Q&A: Demons and Spirits
Demons and Spirits
Question
There is an article on Kikar HaShabbat about the dispute between Maimonides and a significant number of the medieval authorities (Rishonim) regarding the existence of demons. It seems that their dispute is not about facts, even though the disagreement is over whether they exist or not. Maimonides holds, based on his worldview, that such a thing as demons is not logical, while the other early authorities—Rashba, Nachmanides, and others—disagree and say that the Torah and the Talmud seem to indicate, and prove, that they do exist.
And my question is: what is the Rabbi’s view? Could it be that in the past there were demons and only now there are not (even though there are people who testify that they saw them, but usually they come from certain communities and a low socioeconomic background…)? In other words, my question is whether there is something rational that compels the non-existence of demons and the like, or whether their existence is plausible like Russell’s flying teapot (I think). And if that is the reason, then perhaps the Talmud, which mentions demons, and the interpretation of the great medieval authorities that this is to be taken literally, would give us reason to conclude that such a thing as demons etc. could indeed exist in our world.
(I know there is no practical implication to this at all, except maybe the concern about a demon in a pit in Gittin, which is also ruled in the Shulchan Arukh, but still I’d be happy for a response.)
Answer
To formulate it more precisely: the dispute is about facts, but the dispute is based on a difference in outlooks.
But even the difference in outlooks—whether it makes sense or not that demons exist—is itself based on facts and observations. Someone who tends not to accept the existence of demons is probably relying on his scientific-empirical picture of the world. So we are back again to facts.
I do not think anyone maintains that it is impossible for demons to exist. They certainly could exist. The question of whether they do exist is a question of probability and evidence. Presumably Maimonides would demand strong evidence for this, and in his view the evidence is not strong enough. Others think it is. And that is exactly Russell’s celestial teapot that you mentioned.
The aggadic statements of the Sages on this topic, and in general, are interpreted by Maimonides metaphorically and not as factual testimony.
Rabbi Abraham his son, if I remember correctly in an article on aggadah printed at the beginning of Ein Yaakov, wrote that reality had indeed changed since the time of the Sages, but in my opinion it is very doubtful that Maimonides himself really meant that. He himself writes there that one should not accept the words of the Sages in areas that are not Jewish law. True, if one interprets the aggadot literally, then we have testimony here from reliable people and it should be accepted—not because of their halakhic authority. But as I said, it is doubtful whether he saw this as testimony.
Discussion on Answer
Tiny harmful agents that cause disease (and are found mainly in dirty places) are nowadays called “bacteria,” and can be seen under a microscope. Smaller than them, but no less harmful, are “viruses,” which can be seen only with an electron microscope.
Beyond them there is “dark matter” (27%) and “dark energy” (68%), which cannot be observed at all, but their imprint is evident in their effect on changes in gravity and the expansion of the universe. Compared to the familiar matter-energy (5%)—they really are as obvious to us as a thorn in wool, and apparently the world is far more complex and intricate than we describe it.
Best regards,
Corona Omicron
In Maimonides’ view, the “harmful agents” are evil thoughts…
https://mobile.kikar.co.il/article/406223
By the way, that’s the article on Kikar HaShabbat.
By the way, even when demons appear in Jewish law, that does not necessarily mean it is talking about demons as actually existing creatures. For example, when they speak about “warned by the mouth of a demon,” they do not mean that demons warned him, but rather that the warning can come from any source whatsoever and not necessarily from the witnesses or from human beings. The main thing is that the person has been warned. Just like the case of the flying camel, etc.