Shabbat 67a — the Talmud in English

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For ishta tilta—

for a fever that breaks out every three days—

let him bring seven siluei,

small branches,

from seven palms, and seven tzivei,

pieces of wood—splinters—

from seven beams,

beams,

and seven sikei,

stakes,

from seven bridges

[bridges],

and seven katimei,

ashes,

from seven ovens, and seven earths from seven sanerei,

the hole of the threshold in which the door hinge is found,

and seven kuferi,

tar that they spread on ships,

from seven boats,

ships,

and seven bunei,

seeds of

cumin,

cumin,

and seven binei,

strands of hair,

from the beard

of

an old dog,

of an old dog.

And let him bundle them

and place them

in the hollow beneath the neck,

below the throat, while they are hanging,

in a shining thread,

in a tuft of his hair.

Rabbi Yohanan said: For ishta tzemirta,

for a fever that scorches the entire body—

let him take a knife entirely of iron,

iron,

and go to where there are vordinai,

thorn trees,

and tie with it

and tie it to the thorn bush

a shining thread,

a lock of hair.

And let him do this for three days:

On the first day, let him score it

make a cut in the thorn bush

a little, and say

[Exodus 3]

“And an angel of the Lord appeared to him,” and so on .

On the following day, let him score it

again

a little, and say

[Exodus 3]

“And Moses said, Let me turn aside now and see

“—whose continuation says, “why the bush does not burn,” alluding to transferring the heat to the bush:

On the following day, let him score it

again

a little, and say, “And the Lord saw that he turned aside to see,” and so on.

And likewise the illness will turn aside.

Rav Aha, the son of Rava, said to Rav Ashi: And let him say, “And He said, Do not draw near here,” and so on!

which symbolizes distancing the illness, so that it should not draw near him.

Rather, on the first day let him say, “And an angel of the Lord appeared to him

and so on, and Moses said, and so on.”

And on the following day let him say: “And the Lord saw that he turned aside to see.”

And on the following day, “And He said

(the Lord), Do not draw near here.”

And when the fever ceases

the fever—

let him lower it and make it cease,

so that he lowers the bush downward,

and let him say thus: Bush, bush, it is not because you are taller than all the trees that the Asherah

planted

the Holy One, blessed is He, caused His Shekhina to rest upon you, but because you are lower

because you are low

than all the trees of the Asherah

planted

the Holy One, blessed is He, caused His Shekhina to rest upon you.

And just as the fire saw

as you, the fire, saw

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, and fled from before them,

and withdrew from them—

so may the fire see

may the fire [the fever] see

so-and-so, son of so-and-so’s daughter, and flee from before him,

and withdraw from him.

For a simta

boil,

let him say,

let him whisper the names of the angels

thus: Baz Bazya, Mas Masya, Kas Kasya, Sharlai and Amarlai—

these are the angels who were sent from the land of Sodom,

these are the angels who were sent from Sodom [this is the incantation. But it was not so]—

and to heal the painful boil,

and to heal the painful boil.

Bazakh Bazikh Bazvazikh, Masmasikh, Kamon Kamikh

[mere words of an incantation without meaning].

Your eye is in you, your eye is in you,

remain in your red appearance and do not become redder.

Your place

your place

is in you,

so that you should not spread and expand to another place.

Your offspring are like a sterile mule,

so that you should not give birth,

and like a she-mule, which does not bear and does not reproduce. Thus, do not bear fruit;

and do not multiply in the body of so-and-so, son of so-and-so’s daughter.

For kipa

for one whom a demon has seized,

let him say thus: A drawn sword and a cast sling. Let not the name of Yochav be present here and between.

For a demon, let him say thus: You were stopped, stopped; you were;

may it be

cursed,

cursed,

broken

broken

and excommunicated,

and the demon whose name is:

Bar Tit, son of the impure, son of clay; when he cuts, he becomes angry and is silenced.

For a demon of the privy

that harmed a person,

let him say thus: On the skulls of lions

on the head of the lion

and on the noses of lionesses,

and on the snout of the lioness, there

you shall find

you will find

the demon son of Shirika Panda [this is the name of the demon].

In the field of vetch

I struck him down,

in the bed of vetch

I felled him,

I cast him down,

in the mouth of a donkey

in the donkey’s mouth

I beat him,

I flogged him.

We learned in the Mishna:

And the sons of kings [go out] with bells.

Who is the tanna

who says that even a poor person of Israel is permitted to do so, like the sons of kings?

Rabbi Oshaya said: It is Rabbi Shimon, who said: All Israel are sons of kings.

And therefore there is no concern even with regard to a poor person, who is liable to detach it and carry it.

Rava said: [It is referring to] a woven [bell] in his garment,

which he does not remove,

and everyone agrees .

Mishna:

One goes out with a locust egg, with a fox’s tooth, and with a nail from one who was crucified, because of healing; the words of Rabbi Meir.

But the Sages prohibit [them] even on a weekday —

because of the ways of the Amorite.

For this is their divination, and the Torah said, “And you shall not walk in their statutes.”

Gemara:

One goes out with a locust egg—

for it is made for earache,

for pain in the ear.

And with a fox’s tooth—

for it is made for sleep,

for sleep, as there are those who do not want to sleep, and there are those who use it for sleep.

A living fox’s tooth

that is alive,

alive—

for one who sleeps,

so that he will awaken.

A fox’s tooth

that is dead

[dead]—

for one who does not sleep.

And with a nail from one who was crucified—

for it is made for healing a wound.

For healing a wound caused by an iron implement.

We learned in the Mishna:

Because of healing, the words of Rabbi Meir.

Abaye and Rava both said: Anything that has a medicinal function,

where the healing is apparent—

does not involve the ways of the Amorite.

And we raised a difficulty concerning it:

Now, that which does not have

benefit

because of

the ways of the

medicine,

such as an incantation —

does it involve the ways of the Amorite?

And it was taught: A tree that sheds its fruits, one paints it

colors it

with red paint and loads it with stones.

And we raise an objection:

Granted, loading it with stones—

so that its strength should be weakened

[so that the tree should become weak]. For when the tree is fat and its strength is great, its fruits fall.

But painting it with red paint—

what healing does it perform?

And why should it not be forbidden because of the ways of the Amorite?

And we answer:

So that people will see it and request mercy for it.

It is not done for the healing of the tree, but as a sign that its fruits are falling.

As it was taught:

[Leviticus 13]

“And the impure person shall call out: Impure

”—the leper—teaches that he

must make known

his

suffering to the public, and the public will request mercy for him.

Ravina said: In accordance with which tanna do we hang clusters of dates

a cluster of dates

on a palm tree—

in accordance with this tanna.

For they make known that it is shedding its fruits, so that they will request mercy for it.

A tanna taught in the chapter of the Amorites

[the laws of the ways of the Amorite]

before Rabbi Hiyya bar Avin.

He said to him: All of them involve the ways of the Amorite, except for these,

the following two remedies:

A.

One who has a bone in his throat brings one of the same kind and places it on his crown, and says thus: One, one, descend; swallow, swallow; descend, one, one—

it does not involve the ways of the Amorite.

B.

For adra,

a fish bone that became stuck in the esophagus,

let him say thus: You are implanted like a needle; you are locked like a shield; move, move.

Descend, descend.