pesachim 112

rabbinic sons and demonic daughters

one generation tries to protect the next and warn of threats and dangers.
like the demon daughter and her destructive angels who punctually rampage every Tuesday and Friday night.

(various Rabbis instruct their sons & students, of many things that could be harmful. a lot of them could be basic health & safety eg don't drink water from a river at night. yup, might slip and fall in. but it is explained in terms of demons. apparently tues or fri night is dangerous to drink any water because that's when the demons are out. And why tues & fri? Agrat, the daughter of the demon Mahalat, leading 180,000 destructive angels, are out to destroy on those nights. story of an encounter with her and R. Hanina b. Dosa, where he could have eliminated her completely but instead limited her wanderings to two nights of the week. can't get rid of the demons completely, need to make some time for them)

pesachim 111

beware the beginning of the month
beware of women at the beginning of their time of the month,
beware of the dangerous shadows, and the demons who lurk in multi-branched trees,

most importantly: get to know the demons and then you can write the correct amulets

(this page of Talmud reads like a strange encyclopedia of demons and dangers. sleeping in shadows, walking between trees, women. a woman walking between men, especially during the beginning of her period.... demons are everywhere, in trees, in breadcrumbs, in food under the bed)

pesachim 110

BEWARE OF EVEN DRINKING

is the king of the demons dangerous?
Yosef the Demon taught how men (not ordinary women) should be careful about drinking in pairs. even numbers can be fatal.
but not things that are man-made, just things from heaven. like wine, and beer, and women....

(more demons! strange tales from Yosef the Demon who says that Ashmedai, king of the demons, is only a king not harmful... but others disagree. kings are a capricious moody bunch. Other stories on this page about witches, and ex-wives who use the dangerous double drinking to cause harm.
some interesting 'facts' about the dangerous pairs - only pairs of heavenly made things are fatal, not man-made items. And women aren't affected. Apparently demons aren't interested in how much women drink. and demons only bother you if you are bothered about them.... so be like a woman and turn your back to the demons and drink as evenly as you like)

pesachim 109

roasted grains and nuts for children
new clothes for women
wine for men

but the demons like things in pairs...

(this page begins to discuss the seder and ends in demons. Children were given nuts and grains to keep them awake. There is an aspect of festivals to be happy, this is expressed in eating meat. or, for women - new clothes. and for men, wine. There is a concern however not to drink an even number of glasses of wine, because that makes you vulnerable to demons... apparently. But it's going to be ok! on seder night, it is a night of watching and extra protection, so our 4 glasses of wine at seder are safe...)

eruvin 43

only Elijahu the time-travelling prophet, or Joseph the demon can stride great distances to teach torah on the same shabbat.

eruvin 18

like partitions enclosing a spring, Adam surrounded himself with a belt of fig-leaves. but it didn't stop demons springing from his sperm. perhaps he shouldn't have separated from Eve, and should have followed her instead.

(on this page the type and number of partitions to enclose a well and spring is discussed and quotes R. Yirmeya b. Elazar. The talmud continues to quote various statements from R. Yirmeya. He discuss the the creation of Adam & Eve. and describes that after exile from Eden, out of shame Adam wore a belt of fig-leaves and separated from Eve for 130 years. during that time he 'fathered' demons from his semen. this page also discusses that men should not walk behind their wives...)

shabbat 67

for healing one might resort to all sorts of strange, weird and wonderful remedies
evoking the burning bush, appealing to angels, send away demons

but only effective cures are permitted.
not crazy ones like those superstitious idolatrous Ammorites. (who have some very strange cooking methods)

(list of various cures and remedies include carving and reciting verses about the burning bush to treat a fever, calling to various angels and demons, and what is permitted to be carried on shabbat as they have effective healing - locust egg, splinter from a crucified/hanging post, fox's tooth.... for english translation of this talmud page, see here)

brachot 62

the dangers of going to the toilet: snakes, scorpions & demons.
so, remember to face the fight, and face the right direction and hope you have some shelter,
like the protecting hand of R. Hisda's daughter.

(for english translation of this page of talmud see here)

brachot 55

until the letter is read, don't know if the dream is from the angels or the demons.

but not everything that stands in the shadows is something to fear - depending on your heart, they could bring wisdom and insight.

(apologies to Goya. for english translation of this talmud page see here)

- it says on this page that it is better to have a bad dream, as that can inspire reflection and remorse. or is a way of receiving punishment in this world. so this yom kippur, fast well and wish you not-such sweet dreams

brachot 43

the sweet scent of a scholar who goes out at night alone with his torch.

just him and his shadow can chase the demons away.



(discussion about the blessing over scent. Rav Zutra bar Toviya said that Rav said: the young men of Israel will emit a sweet smell. he also said that if someone goes out at night with a torch it is like 2 people and therefore not vulnerable to demons. later in the daf it is noted that it is unfitting for Torah scholars to go out perfumed, or alone at night... for risk of appearing homosexual and promiscuous. for english translation of this talmud page, see here and apologies to jean-paul gautlier)

brachot 6

we are surrounded by demons, but where is God?

look in God's tefillin and see that God values people. After all, demons only attack when alone (brachot 3), there's safety in numbers. God can be experienced when with other people.

so, run RUN to find others, and fix a time and place to pray.









(but what if when with others, you are not part of the group.... you know.... what if you are a woman...?)

(english translation of this talmud page can be found here)