Demons in the House?

Question:

I'm moving to a new house, and friends begged me to be sure previous owners had not remodeled, causing doors or windows to be closed up. They urged me not to make such door or window changes either -- all because of Jewish law. I am not familiar with these laws, so please provide me with more information.

Answer:

This may suprise you, but your friend is probably urging you to avoid provoking demons.

According to Rabbi Yehudah HeChasid (of 12-century Germany) in his Sefer Chasidim: The Book of the Pious and his Ethical Will and Testament, translated by Avraham Finkel (Jason Aronson, 1997) demons travel via habitual and unwavering paths, and one must avoid blocking their paths. "...angels and demons cannot deviate from the route to which they are assigned" (p. 76). "One should not seal up a window or door completely, otherwise the demons that usually pass through these openings will cause harm. One should make a hole in the sealed door or window [to allow the demons passage]" (p. 378)

It may be difficult for many readers to take seriously the notion that demons exist and could harm us--or that these concepts are part of Judaism. Indeed, Finkel points out that "many of the instructions in Rabbi Yehudah's...ethical will...are based on Kabbalah and do not have the binding character of halachah" [Jewish law] (p. xxxiii).

Although Biblical, Rabbinic and Kabbalistic texts mention demons, the text of the Tanakh makes it clear that the source of misfortune is the Lord, and sorcery is not to be tolerated. Popular belief in demons has waxed and waned over the centuries, often reflecting the beliefs of surrounding communities. Notably, Maimonides and Ibn Ezra have rejected the the existence of demons. The article on "Demons and Demonology" in the Encyclopedia Judaica provides an overview on the topic of demons in Judaism, and how the concept has varied in different eras and geographic areas.

Joshua Trachtenberg, in Jewish Magic and Superstition (1939), prefaces his book saying that "alongside ...[the]... formal development [of Judaism] there was a constant elaboration of what we may call 'folk religion' -- ideas and practices that never met with the whole-hearted approval of the religious leaders, but which enjoyed such wide popularity that they could not be altogether excluded from the field of religion. Of this sort were the beliefs concerning demons and angels, and the many superstitious usages based on these beliefs...(p. vii). Trachtenberg discusses demons, and avoiding demons in the home, on pages 32-33.

A more recent scholarly treatment of the supernatural (including demons) in ancient rabbinic literature is Yuval Harari's "The sages and the occult" in The Literature of the Sages, part 2 (2006) p. 521-564.

Bibliography of the works of Rabbi Yaakov Hayim Sofer, rosh Yeshivat Kaf ha-Hayim - Part I

Introduction

Rabbi Yaakov Hayim Sofer, rosh yeshivah of Yeshivat Kaf ha-Hayim in Yerushalayim (http://kafhahaim.streenet.com/he/home.htm), is a prolific author who writes on a myriad of topics relating to all aspects of Torah study (including important bio-bibliographic studies). His works are distinguished by a very impressive command of the entire corpus of rabbinic writings - from the writings of the Tanaim up until the writings of present day scholars.

Although Rabbi Sofer has published many works containing his own essays, much of his output has been in the form of extensive notes written on the works of previous scholars. These notes have often been published at the backs of new editions of these scholars’ publications. Contemporary scholars who receive approbations from Rabbi Sofer for their works are often rewarded with his comments on their book’s subject, appended to his approbation. These practices make the identification and collation of all Rabbi Sofer’s writings difficult. In addition, Rabbi Sofer shares his name with his grandfather, the famous posek and kabbalist who wrote Kaf ha-Hayim and other works. This may confuse some people.

In order to distinguish them, the Library of Congress authority file lists the contemporary rosh yeshivah as: “Sofer, Yaakov Haim”. The author of Kaf ha-Hayim is identified in the authority record as: “Sofer, Ya‘akov Hayim, 1869 or 70-1939”. Another difference recorded by the Library of Congress is that the contemporary rosh yeshivah is “ben Yitshak Shalom” whereas the author of Kaf ha-Hayim is “ben Yitshak Barukh”.

In order to assist in the recognition of the contemporary Rabbi Sofer’s writings, I have prepared a bibliography of his publications. It can only be said to be a preliminary bibliography since I have been unable to personally examine some of the works and editions. Furthermore, I have not taken what would, surely, be the great amount of time necessary to compare the contents of all the books and note what, if any, essays or notes appear in multiple publications. It is, also, to be presumed that many of Rabbi Sofer’s articles that have been published in periodical literature, have been reprinted in his self-published works. Again, I have not taken the time to ascertain when this has occurred. Finally, I am certain that due to their lack of mention in the databases I have consulted, I have completely omitted many of Rabbi Sofer’s articles printed in periodical literature.

I have divided the bibliography into three sections:
1) Books containing primarily Rabbi Sofer’s own writings
2) Books written primarily by other authors that have been published together with Rabbi Sofer’s notes and comments. Each section is arranged alphabetically. I have generally listed only the latest edition of each work, except where the Jewish Theological Seminary Library has only an earlier edition, in which case I have listed the edition that we have and the later edition. Where the JTS Library owns a copy of the work, I have noted the call number assigned to the item. Where the JTS Library does not own a copy, I have so noted.
3) Periodicals (and other collections of articles, such as festschriften) containing articles and notes written by Rabbi Sofer. The periodicals have been arranged alphabetically by periodical title and the articles within each periodical have been arranged alphabetically by article title.

