The Talmud & Demonology
(Identifying the bibilical errors of Christian Zionism)
Please note: Research into the Hebrew Roots & Messianic movements (Christian Zionism) constitutes research into Judaism as well as the occult. We fully respect each persons right to believe or utilize what resources they choose. We however, see a clear distinction in believing the Messiah has come versus utilizing resources which still await His coming. That is how and why we must evaluate all to Christ and the New Testament as well as the Tenach. We do not wish to edit or criticize Judaism, but recognize it as distinct from our Christian beliefs, just as many in Judaism also see a distinction and separateness from our beliefs, and we jointly have mutual respect for our differences and each other.
Psalms 1:1-2
" Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."
In order to fully understand what the Talmud sages believe and teach in their expansive Sacred Jewish books, we need to seek information and weigh it to the Word of God. Investigating the Hebrew Roots movement, which promotes the study of the writings of the Talmud, Midrash and Mishnah, we find the common thread of Jewish Mysticism.
The well-respected Gershom Scholem's "On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism" gives some insight into the subliminal process through which mystics of all religions use Scripture to justify their aberrant exegesis of Scripture:
"...not my intention to discuss mystical exegesis in its concrete application to the Bible. Vast numbers of books have been written by Jewish mystics attempting to find their own ideas in, or read them into, the Biblical texts... Many productive minds among the Kabbalists found this a congenial way of expressing their own ideas, while making them seem to flow from the words of the Bible. It is not always easy, in a given case, to determine whether the Biblical text inspired the exegesis or whether the exegesis was a deliberate device, calculated to bridge the gap between the old and the new vision by reading completely new ideas into the text. But this perhaps is to take too rationalistic a view of what goes on in the mind of a mystic. Actually the thought processes of mystics are largely unconscious, and they may be quite unaware of the clash between old and new which is of such passionate interest to the historian. They are thoroughly steeped in the religious tradition in which they have grown up, and many notions which strike a modern reader as fantastic distortions of a text spring from a conception of Scripture which to the mystic seems perfectly natural. For one thing can be said with certainty about Kabbalists is this: they are, and do their best to remain, traditionalists, as is indicated by the very word Kabbalah, which is one of the Hebrew words for 'tradition.'" 1.
Some will argue that mysticism is far removed from the Judaic writings. Hebrew Roots leaders advocating the study of the Mishnah or Midrash would most likely not provide information on occultism so that we might compare. However, history reveals that mysticism has had a profound influence in Judaism, and is chiefly conveyed in the sacred writings.
"Mysticism and mystical experiences have been a part of Judaism since the earliest days. The Torah contains many stories of mystical experiences, from visitations by angels to prophetic dreams and visions. The Talmud considers the existence of the soul and when it becomes attached to the body. Jewish tradition tells that the souls of all Jews were in existence at the time of the Giving of the Torah and were present at the time and agreed to the Covenant…"2.
"The Sacred Books of the Jews, shows that the Rabbis who contributed to the Talmud did not maintain pure Biblical teachings.
"The Rabbis of the Talmud speculated on these mysteries, particularly when they were commenting on Genesis and the visions of Ezekiel. The speculations were later embroidered by new ideas that entered Jewish thought from the Syriac Greeks, the Zoroastrian Babylonians, and the Gnostic sect of the Byzantium Christians. From these foreign and domestic concepts and myths, the Jews wove into their mysticism ideas of upper and neither worlds, angels, and demons, ghosts and spirits - ideas that had been unknown or of little importance to the Jews until then." 3.
We find that even the renowned Avi ben Mordechai teaches Jewish mysticism. An email from James Trimm of SANJ, announced "Torah Talk" with Avi ben Mordechai as planning to teach Genesis from the esoteric or mystical point of view:
"…we are going to be addressing Genesis Chapter 1 in relation to the creation story... You’ll also get an introduction into what is called by the Jewish Mystics "Ein Sof" and "Nothingness," concepts taught by Paul in Colossians 1:15 and by Yochanan in the book of Yochanan 1:1-3. This is part of our program for January 16, 1999, on Torah Talk, as we unveil the Creation Story at its Scientific and Mystical levels." 4.
