Sanhedrin 67b — the Talmud in English

Ben Azzai says: It is stated [

Exodus 22:17 ]

“You shall not allow a sorceress to live.” And it is stated

there nearby — [Exodus 22:18]:

“Whoever lies with an animal shall surely be put to death.”

They juxtaposed them;

the Torah juxtaposed the

matter

of a sorceress

to it —

to the matter of one who lies with an animal, and to teach:

Just as one who lies with an animal is executed by stoning,

so too a sorcerer is executed by stoning!

Rabbi Judah said to him: Is it because they juxtaposed the matter to it

and because you expounded the juxtaposition of the matters [Rabbi Judah himself does not expound juxtapositions], therefore

shall we take this one

the sorcerer out of a lenient death and judge him

by stoning,

which is the most severe of all deaths?

Rather,

Rabbi Judah holds that there is another proof that a sorcerer is executed by stoning:

A necromancer and a yideoni

were included among sorcerers.

For they too perform acts of sorcery.

And why were they singled out

and written separately ? —

To compare

and equate the other sorcerers

to them, and to say to you: Just as a necromancer and a yideoni

are judged

by stoning, so too a sorcerer

by stoning!

It is a rule in the Torah that if a matter was singled out from the general category, it was singled out only in order to teach about the entire general category. Thus here: Just as a necromancer and a yideoni are executed by stoning, so too the other sorcerers are executed by stoning.

Now,

according to

the method of

Rabbi Judah,

who holds this teaching that a sorcerer is judged by stoning from a necromancer and a yideoni,

also

there is likewise a difficulty.

Is it not that

they should be

two verses

that come together, a necromancer and a yideoni,

since both were stated with identical laws,

and

we hold that

all two verses that come together

in the same matter and with the same law

do not teach?

And if the Torah wished to teach from a necromancer and a yideoni about the other sorcerers, it should have written either a necromancer or a yideoni, and not both?

Rabbi Zechariah said: This says

that is to say, Rabbi Judah does not hold the rule that two verses that come together do not teach.

Rather,

Rabbi Judah holds: Two verses that come together do teach!

And therefore it is possible to learn from a necromancer and a yideoni that all sorcerers are judged by stoning!

Rabbi Yohanan said: Why are they called sorcerers?

The answer is:

Because they deny the heavenly entourage! [The word for sorcerers is interpreted as an acronym for “they deny the entourage above.”]

The word “sorcery” is an acronym: kaf—“they defy,” peh—“entourage,” shin-lamed-mem—“of above.” ]

And in what way do they deny? If it was decreed concerning someone that he should live, then through their sorcery they kill him!

It is stated: [Deuteronomy 4:35] “You have been shown to know that the Lord is God;

there is none besides Him.” Rabbi Hanina said: Even with regard to sorcery

they have no power because of the decree of the Holy One, blessed be He, since there is no power besides Him!

There was an incident involving

a certain woman

that woman

who was going around

she was going around

to take dust from beneath the feet

to take dust from beneath the feet of

Rabbi Hanina,

in order to perform an act of sorcery against him and harm him.

He said to her

Rabbi Hanina:

If you are assisted,

if the matter succeeds in your hand,

go, do it

go and do this!

For,

“There is none besides Him,” it is written.

And if the Holy One, blessed be He, desires me, you will not be able to harm me at all!

And if you are able to harm me, it is only a decree from before Him, and I accept it!

Not so,

but is the matter not otherwise? For

Rabbi Yohanan said: Why are they called sorcerers? Because they deny the heavenly entourage,

and if so, one must be concerned because of sorcery?!

And the answer is:

Rabbi Hanina is different,

Rabbi Hanina is different,

for his merit is abundant,

his merits, his Torah, and his righteousness are numerous, and the Holy One, blessed be He, saves him!

Rabbi Aibu bar Nagri said in the name of Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba:

It is stated concerning the Egyptian magicians [Exodus 7:22]

“With their hidden arts” —

these are acts of demons,

which are hidden and are not seen.

And wherever “with their hidden arts” is stated, its meaning is that the magicians performed their acts secretly, through demons.

“With their flames”

which is also stated concerning the Egyptian sorcerers [Exodus 7:11] —

these are acts of sorcery,

for the sorcerer does not perform this through demons, but by himself!

And so it says [

Genesis 3:24 ]

“And the flame of the revolving sword

to guard the way of the Tree of Life,” and this refers to a sword that revolved by itself, that is, not through demons, but through sorcery.

Abaye said: One who is particular about the vessel

one who is particular about a certain vessel designated specifically for performing sorcery — this is a sign that he performs it through a

demon.

One who is not particular about the vessel,

if he is not particular to perform it specifically through a certain vessel, but performs the act through any vessel — this is a sign that he performs an act of

sorcery!

Abaye said: The laws of sorcery

are

like the laws of Shabbat. Some of them

in the laws of Shabbat have several levels: a. labors

for which one is liable to stoning,

b.

and some of them entail exemption

from Torah punishments,

but are prohibited

by rabbinic decree, c.

and some of them are permitted initially.

And so too with sorcery:

a.

One who performs an actual act

literally

is liable to stoning.

b.

One who deceives the eyes,

showing as though he performed an act, but in truth he does nothing. He is

exempt but it is prohibited.

c.

That which is permitted initially

is

like

the act of

Rav Hanina and Rav Oshaya.

Every Sabbath eve

every Friday

they would engage

Rav Hanina and Rav Oshaya

in the laws of Creation;

they would engage in the laws of Creation and in combinations of the letters of the Name through which the world was created,

and

as a result

a third-grown calf would be created for them,

a calf was created and formed through their engagement in the laws of Creation

and they would eat it

and they would eat it!

And there was no sorcery in this, for they performed its act through the Holy One, blessed be He, by means of the holy Name; and something like this is permitted even initially!

Rav Ashi said: I saw the father of Karna,

I saw Karna’s father, who was a sorcerer,

who would blow his nose

he would blow his nose

forcefully and throw silk bundles from his nostrils.

He would take pieces of silk garments out of his nose! It is stated: [Exodus 8:15]

“And the magicians said to Pharaoh: It is the finger of God.”

The magicians acknowledged that the plague of lice could not be performed through sorcery, but only the Holy One, blessed be He, could do this!

Rabbi Eliezer said: From here

it is demonstrated

that a demon cannot create a creature smaller than a barley grain,

since a louse is smaller than a barley grain. And the magicians acknowledged that they cannot create such a creature!

Rav Pappa said: By God,

an expression of oath and of the truth of the matter,

even a creature

of the size

of a camel

a camel

he too cannot create

they cannot create!

Rather, when the demon needs to create large creatures, he gathers and brings from ownerless things. From what he gathers, he forms the creatures. But he does not possess the power of creation ex nihilo!

And why does the demon specifically build large creatures from what he gathers, and not small creatures?

Because

this one,

large creatures,

he can gather

it is easy for them to gather near the demon and assemble them together.

But

if

these

are small creatures, smaller than a barley grain,

he cannot gather them

they do not have the power to come from a distant place and gather near him.

And Rav said to Rabbi Hiyya: I myself saw

I saw

a certain Arab

that Arab

who took a sword

who took his sword

and cut up a camel

and cut the camel into pieces

and struck it with a tablet;

he struck it with the vessel in his hand —

and it stood up

the camel came back to life!

Rabbi Hiyya said to him: After he cut it,

after he cut it,

was there blood and discharge

blood and discharge

present?

Were they found there, flowing from the slaughtered camel?

Rather,

since no signs or remnants of filth from the slaughter of the camel were found,

that was an act of deceiving the eyes!

For he cannot revive the dead!

Zeiri happened to come

he arrived

in Alexandria of Egypt. He bought a donkey.

He bought a donkey

. When he came to give it water,

when he approached to give it water

it dissolved;

the sorcery dissolved from the donkey, [for water melts and dispels sorcery,]

and a wooden bridge beam stood up

and it became a wooden bridge beam!

For they had bewitched the bridge and made it a donkey, and now, after it came into contact with water, it returned to being wood!

Zeiri approached the merchants from whom he had bought the “donkey” and asked for his money back, since he had bought a donkey and received a bridge!

They said to him,

the merchants:

If you were not Zeiri,

if you were not Zeiri [who was a great person,]

we would not return it to you;

we would not return your money to you.

Since

is there anyone who buys something here

is there a person who buys something in this city filled with sorcery

and does not test it with water

and does not test the object with water, lest it be bewitched?!

Yannai

happened to come

he arrived

at a certain inn

at an inn.

He said to them: Give me water to drink.

Give me water to drink.

They brought shatita.

They brought him a drink of flour mixed with water.

He saw that her lips were moving.

Yannai saw that the lips of the woman hosting him were moving, and understood that she was a sorceress.

He threw a little of it

he threw a little of the drink onto the ground —

they became scorpions!

and it became scorpions!

Yannai understood that sorcery had been performed against him, but he pretended as though he did not know about it — and as though he was drinking from the drink.

He said to them

Yannai said to that woman:

I drank from yours;

I drank from your water.

You too, drink from mine.

You too, drink from my drink!

He too prepared a drink of sorcery,

gave it to her to drink,

he gave that woman to drink,

and she became a donkey.

and the woman became a donkey!

He rode her

Yannai rode upon her and

went up to the marketplace

and went with her to the marketplace.

Her companion came,

the companion of that woman came, and

dissolved it for her!

she dissolved it and released her from the sorcery.

They saw him riding

everyone saw him

that he

he

was riding and standing

and walking

on a woman in the marketplace!

on a woman in the marketplace!

It is stated concerning the plague of frogs in Egypt [Exodus 8:2]

“And the frog came up and covered the land of Egypt.” Rabbi Elazar said: There was one frog,

as is implied by the verse: “the frog”

spawned

offspring from its innards

and filled the entire land of Egypt.

And this matter

is a dispute between tannaim:

it is a dispute between tannaim:

Rabbi Akiva says: There was one frog, and it filled the entire land of Egypt.

Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah said to him: Akiva, what are you doing

that you are occupying yourself

with

the words of

aggada?

Cease your words

restrain yourself from matters of aggada,

and go

and engage

with lesions and tents,

which are serious matters, and in them you are sharp and distinguished!

And concerning the plague of Egypt, this is what happened there:

There was one frog, which croaked to them

to all the frogs in the world,

and they

heard its voice — and

came!

We learned in our Mishna:

Rabbi Akiva said

in the name of Rabbi Joshua: Two people gather cucumbers

and so on: