(ו) עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, וְאֵלּו הֵן, פִּי הָאָרֶץ, וּפִי הַבְּאֵר, וּפִי הָאָתוֹן, וְהַקֶּשֶׁת, וְהַמָּן, וְהַמַּטֶּה, וְהַשָּׁמִיר, וְהַכְּתָב, וְהַמִּכְתָּב, וְהַלּוּחוֹת. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, אַף הַמַּזִּיקִין, וקְבוּרָתוֹ שֶׁל משֶׁה, וְאֵילוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ.
Ten things were created on the eve of the [first] Sabbath at twilight, And these are they: [1] The mouth of the earth [that swallowed Korach in Numbers 16:32 ], [2] The mouth of the well [that accompanied the Israelites in the Wilderness in Numbers 21:17], [3] The mouth of the donkey [that spoke to Balaam in Numbers 22:28–30 ], [4] The rainbow [that served as a covenant after the Flood in Genesis 9:13 ], [5] The manna [that God provided the Israelites in the Wilderness in Exodus 16:4–21 ], [6] The rod [of Moses], [7] The Shamir [worm that helped build the Temple without metal tools], [8] The letters, [9] The writing, and [10] The tablets [of the Ten Commandments]. And some say: Also the destructive spirits, And the burial place of Moses, our teacher, And the ram of Abraham, our father.
Guiding Questions:
1.) What does it mean for g-d to have created the destructive spirits? Does that mean that g-d controls them?
2.) Is there any significance to the time (i.e. twilight before the 1st Shabbat) in which these destructive spirits were created?
3.) Can we learn anything else from the other things created at this time?
4.) Is there anything else that stands out to you? Does this text leave you with any questions?
ת"ר ששה דברים נאמרו בשדים: שלשה כמלאכי השרת ושלשה כבני אדם. שלשה כמלאכי השרת: יש להם כנפים כמלאכי השרת וטסין מסוף העולם ועד סופו כמלאכי השרת, ויודעין מה שעתיד להיות כמלאכי השרת יודעין. ס"ד אלא שומעין מאחורי הפרגוד כמלאכי השרת. ושלשה כבני אדם: אוכלין ושותין כבני אדם, פרין ורבין כבני אדם, ומתים כבני אדם.
The Rabbis taught: Six things were said about demons: three like the servicing angels, and three like people. Three like the servicing angels: They have wings like the servicing angels, they fly from one end of the world to its [other] end like the servicing angels, and they know what will happen in the future like the servicing angels. They know [on their own], you might have thought; Rather, They hear from behind the curtain like the servicing angels. And three like humans: They eat and drink like humans, they are fruitful and multiply [ie. they have children] like humans, and they die like humans.
Guiding Questions:
1.) How does this text depict the relationships among servicing angels, humans and demons? If you were to create a diagram of these relationships, what might it look like?
2.) What does it mean when the text says that demons know what will happen (like the angels), and they know this from "behind the curtain?"
3.) What might demons eat and drink? Have they too been given the "be fruitful and multiply" directive? And how might they die?
4.) Is there anything else that stands out to you? Does this text leave you with any questions?
תניא אבא בנימין אומר: אלמלי נתנה רשות לעין לראות אין כל בריה יכולה לעמוד מפני המזיקין.
אמר אביי: אינהו נפישי מינן וקיימי עלן כי כסלא לאוגיא.
אמר רב הונא: כל חד וחד מינן אלפא משמאליה ורבבתא מימיניה.
אמר רבא: האי דוחקא דהוי בכלה מנייהו הוי הני ברכי דשלהי מנייהו הני מאני דרבנן דבלו מחופיא דידהו הני כרעי דמנקפן מנייהו.
האי מאן דבעי למידע להו לייתי קיטמא נהילא ונהדר אפורייה ובצפרא חזי כי כרעי דתרנגולא.
האי מאן דבעי למחזינהו ליתי שלייתא דשונרתא אוכמתא בת אוכמתא בוכרתא בת בוכרתא ולקליה בנורא ולשחקיה ולימלי עיניה מניה וחזי להו.
There is a teaching : Abba Benjamin said : Had the human eye been given the power of seeing them, no person could endure because of the evil spirits.
Abbai said : They outnumber us, and surround us like the ridge round a field.
Rab Huna said : Every one of us has a thousand on his left hand and myriads on his right.
Raba said : The crush at the public discourses is due to them ; the knees grow fatigued because of them ; the wearing out of the clothes of the Rabbis is the consequence of their rubbing against them ; the feet are bruised by them.
Who wishes to perceive their footprints should take sifted ashes and sprinkle them around his bed. In the morning he will see something resembling the footprints of a cock.
Who wishes to see them should take the after-birth of a black she-cat, the offspring of a black she-cat, the first-born of a first-born, roast it in the fire, pulverise it, then fill his eyes with it, and he will see them.
Guiding Questions:
1.) How are we supposed to feel after reading this text? It would seem like we are literally swimming in demons. Are they a threat? Or are they more of a nuisance?
2.) How do we think the rabbis meant "demon?" How well does this understanding seem to match up with our class definition of demon?
3.) Is there anything else that stands out to you? Does this text leave you with any questions?
כי הא דרב יעקב בריה דרב אחא בר יעקב שדריה אבוה לקמיה דאביי.
כי אתא חזייה דלא הוה מיחדדין שמעתיה.
א"ל: אנא עדיפא מינך, תוב את דאיזיל אנא.
שמע אביי דקא הוה אתי, הוה ההוא מזיק בי רבנן דאביי, דכי הוו עיילי בתרין אפי' ביממא הוו מיתזקי.
אמר להו: לא ליתיב ליה אינש אושפיזא, אפשר דמתרחיש ניסא.
על, בת בההוא בי רבנן, אידמי ליה כתנינא דשבעה רישוותיה, כל כריעה דכרע נתר חד רישיה.
אמר להו למחר: אי לא איתרחיש ניסא, סכינתין.
Kiddushin 29b
Thus R`Jacob, son of R`Aha B`Jacob, was once sent by his father [to study] under Abaye.
On his return he [his father] saw that his learning was dull.'
I am better than you,' said he [father] to him; 'do you remain here, so that I can go'.
Abaye heard that he was coming.
Now, a certain demon haunted Abaye's schoolhouse, so that when two entered, even by day, they were injured.
He [Abaye] ordered, 'Let no man afford him [father] hospitality; perhaps a miracle will happen.'
So he [father] entered and spent the night in that schoolhouse, during which the demon appeared to him in the guise of a seven-headed dragon.
Every time he [father] fell on his knees in prayer one head fell off.
The next day he [father] reproached them: 'Had not a miracle occurred, you would have endangered my life.'
Guiding Questions:
1.) What does this text tell us about demons? How do we know when we've encountered one? Are they dangerous?
2.) Does this text suggest that anyone can defeat a demon? Does this text suggest that prayer is the only way? Do we think the demon was fully defeated or killed by the end of the story?
3.) Is there anything else that stands out to you? Does this text leave you with any questions?