The answer seems simple enough: The
Torah itself references witchcraft during the story of the Exodus, when
Pharaoh’s magicians mimicked Moses’ supernatural signs and several of the
plagues.1
And a number of verses in the Torah prohibit magic and sorcery: “You shall not allow a sorceress to
live”2; and “There shall not be found among
you . . . a soothsayer, a diviner of [auspicious] times, one who
interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, a pithom sorcerer, a yido'a sorcerer,
or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the
L‑rd . . .”3
So seemingly, the Torah does believe in the concept of magic and witchcraft—for otherwise,
there would be no need to prohibit it.
Indeed, the majority of Torah authorities seem to be of
the opinion that magic does in fact exist.4
Maimonides, however, seems to disagree. Let’s explore the philosophical
underpinnings behind this disagreement.
Maimonides
on Witchcraft
After
explaining the punishment for “performing” magic, Maimonides goes on to explains
that, in truth, there is nothing to it:
All the above matters
are falsehood and lies with which the original idolaters deceived the gentile
nations in order to lead them after them. It is not fitting for the Jews who
are wise sages to be drawn into such emptiness, nor to consider that they have
any value . . .
Whoever believes in [occult arts] of this nature and, in
his heart, thinks that they are true and words of wisdom, but are forbidden by
the Torah, is foolish and feeble-minded . . . The masters of wisdom
and those of perfect knowledge know with clear proof that all these crafts
which the Torah forbade are not reflections of wisdom, but rather, emptiness
and vanity which attracted the feeble-minded and caused them to abandon all the
paths of truth. For these reasons, when the Torah warned against all these
empty matters, it advised: "Be of perfect faith with God, your Lord."5 6
In Maimonides’s view, magic and sorcery is
prohibited precisely because it is all “emptiness and vanity.”
Instances of magic in the Bible were really tricks and illusions.7
Magic
and the Unity of G‑d
Others, most notably Nachmanides (Rabbi Moshe ben
Nachman), are of the opposite opinion that it is prohibited precisely because
it works:
And now, know and
understand regarding magic, that the Creator (may He be blessed) created
everything from nothing and made the upper realms the guides of what is beneath
them; and He placed the power of the earth and all that is in it in the stars
and constellations according to their motion and direction, as has been
demonstrated in the science of astrology . . . However, it was one of
His great wonders that He placed within the upper realms alternate ways and
forces by which one might change the governance of the realms beneath them . . . But
it is the regular governance of the constellations that the Creator (blessed is
He) desires, which He placed in them to begin with, and this would be the
opposite. This is the secret of magic and its power, such that the rabbis said
regarding magical practices that they “contradict the Council Above”; in other
words, they subvert the simple forces of nature, which is a contradiction to
the upper realms to some extent. Therefore, it is proper that the Torah
prohibit them so that the world will be left to its normal function and its
natural state, which is the desire of the Creator . . . 8
According to Nachmanides, together with the
physical, natural world, G‑d created “spiritual” forces, or a “spiritual layer”
through which the natural world can be manipulated. However, not all that is
“spiritual” is necessarily “divine” or “holy.” Sometimes it’s quite the
contrary. G‑d created nature together with its laws, and it is His will that
the world follow and work within these laws. Therefore, if one subverts the
system of nature through using this supernatural world, he is going against the
will of G‑d.
Once you realize there is a spiritual force that has
impact on this world and start to use it, the danger is that you will think
that there is a separate force and energy, independent of G‑d, through which
the world can be manipulated. This is idolatry.
(The reason why G‑d created the world this way is
partially explained in my article Why Are There So Many
Stars and Galaxies?)
Obliterating
Magic and Sorcery
These two diametrically opposed views are both
acceptable.
However, in light of the many instances of sorcery and magic discussed both in the Bible and the Talmud, some try to reconcile Maimonides’ view with that of Nachmanides.
They explain that, notwithstanding his own
statements to the contrary, Maimonides himself held that magic can work. So why
did he take such a strong stance advocating the opposite? To distance people
from practicing magic, either because a) magic comes from forces of impurity9; or b) because magic works when
one believes in it, giving it an existence in his own mind. However, with
regard to the evil eye and other things of that nature, the Talmud states that
if one does not believe in them and gives them no room to exist, then they
actually cease to exist. Therefore, by distancing people from the belief that
magic works, that in itself causes it not to work.10
But regardless of what one’s views are about magic,
all agree that it is in no way a contradiction to the unity of G‑d, and it
itself (if it exists) is a creation of G‑d. Although in the present day, it is
sometimes a challenge to recognize the true unity of G‑d, both in the natural
and the spiritual, we await the day when His unity will be proclaimed by all. As the verse states,11 “And
the L‑rd shall become King over all the earth; on that day shall the L‑rd be
one, and His name one.”
