divination (either flipping the
coin or as part of more elaborate rituals). During the Middle Ages, Jews
taught methods for using a divining rod to locate buried coins.
Color: Color has important symbolic meaning in Judaism. Most familiar are
associations with the tabernacle (Ex. 25:2—8), such as purple (argaman)
with royalty, deep blue (techelet) with heaven, crimson (shani) with
sacrifice, white (Javan) with purity, and black (shachor) with mourning.
Adam was created by the combination of dust of different colors—we are,
in effect, a kind of animate sand painting (Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews,
1:55). In dreams, all remembered colors are a good omen, except for blue
(Ber. 57b).
Colors have a more powerful role in Kabbalistic thought (Zohar III:138b).
The sefirot each have assigned colors.! Concentrating on colors was also a
meditative Prayer device promoted by the German Pietist . Colors are
incorporated into sympathetic rites of practical Kabbalah with the goal of
activating those sefirotic qualities in the material world (Pardes Rim-
monim, 32.2). Part of activating a particular divine attribute is imagining
that particular color in one’s meditations, or even dressing in that color
while performing the ritual (Kedushat Levi, Yitro). This is also part of
making an efficacious amulet (Pardes Rimmonim, 10:1). All colors
appearing in a dream, except blue, are a good sign (Zohar II:132b). Colors
of particular significance include:
Black: In Kabbalah, it signifies Malchut/Shekhinah, the speculum “that
does not shine.” It is the color of mourning.
Blue: The color of heaven is also the color of the Throne of God (Chul.
89a; Sifrei Num. 115), God’s glory (Ex. 24:10, 25:4; Num. R. 14:3), and
Chochmah. It is the color of the special thread that is part of ritual
fringes a Jew wears (Num. 15:38; Zohar II:138b). Blue was a featured
color in the tabernacle. Blue appearing in a dream signifies judgment or
a warning (Zohar II:152b; Zohar II:139a). Blue is a good luck color, and
in the Mediterranean, Jews paint their doors and window frames blue as
a defense against the evil eye entering.
Bronze: According to Zohar, this color combines gold and silver, the two
most divine colors, so it represents “the All” (Zohar III:138b).
Gold: Gold symbolizes Din, the quality of divine judgment (Zohar
II:138b). It is also a symbol of Jerusalem, the “city of gold.”
Green: This color is associated with Tiferet.
Purple: The color of royalty, purple was one of the colors God mandated
be part of the tabernacle. It is the color of Chesed.
Red: As the color of blood, life, and alarm, red is often the preferred
color in anti-demonic amulets. A scarlet cord hung in the temple on Yom
Kippur >that turned white when Israel was forgiven. It is the color of
Gevurah, God’s attribute of power.
Silver: A sign of purity, it also has anti-demonic properties. Symbolizes
the right side of the sefirot, it is the color uniquely claimed by God
(Zohar III:138b; Hag. 2:8).
White: The color of light, holiness, purity, compassion, and the moon.
Kabbalists engaging in mystical ascents, summoning of Angels , or other
rituals of power will don white as part of their preparatory purification
rituals.* Likewise the shroud a corpse is wrapped in after purification
rites are performed is white. It is the color of the sefirot Tiferet and/or
Keter (Zohar II:152b).
1. Idel, Kabbalah: New Perspectives, 103-11.
2M. Idel, Hasidism: Between Ecstasy and Magic (New York, SUNY Press, 1995),
198.
Comets and Meteors: Heavenly bodies that appear only irregularly, such as
comets and shooting stars, are understood either as omens or as heavenly
responses to events on Earth (Hor.; Ber. 58b). Rabbi Israel Isserlein, for
example, took the appearance of Halley’s Comet in 1456 to be a prodigy of
God’s judgment against the Hapsburg kings. SEE Brontology
Commandment: (113/3/Mitzvah). According to rabbinic exegesis, the Torah
contains 613 commandments from God. These divine instructions are the
structural framework of Jewish religious observance and morality.
Community Rule or Rule of the Community: A document of the Dead Sea
Scrolisthat exists in several manuscript versions (4Q5; 1QRule; 1QS).
Community Rule lays out the organization of the sectarian priestly group at
Qumran. It also explains the group’s dualistic ideology, the community’s
role at the End of Time, and teaches about the dual messiahs, the Aaronide
and Davidic kings. SEE CHILDREN OF DARKNESS; CHILDREN OF LIGHT.
Conception: While a human Soul is waiting to be born, the Angel of
conception, Lailah, teaches the soul all the Torah. The soul is also shown
the full breadth of the universe, the Garden of Eden, and Gehenna. When
the time for birth arrives, Lailah strikes the fetus on the upper lip. This
creates the dimple beneath the nose. More importantly, all that the soul has
learned enters the subconscious and is forgotten until it is relearned in the
world. When that soul is ready to return, Lailah is the angel that escorts it
back (Tanchuma Pekudei 3). The Tanya offers a different, very elaborate
metaphysical model of conception in which the soul is a polypsychic entity
composed of elements from different spiritual source points.
Copper Scroll: Found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Copper Scroll
consists of three copper sheets riveted together, now broken into two.
Inscribed upon it is a list of hidden treasures buried around Jerusalem. The
treasures listed, taken together, amount to tons of gold and silver. Some
theorize that it is a record of the Temple treasury, concealed for the duration
(or such was the plan) of the Jewish Revolt in or around 66 CE. So far, none
of the purported treasures it described have been located.
Cordovero, Moses: Ethicalist and Kabbalist (Turkish, ca. 16th century). A
student of Joseph Caro, he is the author of Pardes Rimmonim, Tomar
Devorah, and other works. He taught a comprehensive and, at times, obtuse
mystical theology. He received visitations from Elijah and was said to be
the biblical Eliezer reincarnated. He was a teacher of Isaac Luria, though
Luria developed a very different mystical worldview. According to one
account, a pillar of cloud or fire hovered over his Body during his burial.
Corpse: SEE BODY; BURIAL.
Countenance, Divine: SEE FACE OF GOD.
Countenance, Prince or Angel of the [Divine]: (E°20 "2/Sar ha-Panim or
Malach ha-Panim). A Sar ha-Panim is an Angel, or angels, that either serve
as a visible manifestation of God in the midst of people, or serve in the
presence of God. The belief in this particular angel is based on Exodus
33:14, which, translated literally, has God telling Moses, “My Countenance
will go [with you] but I will depart.” This angel is mentioned explicitly in
Isaiah 63:9.
The Midrash describes four high angels who simultaneously attend at
God’s throne and to watch over the Israelite encampment in the wilderness:
As the Holy One blessed be He created four winds and four banners, so
also did He make four angels to surround His Throne— Michael, Gabriel,
Uriel, and Raphael. Michael is on its right, next to the tribe of Reuben;
Uriel on its left, next to the tribe of Dan, which was in the north; Gabriel
in front, next to the tribe of Judah, also Moses and Aaron, who were in
the east; and Raphael in the rear, next to the tribe of Ephraim which was
in the west ... (Num. R. 2:10)
These four are not explicitly called Sarei-Panim, even as they fill the roles
generally associated with an angel of the countenance.
Metatron is the angelic figure most associated with the ha-Panim title.
Other angels, such as Suriel and Tzakadhazy, are also called by the title ha-
Panim, \eading to some confusion. Are all these angels actually different
names for Metatron, as one tradition suggests, or are the ha-Panim really a
whole class of angels, of which Metatron is only the most famous? There is
no definitive answer. SEE SAR.
Counting and Census: The numbering of people is a sensitive issue in Jewish
tradition. God repeatedly punishes the Israelites for taking any unauthorized
census (2 Sam. 24; II Chron. 21). In later Jewish tradition, counting people
invites the unwanted attention of the evil eye. In order to make sure a
minyan (ten people) is present for a public service, it is customary to have
each recite one word in a ten-word phrase, such as “Deliver Your people
and bless Your Heritage, sustain them forever.” When there are enough
present to complete the phrase, the service is ready to begin. Another
solution is by simply reversing what one says, as in “not one, not two, not
three: <c.”
Covenant, Angel of the: SEE ELIJAH.
Creation: One of the principle cosmological teachings of Judaism is that the
universe is created by God. Rabbinic teachings include much more
information about the origins of the universe than are found in the biblical
account.
Personified Torah is God’s “architect” in the design of Creation (Gen. R.
1.1). In the course of God reshaping the primordial chaos, some of the six
days of Creation have special significance. The second day, Monday, is the
only day of Creation that God does not bless. This is because God created
Gehenna on that day (Gen. R. 4:6; 11:9). It is therefore a bad luck day. On
the other hand, the third day is blessed twice by God, making it a propitious
day, especially for beginning a new enterprise, like a marriage. According
the Zohar, since the word for “light” in Genesis 1:14, me’orot, is lacking
one letter, this reveals a deficiency in that light of the fourth day, signaling
the emergence of evil in Creation (without the vav normally present, the
word can be read as me’erot/““curses”) (Tan. 68b; PdRK 5:1; Zohar I:12a,
33b).
The waters of the abyss that preceded the Creation are now trapped
beneath the Earth, held at bay by the Even ha-Shayitah, the Foundation
Stone. God removed this stone for the great Flood of Noah’s time. The
design of the tabernacle and the Temple that followed it are microcosms of
Creation (Ex. R. 35:6; Num. R. 12:13). The human Body also embodies the
entire universe in microcosmic form.
Mystical works such as Sefer Yetzirah, Midrash Konen, and particularly
the teachings of Isaac Luria detail the intimate structure of Creation, the
metaphysics of the divine speech that created the world, and the powers of
creation that human beings can access.
The Chasidic philosophy of Tanya (219, 320) teaches a kind of subjective
acosmism: while we experience the reality of Creation, from God’s
perspective there is no beginning to the universe, as it were, and all
distinctions made manifest through Creation are not “seen” by the Creator
—it all remains undifferentiated “oneness.” !
The mystical project is to restore to humans the capacity to see the world
from God’s perspective, at which point Creation will reverse itself and all
“being” will revert to “no-thing-ness.” SEE ADAM KADMON; EMANATION;
MA’ ASEI-BERESHIT; TWILIGHT.
1. Green, Jewish Spirituality, vol. 2, 160-63; Rabinowicz, The Encyclopedia of
Hasidism, 74.
Crimson Cord: SEE SCARLET CORD.
Crown: (“2/keter also koteret; atarah). Crowns are a symbol of authority
and power. There are four crowns in Jewish tradition: the crown of royalty,
the crown of priesthood, the crown of Torah, and the crown of a good
reputation (Avot 4:17).
Both the king and the High Priest wore types of crowns. In some Jewish
communities, brides and grooms are crowned at the Wedding. The only
fabulous crowns mentioned in the aggadah are the one million, two hundred
thousand crowns placed on the heads of Israel (two for each male—God
assumed they would share with the women) by Angels at Mount Sinai.
Those crowns were taken back by God after the golden calf incident (Shab.
88a).
Crown of God: The crown of God is constantly being woven by the Angel
Sandalfon from the Prayers of Israel. It bears the Tetragrammaton on its
front. It is multihued, reflecting the many different prayers offered to God.
There is one description of God wearing ten crowns, which the mystics take
as a reference to the sefirot (Ber. 55a; Chag. 12a, 13b; Ex. R. 21:4; Mid.
Teh. 88:2; Zohar I:132a, 168b). Based on their appearance in the Bible, and
the using the principle that all biblical terms are allegories of the Pleroma,
Kabbalistic thought distinguishes two “divine crowns,” Keter (“crown’’)
and Atarah (“diadem’’). These terms are applied to different aspects of the
divine process, the application varying widely from author to author and
system to system. One of the most common is to assign the term Keter to
the primordial creative impulse, and Atarah to the generative aspect of the
God, the divine phallus.
Crypto-Jews: Jews (mostly from the Iberian Peninsula) who, after coerced
conversion to Christianity, secretly maintained Jewish practices.
Crystal: SEE GEMSTONES.
Cures: SEE HEALING.
Cures, Book of: A powerful tome of healing mentioned in the Talmud. King
Hezekiah hid it away because of the impiety of his people (Pes. 56a; M.
Pes. 4:9; RaDaK’s comments).
Curse: (7777.82), A verbal invocation to bring harm, evil, or detriment on
another. More than a threat or a wish, a curse is assumed to have the power
to make the desired harm a reality.
Two elements make up the logic of cursing: a magical/symbolic view of
causality and “formalism,” the belief that a speech-act has power, regardless
of intention, justification, or authority.! While some assume that the
“power” of the speaker underpins the efficacy of the curse (Num. 22:3),
because of formalist assumptions in rabbinic thinking, even curses uttered
unintentionally by ordinary people have the potential to be detrimental
(Meg. 15a—b, 28a).
God has the power to both bless and curse creation. Both powers are
demonstrated in the first three chapters of Genesis. Humans also have the
power to curse individuals and whole classes of people (Ps. 35). Some
biblical authors simultaneously try to limit the use of curses and undermine
their formalist assumptions by claiming unjustified curses will have no
effect (Prov. 26:2).
Curses can be absolute or conditional. An absolute curse is meant to be
immediate (Gen. 4:11; 2 Sam. 16). A conditional curse only become
efficacious when certain conditions are met or violated (Deut. 27—28). A
notable form of conditional curse that appears in the Bible is the conditional
self-curse (1 Kings 19:2, 20:10). Often included in an oath, this curse was
placed on oneself accompanied with a symbolic act of destruction—
shattering a pot, chopping up an animal, or some other deed that signified
what would happen to the one making the vow if he or she should fail. Even
God uses a form of this when making a covenant with Abraham (Gen.
15:7-21).
There are several psalms that are, or contain, extended curses. Psalms 35,
58, 137 all invoke hair-raising afflictions upon the writer’s and/or reciter’s
enemy. Psalm 109 is the ultimate execration text:
May his days be few; may another take over his position.
Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg:
Let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.
Let the extortioner catch all that he has; and let the strangers spoil his
labor.
Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to
favor his fatherless children.
Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their
name be blotted out.
Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with Adonai; and let not
the sin of his mother be blotted out.
Let them be before Adonai continually, that he may cut off the memory
of them from the earth.
The Sages elaborate upon these biblical beliefs (Mak. 11a; Eruv. 18b—19a;
Tem. 3b—-4a; Mak. 16a). demons as well as human beings can utter curses.
Using a curse can actually invite unwanted demonic attention on the person
uttering the curse. The Talmudic Sage Rav reportedly had the power to
curse others with sterility (Shab. 108a). At least one Sage, Joshua ben Levi,
had the power to curse crops, though cursing people was another matter:
There was a non-believer who lived near Rabbi Joshua ben Levi. This
heretic would harass the sage by challenging the validity of scriptural
verses. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi was exceedingly agitated. One day he
took a rooster and tied it between the feet of a bed. He [one can discern a
moment of divine anger by the color of a cockscomb] waited, wide-eyed.
He thought, “I will wait for the moment and curse him.” At the crucial
moment, however, Rabbi Joshua ben Levi dozed off. Opening his eyes,
Rabbi Joshua ben Levi concluded: “It is not proper to act so, to curse
people, even if they are wicked. Moreover, it is written ‘His mercies are
on all His handiwork’ (Psalm 145:9) and it is also written ‘For the
righteous to punish is not good.’ ” (Prov. 17:26; Ber. 7a)
In the Jerusalem Talmud, tractate Chagigah, we read that the curse of
Simeon ben Shetah’s son was considered so potent that eighty witnesses
recanted their perjury rather than see his curse realized.
In Hebrew magical texts of late antiquity, several aggressive or “binding”
spells are to be found, many favoring the wording of curse psalms like 109.
Most are aimed at demons, but a few are directed against other human
beings, similar to the defixiones tablets found in Greek magic. Texts such as
Sefer ha-Razim and Sword of Moses, which have moved beyond the
constraints of rabbinic prohibitions, are the most flagrant in the kind of
curses they record. Sefer ha-Razim, for example, teaches that the “angels of
Chimah” (wrath) that occupy the second camp of the first level of Heaven
will carry out a variety of curses at the command of the properly prepared
adept: they will inflict “combat and war and are ready to torment and torture
a man to death.” Specific curse formulae include capsizing a boat,
collapsing a wall, sending someone into exile, breaking bones, blinding
and/or laming, even undermining business dealings.
