Q&A: Magic in the Torah and Talmud
Magic in the Torah and Talmud
Question
Shalom u’vracha Rabbi Michael,
The whole issue of magic in the Torah—meaning sorcery, speaking to the dead, etc.—really concerns me.
I am, of course, aware of the dispute between Maimonides and Nachmanides regarding the reality of magic, and even though my rational thinking allows me to dismiss Nachmanides and his school of thought (and as far as I know, Maimonides was very much the minority opinion), I still find it challenging to do so for two main reasons.
1) My gut tells me that the plain sense of the verse is that if we are forbidden to engage in witchcraft, then it exists, in the Torah’s view. I know I am just repeating Nachmanides’ opinion, but it almost seems to me that Maimonides is engaging in rationalistic apologetics. (You hardly even need to answer me on this. I am clear that Maimonides would not agree.)
2) The Talmud—and I have just been learning a passage of Mishnah and Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin 67, where it is clear that the tannaim (including Rabbi Akiva) and amoraim believed wholeheartedly in magic. So much so that Rabbi Eliezer was able to gather together all the cucumbers in a field by magic, and he did so purely to teach his students!
How does Maimonides reconcile his rationalistic approach with that of the Talmud? (Another way of putting it: how are we supposed to deal with these passages and retain our faith in the Sages? Apologies for being so blunt.)
As usual, please feel free to respond in Hebrew.
Answer
Maimonides also omits laws related to the evil eye and the like. This is his consistent approach.
His son, Rabbi Abraham, in a letter printed at the beginning of Ein Yaakov, explains that perhaps in the past there really were demons and mysticism, but that this changed over time.
I am not sure one needs to go that far. It is quite clear that the Sages believed in the knowledge of their time (such as ancient remedies and folk practices), and there is no problem with saying that they were mistaken. Knowledge and science have advanced, and today we know more than they did. I have spoken more than once about the fact that there is no authority in factual matters.
If you want a survey of sources and approaches among the medieval authorities, there is a very long section in the responsa VeYashev HaYam by Rabbi Moshe Hillel.
Discussion on Answer
Either way: either they really did practice sorcery, in which case it would seem that such a thing exists, or these are aggadic stories meant to teach something—a parable, not a factual report. Maimonides himself writes this in his introduction to the Mishnah. The first is Rabbi Abraham’s approach, and the second is mine.
The other possibility is that they were simply lying. Quite apart from the fact that I do not suspect them of that, it is also unclear what purpose there would be in doing so.
Firstly, Rabbi Michael, I very much appreciate your prompt reply.
I don’t particularly connect to Rabbi Abraham’s approach. Although I suppose one could argue that the same happened to prophecy.
As for understanding the Sages in the context of their times—well, I can see that regarding their grasp of science, for example medical knowledge, planetary motion, the shape of the earth. (To be honest, I do have something of a problem with that too, since it leads them into all kinds of metaphysical conclusions.)
I can accept their belief in astrology too (just about!). And on that issue Maimonides was remarkable and brilliant, resisting both Jewish and non-Jewish belief.
But the Talmud is full of stories in which the Sages carried out magic—or at least so they said. It wasn’t just belief; it was action. I suppose you can write that off, as Maimonides apparently did, but I’m not entirely sure how he can do that, and where all these legends leave us.
All the best