In preparing the bibliography I made use of the list of Rabbi Sofer’s works published at the back of the various volumes of his work, Sefer Hadar Yaakov. I have also used the following catalogs and databases: JTS Library catalogue, JNUL catalogue, RAMBI, RAMBISH, COTAR, and the index to periodicals (and other collections of articles), on the "Bar Ilan ShuT Project CD" (version 15). I have also made use of the index to the journal Mekabtsiel (issues 1-30) published in v.30 (Adar II 5765) of that journal. I have, also, examined many of the works and items personally. I would like to thank my colleague, Ina Rubin Cohen, for her helpful suggestions of databases to search.

I intend, be-ezrat HaShem, to publish the bibliography on this blog over the coming weeks.

As mentioned above, there are certainly many lacunae to be found in this preliminary bibliography. (One desideratum is articles by Rabbi Sofer published in v.35-36 of Mekabtsiel, which I have been unable to examine.) I welcome any additions or corrections that can be supplied by our readers. I also welcome any biographical information regarding Rabbi Yaakov Hayim Sofer that can be supplied by our readers.

Digital Articles from Beit Mikra

Question: How can I access a digital version of articles from the journal Beit Mikra, published by the World Jewish Bible Center?

Answer: Electronic access to selected Beit Mikra articles from the 1960's - 1980's is available from daat.ac.il here (by date) and here (alphabetically by author).

A quick way to access digitized Hebrew articles, including these Beit Mikra articles, is from the English/Hebrew Periodicals section of the website of the JTS Library

Beit Mikra is indexed in RAMBI without the full text -- RAMBI just provides the citations. Be sure to search RAMBI in the Hebrew alphabet to retrieve results for Beit Mikra.

Beit Mikra is also indexed in our subscription database ATLA/ATLAS, also just providing the citations. It includes articles published from 1998-2010. ATLA/ATLAS has transliterated the titles and authors of the Beit Mikra articles; you must search using the English alphabet. ATLA/ATLAS has spelled the journal "Bet Mikra".

On the JTS campus, you can access ATLA/ATLAS here. ATLA/ATLAS is available remotely to JTS students and faculty via our Remote Access service.

Rabbis During The Depression

Question: I have a 1937 pamphlet published by Temple Emanu-el of Boro Park, Brooklyn, the synagogue of my childhood. This pamphlet was published to mark an anniversary of the synagogue's founding. There is no mention of any rabbis, past or present, in this pamphlet, and I am concerned that during the depression the synagogue was unable to hire a rabbi. This publication includes a history of the temple, it lists past & present presidents and committee members; it also inludes sections on educating oneself and one's children about Judaism. But no rabbis are mentioned at all!

Can you please tell me if Emanu-el had a rabbi during the depression years?

Answer: Temple Emanu-el certainly did have rabbis in the 1930's: The proceedings of the Rabbinical Assembly 1930-32 volume lists Rabbi Moses J. S. Abels as being at Temple Emanuel; the 1933-38 volumes list Rabbi Jesse Bienenfeld as being at Temple Emanuel. Who's Who in American Jewry (1938-39) states that Rabbi Abels served from 1927-1935 and Rabbi Bienenfeld served beginning in 1935.

Jewish Renewal Movement in Secular Israel

Question: Can you recommend research materials on the recent interest in studying classical Jewish texts among secular Israelis.

Answer: The following resources focus your topic and have all been published within the last two years.

Ackerman, Ari. "Eliezer Schweid on the Religious Dimension of a Secular Jewish Renewal" Modern Judaism 30:2 (2010) p . 209-228.

Sheleg, Yair. מעברי ישן ליהודי חדש : רנסנס היהדות בחברה הישראלית Jerusalem, Ha-Makhon ha-Yisraeli lle-demokratyah, 2010.

Sheleg, Yair.

קץ המרד החילוני : מקהילות תפילה חדשניות, בתי מדרש חילוניים ותיקוני ליל שבועות אינטלקטואליים ועד חוגי קבלה, טורי פרשת שבוע, וחידוש פיוטי תפילה עתיקים על ידי זמרי פופ - ישראל עוברת רנסנס יהודי

דרשני

2 (2010) p. 10-16.

Werczberger, Rachel and Na'ama Azulay. "The Jewish Renewal Movement in Israeli Secular Society" Contemporary Jewry [forthcoming in 2011].

"Jewish Renewal in Israel" [3 articles in] Journal of Jewish Communal Service 85:1 (2010):

Hartmen, Donniel. "Renewing Jewish Identity in Israel" p. 73-76

Calderon, Ruth. "Tel Aviv and the Flowering of Jewish Renewal" p. 77-80.

Kelman, Naamah. "Seeding the Field of Jewish Renewal in Israel" p. 81-83.

