Terrifying Texts

(7) חקת עולם תהיה זאת, not to offer sacrifices to the demons even though they were not being equated with deities in any manner, but were considered only as creatures that could be employed by their human masters. They even used to employ such demons for errands to distant countries. We have documented proof of this in the case of Joseph Shida [the demon named Joseph].(Sanhedrin 59, compare Nachmanides) and about the demon who was prominent in the household of Rav bar Rav Ashi (Chulin 105). Had such demons been considered deities it is inconceivable that people of Rav Ashi’s stature or Rav Pappa’s stature would have had any track with them whatsoever.
It is reported in the Talmud that whereas little is known about the manner of these demons’ creation, they are known to eat and drink just as human beings. It is further worthy of mention that the sages, collectively, referred to the phenomenon of the demons as מזיקים, destructive, harmful phenomena. They multiply in a manner similar to humans and they die a regular death. They see without being seen themselves.
Apparently, although they are composed of composite material, their bones are extremely thin and transparent. The author speculates that just as ordinary human beings in common with the animals possess a נפש חיוני “intangible life-force” which, seeing that it dies with the body it inhabits, as distinct from the human נשמה which is an intangible spirit emanating in the celestial regions, is basically terrestrial in nature, these demons are “powered” by such a life-force. The reason we find that “life-force” referred to on occasion as נפש is the fact that it cannot exist without its tangible partner, the one which feeds on food and drink secured from what is available in our terrestrial universe.
Consider the very fact that the Torah describes “blood as the life-force” (Deuteronomy 12,23). If someone were to sacrifice blood to such a creature, especially, seeing that it is powerful enough to sustain the life of such creatures, the blood sacrificed to such creatures would be equivalent to keeping these demons alive. (compare Maimonides, Moreh Nevuchim,3,46 on the subject).
This would be a violation of the statement in Chulin 105 כל מידי דצייר וחתים וכייל ומני לית לן רשותא למשקל מינעה. This is a conversation between the “owner” of a demon, Mar bar Rav Ashi, according to which the demon who had not paid back a loan on time to the “owner” claimed that his power to collect objects in this world did not include objects which were clearly defined and visible. From this Tossaphot Taanit 8 divrey hamatchil אלא בדבר concludes that if clearly defined and visible phenomena in this world were out of bounds to the demons unless they were definitely ownerless, phenomena which are not visible to us humans belonged to the category of phenomena over which such demons did have control.
At any rate, when a situation exists when many people find such demons useful and pliable to their wishes, people indulged in offering them blood so as to endear themselves to these creatures and to get them to perform their wishes. The people offering these gifts of blood used to eat it themselves also, in order to share more common ground with these creatures. Some people even made a point of consuming the blood of such “gifts” to the demons in the vicinity of the Temple. They were under the impression that these demons were performing their dances in that vicinity. They hoped to ingratiate themselves with these creatures by showing them this kind of “respect.”
When G’d decided to sanctify us and He separated His people from dependence on such demons and taught us not to pursue such ultimately useless phenomena and put our trust in them, seeing that contrary to a superficial perception they are really mazikim, destructive forces, as our sages correctly described them, He levied a severe penalty on people who continue such relationships as they used to entertain with demons. The penalty of karet means severance from one’s own people’s eternal future. (verse 10)
G’d levied a similar penalty on eating blood and offering gifts to these demons as He had levied at the time in Gan Eden when he forbade eating from the tree of knowledge on pain of man becoming mortal, i.e. losing an aspect of his infinity on this earth. (Genesis 2,17). The Torah rationalized its prohibition and the severity of the penalty by stating: “for the soul (intangible life-force) of the flesh is in the blood.” This is the Torah’s way of referring to the almost invisible essence of these creatures. On the one hand, this essence is called nefesh “life-force,” on the other hand it is referred to as blood, as once the blood stops coursing through the veins of the body it feeds it is the end of the existence of both the body and life force of such creatures. G’d added (verse 11) ואני נתתיו לכם על המזבח לכפר, “I have given you an opportunity to present this blood on My altar in order to facilitate your atonement for your life-force.
The point G’d is making is that as opposed to these demons for whom such blood is an essential part of their nutrients, enabling them to stay alive, I, the Lord, do not need anything like this for Myself; on the contrary, I have provided you My people with an opportunity to remain alive yourselves by achieving atonement for your sins by means of sacrifices involving the life blood of the animal you are offering.
Sacrifices, offerings, in order to be meaningful as expiation, must be in a certain reciprocal relationship to the donor. If the donor had been guilty of forfeiting his life, only someone else’s life, in this instance the blood of the sacrificial animal, can possibly achieve this kind of atonement in lieu of the sinner’s lifeblood himself. Other parts of the sacrificial animal being burned up on the altar, similarly, correspond to the parts of the body of the donor which had been guilty of committing the sin for which the donor hopes to atone. (compare author on Leviticus 1,2)