Medievals believed that even reading those portions of the Bible that
recount God’s curses against disobedient Israel (Deut. 27—28; 31:3; Ps. 109)
could result in those curses being realized, so those portions were read
rapidly in a whisper, a custom still observed today in many congregations.
Chayyim Vital believed Psalm 109:6, “Appoint over him a wicked man
and may Satan stand by his right hand ...” allowed King David (and
others) to afflict an enemy with a dybbuk (Sha’ar ha-Yichudim 16a).
The exact mechanism of cursing varies. As noted above, a curse can
follow simply because of an utterance. Thus we read:
Moses is not mentioned in the portion [Tetzaveh] ... The reason for this
is that Moses said to God: “Wipe me out from Your book [Ex. 32:32]”
and the curse by a righteous person is fulfilled, even if it is made
conditionally. (Baal ha-Turim)
Jewish magical texts, however, generally require more effort. Sefer ha-
Razim, aping Greek Pagan magical practices, requires materia magica
along with specific rituals and incantations. Timing and astrological
influences can also increase or mitigate the power of a curse. The practice
of cursing is still with us. In a much-publicized event during the 1994
Israeli elections, a Kabbalist put a pulsa denura (lashes of fire) curse on
candidate Yitzchak Rabin because he supported territorial compromise with
the Palestinians.”
1. Lauterbach, “The Belief in the Power of the Word,” 287-89. Also see H. Brichto,
The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (Philadelphia, PA: JBLMS 13, 1963).
2.p, Horowitz, ed., “Rabbis Placed Ancient Curse on Rabin,” The Jerusalem Report
(Nov. 16, 1995).
Curtain: SEE PARGOD; TEMPLE.
Curtain of Heaven: Sometimes identified as the first of the seven Heavens,
the curtain of heaven conceals the Throne of Glory from the sublunary
spheres. According to the Talmudic Sage Resh Lakish, the curtain of
heaven is drawn back at dawn and spread each evening, producing the
effect of day and night. It is rolled up during the passing of comets, briefly
revealing the firmament in all its glory. Angels, demons, and ghosts can
hear the decrees and conversations of the divine court from behind the
heavenly veil. SEE PARGOD; RAKIA.
[contents ]
Da’at: (M21). “Knowledge/Union.” In the Torah, Da’at can mean a variety
of things, from simple understanding to sexual intercourse (as in Genesis 3,
“and he knew his wife and she conceived ...’””). In Jewish mysticism, Da’at
is a mysterious (even for Kabbalah) harmonizing principle that is
sometimes included as part of the sefirotic system, though often not. In
some systems, it is an aspect of Keter, balancing Chochmah and Binah. In
others, it is the offspring of the two, the merging of wisdom and insight.
These lead some systems to equate it with Torah.
In other interpretations, drawing on its sexual connotation in biblical
parlance, Da’at is the principle of hieros gamos, unifying the higher sefirot
Chochmah and Binah in their purpose of giving birth to the lower sefirot
and directing the effluence from the higher sefirot into the lower ones (Etz
Chayyim 39:7, 72b—c). Da’at is perhaps most prominent in the theosophy of
the Hasidic ChaBaD movement. Some Kabbalistic models, on the other
hand, do not speak of Da’at at all.!
1. Scholem, Kabbalah, 107; M. Idel, “Sexual Metaphors and Praxis in Kabbalah,” in
The Jewish Family: Metaphor and Memory, D. Kraemer, ed. (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1989), 209.
Dagim: (C°27). “Fish/Pisces.” The zodiac symbol of the Hebrew month of
Adar. It signifies opposites, disparity, night, moisture, and the ascendance
of the feminine principle. The festival of Purim falls under this sign. The
arch-villain of the Purim story, Haman (Book of Esther), used his
knowledge of astrology to choose Adar to implement his plan to eradicate
the Jewish people because, as the last month of the biblical calendar, it was
a time when the Jews were particularly vulnerable. His plans went awry
because he did not understand the special providence of Israel that protects
it from the adverse influence of the stars. The fact that Haman was undone
by a woman, Esther, would be characteristic of the feminine power
manifest under this sign.!
1. Erlanger, Signs of the Times, 245-63.
Dalet: The fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The word dalet means
“door.” It is associated with the sefirah of Malchut, the “lowest” of the
sefirot. Thus dalet can signify lowliness, humility, and poverty. It has the
numeric value of four in gematria.! see NUMBERS.
1. Munk, The Wisdom of the Hebrew Alphabet, 78-84.
Damascus Document: Versions of this mysterious sectarian text have been
found only among the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls and the medieval Cairo
Geniza. Scholars remain puzzled over this long history (over a thousand
years) of otherwise invisible transmission. Who cherished this document
enough to continue copying it for a millennium? Why are there no other
traces of it during that time span, or beyond? It was clearly important to the
Dead Sea Scroll community (fragments of eight copies were found at
Qumran) and reflects the priestly ideology of that group, but it is never
quoted or cited in traditional Jewish sources, so what group of Jews
continued to use this document, unknown to the Jewish world at large? A
number of theories have been floated, none of them terribly satisfactory.
Beyond a series of arguments about Jewish law and custom that are
pointedly at odds with the way they are treated by rabbinic Judaism, the
most notable occult ideas found in the document are a dualistic doctrine that
the world is divided between Children of Light and Children of Darkness
who are in perpetual war, the teaching that God has deliberately led the
gentiles of the world astray, and the belief that there will be two messiahs,
an Aaronide, or priestly Messiah, as well as a Davidic, or royal messiah. !
1. Schiffman and VanderKam, Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, vol. 1, 166-70.
Dan: The biblical tribe descended from Jacob’s fifth son. Guilty of idolatry
(Judg. 18) and other faults, according to the biblical accounts, Dan became
associated with sinister and malevolent forces. Some texts of apocalyptic
literature and midrashim regard Dan as a source of darkness and conflict.
Early Christian tradition, evidently picking up on this theme, expresses the
idea that the Antichrist will be a Danite. On the other hand, in the Talmud,
tractates Sanhedrin and Shabbat contain a tradition that the general of the
Messiah’s armies will be from the tribe of Dan. SEE ESCHATOLOGY;
MESSIAH.
Dance: (T?/Machol, *F/Rikod). “Praise Him with timbrel and dance” (Ps.
149:3). Dance is a spiritual technique used by humans across the globe,
particularly for inducing altered states of consciousness. It is also closely
tied to eroticism, spiritual or otherwise.! Ecstatic dance is a very ancient
Jewish practice, being mentioned several times in the Bible, particularly in
the books of Samuel (1 Sam. 10:10—11, 19:20—24; 2 Sam. 6:14—-16).
There are multiple theurgic uses for dance. According to Pseudo-Sa’adia’s
commentary on Sefer Yetzirah, dancing in circles is a necessary element in
the animating ritual for a golem (42b). Dance and incantations for
protection are part of the ceremony of the new moon. Dance can also be
therapeutic. women would dance and sing for those suffering from spirit
possession.” In the medieval text Ma’avar Yabbok, it is explained that ten
pious men can destroy any demonic offspring made by a man in his lifetime
if they dance in a circle seven times around his corpse.
Basing the practice on the verse “All my bones shall say, “Who can be
likened to You?’ ” (Ps. 35:10), Chasidism has a celebrated tradition of
dance as a spiritual discipline. Some Chasidic masters taught mass group
dances of yichudim (“unification”) meant to draw down the Shekhinah and
the presence of Angels (SHB 61). In the Zohar, the Kabbalists celebrate the
Torah wisdom of a child prodigy by dancing him around on their shoulders
(i: 240a). Dancing with Torah is a recurrent metaphor for study and
devotion to study (Tiferet Uziel, 125). Acrobatic dancing at Weddings and
other celebrations is also a noted Chasidic custom. Dance continues in
modern Judaism, mostly associated with the holiday of Simchat Torah,
when Jews gather to dance with the Torah scrolls.
