Jewish Magic and Superstition, by Joshua Trachtenberg, [1939], at sacred-texts.com
Jewish Magic and Superstition, by Joshua Trachtenberg, [1939], at sacred-texts.com
1. On Biblical magic see J. G. Frazer, Folk-Lore in the Old Testament, 3 vols., London 1918; T. W. Davies, Magic, Divination and Demonology Among the Hebrews and Their Neighbors, London 1898; B. Jacob, Im Namen Gottes, Berlin 1903; A. Jirku, Materialien zur Volksreligion Israels, Leipzig 1914; on Talmudic magic see L. Blau, Das altjüdische Zauberwesen, Budapest 1888; D. Joel, Der Aberglaube und die Stellung des Judenthums zu demselben, Breslau 1881-3 (Part I devotes some space to the Biblical period); G. Brecher, Das Transcendentale, Magie und magische Heilarten im Talmud, Vienna 1850. Very little has been written on the magic of the Geonic period. See Joel's book, Part II, and J. A. Montgomery, Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur, Phila. 1913; J. Wohlstein, Dämonenbeschwörungen aus nachtalmudischer Zeit, Berlin 1894; M. Gaster, The Sword of Moses, London 1886; Cyrus H. Gordon, "Aramaic Magical Bowls in the Istanbul and Baghdad Museums," Archiv Orientální, VI (Praha 1934), 319-34.
2. S. Ḥas. 43, 1136, 1137, 1444; Ḥochmat HaNefesh, 12d; Hadar Zekenim on Ex. 22:17; Moses Taku, Oẓar Neḥmad, III, 61; cf. Grimm, II, 546. Gaster, Ma‘aseh Book, II, 576 ff., has a typical German folk-tale about a magic ring that could be used to transform a person into a werwolf.—Ẓiyuni, 55a; Ma‘aseh Book, II, 320 f.; S. Ḥas. B, 1166; Ḥochmat HaNefesh, 12d; cf. Grimm, II, 898; Wuttke, 55;S. Ḥas. 1453; Ẓiyuni, 26e; Hadar Zekenim on Ex. 8:12; Da‘at Zekenim on Ex. 8:14; HaḤayim, IV, 10. Cf. Lea, III, 510: "One precaution, held indispensable by some experienced practitioners, was that the witch on arrest was to be placed immediately in a basket and thus be carried to prison, without allowing her feet to touch the earth, for if she were permitted to do so she could slay her captors with lightning and escape"; cf. also Grimm, II, 899, III, 444, §30.
3. S. Ḥas. 1463, 1465, 1466; Güd. I, 203, n. 8, 204, n. 5, 205, n. 3, II, 222, n. 3; Pa‘aneaḥ Raza on Ex. 22: 17-18, p. 69a; Hansen, 131; Lea, III, 405; Ẓiyuni, 7a, 49c; Nishmat Ḥayim, III, 23, 24.
4. S. Ḥas. 172, 1467; Testament of Judah the Pious, 5; Rokeaḥ, §316, p. 83a; Toledot Adam veḤavah, 28:1, p. 182b.
5. Blau, 18-19, 23 ff.; HaḤayim, IV, 10; Nishmat Ḥayim, III, 23.
6. Cf. S. Ḥas. 738, 1458, 1459, 1801, 1819, 1921; Raziel, 7b.
7. Cf. Scholem in EJ, IX, 717 ff.; MGWJ, LXIX (1925), p. 16.
8. Cf. A. Epstein, "Lekorot HaKabbalah HaAshkenazit," in HaḤoker, II (Vienna 1894), 1-11, 37-48; JE, III, 465 ff.; EJ, IX, 646 f.; Güd. I, 156 ff.; H. Gross, "Zwei kabbalistische Traditionsketten des R. Eleasar aus Worms," MGWJ, XLIX (1905), 692-700.
9. Cf. Kammelhar, 3, 4, 42, 43-5; Ma‘aseh Book, II, 396 ff., 510 ff.; Scholem, Kirjath Sepher, IV (Jerusalem 1927), 317; Gaster, Jewish Folk-Lore in the Middle Ages, 9 ff.; N. Brüll ("Beiträge zur jüdischen Sagen- und Spruchkunde im Mittelalter," in Jahrbücher, IX [1889], 1-7,) printed many legends from a sixteenth-century manuscript about the wonders performed by Judah the Pious and his disciples.
10. Joel, I, 85; Blau, 20; San. 67b and Rashi; Yore Deah 179:15.
11. Hadar Zekenim on Ex. 7:12; S. Has, 211, 212, 1449, 1455; Yereim, 82; Toledot Adam veḤavah, 17: 5, p. 127b; cf. Lebush on Yore Deah 179:15.
12. Rashi on San. 65b; Nishmat Ḥayim, III, 20; Lebush on Yore Deah, 179:1.
13. Cf. B’er Heteb on Yore Deah 179:1 (quoting Naḥlat Shiv‘ah by Samuel b. David HaLevi, middle seventeenth century): "The Torah forbade only the magic of ancient times; nowadays there is no more 'magic' in the world, but it is all vanity."
14. Torat Ha‘Olah, III, 77. See also Frazer, The Magic Art, I, 54, 119, and Thorndike, index, s. v. "Occult Virtue."
15. Ẓiyuni, 48d, 65d; cf. Bischoff, 31, 74, 169; Thorndike, II, 319, also I, 352.
16. S. Ḥas. B 477.
17. S. Ḥas B 1172; S. Ḥas. 210, 211, 379, 1455, 1456; Isserles to Yore Deah 179:16; Piske Recanati 563 (quoting Eliezer of Metz); Moses Taku, Oẓar Neḥmad, III, 82; Güd. I, 168 ff.
18. S. Ḥas. 1461; Niẓaḥon 309; Orḥot Ẓadikim 95b; Isserles to Oraḥ Ḥayim 664:5; Lauterbach, HUCA, II (1925), 353 f.
19. S. Ḥas. 163; cf. also 381.
20. Güd. I, 222, n. 1; Berliner, Aus dem Leben, 102; Minḥat Kenaot, by Abba Mari of Lunel, Pressburg 1838, p. 29.
21. S. Ḥas. 377; cf. Pes. 110b and Rashbam ad loc.