(6) Ten things were created on the eve of the [first] Shabbat at twilight. And these are they: The mouth of the earth [that swallowed Korach in Numbers 16:32]; and the mouth of the well [that accompanied the Israelites in the wilderness in Numbers 21:17]; and the mouth of the donkey [that spoke to Bilaam in Numbers 22:28–30]; and the rainbow [that served as a covenant after the flood in Genesis 9:13]; and the manna [that God provided the Israelites in the wilderness in Exodus 16:4–21]; and the staff [of Moshe]; and the shamir (the worm that helped build the Temple without metal tools); and the letters; and the writing; and the tablets [all of the latter three, of the Ten Commandments]. And some say, also the destructive spirits, and the burial place of Moshe, our teacher, and the ram of Abraham, our father. And some say, also the [first human-made] tongs, made with [Divine] tongs.

(2) (Ecc. 2, 8) I procured men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, and Shidda and Shidath; i.e., men singers and women singers, refers to different musical instruments and the delight of the sons of men refers to swimming pools and bath houses. As to Shidda and Shiddath here (in Babylon) it was interpreted to signify male demons and female demons, while in the West (the land of Israel) they said it means carriages [for lords and ladies, respectively]. Said R. Jochanan: "Three hundred" different kinds of demons were to be found in Sichin [all of whom were known to me], nevertheless the kind called Shidda is unknown to me." The master said above: "Here (in Babylon) it was interpreted to signify male demons and female demons." For what purpose did King Solomon require them? The following passage will answer (I Kings 6, 7) And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither, etc. For before the operation [of the Temple] commenced Solomon asked the Rabbis: "How shall I accomplish this?" (without using tools of iron.) Whereupon they replied: "There is the Shamir, with which Moses cut the precious stones of the Ephod." "Where is it to be found?" Solomon asked the Rabbis. To which they replied, "Let a male demon, and a female come' and do thou coerce them both; perhaps they know and will reveal it to thee." He then conjured into his presence a male and a female demon, and tortured them. But in vain, for they said: "We do not know his whereabouts, and cannot tell ; perhaps Ashmedai, the king of the demons, knows." "But where is he to be found?" Solomon inquired of them. They answered : "In yonder mount is his residence. There he has a pit and, after filling it with water, covered it over with a stone and sealed with his own seal. Daily he ascends to heaven and studies in the school up there ; then he comes down and studies in the school down here. After this he goes and examines the seal, then opens the pit and after quenching his thirst covers it up again and seals it and departs."

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.

