About Demons In Judaism
I plan to give this as my dvar Torah (”Word of Bible”) at my synagogue this Shabbat, probably at Seuda Shlisheet (the third meal, eaten Saturday at sundown):
“They should no longer slaughter their sacrifices to demons after whom they stray. This should be An eternal statute for they for all their generations.”
[Velo yizbechu od et zivchehem lasi'irim asher heim zonim achareihem chukat olam tehyeh zot lahem ledorotam
(revi'i of Aharei (17:7)) Gutnick Edition, the Chabad Chumash]
This verse’s reference to si’irim, demons, seems very strange. What does that mean?
The Hebrews had managed to retain their basic Jewish identy in Egypt. They still circumcised their children. They still believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Despite all of the Egyptian culture surrounding them, all the animal worship, the sexual impropriety and idolatry, they still spoke Hebrew, kept their Hebrew names, and they still wore Hebrew clothing. Simutaneouly, as our sages tell us, the Israelites in Egypt had becomed depraved. They reached the 49th level of impurity, and had they corrupted themselves any more, they would not have been redeemed from slavery. Perhaps one could posit that the Israelites in Egypt had stooped to the level of worship of other gods, avodah zara, within the exotic and debased milieu of Egypt, and that’s what our parsha refers to.
Yet this commandment, this verse, under discussion, wasn’t given to the Jews in Egypt. God, through Moses, was telling this people, who had recently heard the Ten Commandments, not to sacrifice to si’irim, demons. Why would they do that, if they had already heard the Second Commandment, not to have, worship other gods, idols? Why would they even think to worship others? Moreover, we know malachim, angels, exist. But do we believe that demons really exist, or are they just figments of humans’ imaginations?
Rashi, or Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak, the premiere commentator on the Bible, comments that the word si’irim indeed refers to sheidim, meaning demons. Apparently, there is a stream in Jewish philosophy which holds that demons do exist. We believe in good angels, malachim, so why not assume that bad spiritual powers, sheidim, perhaps the soton or Satan among them, actually exist?
Allow me to mention the opinion of other commentators on this subject.
I am sure that the Rambam, Maimonaides, would disagree with Rashi on this, and hold that demons don’t actually exist.
The Ibn Ezra, another rationalist commentator, writes that the word si’irim indeed refers to demons. However, he also holds that demons don’t actually exist. Rather, the meshugaim, mentally incompetent people, see them via hallucination. And such a phenomenon occurred with the Israelites in Egypt. Yet the one who sacrifices to, who worships, this figment of his or her imagination, is still liable to sin and punishment for worshipping it.
The Ramban, Nachmanides, a great commentator with a kabbalistic bent, holds that demons indeed do exist. However, in the ancient view of the elements: fire, air, water, earth, from which humans are made from all four, demons are only made from 2 of the four, fire and air. Like angels, they can fly around, and they can therefore see what happens all over, and what is likely to happen in the future, but they cannot actually see into the future. Therefore, not only is worshipping or sacrificing to them a betrayal of God’s command to Israel, doing so will have no effect. Whereas the demons indeed exist and can even view all over the world, they cannot actually participate or have effect on the world.
That opinion, of Nachmanides, which as I mentioned before that Maimonides, Rambam, which most certainly disagree with, therefore isn’t an understanding we have to actually accept as physical truth. We can explain this Biblical reference to demons as the Ibn Ezra and Rambam would, as referring to figments of our imaginations. However, the main point, the main lesson of the Ramban, and perhaps all of these great Torah commentators as a whole, nevertheless remains extremely relevant and applicable in our modern age of mass machinery of manufacture and transportation, as well as electronic communication: Of automobiles, jet airline transport. Of cell phones and e-mail. Of computers and the internet.
There is a lot to “believe in,” so to speak, in a very real way. But often — and I speak to myself regarding this, as well as regarding others — the advanced means can become an end unto themselves. When we know why we are performing a procedure, why a certain technology is indeed serving an important role, in helping ourselves, in helping others, in improving ours and others’ lives, and ultimately serving as a means towards the end of Tikkun Olam, improving the world as a whole, letakein olam beMalchut Shakai, towards the ultimate purpose of the service of G-d, then our means will not act as demons. Then we won’t be distracted by nothingness, by things which have no relevance to the proper life, to righteousness, to justice. To a Torah life and lifestyle, as prescribed in the Torah and urged by the holy prophets, and later the Sages and Rabbis.
Shabbat Shalom
