Jewish Magic and Superstition: Notes: Chapter XIII

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Jewish Magic and Superstition, by Joshua Trachtenberg, [1939], at sacred-texts.com

CHAPTER XIII

MEDICINE

1. See Güd. I, 197-8, 212, III, 130, 196 ff.;—Krauss, Gesch. jüd. Ärzte, 43, 52-3, 58-9; JE, VIII, 417;—Thorndike, IV, 126;—Steinschneider, HB, XVII (1877), 60-61; see Julius Preuss, Biblisch-talmudische Medizin, Berlin 1923, for the older material, and also Steinschneider, "Zur medicinischen Literatur,"

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op. cit., 56, 114, XIX (1879), 35, 64, 84, 105, 108, and L. Venetianer, Asaf Judæus, Strassburg 1916-7. Some physicians, in their experiments with chemistry, probably dabbled in alchemy also, but this branch of the magical arts had in general very little currency among Jews. Steinschneider says that "Hebrew literature contains remarkably little material on this subject"; I have not found any reference to or directions for the practice of alchemy in the literary works produced in Northern Europe, although Jews were popularly believed to be adepts. See G. Scholem, "Alchemie and Kabbala," MGWJ, LXIX (1925), 13-20, 95-110, 371-4, and LXX (1926), 202-9; R. Eisler, "Zur Terminologie u. Geschichte der jüd. Alchemie," MGWJ, LXIX (1925), 364-71, LXX (1926), 194-201; cf. Thorndike, I, 772-3.

2. Leket Yosher, II, 15, 17; Brantspiegel, ch. 15; MJV, XIX (1906), iii, 116.

3. Grimm, I, 486 f.; Ginzberg, Legends, III, 52-4, VI, 21-22; HaOrah, II, §158, pp. 230-1; Kol Bo, §41; Güd. I, 210, n. 6.

4. Ber. 43b; Shab. 113b and Rashi; Teshubot HaGeonim (ed. Musafia), §54; B. Lewin, Otzar HaGaonim, Haifa 1928, I, 97; Tos. Pes. 100b; Rabiah, II, 135-6; Maḥ. Vit. 83-4, §106; Kol Bo, 35a, §31; HaManhig, Hil. Shab., §15; ‘Emek Beracha, II, 54, P. 65a; Strack, 58; Maharil, 28a; Kiẓur Shelah, In. Shab., p. 1,8;—Pirke de R. Eliezer, ch. 20; Siddur Rashi, §534, P. 267; Maḥ. Vit., §150, p. 116; HaManhig, Hil. Shab., §65; Tyrnau, Minhagim, 2a; Oraḥ Ḥayim 328:20;—Rabiah, I, 413, §383; Glassberg, 98; Tos. A. Z., 29a; Semag, I, 45, end, and ‘Amude Shlomo on this passage; Or Zarua, IV, 22b, §151; Yore Deah 156:2; Preis, Die Medizin in der Kabbala, 19.

5. Kol Bo, §31, p. 31a; Iggeret HaTiyul, 6b; Thorndike, I, 728; Rivers, p. 82; the Talmudic regulations concerning phlebotomy (cf. Shab. 129b, etc.) were strictly adhered to during the Middle Ages.

6. Brantspiegel, ch. 4; Perles, Beiträge, 147; S. Ḥas. 345, 153; Yore Deah 179:6; cf. Thorndike, I, 654, IV, 126.

7. M. Yoma, VIII, 5; Ta‘ame HaMinhagim, II, 41a (cf. Tachkemoni, I [Bern 1910] 7, for a similar opinion by Sherira Gaon);—Glassberg, 142; Grunwald, MJV, XIX (1906), 116; Hadar Zekenim and Da‘at Zekenim on Gen. 32:32; S. Ḥas. B 59; Niẓaḥon, 114; cf. Frazer, The Magic Art, I, 80 f.; Elworthy, 71.

8. Rivers, 7, 51; cf. JE, V, 426-7; Blau, 22-3, 55-6, etc.

9. 174.

10. Rokeaḥ, 221; Tashbeẓ, 445; Raben, 271; Güd. I, 215; Tos. Yoma 77b;—S. Ḥas. 161; Orḥot Ḥayim, 53; Oraḥ Ḥayim 170:16; Kiẓur Shelah, p. 22; Nishmat Ḥayim, III, 27; cf. Montgomery, 89 ff., and Blau, loc. cit.

11. S. Ḥas. 1464.

12. S. Ḥas. B 1170; Ḥochmat HaNefesh, 26e.

13. Wellesz, MJV, XXXV (1910), 120; cf. Thorndike, I, 658-60, etc.

14. Shab. 67a; Pesakim Uketabim, g6; Responsa of Solomon Luria, §3; B’er Heteb to Yore Deah 179: t; Joseph Omeẓ, 352.

15. Yore Deah 179:6; Mordecai, Shab. §527, p. 12d; S. Ḥas. 1468; cf. Thorndike, I, 582-3;—Yore Deah 155:1 and Lebush; Blau, 29; Wellesz, MJV, XXXV (1910), 117, 118, cites this gloss from a Mordecai ms. of the Paris Rabbinical School: ‏ושמעתי שמורי הר״ר מרדכי ז״ל התיר להניח להם (לגוים) ללחוש ליודי על מכתו ואו׳ בשם הר״ר מנחם משפירא שאם׳ כי ההברות גורמים הרפואה ולא המילות לכן אין נפקותא מין אפילו אם מזכירים התליו והקרשים‎.

