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Judaism And Magic
Are A Powerful Mix
SUSAN GRANT
Staff Writer
udaic teachings may
frown upon the use of
magic, but even God
has been known to use a
little pixie dust to make His
point.
Judaism and magic do
mix, but it depends upon
who casts the spells, said Dr.
Peter Machinist,. a Near
Eastern Studies professor at
the University of Michigan.
While most people think of
the 10 plagues as the begin-
ning of the end of the
Israelites' slavery in Egypt,
Dr. Machinist believes the
pestilence was God's way of
showing off His power.
"The 10 plagues were bas-
ically a magic contest bet-
ween Pharaoh and God. But
it's not considered magic be-
cause God is doing it," he
said.
Pharaoh, who believed he
had the power of the gods,
tried to match God's tricks
and failed, said Dr. Machin-
ist, who spoke to 80 people at
Congregation Beth Abra-
ham Hillel Moses Oct. 2
about the connection bet-
ween Judaism and magic.
The lecture was part of an
adult education series co-
sponsored by the Midrasha
and the synagogue.
Most people don't think
Judaism has any connection
to magic, but he cited a 19th
century definition: "Where
religion is an outpouring of a
human soul to God, magic is
the darker side of dealing
with the divine."
"It's acceptable to think of
our faith as the quintessen-
tial rational tradition. It
takes all our problems, no
matter how difficult, and
makes an appeal not only to
our emotions but to the
human mind," Dr. Machin-
ist said.
Biblical verses in Exodus
and Deuteronomy which
prohibit the use of sorcery
underscore that attitude, he
said.
The prohibition was meant
as a way to differentiate the
Israelites from other cul-
tures, said Dr. Machinist,
whose main field of study is
ancient Jewish history and
its connection with the an-
cient history of
Mesopotamia.
But magic is one aspect of
Judaic culture which has
been present since its begin-
nings, he said.
Although some biblical
j
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I'
passages condemn the prac-
tice, other verses, including
Samuel 1, chapter 28, point
to magic's usefulness.
When King Saul, who was
about to fight in his last
battle, wanted to ask God
about the outcome, he
couldn't get an answer from
the high priest or prophets.
In ancient cultures, when
God wouldn't answer, that
was an answer.
But King Saul wasn't
satisfied. Although he had
outlawed all magicians, he
sought out a sorceress who
could give him an answer.
The sorceress was able to
contact the spirit of the pro-
phet Samuel who confirmed
Saul's fears.
Another example is the
belief by some Jews that the
Baal Shem Tov has the abil-
Magic has been
part of Jewish
culture since the
beginning.
ity to call on God and make
God respond.
The breaking of the glass
at the end of a wedding
ceremony, which has been
rationalized as a reference to
the destruction of the Tem-
ple, could actually be con-
nected to the superstition of
creating a loud noise to keep
evil spirits away, he said.
"It would appear as if
magic is alive and well.
"As long as you- regard
God as the source of power,
magic is accepted as
positive." But if the power
comes without appealing to
God then the magic is con-
sidered negative.
For example in a story
which takes place after the
biblical period, when Honi
the Circlemaker asks God to
make it rain to end a
drought he is considered a
hero. However, a false pro-
phet dies shortly after the
prophet Jeremiah exposes
him.
"Magic has become a
mechanism to regulate
society," he said.
When the power disrupts
the authority in control,
then it is termed evil, he
said. When it is helpful and
keeps the authority in
power, it is not considered to
be "magic."
"Magic is an issue of
power," he said. "The issue
of magic equals social con-
trol." 0