It's a kind of magic? The difference between religion and sorcery

The portions of Acharei and Kedoshim present a wide range of different commandments – including several dealing with prohibitions against efforts to draw upon various forms of sorcery to manipulate or predict events in this world. Judaism Reclaimed’s chapter on the subject explores the position of Rambam, Ibn Ezra and the Geonim who take a strong stand against those who conclude, from a simple reading of these admonitory verses, that the Torah views these darker arts as effective:

"Anyone who believes ... that these things are true ... but that the Torah has prohibited them is one of the fools and those lacking knowledge ... But those who possess wisdom ... know ... that all of these things that the Torah prohibits ... are emptiness and vanity that fools stray after, and all of the paths of truth have been corrupted because of them. Because of this the Torah states ..."Perfect shall you be with Hashem, your God”." [Hil. Avoda Zara 11:16]

The chapter focuses in particular on how we are to understand the Torah's repeated warnings and severe penalties for those who partake in these darker arts — particularly according to those who explain that these verses refer to mere trickery and sleight of hand.

This post however will seek to address a different question which has been raised in the past in response to my writings on the subject:

What really is the difference between a religious approach that seeks to manipulate God’s will through ritual acts and prayers, and acts of magic?

While from the perspective of Rambam, fulfilment of the mitzvot and prayer are more focused inwards – to refining and improving ourselves – in order to strengthen our relationship with God and make us more meritorious, how can this question be addressed according to other schools of thought?

The first response is from Rabbi S. R. Hirsch’s treatment of the subject. Suggesting that the word “kishuf” (magic) is phonetically related to “kazav” (cheating), R Hirsch argues that sorcery represents an attempt to manipulate or even outwit God:

“merely deception; it is nothing but getting the better of the other person’s mind”. As if “there were a side door, a hidden passageway, [through] which to escape and accomplish their evil intent, in spite of the world order ordained by God”.

But what of those who approach Jewish ritual as having a direct, guaranteed and automatic ability to alter their fate? Is there a stage at which this can legitimately be compared to magic?

In a book that I was reading recently, a passage from David Blumenthal addressed this point. He considered that, as opposed to commandments and prayer which seek to approach, connect to and petition God with no guarantee of favourable response, magic seeks to “coerce spiritual forces of the universe to do one’s will”.

But what would be the status of someone who attempts to use the Torah’s commandments in order to manipulate and compel God and His divine system so that spiritual forces are bound to his will. Presumably this would not fall strictly under the heading of forbidden magic – though it is someway off Judaism’s ideal approach and aspiration which is the development of a relationship with God through commandments and prayer.

In the area of prayer, at least, such an attitude and practice could lead to a more serious prohibition – if one mechanically recites Tehillim, for example, in an attempt to magically manipulate one’s fate rather than as a way of petitioning God (as was discussed at length here https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16XAJGBt5d/).

The area of Judaism which has the potential for the most “magical” association is probably the Mishkan and Beit HaMikdash, where God’s Presence is understood to rest and his providence greatly intensified. Rav Hirsch reads the conclusion of the Mishkan’s long inauguration process carefully, noting how God’s Presence does not automatically rest in the Mishkan as a direct result of the korbanot. Rather it only does so once Moshe and Aharon subsequently bless the people, signalling religious commitment and prayer:

“God’s Presence, however, did not appear immediately upon the completion of the offerings. If that had happened, it might have lent credence to the pagan superstition that in the offering procedures there is a mysterious quality that has a magical effect upon God and produces an appearance of God to man, in a kind of physical cause-and-effect. But this is not the case. For the one, personal and autonomous God wilfully promised to appear to the people; and He made this promise not on account of the offering, but on account of the commitment…”

This process seems to carry a very strong message for how we should seek to relate to God and His commandments.

For comments and discussion of this piece on Facebook, click here.

Heretics, Skeptics and Magic

Shmuli Phillips is with Ethan Yakhin.

Fasten your seatbelts for a thrilling high-speed roller-coaster ride through sensitive topics such as heresy, scepticism, the evil eye, the thin line dividing monotheism and paganism and much much more...

First posted on Facebook 11 April 2021, here.

Blood. Torah. Science. Magic.

Parashat Va’eira features a fascinating episode in which Pharaoh, having witnessed the miraculous transformation of the Nile to blood, calls upon his court magicians who apparently succeed in imitating the feat. The wizardry of Pharaoh’s servants, which is the earliest biblical reference to witchcraft, confronts us with difficult questions: How does the Torah regard magic? Does it recognise the existence of a “dark side” or are its prohibitions against practising sorcery truly outlawing trickery and sleight of hand?

The chapter of Judaism Reclaimed which grapples with the question of Torah and magic focuses primarily on the approach of Rambam, who understands all sorcery to be a form of intelligent trickery and sophisticated sleight of hand. This approach, which views all darker arts as an outgrowth of idolatry, was the subject of this post last year. 

We note however how many commentaries follow the position of Ramban, who taught that sorcery and the “dark side” do indeed have a genuine existence, the exploitation of which the Torah forbids.It is of particular interest that Ramban’s literal understanding of the passages discussing the darker arts does not appear to have been based solely on his wish to adhere to the simple meaning of the Torah or Gemara’s texts.

Ramban notes the “pious interpretation” of those who did not consider magic to be genuine, but objects that “we cannot deny matters which are proven in front of our eyes”, the prevailing wisdom at his time being that magic and divination were genuinely efficacious. Ramban’s words allow room for speculation as to whether he would have withdrawn his objection to Rambam’s “pious interpretation” of these prohibitions had he lived in a modern scientific era.

This suggestion can perhaps draw support from the position taken by Rabbi S. R. Hirsch. As a matter of general principle, R’ Hirsch strongly endorsed Ramban’s “traditionally-sourced” approach to Judaism over that of Rambam, whom he accused of being unduly influenced by external rational trends. Nevertheless, R’ Hirsch unequivocally cites Rambam’s rationalist conclusion on the subject of magic, writing that it is “merely deception; it is nothing but getting the better of the other person’s mind”.

For some people there is a measure of discomfort in allowing the fickle and fluctuating findings of science to dictate to the Torah’s timeless truths. A subject which is explored in greater detail in a later chapter of Judaism Reclaimed in the context of both halachah and broader Jewish beliefs.

On the subject of halachah’s reliance on and willingness to change in light of new scientific knowledge I saw this very interesting recent video from Rav Asher Weiss, one of the leading halachic decisors in today’s generation.

R’ Weiss, speaking in the context of scientific and medical advice concerning Coronavirus and vaccines, presents eight examples from different areas of Talmudic discussion as to how halachah is often both premised on and prone to change on the basis of scientific findings. Particularly significant are the sources he cites on the subject of blood found in parts of the egg yolk and questions of niddah in which halachah is shown to have changed on the basis of science having improved its understanding of the facts which halachah is interpreting.

Does such an openness to scientific discovery also apply to the realm of Torah interpretation and allow us to favour the approach of those such as Rambam, who understood biblical sorcery as sleight of hand? Or is it legitimate for those following the footsteps of Ramban to suggest that the darker arts – efficacious in an earlier era of prophecy and open miracles – no longer hold sway in our spiritually sub-standard generation?

First posted on Facebook 13 January 2021, here.