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cf. Jacobs, Jews of Angevin England, 153;—G. Caro, I, 136; S. Ḥas. 1352. Speaking of relics, it is related that "once a Gentile produced a shirt which he claimed had been worn by Jesus. 'If you don't believe me, just watch!' and he threw the shirt into a fire, but it didn't burn. The priests and monks turned to the Jews who were present and challenged them, 'Now you know that this shirt is holy.' But a Jew stepped forward with, 'Here, give it to me and I'll show you what it's all about.' Using strong vinegar and soap he scrubbed it vigorously before their eyes and then returned it, saying, 'Now throw it in the fire and see what happens.' They did so and it was instantly consumed. He then explained, 'It was smeared with a salamander extract which I washed off'" (S. Ḥas. 1809). The belief that the salamander was invulnerable to fire was very widespread in the Middle Ages, cf. Ginzberg, Legends, V, 52, n. 157, 158.

16. Pa‘aneaḥ Raza on Lev. 19:26, p. 91b; Perles, Beiträge, 105; on the Bärmutter charm see Güdemann, MGWJ, XXIV (1875), 271, and ibid., LX (1916), 138; Staerk, ibid., LXVI (1922), 203; Perles, Graetz Jubelschrift, 28; Güd. I, 216, n. to; A. Müller, Ztschr. f. deutsches Altertum, XIX (1876), 476; Grimm, II, 969;—Perles, Graetz Jubelschrift, 28-9; S. Ḥas. B 1153. On numbers in medicine see Rivers, 88 ff.

17, Grunwald, MJV, XIX (1906), III, 115, 116; Steinschneider, HB, XVII (1877), 60-61; cf. Gaster, Sword of Moses, p. xiii, 11. 2, 21; Thorndike, I, 730, IV, 129; Elworthy, 401.

18. Sheb. 15b; Yore Deah 179:8, g; ms. S. Gematriaot, 47a, 49a, 54b, 63a; Shimmush Tehillim, Ps. 3, 6, 49, 119; Grunwald, MJV, XIX (1906), 116; cf. also pp. 105 f. above.

19. Strack, 19; Blau, 161 f.; Rabiah, I, 330; Mordecai, Shab. §523, p. 12e; Güd. I, 216; Kol Bo, §31, p. 31a; Leket Yosher, II, 15; Oraḥ Ḥayim 328:20;—S. Ḥas. 12,8; Mordecai, Pes. §781, p. 19a; Responsa of Meir of Rothenburg (ed. Budapest), §160; Tashbeẓ, 555; Or Zarua, IV, 21d; Maharil, 75a; Oraḥ Ḥayim 328:25 and 48; cf. Wellesz, MJV, XXXV (1910), 119; Thorndike, I, 582, IV, 134; etc.

20. San. Iola and Rashi; Blau, 72, n. 1; Responsa of Meir of Rothenburg, (Budapest), §55; cf. Krauss, Geschichte jüd. Ärzte, 49; E. F. Knuchel, 69;—Rabiah, 285, 391; Mordecai, Shab. §499, p. 12a, §528, p. 12d; Responsa of Meir of Rothenburg (Lemberg), §175; (Budapest), §512; Tashbeẓ, 45; ‘Amude Shlomo to Semag, I, 65; Yore Deah 179: 11; Wellesz, MJV, XXXV (1910), 118; Güd. I, 215; Zimmels, Beiträge, 66; cf. Grimm, II, 974 f., III, 343, 411; Wuttke, 339 f.

21. Blau, 73; S. Ḥas. 1523; cf. Azulai's note to S. Ḥas. B 445.

22. Professor Lauterbach has written a very interesting essay on this subject, "The Naming of Children in Jewish Folklore, Ritual and Practice," C.C.A.R. Yearbook, XLII (1932), 316-60, in which he discusses all the material in detail. The references that apply directly to this discussion are: R. H. 16b; Semag, II, 16; Samter, 98 f., 106 f.; S. Ḥas. B. 244; Responsa of Israel Bruna, §101; Leket Yosher, II, 83; Kol Bo, 76; S. Ḥas. 365. See also S. W. Baron, Sefer HaYovel Le Professor Shmuel Krauss, Jerusalem 1937, p. 218, for an instance of a change of name during illness, on the part of an Italian Jew, to Hezekiah ("YHVH strengthens").

23. Shab. 66b and Rashi; Oraḥ Ḥayim 301: 24;—S. Ḥas. 211; B 205; Güd. I, 208, n. I; Perles, MGWJ, XXIX (1880), 333; Glassberg, 139 and Introd. p. xix; Ducange, s. v. "boucage"; Grimm, II, 1016, III, 359; Wuttke, 105; Berliner, Aus dem Leben, 134.

24. Güd. I, 215;—San. 47b; Raben, 230d; Yore Deah, 368:1; cf. Seligmann, Mag. Heil- u. Schutzmittel, 149 ff.;—Gaster, Studies and Texts, III, 229-30;

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[paragraph continues] Shimmush Tehillim, Ps. 19; cf. Samter, 145 f., 214; Seligmann, op. cit., 151 ff.; Wuttke, 89 f.

25. Güd. I, 214; Maharil, 18b; Isserles, Oraḥ Ḥayim 453: t; cf. Shimmush Tehillim, Ps. 13; Krauss, op. cit., 49;—Grunwald, MJV, XIX (1906), 117; cf. Gaster, op. cit., III, 229. See also I. Löw, Die Flora der Juden, IV, 341 ff.

Next: Chapter XIV

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