(5) Benayahu asked Ash medai why it was that when he saw the blind man straying that he so promptly interfered to guide him? "Because," replied he, "it was proclaimed in heaven concerning that man that he was perfectly righteous, and that whoever did him a favor would deserve the inheritance of the future world." "And when you saw the man overcome with wine and wandering out of his way, why did you put him right again?" "Because," again replied Ashmedai, "it was announced in heaven that he was exceedingly wicked, and I have done him a good service, so that whatever good he might have done, he should enjoy it in this world." "And why did you weep when you saw the merry wedding party?" He replied : "Because the bridegroom was destined to die within thirty days and the bride will have to wait thirteen years for her husband's brother who is now but an infant." "Why did you laugh so when the man ordered a pair of shoes that would last him seven years?" "Because the man himself was not sure of living seven days." "And why did you jeer when you saw the conjuror at his tricks?" "Because," said Ashmedai, "the man was at the very time sitting on a princely treasure and he did not, with all his pretentions, know that it was under him." King Solomon decided to detain Ashmedai till the building of the Temple was completed. One day when the king was alone with Ashmedai, he asked the latter: "What is your superiority over us concerning which the passage reads (Num. 23, 32) He has the strength of a unicorn, concerning which tradition alleges that the word strength refers to ministering angels, and the word unicorn refers to demons?" Ashmedai replied: "Only remove this chain from my neck and give me thy signet ring, and I will soon show you my superiority." No sooner did King Solomon comply with this request, than Ashmedai snatching him up, swallowed him; then stretching forth his wings — one touching the heaven and the other the earth — he vomitted him out again to a distance of four hundred miles. It is with reference to this time that Solomon said (Ecc. 1, 3) What profit hath a man of all his labor which he toileth under the sun? and (Ib. 2, 10) This it my portion of all my labor. What does the article this mean? Rab and Samuel are at variance upon this point, for the one said it means his staff, while the other holds that it means his kingly garment, with which Solomon went about from door to door begging, and whenever he came he said (Ib. 1, 12) I, the preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. When in his wanderings he came to the Sanhedrin, they reasoned, saying: "If he were merely insane he would not keep repeating the same things over and over again; therefore what docs this mean?" They inquired of Benayahu: "Does the king invite you into his presence?" "No!" came the reply. They then sent to see whether the king visited his harem. And the reply came. "Yes, he comes." Then the Rabbis sent word back that they (the harem) should look at his feet, for the demon's feet are like those of a cock. To this the answer was: "He comes to us in stockings." Upon this information the Rabbis escorted Solomon to the palace, and restored to him the chain and the ring, on both of which the name of God was engraved." Arrayed with these, Solomon advanced straightway into the presence-chamber. Ashmedai sat at that moment on the throne, but as soon as he saw Solomon enter, the took fright and raising his wings flew away. In spite of this Solomon continued in great fear of him; and this explains the passage (Songs 3, 7, 8) Behold the bed which is Solomon's; three score valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel; they all hold swords being expert in war; every man has his sword upon his thigh, because of fear in the night. Rab and Samuel are at variance upon this point ; one holds that Solomon was a king and a layman, the other holds that he was king, a layman and again a king.

(2) A man who has instructed another in any subject, and has improved his knowledge, may in like manner be regarded as the parent of the person taught, because he is the author of that knowledge: and thus the pupils of the prophets are called "sons of the prophets," as I shall explain when treating of the homonymity of ben (son). In this figurative sense, the verb yalad (to bear) is employed when it is said of Adam, "And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat (va-yoled) a son in his own likeness, in his form" (Gen. 5:3). As regards the words, "the form of Adam, and his likeness," we have already stated (ch. i.) their meaning. Those sons of Adam who were born before that time were not human in the true sense of the word, they had not "the form of man." With reference to Seth who had been instructed, enlightened and brought to human perfection, it could rightly be said, "he (Adam) begat a son in his likeness, in his form." It is acknowledged that a man who does not possess this "form" (the nature of which has just been explained) is not human, but a mere animal in human shape and form. Yet such a creature has the power of causing harm and injury, a power which does not belong to other creatures. For those gifts of intelligence and judgment with which he has been endowed for the purpose of acquiring perfection, but which he has failed to apply to their proper aim, are used by him for wicked and mischievous ends; he begets evil things, as though he merely resembled man, or simulated his outward appearance. Such was the condition of those sons of Adam who preceded Seth. In reference to this subject the Midrash says: "During the 130 years when Adam was under rebuke he begat spirits," i.e., demons; when, however, he was again restored to divine favour "he begat in his likeness, in his form." This is the sense of the passage, "Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and he begat in his likeness, in his form" (Gen. 5:3).

(7) The great book on this subject is the book On the Nabatean Agriculture, translated by Ibn Wahshiya. In a succeeding chapter I shall explain why the Sabeans had their religious doctrines written in a work on agriculture. The book is full of the absurdities of idolatrous people, and with those things to which the minds of the multitude easily turn and adhere [perseveringly]; it speaks of talismans, the means of directing the influence [of the stars]; witchcraft, spirits, and demons that dwell in the wilderness. There occur also in this book great absurdities, which are ridiculous in the eyes of intelligent people. They were intended as a criticism and an attack on the evident miracles by which all people learnt that there exists a God who is judge over all people. Comp. "That thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord's" (Exod. 9:29), "That I am the Lord in the midst of the earth" (ibid. 8:18).

(10) If they heard a voice saying "So-and-so died," and they went [to look] but did not find a man (i.e. they did not find a source for the voice), they may still permit his wife to remarry. If they heard this voice in the field or a cistern or a ruin, we do not permit remarriage on the basis of this voice because we are concerned that it came from a demon, as the voice derived from locales frequented by demons.