A Witch We Can't Scratch

Let no one be found among you who consigns a son or daughter to the fire, or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer, one who casts spells, or one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who inquires of the dead. For anyone who does such things is abhorrent to Hashem, and it is because of these abhorrent things that your God Hashem is dispossessing them before you.

You shall not let a witch live.

The Sages taught in a baraita: The verse: “You shall not allow a witch to live” (Exodus 22:17), does not refer only to a female who practices sorcery; both a man and a woman are included. If so, why does verse state “a witch”? This is because most women are familiar with witchcraft.

The Sages taught: "Witch" refers to both man and women. If so, why does the Torah say "[female] witch?" Because more women are familiar with witchcraft. It appears to me, with the help of Heaven, that this is because witches are impure spirits, and it is known that the husk and impure spirits latch successfully onto the power of [spiritual] judgement more often. And therefore it speaks of women in the sense of the majority of witchcraft judgements. Furthermore, it seems to me that the reason is that women are more often found with their bodies in impurity due to their menstrual cycle. They are therefore dragged down towards witchcraft because "kind finds its kind and is stirred."

He [Hillel] used to say: The more flesh, the more worms; The more property, the more anxiety; The more wives, the more witchcraft...

The Master said: One of the halakhot learned from the incident involving Rabban Gamliel was that one may not pass by food; rather, one must treat the food with respect and pick it up. Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai: They taught this ruling only in the early generations, when Jewish women were not accustomed to using witchcraft. However, in the later generations, when Jewish women are accustomed to using witchcraft, one may pass by food, as a spell might have been cast on the bread, and one must not put himself in unnecessary danger. A Sage taught: If the loaves are whole, one may pass them by, as they might have been placed there for the purposes of witchcraft; however, if they are in pieces, one may not pass them by, because bread in pieces is not used for witchcraft. Rav Asi said to Rav Ashi: Do they not perform magic with pieces of bread? Isn’t it written in the verse that deals with witchcraft: “And you have profaned Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread” (Ezekiel 13:19)? The Gemara answers: The verse does not mean that they used pieces of bread in their witchcraft, but rather that they took such pieces as their wages.

We learned that one does not pass over food. And that leavened matter of a Gentile is permitted immediately after Passover. And that one follows the majority of travelers.” R' Jacob bar Zavdi in the name of R' Abbahu: That is, in earlier times. But today we pass over edibles because of witchcraft.

It is the object and centre of the whole Torah to abolish idolatry and erase its memory, and to overthrow the opinion that any of the stars could interfere for good or evil in human matters, because it leads to their worship. It was therefore necessary to slay all witches as being undoubtedly idolaters, because every witch is an idolater, without doubt: but they have their own strange, unique ways of worship, which are different from the common mode of worship offered to those deities. But in all these actions it is laid down as a rule that women should be employed in the chief operation; as it says, “You shall not let a witch live” (Exod. 22:17).

Another reason is the natural reluctance of people to slay women. This is also the cause why in the laws of idolatry it is said “man or woman” (Deut. 17:2), and again repeated a second time, “the man... or the woman” (ibid. ver. 5)—a phrase which does not occur in the laws of desecrating Shabbat, or in any other law; for great sympathy is naturally shown to women.

Now the witches believed that they did something by their witchcraft; that they were able, through those actions, to drive such dangerous animals as lions, serpents, and the like out of the cities, and to remove various kinds of damage from the products of the earth. Thus they imagine that they are able by certain acts to prevent hail from coming down, and by certain other acts to kill the worms of the vineyards, whereby the latter are protected from injury (in fact, the killing of the worms in vineyards, and other superstitions mentioned in the Nabatean worship books, are fully described by the Sabeans). They likewise imagine that they know certain acts by which they can prevent the dropping of leaves from the trees and the untimely falling of their fruit. On account of these ideas, which were general in those days, the principle “the words of the covenant” is: That idolatry and witchcraft which, in your belief, keep certain misfortunes far from you, will cause those very misfortunes to befall you. “I will also send wild beasts among you” (Lev. 26:22), “I will also send the teeth of wild beasts upon them, with the poison of those that creep in dust” (Deut. 32:24).” The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation, which thou knowest not, eat up” (ibid. 28:33). “Thou shalt plant vineyards and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, etc. Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil” (Deut. 28:39, 40).

