לֹא יִמָּצֵא בְךָ מַעֲבִיר בְּנוֹ וּבִתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ קֹסֵם קְסָמִים מְעוֹנֵן וּמְנַחֵשׁ וּמְכַשֵּׁף (דברים יח, י).
As a six-year-old child back in Johannesburg, South Africa, I was fascinated by magic. There were two brothers, about eleven years my senior, in the shul where I davened, who frequently performed magic tricks to impress us younger kids, and more than anything, I wanted to be like them. I kept pestering them to teach me how to do some of the amazing tricks they performed, but they steadfastly refused. Eventually, my constant noodging managed to wear them down and they finally revealed their secret to me - "181 Jeppe Street".
I couldn't believe it. This "secret" address was only five-minutes-walk from my late father's record store, BenHill Records, on Smal Street in downtown Johannesburg, opposite the Magistrates Court. The mysterious "181 Jeppe Street" (they subsequently changed the name to Rahima Moosa Str., after an ANC activist), directly opposite from the central post office, housed a small store on the 2nd floor, "The Magic Cave", that sold magic supplies and accessories to magicians (and budding magicians).
The feeling of wonder as I walked into this Alladin's cave for the first time is difficult to describe. The treasure trove of illusions and gadgetry bulging from every shelf and display cabinet was like something out of a (much, much later) Harry Potter novel. Gingerly fingering the two Rand of pocket money I had managed to save up over the last 6 months, I had to make a heart wrenching choice – which trick to purchase! The truth is that 99.9% of the tricks were beyond my meagre budget and that narrowed my options considerably. I decided to "splurge" on one of the Barnett brothers' most perplexing tricks that had me up many sleepless nights wondering how they did it – the self-igniting aluminum foil trick.
You take a small piece of regular aluminum foil from the kitchen, roll it up into a ball. You hand this to a person in the audience to hold in their hand. You then begin the routine "Picture in your mind Mount Everest covered with snow! Does the aluminum foil feel cold?" They answer "Not so cold, just room temperature!" (nothing unusual so far). You then launch into an exotic tale of an ancient Aztec temple atop a dormant volcano and the explorer who discovered it.
How he rappelled down into a chamber hidden deep in the ground, where he discovered a precious stone embedded in the rock. He reached down and picked up the glittering emerald, without realizing that the gem had been resting over a bed of hot molten lava. As you say the words "molten lava", the piece of regular foil that the spectator has been clutching in their hand for the last five minutes, suddenly increases in temperature so dramatically that they are forced to throw it to the ground it is so hot.
Thus began my "career" as a magician and my frequent forays to 181 Jeppe Str. I cannot say they made much money off me and my paltry purchases. My expeditions were more "research" and less "purchase" oriented, trying to figure out ways to "clone" some of the more expensive tricks on display, using bric-a-brac from around the home. For example, I commandeered my cigar-smoking uncle's empty aluminum cigar tubes and converted them into flesh-color painted thumb-tips to conceal silk handkerchiefs that would magically appear out of thin air.
I began reading books, learning and performing card tricks (another treasure trove for a budding magician on a budget) together with my other eclectic repertoire of home-made gizmos. I performed at birthday parties for my younger cousins and later, as a teenager, for kids' birthday parties during the summer vacations, to make an extra buck. This hobby persisted into adulthood and was resuscitated when my own children were born and entertainment for their birthday parties had to be provided. To this day, I have a large closet of books and magic tricks (now gathering dust), waiting patiently for the grandchildren, b"H.
Throughout my "career" as an amateur magician, I have always relied heavily on a psak from R' Moshe Feinstein zt"l (שו"ת אגרות משה, יורה דעה ד, יג) who says that a "magician" may perform magic tricks or sleight of hand for purposes of entertainment as long as he/she does not pretend that they are "real" magic and that he/she should expose one or more of the tricks to show everyone that they are simply an illusion.
The forbidden practices mentioned in our parsha קֹסֵם קְסָמִים מְעוֹנֵן וּמְנַחֵשׁ וּמְכַשֵּׁף וכו' are not referring to sleight of hand or entertainment, they are referring to dark magic and practices that are forbidden by the Torah. In the words of R' Bachyei (ibid.) –
וְרָאִיתִי בַּסֵּפֶר יְדִיעַת הַכּוֹכָבִים וְרוּחָנִיּוּת שֶׁלָּהֶם הַנִּקְרָא אִגֶּרֶת גָאלִינוּ"ס, כִּי מִי שֶׁעָשָׂה תְּמוּנָה פְּלוֹנִית מִבַּרְזֶל לְכּוֹכַב שַׁבְּתַאי בְּשָׁעָה פְּלוֹנִית וּבַמַּזָּל פְּלוֹנִי וְיִקְבֹּר אוֹתוֹ תַּחַת חֲנוּתוֹ שֶׁל חֶנּוָנִי יַפְסִיד הֲרֶוַּח שֶׁלּוֹ, וְאִם יִקְבְּרֶנָּה בְּבֵיתוֹ יִנָּזְקוּ כָּל עִנְיָנָיו, וְיָדוּעַ לְכָל בַּעַל עֵינַיִם כִּי הַחָכְמָה הַזