A different approach to sheidim

The sages of the Talmud describe all sorts of experiences with sheidim – creatures which are neither human nor beast, which may or may not be visible or tangible, and which affect our world in numerous ways. The term sheid is often translated, unsatisfyingly, as "demon".

I have heard all sorts of explanations for the nature of sheidim, including the idea [attributed to Rambam, as you will see below] that sheidim are an outdated superstition, but none of the explanations suits the canon of sheid-related material in the writings of the sages.

I am indebted to Rabbi Hillel Goldberg for showing me the following explanation. I must confess that I don't understand it, but the little I grasp says this is a very interesting idea. It comes from notes recorded by Rav Yitzchak Hutner, published on page 74 of a Sefer Zikaron compiled in his memory. The book is available in the Otzar haChochmah database. Here I present my own translation, followed by the original Hebrew:

"In the declarations of our sages we have found many indications of the existence of sheidim. This is the way to explain it:

"The statement in Avot d'Rabbi Natan 31 is known, that all that exists in the universe exists in man. The reverse is also true.

"The power of imagination is found in Man. With this power, Man designs for himself a reality which does not exist, at all, in the universe; this exists only in the realm of imagination. Since this power exists in Man, its parallel must exist in some creature in the universe. Those creatures are the ones called sheidim – theirs is an existence which is not an existence.

"When we say of something that it is only imagination, we mean that nothing like it exists in reality. However, certainly, for one who deals in human psychology, when he investigates the activities of the human brain, for him this imagination is certainly full-fledged reality.

"Thus, it is appropriate that Rambam wrote (Commentary to Mishnah Avodah Zarah 4:7) that sheidim do not exist in reality, and this does not contradict, at all, the declarations of our sages which indicate the existence of sheidim."

במאמרי חז"ל מצינו כמה פעמים ענינים מורים על מציאותם של שדים. ומהלך הסברה בזה הוא דידוע מאמר אדר"נ פל"א שכל מה שיש בעולם יש באדם. והוא הדין לאידך גיסא. והנה באדם נמצא במוח כוח הדמיון, שבכוח זה האדם מצייר לעצמו מציאות שאינה מצויה בכלל העולם. וה"ז מציאות רק בכוח המדמה. ומכיון שישנו כוח כזה באדם, בודאי שנמצא דוגמתו בריה בעולם. הבריות הללו הם הם הנקראים שדים. כלומר, שהם מציאות-בלתי-מציאות. והנה באמרנו על איזה ענין שאין זה אלא דמיון, כונתנו שאין דבר כזה במציאות. אבל  מי שעסקו הוא בכוחות הנפש של האדם, בודאי שבשעה שהוא חוקר את הנעשה במוחו של אדם, בודאי שבשבילו הדמיון הזה הוא מציאות גמורה. ולהכי שפיר כתב הר"מ (פיה"מ ע"ז ד) דשדים אינם במציאות כלל. ואין זה סותר כלל וכלל לכל המאמרים המורים על מציאותם של שדים.

What do you think?

Apples and Honey and Superstition (nichush) for Rosh HaShanah

You know the drill:
Dip the apple in the honey,
Pass the fish (head),
carrots (possibly cut in circle ‘coin’ shapes),
leek (yum!) and/or fenugreek (huh?),
beets and pomegranate seeds (may your dry cleaner have a good year),
black-eyed peas (Persians, perhaps other sephardim as well?),
kubbeh (remind me to talk more about this one some time)…

Yes, it’s Rosh HaShanah! Forget the shofar, it's time for the “other” Seder, when we eat all sorts of odd foods as a sign for a sweet new year.

It all began with Abayye, who said (Horiyyot 12a), “Since we say that signs are substantive (סימנא מילתא היא), one should accustom himself to see gourds and fenugreek, leek, beets and dates at the start of the year.”

Other editions have “to eat” in place of “to see,” a point worthy of its own discussion, but I have a point I’m trying to get to here: The Torah says (Vayyikra 19:26) לא תנחשו, You shall not rely on omens. The gemara (Chullin 95b) seems to define nichush as relying on omens to determine future action. If so, what are we doing with these weird food omens on Rosh HaShanah?

I have seen four different approaches to this:

1) Rav Natronai Gaon, some 1100 years ago, wrote, “This is a good reading of omens, and sages and most of Babylon are accustomed to do this.” That’s it. This is good nichush – נחש לטובה, as he put it. I don’t really understand this.

2) We could offer a second answer, based on Tosafot (13th century) to Chullin 95b. The gemara there uses Eliezer, Avraham’s servant, to provide an example of nichush. Eliezer is supposed to go to Avraham’s family, to find a wife for Yitzchak – but, instead, he comes to a well and declares that the right girl will be the one who offers water for him and for his camels. This is nichush – offering water is not relevant to the task at hand of finding Avraham's family.

Tosafot asks how Eliezer could do this, according to the view that this prohibition against nichush applies to non-Jewish Noachides as well. Tosafot answers that it was acceptable because Eliezer didn't rely on this to affect his actions; he didn't give Rivkah the jewelry until he knew she was family.

Tosafot’s answer works for us, too. We don’t eat apples and honey and then decide we don’t need to daven, or do teshuvah (repent). It’s just a nice symbol. (This may also be what Maharsha means in Horiyyot?)

3) Or Zarua and Raavyah, writing about 900 years ago, explain that our apples-and-honey fetish isn’t really about an omen, after all. Rather, it’s an association with Tanach, meant to put us in a good frame of mind for Rosh HaShanah.

Specifically, sweet foods call forth Ezra’s positive Rosh HaShanah message of forgiveness to the Jews who returned for the second Beit haMikdash. Ezra declared (Nechemiah 8:10), “Go and eat fatty foods and drink sweet drinks, and send portions to those who have none prepared, for today is sacred for our Gd. Do not be sad, for the joy of Gd is your strength.”

The only problem I have with this excellent explanation is that it doesn’t suit Abbaye’s wording in Horiyyot.

4) Finally, and – to me – most simply, the answer is that this is not called “superstition” because it is effective, in some mystical way.

The Sefer Chasidim writes as much in a different context, explaining why ערסא דגדא isn’t nichush, in #458. The Maharal writes it in Beer haGolah, volume 2 (pg. 33 in my edition).

Why should these foods be effective?

Take a look at the words of Ramban in Bereishit 12:6 – “Know that all of the decrees of Above become irreversibly enduring once they cease being decrees and become active and visible…And therefore Gd had Avraham begin to take control of Israel, and He made Avraham model all that would happen with his descendants.”

So by eating sweet foods, we begin to have a sweet year – and thus the year must continue to be sweet. May it be a sweet year for everyone!