For More on Avi ben Mordechai see: Avi ben Mordechai & Millennium 7000
Ein Sof is the theosophical designation of god of infinity who is "primordial nothingness" and "the annihilation of thought", according to The Essential Kabbalah, by Daniel C. Matt.
"The first sefirah [emanation of Ein Sof] …is sometimes referred to as Ayin, Nothingness…In [the] primal state, God is undifferentiated being, neither this nor that, no-thingness… In the depths of Binah [second sefirah] lies Hokhmah, Wisdom. The mystic is nourished from this sphere. Profound and primal, it cannot be known consciously, only absorbed. In the words of Isaac the Blind, one of the earliest kabbalists of Provence, 'The inner, subtle essences can be contemplated only by sucking, not by knowing.' Beyond Hokhmah is the Nothingness of Keter, the annihilation of thought. In this ultimate sefirah human consciousness expands, dissolving into infinity." 5.
Scripture tells us that God is approachable and knowable through Jesus Christ:
John 14: 6,7
"Jesus saith unto him, " I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him."
John 14:21:
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."
John 14:23:
"Jesus answered and said unto him, " If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
Talmudic Magic
The Talmud encompasses specific teachings involving demonology, legends and myths. Regarding demonology in Europe author and historian, Nesta Webster shows the preoccupation of the Talmudic rabbis with demons.
"…demonology in Europe was essentially a Jewish science…Thus the Talmud says: " if the eye could perceive the demons that people the universe, existence would be impossible. The demons are more numerous than we are: they surround us on all sides like trenches dug round vineyards. Every one of us has a thousand on his left hand and ten thousand on his right. The discomfort endured by those who attend rabbinical conferences ...comes from the demons mingling with men in these circumstances. Besides, the fatigue one feels in one's knees in walking comes from the demons that one knocks up against at every step. If the clothing of the Rabbis wears out so quickly, it is again because the demons rub up against them. Whoever wants to convince himself of their presence has only to surround his bed with sifted cinders and the next morning he will see the imprints of cock's feet.1". 6.
The Talmud teachings are entwined with magical practices and superstition.
"The same treatise goes on to give directions for seeing demons by burning portions of a black cat and placing the ashes in one's eye: "then at once one perceives the demons2." The Talmud also explains that devils particularly inhabit the water spouts on houses and are fond of drinking out of water-jugs, therefore it is advisable to pour a little water out of a jug before drinking, so as to get rid of the unclean part.2" 7.
Another section of The Babylonian Talmud provides these warnings about demons, sex, and epileptic children:
"Gittin 70a. The Rabbis taught: "On coming from a privy (outdoor toilet) a man should not have sexual intercourse till he has waited long enough to walk half a mile, because the demon of the privy is with him for that time; if he does, his children will be epileptic." 8.
Recognized as 'pro-Semite' writer, Hermann L. Strack, is quoted from his book "The Jews and Human Sacrifice":
"…A strongly "pro-Semite" writer quotes a number of Jewish medical writings of the eighteenth century, republished as late as the end of the nineteenth, which show the persistence of these magical formulae amongst the Jews…as follows: "For epilepsy kill a cock and let it putrefy." "In order to protect yourself from all evils, gird yourself with the rope with which a criminal has been hung."…"Fox's blood and wolf's blood are good for stone in the bladder, ram's blood for colic, weasel blood for scrofula," etc.--these to be externally applied." 9.
An article on Teutonic Magic by F. Hälsig in "Hastings' Encyclopœdia on Religion and Ethics" provides some insight on past Jewish magical practices in the Talmud.
"… [The] article on Magic in Hastings' Encyclopœdia goes on to say that the magical formulae handed down in Latin in ancient medical writings and used by monks were mainly of Eastern origin, derived from the Babylonish, Egyptian and Jewish magic…2."
"…if we turn to the Talmud we shall find cures recommended …For example: The eggs of a grasshopper as a remedy for toothache, the tooth of a fox as a remedy for sleep, viz. the tooth of a live fox to prevent sleep and of a dead one to cause sleep, the nail from the gallows where a man was hanged as a remedy for swelling.3." 10.
In the Babylonian Talmud, we find further directions for superstitious and occultic practices:
"Gittin 69a . To heal his flesh a Jew should take dust that lies within the shadow of an outdoor toilet, mix with honey and eat it." 11.
"Gittin 69b. To heal the disease of pleurisy ("catarrh") a Jew should "take the excrement of a white dog and knead it with balsam, but if he can possibly avoid it he should not eat the dog's excrement as it loosens the limbs." 12.
Galatians 5:20-21 states:
"Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
Since the Talmud is steeped in superstition and occult lore, it should be no surprise to us that those propagating its use would also be promoting occult superstition. Peter Michas sent an email with a list of recommended books deemed necessary in order to study under him, and this book list includes the Talmud. Mr. Michas occasionally sends out chain letters for "good luck". It should also be noted that, that besides occult leanings, Peter has a penchant for sending out to his email list--his students-- tasteless and vulgar jokes, (i.e. bar humor, sexual or suggestive and so on), which can easily be verified.
"In a message dated 1/23/99 3:47:42 PM Mountain Standard Time,
peterm@messengers-of-messiah.org writes:
" The origination of this letter is unknown, but it brings good luck to everyone who passes it on. Just forward it to five of your friends
to whom you wish good luck. You will see that something good happens to you four MINUTES from now if the chain is not broken. You will receive good luck in four minutes…"
This is from a "leader" who is being esteemed to lead the flock of Jesus Christ to understand "Truth" and become "Holy". Nowhere can such a precedent be found in Scripture of a man of God indulging in superstition and coarse jesting. On the contrary we read:
Ephesians 5:3-4:
"But fornication, and uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks."
Philippians 4:8: tells us what we are to focus on
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
Scripture reminds us in Matthew 12:37:
" For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
What a person says, promotes and calls "good" is a clear indication of their character. We are admonished to be holy.
1 Peter 1:14-16:
"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."
Talmudic Demonology
Deuteronomy 18:10-12a:
"There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord…"
The Talmud obviously has much in it that would not be acceptable for those who really believe the word of God. The issue of demonology and related topics in the Talmud crosses over into Kabbalistic teachings. The Jewish Kabbalistic beliefs about demons are found in one of its main books, the Zohar. Future sections will discuss the Kabbalah and its influence on Judaism and the Talmud.
The respected Jewish scholar, Gershom Scholem, provides this education on demons according to the Talmud and the transition of Talmudic demonology to the Zohar:
"According to Talmudic tradition, demons are spirits made in the Friday evening twilight, who, because the Sabbath has intervened, have received no bodies. From this later authorities drew the inference (which is perhaps implicit in the Talmudic sources) that the demons have been looking for bodies ever since, and that this is why they attach themselves to men. This entered into a combination with another idea. After the murder of Abel by his brother, Adam decided to have no further dealings with his wife. Thereupon female demons, succubi, came to him and conceived by him; from this union, in which Adam's generative power was misused and misdirected, stem a variety of demons, who are called nig'e bn Adam, 'Spirits of harm that come from man.'1. …practices are systematized in the Zohar, which develops the myth that Lilith, Queen of the demons, or the demons of her retinue, do their best to provoke men to sexual acts without benefit of woman, their aim being to make themselves bodies from the lost seed." 13.
In his article on "Jewish Magic" M. Gaster states:
"…These ideas [Talmud demonology] received a fresh impetus from the publication of the Zohar, which, a Jewish writer tells us, " from the 14th century held almost unbroken sway over the minds of the majority of the Jews. In it the Talmudic legends concerning the existence and activity of the shedhim (demons) are repeated and amplified, and a hierarchy of demons was established corresponding to the heavenly hierarchy… Manasseh [ben Israel]'s Nishmat Hayim is full of information concerning belief in demons ...1." 14.
Further reference to the Zohar teachings reveals that men and women have sex with demons during their sleep.
"See the Zohar, treatise Bereschith, folio.54b, where it is said that all men are visited in their sleep "by female devils." These demons never appear under any other form but that of human beings, but they have no hair on their heads…In the same way as to men, male devils appear in dreams to women, with whom they have intercourse." 15.
We find further correspondences between Talmudic and Kabbalistic sources concerning demons and the succubi mentioned above. These unholy unions are found in historical accounts of witches' confessions, i.e., The Witch Cult in Western Europe, Historie de la Magie en France and in, Hastings' Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics, article on Jewish Magic by M. Gaster.
"…the vile confessions made by both Scottish and French peasant women accused of witchcraft concerning the nocturnal visits paid them by male devils 2. find an exact counterpart in passages of the Cabala, where it is said that, "the demons are both male and female, and they both endeavor to consort with human beings- a conception from which arises the belief in incubi and succube.3." 16.
Biblically, we know that to embrace sorcery or witchcraft and such, is an abomination before God. Despite Old Testaments warnings, the Talmud provides 'solutions' for protecting oneself from the onslaught of demonic attack and disease, as seen for example, in treatise Berakhoth, folio 6:
" … The Talmud also gives directions on the manner of guarding against occult powers and the onslaught of disease. The tract Pesachim declares that he who stands naked before a candle is liable to be seized with epilepsy. The same tract also states that "a man should not go out alone on the night following the fourth day or on the night following the Sabbath, because an evil spirit, called Agrath, the daughter of Ma'hlath, together with one hundred and eighty thousand other evil spirits, go forth into the world and have the right to injure anyone they would chance to meet." 17.
The Talmudic Myth of Lillith
2 Timothy 1:7:
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind."
When studying the various teachings in the Talmud about demons, one immediately comes across reference to the name Lilith. This is significant because today, there is a movement worldwide that speaks of "Lilith rising."
The previous information regarding the Sabbath, Agrath, the daughter of Ma'hlath, and the demons are connected to Lilith in the Talmud, Midrash and Zohar.
Lilith is equated with a "first Eve", the feminine dark side of the divine and goddesses such as Isis, Astarte, the Black Madonna or Queen of Demons and other false gods. The myth of Lilith involves a total perversion of Biblical Creation and Adam and Eve.
The Jewish, "LILITH Magazine", presents "All you ever Wanted to Know about Lilith", which was originally printed in their premier issue in the fall of 1976, and provides this insight to the identity of Lilith.
"Commentators have often translated "lilith" as "night-monster," associating the name with layil, the Hebrew word for night; thus, Rabbi Hanina forbids men to sleep alone in a house at night lest they fall prey to her (Shabbat 151b). (The Akadian "lilitu," a female spirit wind, is probably a more accurate etymology, however.)" 18.
It becomes apparent that there are many versions of Lilith, but author, Judy Weinberg, presents two of the most common teachings as they are found in the Talmud and Midrash.
"Two separate and distinct beings-Lilith of the Talmud and Eve 1 of the midrash-came together into one, to become Lilith, Adam's first mate. We can see this process of integration in the Alphabet itself. In the beginning of this account, Lilith is characterized as a woman (ishah). By the end of the story, however, her children are called demons (sheydim) and she herself has powers that can only be warded off by the mystical means of an amulet. Thus, having equated his protagonist with Lilith of the Talmud, the author was forced to assign her the characteristics attributed to her by that work." 19.
"…The first available version of the Creation story which associates the name Lilith with a "first Eve" is included in the Alphabet of Ben-Sira , a work probably written sometime in the Gaonic period (600-1000 C.E.). This account merges into two separate and distinct traditions-that of the Lilith of the Talmud and that of the "first Eve" of the midrash (legends)." 20.
Talmudic Myth in the NIV
It is difficult to determine exactly why Lilith materialized in the Talmud, since there is no record of her in the Torah. "LILITH Magazine" states:
"The personality called "Lilith" in the Talmud shows no connection with Adam at all. From the four specific references to Lilith in the Babylonian Talmud, we learn only that she is a wild-haired and winged creature with nymphomaniac tendencies (Erubin 100b, Niddah 24b, Shabbat 151b); and the mother of demons (Bava Batra 73a )." 21.
Lilith Magazine also declares that Lilith is mentioned in the Bible.
"Such a characterization of Lilith may have been drawn from the single Biblical mention of "lilith" (Isaiah 34:14):
The wild creatures of the desert shall meet with the jackals, the goat demon shall call to his fellow, the lilith shall also repose there and find for herself a place of rest." 22.
Upon attempting to verify this verse in the Authorized King James Bible, we see no such mention of Lilith, or the goat demon, but rather this.
" The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest."
It should be noted that the NIV translation allows for the interpretation of the previous quote of this verse to include demons and the Lilith teachings.
Desert creatures will meet with hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also repose and find for themselves places of rest.
The footnotes to this verse include reference to… " Desert creatures...hyenas ... wild goats. Sometimes connected with demons… night creatures. Outside the Bible a related Semitic word refers to a "night demon."
From the web site, "Lilith and the Talmud," we learn that one would find Lilith and related topics covered in these sections of The Babylonian Talmud,
"b. Erubuin 18b: "Rabbi Jeremia ben Eleazer said, "During those years (after their expulsion from the Garden) in which Adam, the first man Was separated from Eve, he became the father of ghouls and demons and lilin." Rabbi Meir said, "Adam, the first man, being very pious and finding that he has caused death to come into the world, sat fasting for 130 years, and separated himself from his wife for 130 years, and wore fig vines for 130 years. His fathering of evil spirits, referred to here, came as a result of wet dreams." 23.
"Section b. Erubin 100b, refers to Lilith growing long hair; B. Nidda 24b refers to Lilith as a demoness with a human appearance except that she has wings;" 24.
b. Shab. 151b of The Babylonian Talmud states:
" One may not sleep alone in a house, for Lilith takes hold of whoever sleeps alone in the house." 25.
b. Baba Bathra 73-b continues with:
" Rabba bar bar Hana said, " I once saw Hormin, a son of Lilith, running on the battlements of Mahoza…. When the demonic government heard of it, they killed him [for showing himself]." 26.
Talmudic Bestiality
The Babylonian Talmud, the accepted and preferred version, further teaches that Adam committed bestiality.
"Yebamoth 63a. States that Adam had sexual intercourse with all the animals in the Garden of Eden." 27.
That seems to imply that Adam stayed in the Garden and was not expelled after the original sin, or that he was busy committing these acts before the record of events in Genesis involving the sin that caused both he and Eve to be expelled.
According to one source, who summarizes the quotes, the Talmud further promotes such uncleanness through obscene teachings regarding bestiality and sex with children.
"Yebamoth 59b. A woman who had intercourse with a beast is eligible to marry a Jewish priest. A woman who has sex with a demon is also eligible to marry a Jewish priest." 28.
"Sanhedrin 55b. A Jew may marry a three year old girl (specifically, three years "and a day" old)." 29.
"Sanhedrin 54b. A Jew may have sex with a child as long as the child is less than nine years old" 30.
Kethuboth 11b. "When a grown-up man has intercourse with a little girl it is nothing." 31.
Note: Please see James Trimm Responds for a response to these quotes.
There is no Scripture to support these unholy teachings. One can't help but wonder when, or if, people like Peter Michas, Jacob Prasch, Avi ben Mordechai and the myriad of other Hebrew Roots leaders promoting the study of these "Sacred Books", would have unveiled these very select teachings to Christians. |