Even the angels dance; each day the Chayyot dance before the Throne of
Gloryduring the hours of Prayer (Synopse #189; Seder Rabbah d’Bereshit;
Hechalot Rabbati). Dance will continue in the World to Come, as
described in Song of Songs Rabbah (End), when the righteous shall join
God in an eternal dance of joy. SEE MUSIC.
1. E.Wolfson, Circle in the Square: Studies in the Use of Gender in Kabbalistic
Symbolism (Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1995), 130.
2. Zimmels, Magicians, Theologians, and Doctors, 83.
Daniel: Carried off into exile as a child and raised in the Babylonian court,
Daniel is the protagonist of the biblical book of Daniel. Daniel is one of
only two figures (the other being Joseph) associated with magic that the
biblical authors view in a favorable light. It may be significant that both
men’s extensive involvement with magical practices occurs in the context
of exile to a foreign court.
According to the book of Daniel, because of his extraordinary ability to
scry the king’s dream without being told its content, the King of Babylon
appoints Daniel “chief prefect over the wise men of Babylon” (2:48). This
elicits tremendous jealousy among the professional magical class of the
court. Interestingly, the book of Daniel never actually credits Daniel with
another miraculous act, though miraculous things happen for his benefit,
such as God shutting the mouths of the lions when he was cast into their
den. His chief talent seems to be oneiromancy, interpretation of dreams, and
he is vouchsafed a series of highly symbolic visions of apocalyptic content.
Puzzlingly, unlike other biblical figures, the Sages do not elaborate much on
the biblical accounts of Daniel, nor do they credit him with many additional
supernatural feats. SEE APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE.
Dargesh: (2271). A good luck charm for a house, apparently a bench or a
bed. It was believed that a bed not slept in overnight was a good omen, so a
dargesh (or sometimes, a “bed of Gad’) provided perpetual fortune (B.
Ned. 56a; Sanh. 20b; M.K. 27a). Ancient Mesopotamians would keep a
“ghost chair” in their homes, so perhaps the dargesh was likewise intended
to signal to beneficent spirits that the home was a welcoming rest spot. The
“Chair of Elijah” present at a circumcision conveys a similar message. In
Sefer ha-Hezyonot 22, we learn that spirits expect seating to be provided
when they visit the living. SEE ELIJAH; GHOST; HOSPITALITY.
Darkness: (1*"=/choshek). The original state of the universe before God
brought forth the cosmos; darkness is also a creation of God:
The rabbis taught:
“Three things were made before the creation of our world: Water, Wind,
and Fire. Water birthed darkness, Fire birthed light, and Wind birthed
wisdom.” (Ex. R. 15:22, also Isa. 45; PdRE 3)
The Hebrew Bible sometimes likes to use darkness as an antipode and as a
contrast to life and good. It is the lurking place of evil spirits (Ps. 91:5; Pas.
11la—b). Darkness is often a symbol of ignorance, dread, or evil, especially
in eschatological imagery (Am. 5). Darkness is one of the ten plagues that
afflicted Egypt during the Exodus. It is the lurking place of evil and
unclean spirits, which is why both the Bible and the Talmud teach that
night is a spiritually dangerous time. demons even dwell in certain kinds of
shade—that of a lone palm tree, a jujube, a caper, and thorny bushes with
edible fronds (Pes. 11la—b). In the Kabbalistic work Galya Raza, the fact
that darkness preceded light signifies that evil has dominance over good in
Creation, a remarkably pessimistic worldview for a Jewish document.
Just as often, however, darkness is understood dialectically, as a
complement to light and is exalted and celebrated, as evidenced by the daily
Prayers Yotzer Or and Ma’ariv Aravim. In the Zohar, darkness is a fiery
primordial substance and a manifestation of the sefirah of Gevurah (I:16b,
112b).
Kabbalah builds on this dialectic, teaching that just as the Body is a
garment for the Soul, darkness is a garment for light. And just as the body
is an expression of the divine as much as the soul (Igeret ha-Kodesh 1), so
too darkness is as much representative of God as is light. In the words of
the Zohar:
And God said, “Let us make the human in our image, according to our
likeness” (Gen. 1:26). “In our image—this means Light; According to
our likeness—this means Darkness, for Darkness is the garment of the
Light no less than the body is the garment of the soul.” (Gen. I:22b)
Complementing “darkness” is “night,” which signifies Shekhinah, the
lowest sefirah that does not emit its own supernal light, yet is critical to the
harmony of the cosmos. Darkness has its own governing angel (PR 20:2,
53:2). SEE CHAOS; MIDNIGHT; NIGHT; SEFIROT; TWILIGHT.
David ben Jesse, King: Warrior-poet and Israel’s archetypal king. While the
biblical accounts of King David are decidedly naturalistic and almost
completely (with the exception of his encounter with an Angel described in
1 Chronicles) bereft of supernatural events, many legends of the fantastic
are told about David’s life in other Jewish literature.
According to Midrash, when Adam was shown the generations that
would descend from him, God revealed to him that David was destined to
die shortly after birth. Adam was so saddened to see this great Soul cut
short that he gave up seventy years of his own life span for the future king
of Israel (Gen. 5:5; PdRE 19).
Like Samson, David was exceedingly strong, and slew many wild beasts
with his bare hands (Mid. Sam. 20). His extraordinary musical gifts were
Orpheus-like, and he possessed a magical harp that played by itself (B.B.
3b-4a).
During his battle with the giant Goliath, he performed several miracles.
The five stones he selected actually came to him of their own accord. When
he touched them, they merged into a single wondrous and deadly missile.
During their face-off, David cast the evil eye on Goliath, paralyzing him.
After Goliath fell, an Angel helped David in delivering the coup de grace,
as the shepherd was too small to lift the giant’s weapon by himself.!
He encountered other fantastic beasts during his life, including the
brothers of Goliath, a giant re’em, and talking animals. When he was
elevated to kingship by Samuel, the oil of his anointing turned to
gemstones as it dripped from his head (Mid. Teh. 22:22, 34:1; Sot., 42b;
Lev. R. 10:7, 21:2; Ruth R. 4:1; Tanh. Emor 4; Mid. Sam. 20:106—8; Zohar
IlI:272b).
David had an ongoing spiritual association with stones. Later, he would
uncover the even ha-sheyitah, the Foundation Stone of the cosmos, and on
that stone his son Solomon would build the Temple. There are several
legends revolving around David and the foundation stone.
Numerous miracles are recorded in rabbinic literature surrounding his
military campaigns. His death, which was foretold to him, had to be
carefully contrived by the Angel of Death in order to outwit him.
According to one legend, David studied Torah continuously and Death had
to create a distraction before he could seize David’s soul (Shab. 30a—b).
Another claimed David actually fled to the mystic city of Luz, where the
power of Death did not extend, and the Angel had to trick David into
leaving the sanctuary of the city. In a unique legend, he never actually left
the city, and lives on there to this day, like King Arthur in Avalon. This is at
odds with the bulk of tradition, which records his death in detail. At his
funeral, his son Solomon summoned eagles to gather and use their wings to
shield his Body from the sun (Ruth R. 3:2).
On the Day of Judgment, he will arise from the grave and once again sing
his psalms, which will be heard from one end of the universe to the other.
Those sinners in Gehenna who respond “Amen” to his words will be
redeemed instantly (Ruth R. 1:17; PdRE 19; Mid. Teh. 92:10; Num. R.
14:12).
David’s eventual restoration to kingly power over Israel is symbolized by
the moon—though it wanes, it waxes once again (RaSHI’s comment on Ps.
89:38; R.H. 25a; Zohar 1:192a). David is destined to be the biological
ancestor of the Messiah. In later Kabbalistic circles, it became accepted
that the Messiah will in fact be David reincarnated. This belief is derived
from the Talmudic phrase (now a popular song) David Melech Yisrael
(“David, King of Israel’), which includes the refrain, Chai, chai, v’kiyyam
(“[he] lives, lives, and endures’). In the system of the sefirot, David
represents Malchut , the tenth sefirah.
1. L. Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, vol. 3 (Philadelphia, PA: JPS, 1968), 537-38.
Day: In the Zohar, “days” is a Kabbalistic term for the “lower” seven
sefirot.
Day of Judgment: SEE JUDGMENT, DAY OF.
Day of the Lord: SEE JUDGMENT, DAY OF.
Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS): An ancient library of scrolls found in various Caves
between 1947 and 1964 around the ruins of Qumran in the area of the
Dead Sea. The collection was hidden away by an unknown collective of
Jews, probably sectarian priests who had been driven from power in the
Temple, possibly the group known as the Essences, in the centuries before
the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
The collection consists of both biblical and non-biblical documents. The
DSS are far and away the biggest and most ancient collection of Jewish
documents in existence, and their importance is hard to overestimate.! The
documents are now largely translated, after many decades of delay, and
each document is usually known by a number-letter designation, based on
the cave in which the text was found. For example, 4Q561 means [Cave] 4,
Q[umran, document number] 561. Larger finds were occasionally given
names by their translators, such as the Community rule, the Damascus
Document, or the War Scroll. Some smaller, damaged fragments still need
to be matched up, read, and interpreted.
Many of the non-biblical works in the DSS reveal aspects of ancient
Jewish spirituality previously unknown to the world. The documents also
contain myths, traditions, practices, and other information that gives us new
perspective on the Hebrew Scriptures we have today, and even add
background to the ideas found in the Christian Scriptures, though there
were no actual Christian texts found among the DSS. Because of this
potential to create controversy over the history of Judaism and, especially,
the origins of Christianity, the fact that the documents largely remained in
the exclusive control of a small circle of scholars for the first forty years
spawned multiple conspiracy theories and rumors of the shocking
revelations they contained. Since their full publication in the 1990s, many
of the grander paranoid theories have evaporated, but the DSS still contain
many things of interest to the student of the esoteric.
Among the non-biblical texts, there is a particular affinity for stories of
Enoch, a human who ascends into heaven to become an Angel and,
conversely, for the fallen Angel traditions of divine beings that come down
to corrupt humanity, suggesting the authors championed a kind of dualistic
angel mysticism.” There is also a pronounced number mysticism revolving
around groups of fours and sevens. The authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls
were advocates for a solar calendar they believed was given to humanity
by the angels, and opposed the lunar-based calendar being used by the rest
of the Jewish community.”
Besides the documents of priestly spirituality and mysticism, among the
texts in the DSS collection there exist several magical books—books of
spells (4Q510, 4Q511, 11Q11), divination (4Q561), and astrology
(4Q318). For example, 4Q560 is a fragmentary text of magical adjurations
against injurious spirits. 4QCryptic, also known as 4Q1861, is a
fragmentary work of physiognomy (divining based on a person’s physical
features).* Angelologies and demonologies are present in many documents,
along with several elaborate accounts of the eschatological battles to be
expected at the end of time. SEE BRONTOLOGY ; HOROSCOPE ;
APOCRYPHA.
1. Schiffman and VanderKam, Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls, vol. 1, vii—x.
2. Ihid., 249-52.
3. Ihid., 108-16.
4. Tbid., vol. 2, 502-4.
Death: (F112/Mavet). Death entered existence through the sin of the first
humans, who by their disobedience lost access to the Tree of Life (Gen. 3).
Initially, people lived for many hundreds of years each, but God shortened
the life span because of the long-term human inclination to devolve into
violence (Gen. 6).
According to the Talmud, there are 903 ways to die (Ber. 8a). The Bible
speaks repeatedly of karet, being “cut off,’ a heavenly punishment, and al
pei Elohim (“death by the kiss of God’). Sudden death is a sign of divine
displeasure, as is death before age fifty.
The Sages do not consider child deaths in the same way (Shab. 32b). No
righteous person dies until another is born.
Omens of death include the barking of and the appearance of owls,
ominous dreams, and seeing human that lack the head. The dying can see
Adam, the Angel of Death, and/or the Shekhinah. If a man dies smiling,
or with his face uplifted, it is a good omen that he will have ease in the
afterlife, as is dying while facing people, on the eve of the Sabbath, or at
the conclusion of Yom Kippur. If a person dies weeping or with the face
downcast, it is a bad omen. Likewise, if one dies with the face turned away
from people, at the end of the Sabbath, or on the eve of Yom Kippur, it is a
bad sign. rain at the time of death and/or burial is a sign of divine pleasure,
and it is a good omen for the deceased (Hor. 12a; SCh 1516).
The Execution of Haman by E. M. Lilien
Some who are dying achieve a capacity for clairvoyance or Prophecy
(Gen. 49, 50:24; Deut. 31:28-29; Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs;
Testament of Job).
The Soul of the dead escapes through the mouth and at that moment its
voice can be heard from one end of the universe to the other (Gen. R. 6:7).
The windows in the place where a corpse rests should be opened to allow
the spirit to move freely. Based on Job 14:22, the Rabbis teach that the soul
remains conscious, some say until the interment, while others claim the
dead can hear the living until the final decomposition of the Body (Shab.
152b). Some teach that the disoriented soul hovers about the body for three
days (others claimed seven) seeking to reenter it (Lev. R. 18:1; PdRE 34).
According to the Zohar, the soul of the newly dead wanders between its
earthly residence and its grave (I: 226b).
Since the souls of the dead stay close to their bodies until their transition
to Eden, ghosts are mostly limited to the confines of the cemetery (Shab.
152b). The soul’s separation from the body is a painful one, a process called
chibbut ha-kever, “the torment of the grave.” One Sage asserts that worms
feel like needles to the dead (Ber. 18b). This tradition is based on the belief
that the grave itself is atonement for the sins committed in life (Ket. 11 1a).
Kabbalists who taught the doctrine of reincarnation believed that the
souls of the dead, or at least parts of a soul, transmigrate from one living
body to another, and the souls of the disturbed dead can possess the body of
a living being. The souls of the Righteous can be temporarily recalled to
this world to help the living (Kav v’ Yasher; Sha’ar ha-Gilgulim).
Despite the belief in moral accountability through death, because Jews
have not been burdened with the fear of “eternal damnation,’ Jewish
teachings have generally viewed death with great equanimity. The Kotzker
Rebbe compared death to “moving from one home to another.” A. J.
Heschel spoke of it as a “homecoming.” SEE BURIAL; DYBBUK; ETERNAL
LIFE; GHOST; IBBUR; POSSESSION, GHOSTLY; WORLD TO COME.
Decrees, Divine: In the imagination of the Sages, God’s decisions resemble
royal decrees. Each decree written on high is sealed. A decree may be
nullified by repentance, Prayer, and charity (R.H. 16b). The piety of the
Righteous is so great that they have the individual power to reverse a
divine decision (Suk. 42a). Thus, playing on the epithet for Moses, Ish
Elohim (which can mean “Man of God” or “Husband of God”), Midrash
psalms notes that Moses could nullify God’s decrees, just as a husband can
nullify his wife’s vows (90:5).
If God’s decision is sealed, however, then the matter is fated, and humans
cannot change its outcome (Eleh Ezkarah). If the righteous pit themselves
against a fated decree, it can place the very existence of the world in
jeopardy, so in all such cases the pious have chosen to accept the divine
judgment rather than uproot the world (R.H. 16b; High Holiday Machzor;
Aggadat Esther; Midrash Eleh Ezkarah). SEE JUDGMENT, DAY OF; ROSH
HASHANAH.
De Falk, Samuel: SEE FALK, CHAY YIM SAMUEL JACOB.
Demiurge: “Craftsman.” The evil creator god of Gnostic myth. Derived
from the philosophy of Plato, the Gnostics reimagine him as a malevolent
force that imprisons spirit in the material world. Some Gnostic thinkers
(Valentinus, Maricon) claim the demiurge is none other than the God of the
Hebrew Scriptures! SEE GNOSTICS AND GNOSTICISM, ANCIENT.
1. Couliano, The Tree of Gnosis, 115-116, 125.
Demons: (1/Sheid, also Mazzik; Ruach Ha-ra; Se’ir; Malach Mashchit).