The main point: in spite of the schemes of idolaters to support and establish their doctrine, and to make people believe that by idolatry certain misfortunes could be averted and certain benefits gained, worship of idols will, on the contrary, as is stated in “the words of the covenant,” prevent the advantages and bring the troubles. Thus, you will now understand why, of all kinds of curses and blessings, those mentioned in “the words of the covenant” have been selected by the Torah, and particularly pointed out. And know, that the greatness of the benefit [of these laws] is also as such.

A sorcerer must be condemned to execution by stoning. This applies when he commits a deed of sorcery. If, however, he merely deludes those who observe him into thinking that he is performing an act although he actually does not, he is given stripes for rebelliousness.
[The reason is] that the prohibition against sorcery is stated in the prohibition [Deuteronomy 18:10-11]: "There shall not be found among you one who... [practices sorcery]." It is a prohibition which is punishable by execution by the court, as [Exodus 22:17] states: "Do not allow a witch to live." [Therefore,] lashes are not administered for its violation.

All the above matters are falsehood and lies with which the original idolaters deceived the gentile nations in order to lead them after them. It is not fitting for the Jews who are wise sages to be drawn into such emptiness, nor to consider that they have any value as [implied by Numbers 23:23]: "No black magic can be found among Jacob, or occult arts within Israel." Similarly, [Deuteronomy 18:14] states: "These nations which you are driving out listen to astrologers and diviners. This is not [what G-d... has granted] you."
Whoever believes in things of this nature and, in his heart, thinks that they are true and words of wisdom, but are forbidden by the Torah, is foolish and feebleminded. He is considered like women and children who have underdeveloped intellects.
The masters of wisdom and those of perfect knowledge know with clear proof that all these crafts which the Torah forbade are not reflections of wisdom, but rather, emptiness and vanity which attracted the feebleminded and caused them to abandon all the paths of truth. For these reasons, when the Torah warned against all these empty matters, it advised [Deuteronomy 18:13]: "Be of perfect faith with G-d, your Lord."

§ The Gemara relates that Rav Naḥman’s daughters would stir a boiling pot with their bare hands, and people thought that the heat did not harm them due to their righteousness. Rav Ilish had a difficulty with a verse, as it is written: “A man one of a thousand I have found, and a woman among all those have I not found” (Ecclesiastes 7:28). Aren’t there Rav Naḥman’s daughters, who were exceptionally righteous? These words caused them to be taken captive, due to the evil eye, and Rav Ilish was also taken captive with them. One day a certain man was sitting with him in captivity who knew the language of birds[...] In the meantime, a dove came and was calling out. Rav Ilish said to the man: What is it saying? He said to him that the dove said: Ilish, escape; Ilish, escape. Ilish said: The Congregation of Israel is compared to a dove; I conclude that a miracle will happen for me, and I can attempt to escape. Rav Ilish said: Before I leave, I will go and I will see Rav Naḥman’s daughters. If they remained in their faith and I will return them to their home. He said: Women tell all of their secret matters to each other in the bathroom, so he went there to eavesdrop on them. He heard them saying: These captors are now our husbands, and the men of Neharde’a to whom we are married are our husbands. We should tell our captors to distance us from here so that our husbands should not come to this area and hear that we are here, and redeem us, and take us home.Upon hearing this, Rav Ilish arose and escaped. He and that man who knew the language of the birds came to a river crossing. A miracle happened for him and he crossed the river on a ferry, and the captors found that man and killed him. When Rav Naḥman’s daughters were returned and they came back from their captivity, Rav Ilish said: They would stir the pot with witchcraft, and that is why they were not burned by the boiling pot, but it was not due to their righteousness.