Ba'alat Ov

Or any who use, (magical) knots, or are binders of snakes, scorpions, or any kinds of reptiles, or are consulters of oba, or who bring up the manes, or seek to learn from the dead.

"A conjurer [chover chaver]" (Deuteronomy 18:11) is one who pronounces incantations, as explained in Sifrei (Shoftim 172). And all of these arts — divination, soothsaying, and augury — are all referred to by our sages of blessed memory as "the ways of the Emorites." Within the body of these practices, however, some are forbidden and some permitted. The Rambam's view on this is that anything not dictated by rational considerations is forbidden and anything else, permitted. This view is based on the statement in Tractate Sabbath (67a): "Abbaye and Rava both agree that anything within the province of healing is not in the category of 'the way of the Emorites.'" The implication is that anything dictated by reason is not within the category of "the ways of the Emorites" and that anything else is. This is the intent of the question which follows (Ibid): "Is this to imply that anything not within the province of healing is in the category of 'the ways of the Emorites'? Did we not learn: 'A tree that is losing its fruits should be coated with red paint and be weighted down by stones so as to weaken it [its over-richness being responsible for the fruit loss]'?" That is: we can understand weighing it down, this being dictated by reason, but what healing is effected by coating it with red paint? There are no cause and effect considerations or other natural considerations which would warrant this. And the Gemara answers: "So that people notice its condition and pray that it be healed."

These ten kinds are, "a diviner, that uses divinations, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer" (Devarim 18:10-11). There are ten in all.

Who is a necromancer? He who starves himself and then proceeds to lodge on the cemetery so as to bring the dead up in his dream and make known to him what he would ask him for. And there are others who clothe themselves with certain garments, utter certain words, and burn certain incense, and sleep alone so that a certain deceased person come to converse with him in his dream. As a general rule in this matter: Whosoever commits an overt act in order to have the dead come and give him information is striped, for it is said: "There shall not be found among you…. or a necromancer" (Deut. 18.10–11).¹⁶Sanhedrin, 65b; Sifre, Deut. 18. C. G.

Who is a charmer? He who utters words which are not of the vernacular of the people, and which have no significance but supposes in his credulous mind that those words are of help, until others are led to say; "If he pronounces thus and such against a serpent or against a scorpion it will not harm; and if he says such and thus against fire it will do no damage". Among them there is such who, while talking holds in his hand a key, or a rock; such and other similar artifice the whole of it is forbidden. As for the charmer himself, either if he held aught in his hand, or if he committed any act along with his utterance, even if he merely pointed with his finger, is striped, as it is said: "There shall not be found among thee.… Or a charmer (Deut. 18.10–11). But if he merely uttered his prattle, and moved neither hand nor head, holding nothing in his hand; and so the individual, over whom he delivered himself of those noises, who sits before him and appears to derive joy of the performance, should be punished as a rebel because he became a party to the silliness of the charmer. All such chatter and ridiculously obscene nomenclature are harmless but without the least good about them.

Who is a necromancer? He who starves himself and then proceeds to lodge on the cemetery so as to bring the dead up in his dream and make known to him what he would ask him for. And there are others who clothe themselves with certain garments, utter certain words, and burn certain incense, and sleep alone so that a certain deceased person come to converse with him in his dream. As a general rule in this matter: Whosoever commits an overt act in order to have the dead come and give him information is striped, for it is said: "There shall not be found among you…. or a necromancer" (Deut. 18.10–11).¹⁶Sanhedrin, 65b; Sifre, Deut. 18. C. G.

(Devarim 18:11) "chover chaver" (one who gathers animals into one spot and divines through them): whether he gathers snakes or scorpions.

Or any who use, (magical) knots, or are binders of snakes, scorpions, or any kinds of reptiles, or are consulters of oba, or who bring up the manes, or seek to learn from the dead.

אל תפנו אל האובות, “do not turn to the sorceries that follow, etc.” [if I understood the author correctly. Ed.] “Do not have social intercourse with these sorcerers even on the Sabbath, thinking that since they do not practice their art on the Sabbath that this is harmless. Ibn Ezra writes that this is a warning not to do what King Sha-ul did near the end of his reign in desperation, when he asked a sorcerer to conjure up the deceased prophet Samuel’s image (Samuel I 28,7) The word אובות is derived from Job 32,19 וכאובות חדשים יבקע, describing skins filled with wine that are full to bursting. בעלי אובות, those soothsayers are like people who cannot wait to reveal the knowledge they believe that they possess. The word ידעוני, is related to דעת, knowledge, and also describes these supposedly knowledgeable people who foretell future events. The Torah adds that the result of turning to such soothsayers will be