Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion

Today you would never know but back in Medievil Germany and Northern Europe Jews were feared as sorcerors and magicians. The Jews lived seperately from non Jews so there was lots of room for misunderstanding. While Jews were sought after for their medical expertise and knowledge of Herbs they were also feared as poisoners thanks to that same knowledge. If a Jewish doctor healed someone he ran risk cause if the person dies he would be accused of poisoning that person.The Jewish people got most of their anti witch prejudice from the surrounding Christians. It was forbidden in the Old Testament to practice witch craft. Witches were seen as people flying on broomsticks and cavorting with the devil. For Christians the Devil was a big deal for the jews he was a mere after thought. Jews were not allowed to practice magic that transformed the very nature of things. There were different penalties for different types of magic. There was no penalty for working with Angels and Demons. Most Jewish magic consisted of working with Angels, Demon and different names of God.Demons were thought to be an ever present threat. They were thought to inhabit desolate places, abandoned houses and what not. If some one moved into a barren place or into an abandoned house they had to placate the demon with offering. Sometimes the demon would drive them out. Most Jewish demonolotry came from Greek, Roman,and Babylonian sources. From the Jewish perspective there were shdeim who had human form and yet could be invisable. They could eat and drink. The Lilin which were sucubi and incubi made love to people and drank their blood. Humans and demon could have offspring together. They were high up in the demon eshelon. Some Demon lore came from the Germans. Mares would cause bad dream. There were others as well.Demons were thought to be created by God before Sabbath but due to the onset of the sabbath he did not give them bodies. Lilith Adams first wife created a bunch of demon also by cavorting with animals.Angels were servants of God. They could only do his will, yet in seeminly contradiction the magicians could compel them as long as it was in line with the angels basic creation. The Angels name changed according to the name that it was given. There were names given to Angels in the bible and Talmud but during medievil times there names proliferated. Where did those names originate from. Some of them are acronyms while others are permutations. Still others were derived from the name of Greek and Roman Gods.The Dead sometimes came bacck especially if they had unfinished business. Sometimes they would tell a friend or loved one what life was like on the other side. Sometimes part of their spirit would haunt places and an exocism would have to be done. If someone was really evil they became a demon. Medievil Jews believed in Astrology and propitious times for doing things. They had certain hour for when it was benificial to pursue healing operation and others for money. For each day and time a different angel or arch angel was assigned and those name could be changed. The waxing moon was thought of as good for building enterprise while waning moon was for death and destruction.This book is an old classic.You will get lots of good background information on it but no particular magical workings, that will take further research. The foot notes are well tracked and documented although it takes up to 40 percent of the book. Since the sources by and large are not in English that could be a bit of a draw back. The book covered more than what I summarized so you will have to read it yourself to dig outn those precious nugget.

This book is stunning. I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. Magic, in general, is not a topic often touched upon. Folk religion or magic lacks the refinement of religion, it is discarded as an embarrassing folk science from a bygone era, and (being a belief of the common folk) it was not often carefully recorded. This text explores this neglected area of Jewish history.I was somewhat embarrassed at first by the notion that Jewry had a magical component at one time. Magic seemed to be the antithesis of what Judaism was, how could this wholly non-Jewish thing be present in Jewish history? Yet I soon became enthralled by Trachtenberg's book. He carefully dissects and explores every facet of Jewish magic and superstition. He traces the non-Jewish incursions and he explores the uniquely Jewish component. More importantly, the text allows one to see how Jewish magic and superstition is set apart from its Christian counterpart. Jewish superstition lacked any notion of a God-Devil dualism that is present in Christian magic and superstition. That slight difference is a game-changer. The Jewish model evolves completely differently. It intersects and weaves through the canonized religion. Jewish magic was not opposed to religion, it was a field for scholars who sought to understand and use the laws of nature that came from God. In a way, it seemed akin to the emergence of early science.This book is easy to read. It will answer your questions and leave you with new ones to ponder. I would highly recommend it to anyone. Some of the information may be somewhat outdated, but it still seems to represent a core component of the study of Jewish magic and superstition. This book covers magic, superstition, some of the roots of anti-Semitic magical thinking in Christianity, and so much more.

I enjoy expanding my horizons in any way possible. This was the next book on my list. Its honestly a great read.

A very comprehensive overview of the subject. The author serves it all with a good dose of stories, anecdotes, as well as a sense of humor. Many beliefs are covered: demons, angels, dreams, amulets, the dead, astrology, conjuring and others. The reasons for many of these beliefs are explained using tradition, religion and magical theory, with examples given.One problem: quotations in a foreign language are not given. So brush up on your German!

This book was exactly what I was was Looking for !

This is a foundational document, a springboard from which other specific subjects can be explored. In this book Rabbi Trachtenberg reviewed every aspect of Jewish folklore, folk medicine and superstition as it was understood or passed down since the early times of the Babylonian sages. If one is interested in learning the basis of traditional and genuine Jewish mysticism and magic, this is the book from where they should start. No other book will provide the broad spectrum of notations, and sources.

Read this book for the fun of seeing superstitious thinking and behavior. The Jews have had it as much as others. Still, I see Judaism as a slow movement away from magical beliefs--relative to the peoples around them.Please do not read it to get magical incantations. They are in the book, but you might hurt yourself while trying to hurt others. Better to think good thoughts.

Wow, did not expect to read such a detailed book regarding Jewish mysticism but it kept my interest all the way through. Thoroughly enjoyed everything presented. Thanks to the author for all the work put into this book.

Interesting and I enjoyed

Fantastic book with a wealth of information.

This is an important study of a little-known subject, a companion volume to his more polemic "The Devil and the Jews". The divergence among some Jews from the Torah prohibitions against divination & astrology is noteworthy.