Abstract
In theory, “we” do not engage in magic – “they” do (or often, “she” does). Magic (kishuf) is forbidden in the Torah and again in the Mishnah and the Talmud, and those who practice it are to be punished with death. The Torah commands: “You shall not let a sorceress (mekhashefah) live” (Exodus 22:17), and the rabbis determined that a sorcerer – man or woman – should be sentenced to death by stoning.1 Needless to say, in view of such explicit laws, “we,” and especially our social and cultural leaders who are endowed with ritual power (that is, power resulting from ceremonial actions), do not engage in magic!
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Hear, O Israel |
| Subtitle of host publication | The Magic of the Shema |
| Editors | Nancy Benovitz, Dudi Mevorach |
| Place of Publication | Jerusalem |
| Publisher | Israel Museum |
| Pages | 85-103 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9789652785275 |
| State | Published - 2021 |