When the wicked perish, there is song?

Question:
I am searching for a rabbinic teaching in which God tells the angels not to rejoice over the destruction of the Egyptians at the Reed Sea. Would you help me locate an English translation of this teaching?

Answer:
The teaching can be found in the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, folio 39b. Here is a copy of the Soncino translation(with notes)of the relevant passage (from here: http://www.halakhah.com/sanhedrin/sanhedrin_39.html#PARTb):

THEREFORE EVERY SINGLE PERSON etc. And there went out the song5 throughout the host:6 R. Aha b. Hanina said: [It is the song referred to in the verse.] When the wicked perish, there is song;7 [thus] when Ahab b. Omri perished there was 'song'. But does the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoice over the downfall of the wicked? Is it not written, [That they should praise] as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks unto the Lord for His mercy endureth for ever;8 concerning which R. Jonathan asked: Why are the words, He is good9 omitted from this expression of thanks? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not rejoice in the downfall of the wicked.10 For R. Samuel b. Nahman said in R. Jonathan's name: What is meant by, And one approached not the other all night?11 In that hour the ministering angels wished to utter the song [of praise]12 before the Holy One, blessed be He, but He rebuked them, saying: My handiwork [the Egyptians] is drowning in the sea; would ye utter song before me!13 — Said R. Jose b. Hanina: He Himself does not rejoice, yet He causes others to rejoice. Scripture supports this too, for it is written, [And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do good … so yasis will the Lord] cause rejoicing [over you by destroying you],14 and not yasus [so will the Lord rejoice etc.]15 This prove it.

1. [H], E.V. 'cry'.
2. I Kings XXII, 36, with reference to Ahab's death at Ramoth in Gilead.
3. [H] Prov. XI, 10.
4. II. Chron. XX, 21, with reference to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, when he went to engage in war with the Ammonites and Moabites.
5. [H], as in Ps. CVII, 1.
6. [H], can also be rendered 'it is good'.
7. Ex. XIV, 20.
8. Cf. Isa. VI, 3. And one (angel) called unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, etc.
9. The verse is thus taken to mean that one (angel) did not approach the other, calling upon him to join in the Song (Maharsha).
10. Deut. XXVIII, 63. [H], in the Hiphil (causative).
11. [H], in the Kal.

Dots in Rashi

Question:
I am interested in the dots used to separate the various sections of Rashi's commentary to Torah and Talmud. Are these dots found in early printed editions of Rashi or are they a later innovation?
Answer:
There are two considerations in separators, one is the marker of the end of the lemma, the other is the marker of the end of the comment. Usage has not been consistent, but development may be seen. There is enough variation to suggest that a wider range may even be found in mss., but that would be another inquiry. In Rashi on the Torah, I looked at ed. Rome 1489/92 and Soncino 1487. Ed. Rome used no punctuation only spaces to separate lemmata and commentary, as well as divisions within commentary, nothing even at the end of a chapter. Soncino, OTOH, separated lemma with one dot and marked end of comment with two vertical ones or one. In Talmud, progress went from nothing after lemma to marking it. Soncino 1487 used one dot to mark end of comment. An unkown Spanish edition, ca. 1482, used two vertical dits or two horizontal ones (sometimes just one). Other printed edns. (random sampling of 16th & 17th cent., items) separated comments with two vertical dots, but did not mark end of lemmata, except for Cracow 1603 Pesahim which sometimes separated lemma with single dot. By the 18th cent., many editions separated comments with two dots and ended lemmata with single dot, e.g., Frankfurt a/M 1720, Berlin 1734, Sulsbach, 1766, and so into the 19th cent. (except that Slavuta 1817 did not mark end of lemmata). It should be noted that some editions also used spacing to separate comments. Also noteworthy is that single dots can come at top of line, bottom, and center.
(Answer provided by Dr. Jay Rovner, JTS Library's Manuscript Bibliographer.)

The Number Thirteen in Judaism

Question: An ecumenical organization in our community is planning a Spring holiday event on April 13, and the Jewish part of the program will be a model seder. They would like to mention the significance of the number thirteen in connection with Passover, since the event is taking place on the 13th of the month. What should I tell them? Answer: The number thirteen has few connections to Passover and the seder. A notable exception is the Ehad Mi Yodea (Who Knows One) song traditionally sung at the end of the Seder. This song has thirteen stanzas and the thirteenth stanza proclaims there are thirteen attributes of God. The full text of God's thirteen attributes are recited during specific prayers over the course of the year, including during Yom Kippur, other fast days, and on the three Pilgrimage Festivals (Passover being one of these festivals). The number thirteen has a few other connections to Judaism in general, not specifically Passover: A boy becomes Bar Mitzvah at age thirteen. Maimonides summarized Jewish belief in his Thirteen Articles of Faith. In Ashkenazi tradition, the Yigdal hymn of 13 verses (based on Maimonides' Thirteen Articles of Faith) is recited during daily prayers. The ancient sage, Rabbi Ishmael, organized Biblical analysis into 13 Rules of Interpretation.