Demons are spirits that act malevolently against human beings, usually in
the form of disease, illness, confusion, or misfortune. Judaism has not
produced one uniform attitude toward the demonic, its origins, nature, or
functions. Jews do have traditions of demonic creatures which are
ontologically distinct from humanity (Such as Samael, Asmodeus, and
Lilith), yet an equally large body of Jewish thought regards these same evil
spirits to be malevolent byproducts of humanity: incomplete human Souls,
the malevolent dead, or spirits spawned by human action. While there are a
few pre-existent spirits, demons are usually understood to be spiritual
byproducts of human criminal and immoral sexual activity. Moreover, it is
not until the Middle Ages and the rise of classical Kabbalah in the 13th
century, that one can read of demons that fit the Christian mold of hell-
spawn that threaten the very fabric of the cosmos; the majority of sources
from antiquity view shedim, mazzakim, and kesilim as other traditional
cultures have imagined djinns, sprites, and elves—cruel, mischievous spirits
who afflict humanity with miseries, both great and small.
While the Hebrew Bible devotes remarkably little attention to
demonology, it does make mention of evil spirits (Lev. 16:10; 1 Sam.
16:14—16; Isa. 13:21, 34:14), including satyrs and night demons, but does
not provide a great deal of detail. In fact, the language of the Bible is so
ambiguous, it is often difficult to discern whether the author is referring to a
named demon, or poetically reifying an abstract concept, such as Death,
plague, or pestilence (Jer. 9:20; Hab. 3:5; Ps. 91:6).
Clear-cut and more elaborate stories about demons appear during the
Greco-Roman period. The Gospels, which provide us with a comparatively
detailed picture of Jewish life in Ist-century Palestine, record several
accounts of confrontations between Jesus and demonically possessed
people (Mark 5). Select demons— Belial and Masteman—are mentioned
repeatedly in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Josephus also includes some reflections
on the subject (War 7; Ant. 8:2, 8:5).
The existence of demons, while widely accepted, has always presented a
theological difficulty for Jews. Since all things are ultimately the creation of
the one God, the question of why evil spirits should exist at all has greatly
exercised Jewish thought. Drawing upon the cryptic passage about the
“sons of God” found in Genesis 6:1—4, apocalyptic literature offers the
first attempt to explain their existence in a monotheistic context by claiming
demons are really fallen angel, or the offspring of the union between
humans and fallen angels.! This explanation introduces an enduring strand
of thought, recurrent throughout Jewish literature, that demons are actually
somehow, at least in part, the byproducts of human beings.
Rabbinic literature, particularly the Talmud, provides the most extensive
source for Jewish demonology, though the information is scattered through
many sources, and throughout those sources several explanations for the
existence of demons are offered (Pes. 11la—l111b; Ber. 5a, 60b; Git. 70a;
Shab. 151b; Suk. 28a; Eruv. 100b; B.B. 73a).
The Talmud begins by asserting that they are a creation of the twilight of
the sixth day (M. Avot 5.6). The suggestion is that these spirits are partly
formed souls, unfinished beings left over from God’s creative process. The
Talmudic sources do not specify whether demons are an independent
creation, or whether they first appear as a result of the sin of Adam and
Eve, which in some traditions also happened at twilight of the sixth day.
Whatever the case, they are tied to humanity, for they cannot procreate on
their own; they used semen from Adam in order to make more of their own
kind (Eruv. 18b). A celebrated elaboration on this tradition is that of Lilith,
the first woman, having transformed herself into a witch-demon using the
Tetragrammaton, takes the nocturnal emissions of men she seduces to
procreate demons (AbbS). Eve was also seduced by incubi, producing a line
of malevolent offspring, beginning with Cain (PdRE 21; Targum Pseudo-
Jonathan 4:1).
Midrash Tanchuma picks up further develops a talmudic theme on demon
origins, declaring them to be souls without bodies, creations that were as
yet unfinished when the day of rest commenced (Bereshit 17). Pirke de-
Rabbi Eliezer (34), by contrast, teaches that demons are the disembodied
souls of those who died in the Flood (also see Yalkut Isa. 429). Another
strand of tradition asserts that the sins of a person are inscribed on their
bones, and when they die, demons are a kind of postmortem metaphysical
emission, like the release of the soul (SCh 770, 1170; Kitzur Shelah). The
Zohar likewise claims that some demons are the souls of the wicked dead
(I: 28b—29a, 48a; II: 70a; Ill: 25a), perhaps setting the stage for the later
development of the dybbuk tradition.
One anonymous medieval rationalist even attempted a more naturalistic
interpretation of demons, describing them as a noxious product of the
interaction of sunlight with smoke and vapor that then clings to the Body,
causing illness (Sefer ha-Atzamim). Menachem ben Israel also argues for
what we would describe today as a “naturalistic” explanation of the
demonic.”
In classic Kabbalistic thought, the demonic is a necessary part of creation,
a product of the Sitra Achra, the “other side” of the divine emanations
(specifically gevurah) in the material universe. Medieval mystics who
accept that evil spirits are an intentional feature of the divine order often
characterize demons as “destructive” or “punishing angels,’ a way of
emphasizing that demons, too, are part of God’s Creation and subject to the
divine will. Mystics also clarify and elaborate on the Talmudic position that
demons are the byproduct of human sin; Samael and Lilith are spawned by
the existence of Adam and Eve (Treatise of the Left Emanation).
With regards to their nature, demons occupy an intermediate place
between mortals and angels:
Six things have been said about demons ... In three ways they are equal
to the ministering angels: They have wings as do the ministering angels,
they fly from one end of the world to the other as do the ministering
angels, and they hear the future as it is foretold beyond the supernal
curtain as do the ministering angels. In three ways they are equal to men:
they eat and drink as do men, they sexually reproduce as do men, and
they die as do men. (Chag. 16a)
They are invisible, except under special conditions.
Tractate Berachot has perhaps the most information on demons of any
part of the Talmud. There we learn that demons are pervasive:
It has been taught: Abba Benjamin says, if the eye had the power to see
them, no creature could endure the demons. Abaye says: They are more
numerous than we are and they surround us like the ridge round a field.
R. Huna says: Every one among us has a thousand on his left hand and
ten thousand on his right hand. (Ber. 6a)
Demons tend to congregate most often, and people are most vulnerable to
them, in the wilderness, in ruins, and in other places not normally
frequented by people (Isa. 13:21). It also describes a “diagnostic” ritual for
detecting the presence of the demonic: ashes spread around one’s bed at
nighttime will reveal demon tracks in the morning, and demons can be
rendered visible by grinding up the ashes of a black cat’s afterbirth and then
sprinkling the powder in one’s eyes (Ber. 6a).
While the amulet and magical traditions of antiquity assume that there
are many varieties of evil spirits, RaSHI is one of the earliest writers to try
and formally classify demons, distinguishing between Ruchin, Mazzikim,
and Lilin. The German Pietist Judah he-Chasid taught that at least some
demons actually study Torah and adhere to Jewish law. Based on this
understanding, demonic attacks can occur only when the victim has
transgressed in some way (Sefer Or Zarua). It is interesting to note how
much Judah’s teaching parallels medieval Islamic ideas about the spiritual
life of djinns.
The malevolent effects of demons are many: they cause illness and death,
especially for the vulnerable (children, women in childbirth), they trouble
and deceive the mind, and they cause contention in the community of
mortals.
The appearance of demons varies, but is always terrible. In keeping with
ancient Near Eastern beliefs about evil spirits, and contrary to the Christian
notion of being hooved, demons are usually portrayed as having bird talons
for feet in addition to wings. At night, demons can appear in human form
(Meg. 3a).
Demonic power waxes and wanes according to the time of day, the week,
the seasons, meteorological conditions, topographical features, and other
natural factors (Yalkut Chadash, Keshafim 56; Num. R. 12:3; Pes. 3a—
b,112a; Shab. 67a). The informed person can use this information to
minimize the threat of this power.
Around human habitations, they frequent rooftops, outhouses, and
drainage gutters. Strangely, demons are attracted to synagogues. The Angel
of Death, for example, is said to keep his tools there. There are even stories
of Sages doing night battles with demons in the synagogue (Shab. 66b).
Prominent demons have names, usually derived from their particular
power. Reshef, for example, means “pestilence.” Some demons, like
Samael, have theonymic names like angels. Occasionally demons can have
surprisingly mundane names, like “Joseph.” The name Lilith means either
“air” (Akkadian) or “night” (Hebrew) and has its roots in Mesopotamian
aerial spirits called “lilu.”
Image of rabbi battling demons by
Alfred Feinberg
There are numerous strategies to stop the predations of demons. Reciting
certain psalms repels evil spirits (Pss. 29, 91, 121), as do other key verses
of Scripture (Num. 7:4—6). Magical phrases and incantations have also
been recorded that can combat their malevolent effects, such as these
examples:
Thou were closed up; closed up were you. Cursed, broken, and destroyed
be Bar Tit, Bar Tame, Bar Tina as Shamgaz, Mezigaz, and Istamai [these
are, alternately names of demons and protective angels]. For a demon of
the privy one should say: “On the head of a lion and on the snout of a
lioness there is the demon Bar Shirika Panda; at a garden-bed of leeks I
hurled him down, [and] with the jawbone of an ass I smote him.” (Shab.
67a; also see Pes. 100a; 112a)
The bells on the skirt of the High priest evidently drove them away.
Drinking water only from white containers turns away night demons (Pes.
3a). mezuzah, tefillin, and ritual fringes are credited with the power to
ward off evil spirits (Ber. 5b). The Jews of Mesopotamia additionally
protected their homes with incantation bowls. Temporary protection can be
obtained through the use of magic circles. amulets of nearly infinite variety
have been created across Jewish history to combat demonic assault.
Demons can be bribed with food or money (PdRE 46; T. Shab. 7:16; Ber.
50b) or frightened off with shofar blasts, unpleasant smells, or spitting.
There is also the gesture commonly known as “the fig”:
If a person forgot [to bring suitable protection] and went out [only to
come under attack], what should he do? He should clasp his right thumb
in the fingers of his left hand, and vice-versa, and say, “I and my fingers
are three.” If he hears a voice say “You and I are four,’ he should
respond “You and I are five” and so on, until the demon gets angry and
leaves. (Pes.110a)
guardian angels are the best defense, and are acquired every time one
performs a mitzvah (Ex. R. 32).
Intriguingly, there is a strand of tradition that holds a mortal can work
constructively with demons, if one knows the proper rituals of power to
control them. This idea premised on the implications of absolute
monotheism—all things are created by God purposefully. This belief that
man can direct demonic energy to beneficent purposes is first articulated in
stories about Solomon controlling demons (Jestament of Solomon). One
Sage in the Talmud permits demon summoning, provided one does not
violate Torah in either the manner of the summoning or what is asked of the
spirit (Sanh. 101a). Eliezer of Metz (ca. 12th century) permitted the use of
imps in spells and amulet writing: “Invoking the demons to do one’s will is
permitted ... for what difference is there between invoking demons and
angels?” Demons can be turned against other demons (Lev. R. 24). Rabbi
Judah Loew of Prague permitted communication with demons, but solely
for the purpose of divination (B’er ha-Golah 2).
Sometimes the demon will help a human willingly, which is taken as
evidence that even demons serve God, however inscrutably (Pes. 106a), but
usually spirits must be controlled magically, captured, and coerced to do the
will of the adept. By the same token, anything that smacks of demon
veneration or worship, such as making offerings or burning incense to a
demon, is expressly forbidden (Sanh. 65b). SEE LAW AND THE
PARANORMAL.
1.G. Nickelsburg, ““The Experience of Demons (and Angels) in 1 Enoch, Jubilees,
and the Book of Tobit,” Minutes of the 1988 Philadelphia Seminar on Christian
Origins, http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/psco/ year25/8803a.shtml, 1—20.
2. J. Dan, “The Concept of Evil and Demonology in Rabbi Mannaseh ben Israel’s
Nishmat Hayyim” (Hebrew), Dov Noy Jubilee Volume (1983): 263-74.
Demon Queens: SEE LILITH; IGRAT; MALKAT; NAAMAN.
Depository: (/""/Machon). One of the seven heavens, it is the level that
warehouses all celestial precipitations: rain, snow, hail, dew, as well as the
winds, storms, and vapors (Chag. 12b—13a).
Destiny: SEE FATE.
Devekut: (“*-"). “Clinging/Cleaving.’ The experience of mystical
communion or union with God, usually as an outcome of meditative Prayer
or spiritual exercises. The term originally expressed a more mundane notion
of binding one’s self to God through good deeds and meticulous ritual
practice:
For if you shall diligently keep all these commandments which I
command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his
ways and to cleave unto Him ... (Deut. 11:22)
This sense of the term is widely used in the Talmud (Ket. 111b; Tanh.
Matot 1; Num. R. 22:11), but it could also refer to the desire to draw close
to God (Sanh. 64a, 65b; Sifrei, Shoftim 173; Gen. R. 80:7).
The term is now most intimately associated with various kinds of mystical
ecstatic practices. This esoteric development of the term may reflect the
sometimes “erotic” aspect of the mystical experience. The first use of the
word, after all, appears in Genesis, in association with the union of man and
woman: a man ... shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall become one
flesh (Gen. 2:24).
Isaac the Blind is one of the earliest mystics to make extensive use of the
term, mostly in the context of achieving fullest possible communion with
God by focusing on the sefirot during prayer.| Moses Cordovero described
a magical-theurgic dimension to devekut, in that the act of “clinging to
God” can be used to influence the direction of divine forces in the higher
worlds (Pardes Rimmonim 75d). Chayyim Vital and Chasidism sometimes
use it as term for beneficent spiritual possession *
passage:
as exemplified by this
And how is this mystery of cleaving performed? Let a righteous person
stretch out on the grave of one of the Zanna’im, or one of the prophets,
and cleave with his lower soul to that of the tsaddiq, and with his spirit to
his spirit. Then the Tanna begins to speak with him as a person talks to a
friend—and answers all that he ask, revealing to him all the mysteries of
the Torah.
In Chasidism, the term is used to refer to a general attitude, often linked to
cultivating the emotions of love and fear, of keeping one’s attention
constantly focused toward God. In this way, devekut can be achieved while
at prayer, studying, performing daily mitzvot. Chasidism both affirms the
need for everyone to pursue devekut and the need to be engaged with the
world by teaching that the ordinary tasks of living are, with the right
intention, the stepping stones to greater attachment with God.* This is
because, throughout most of its history, the term has not been used in a way
akin to monastic mysticism or any other kind of denial of worldly life.
Jewish mystics both affirm the need for everyone to pursue devekut and the
need to be engaged with the world by teaching that the ordinary tasks of
living are, with the right intention, the stepping stones to greater attachment
with God (Or ha-Ganuz L’Tsaddikim, 73). However, this sense of a worldly
devekut breaks down in some mystical systems, where it is explicitly
described in terms of “separating” oneself from the material world (Reshit
Chochmah 4:23; Sha’ar ha-Kedushah 4:21).
1.G. Scholem, Origins of the Kabbalah, translated by A. Arkush (New York: Jewish
Publication Society, 1987), 300-301.
2. Goldish, Spirit Possession in Judaism, 257-304.
3. L. Fine, Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos: Isaac Luria and his
Kabbalistic Fellowship (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2003), 283.
4. Wolfson, Along the Path, 89-90.
——
Devekut B’otiyot: (“R= "P25, “Cleaving to the Letters.’ A mystical
Prayer technique taught in early Chasidism. It involves carefully and
fervently articulating each syllable of the words of prayer. The effect is to
create a mantra like chant with little or no interruption in sound.
Dever: (“=7). “Pestilence.” The demon of plagues (Hab. 3:5; Ps. 91:5-6).
Some Bible commentators regard the ten plagues described in Exodus to
each be a demon unleashed by God, Dever being one of them.
Devir: (“"21). The innermost compartment of the Temple, the Holy of
Holies (1 Kings 6:5, 8:6). According to the priests of Qumran, there are
seven heavenly devirim that correspond to the one earthly one (Song of the
Sabbath Sacrifice). SEE HOLY OF HOLIES; SEVEN HEAVENS.
