Aug 13, 2026 · 50 min · 10 segments
We conclude Chapter 11 of Avodah Zarah, exploring more of the law around magic and magic-users, here getting a glimpse into Maimonides' philosophical understanding of supernatural phenomena and their…
This might be surprising considering everything we just said, but someone who's bitten by a scorpion or a snake is permitted to whisper over the place of the bite, even on Shabbat.
in order to settle their mind and strengthen their heart.
So this is utterly, utterly seeming to be in contrast to what we read before, but let's read the rest because it really will help to answer that question we started with.
Even though these things do not work whatsoever, since the victim is in some kind of danger, he's permitted... lest, right, in order to avoid that his mind doesn't become overly disturbed.
So we could spend hours on this, but essentially Rambam is saying magic isn't real.
These things don't actually work, but there are certain situations where it might be psychologically beneficial for someone to be able to utilize magical formula that feel familiar to them, even though they don't work because it'll help their healing purely on the basis of the fact that they'll think it works and that'll make them feel better.
This is what we call the placebo effect, of course, and kind of contemporary understandings of medicine and how medicines work.
Ron Baum doesn't know exactly the placebo effect, but he's kind of describing something similar.
So his example is someone who whispers over a wound.
And this is language the rabbis use a lot to talk about magic, whispering over a wound.
And he says it's permitted.
We're not allowed to specifically pray for something we want.
Presumably not dying from your scorpion bite is something you want.
But even to recite a magical incantation over that scorpion bite is permitted on Shabbat.
And he's really clear about the fact it doesn't work.
It doesn't actually work.
It's not effectual, but it could make you feel better.
And that has value.
It's interesting because you know how I like to look at the Talmud source that relates to it.
It just says that it's permitted to do it.
He's adding that elaboration that it doesn't work and that there's a reason why it's okay, but that's not there in the Talmud.
It's interesting.
Yeah.
Very good, right? So again, before we came online, we said a little bit about our own mob's orientation here.
This might be surprising considering everything we just said, but someone who's bitten by a scorpion or a snake is permitted to whisper over the place of the bite, even on Shabbat.
in order to settle their mind and strengthen their heart.
So this is utterly, utterly seeming to be in contrast to what we read before, but let's read the rest because it really will help to answer that question we started with.
Even though these things do not work whatsoever, since the victim is in some kind of danger, he's permitted... lest, right, in order to avoid that his mind doesn't become overly disturbed.
So we could spend hours on this, but essentially Rambam is saying magic isn't real.
These things don't actually work, but there are certain situations where it might be psychologically beneficial for someone to be able to utilize magical formula that feel familiar to them, even though they don't work because it'll help their healing purely on the basis of the fact that they'll think it works and that'll make them feel better.
This is what we call the placebo effect, of course, and kind of contemporary understandings of medicine and how medicines work.
Ron Baum doesn't know exactly the placebo effect, but he's kind of describing something similar.
So his example is someone who whispers over a wound.
And this is language the rabbis use a lot to talk about magic, whispering over a wound.
And he says it's permitted.
We're not allowed to specifically pray for something we want.
Presumably not dying from your scorpion bite is something you want.
But even to recite a magical incantation over that scorpion bite is permitted on Shabbat.
And he's really clear about the fact it doesn't work.
It doesn't actually work.
It's not effectual, but it could make you feel better.
And that has value.
It's interesting because you know how I like to look at the Talmud source that relates to it.
It just says that it's permitted to do it.
He's adding that elaboration that it doesn't work and that there's a reason why it's okay, but that's not there in the Talmud.
It's interesting.
Yeah.
Very good, right? So again, before we came online, we said a little bit about our own mob's orientation here.
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