Dew: (72/Tal). Dew is more than mere precipitation in Jewish tradition, it is
a symbol and a metaphor for divine emanation (Shir ha-Kavod; Zohar
I:88a).
There are dews of beneficence and dews of destruction stored in Machon,
the sixth level of heaven. In the seventh heaven, Aravot, there resides the
very special tal shel techiyah, the “dew of resurrection,” which will revive
the dead on the Day of Judgment (Chag. 12b; Shab. 88b; J. Ber. 5:2; PdRE
34). God has had to deploy this dew once already, at Mount Sinai, when
the whole people Israel died of fright from hearing God speak (S of S R.;
Targum S of S).
Though it seems understood in most texts that dew is a precipitation from
the sky, in some Jewish teachings, dew is part of the underworld waters —it
rises from the Earth (Gen. 2:6). As such, it is the “feminine” waters, the
counterpart to the “masculine” rainfall. Only when the two waters combine
can the earth truly fructify. In the Zohar, dew signifies all manner of divine
emanations from on high, including manna, which is a kind of dew (I:
95b; I: 61b).
Deyokan or Deyokna: (“qwyd). “Form/Template/Portrait.” The ideal form of
a person. This elusive term refers to an image, seemingly shared
simultaneous by God and a person.! It is philosophically related to the
Platonic notion of “forms,” of idealized templates of all existent things that
dwell on high simultaneously with the realized object in the lower world.
As the Zohar puts it, it is the “Likeness that includes all likenesses.” RaSHI
uses the term, commenting on Genesis 1:27:
God as Judge, alone without the angels, created the human being ... Ina
mold which was a tzelem deyokan of God, God created the human being,
one being both male and female and which was subsequently divided
into two beings, God created them.
In Zohar, it is described as something that is bonded to the Body at birth. It
appears to a couple in sexual union and, if the relationship worthy, imprints
upon the seed of the child generated by that union (III:104b). Though
invisible, the righteous can interact with their deyokna, even see through its
“eyes,” which gives the person the special sight of Prophecy. There are a
number of cognate notions of an ethereal body or spiritual membrane that
accompanies the material body which also appears in Kabbalah: Guf ha-
Dak (“The sheer body”) and/or the Tzelem (“image”) (Zohar I:7a, Zohar
1:224a—b; Miflaot Elohim 48:6; Nishmat Chayyim 1:13). It is unclear to
what degree these terms are synonyms or describe discreet phenomena.
1.G. Scholem, On the Mystical Shape of the Godhead (New York: Schocken, 1991),
251-270.
Din: (1").“Judgment.” The divine attribute of strict justice. In rabbinic
teachings, God’s attribute of Din is associated with the divine name Elohim.
In biblical stories that refer to God by that name, the power of severe justice
is most present in the world during those episodes. It is from the attribute of
Din that the rigorous, harsh, and even demonic aspects of the world
emanate.
In Kabbalah, Din is synonymous with the sefirah of Gevurah. It is
personified by the angel Gabriel. SEE SEFIROT.
Dina: (1"'1). “Law/Religion.” Another name for the Angel of the Torah.
SEE YEFEITYAH; YOFIEL.
Directions: Each of the cardinal compass points is overseen by a princely
Angel: Michael (south), Gabriel (north), Uriel (east), and Raphael (west).
East is the source of light, north of darkness, west the snow and hail, and
south the rains and dew. (Num. R. 2:10; Zohar I:149b). God assembled
Adam from Earth taken from the four corners of the world (Tanh. Pekudei
3). As early as Sefer Yetzirah, mystical texts begin to talk of vav kitzvot,
“six directions—north, south, eat, west, up, and down, which often function
in subsequent Jewish literature as a merism for “totality” or “everything.”
Elijah Gaon equates these with six sefirotic qualities: love, power, beauty,
endurance, glory, and foundations, as well as the six days of creative
process (Biur ha-Gra Sefer Yetzirah 1:5). Zer Anpin bears the divine quality
of this dimensionality. In the ritual of waving the lulav on the holiday of
Sukkot, the lulav and etrog are held together in the hands waved to the six
directions, to draw waters to the Land of Israel from every point. SEE EAST;
NORTH; SOUTH; WEST.
Disease: The prevalent attitude found in the Hebrew Bible is that disease,
like all other things, comes from the will of God. Some passages in the
Torah also show God using disease as a retribution for sin. At the same
time, God also declares “I am the one that heals you” (Ex. 15:26). Though
this aspect of the Bible could have led Jews to believe, like Christian
Scientists, that human intervention in disease is a violation of God’s will,
that is not how Judaism has dealt with the issue. The Sages, for example,
blame some disease on demonic forces and therefore permit the use of
virtually any remedy, whether natural or supernatural. Today, virtually all
Jews accept scientific theories of natural pathology. It is promised that in
Messianic times, all disease will be curable with the “living waters” that
will flow from Jerusalem (Zech. 13- 14). SEE DEMONS; HEALING.
Divination: (WI2/Simanut, also Nichush; Kesem; K’shafim). “Who is wise?
He who foresees the results of his deeds” (Tam. 32a). Across human
cultures, it has been widely believed that the gods and spirits close to them
(the dead, for example) have privileged knowledge of what will unfold in
the mortal realms. The ability to gain such supernatural insight has been
prized by humans since (and probably before) the dawn of written history.
All divination can be divided into the quest for one of two kinds of
knowledge: knowledge of the future (manticism) and knowledge of present,
but hidden, events (clairvoyance).
Jews are no exception in their desire for this knowledge, and throughout
history many Jews have accepted the reality of divinatory events and
experiences. Moreover, Jews have been practitioners of many different
diviner’s arts across time and geography. Starting with the testimony of the
Hebrew Scripture, however, Judaism has manifested an ambivalent attitude
toward divination and from earliest times Jews have struggled to distinguish
between licit and illicit forms of divination.
The generic biblical words for divination are kesem and nahash. In the
ancient Near East, three types of divinatory practices are documented:
serendipitous Omens, impetrated omens, and mediumistic divination. The
first consists of the reading and interpretation of omens and prodigies in
naturally occurring phenomenon, such as the weather, abnormal births, or
astral signs. The second practice consists of asking questions by means of
divinatory devices, such as casting lots or reading entrails, and the third
involves the consulting of human oracles or divine forces channeled
through a person, such as Prophecy.
Within these general rubrics, the books of the Hebrew Scriptures make
reference to myriad forms of mantic practices, both licit and illicit. Among
the accepted means of divination are prophets and seers of YHVH (Deut.
18:14—22; 1 Sam. 9:6; 2 Kings 3:11), oneiromancy (dream interpretation)
(Gen. 37:5-9; Dan.), Urim and Thummim, the casting of lots (1 Sam.
23:10-12), music (2 Kings 3:15), lecanomancy or hydromancy (reading
patterns in liquid) (Gen. 44:5), and word omens (1 Sam. 14:9-10).
Illicit methods, condemned by biblical authors, include terafim
(consulting idols; Zech. 10:2), hepatoscopy or extispiciomancy (reading
animal entrails; Ezek. 21:26), necromancy (communing with the dead; 1
Sam. 15:23), belomancy (casting or shooting arrows; Ezek. 21:26), and
astrology (Isa. 47:13; Jer. 10:2). At times, the biblical witnesses are not
always in agreement about what constitutes legitimate mantic practice.
Thus, for example, despite the cases of exemplary practitioners like Joseph
and Daniel, the prophet Zechariah condemns oneiromancy along with
other forms of divination (10:2). 2 Kings 13:15—19 recounts a case of what
appears to be prophetically endorsed belomancy.
Clairvoyant divination (revealing a hidden current reality) is less
common, though veridical dreams are acknowledged as a way for mortals
to understand God’s will (Gen. 20:3; 1 Sam. 3:3-10; 1 Kings, 3:5-15).
Other acceptable forms of clairvoyance include the casting of lots to
determine who enjoys God’s favor (1 Sam. 10:20— 24) and conferring with
a seer to find a lost possession (1 Sam. 9:6), though the evidence is more
ambiguous here. Given their narrati
The Encyclopedia Of Jewish Myth, Magic & Mysticism: Second Edition
Geoffrey W. Dennis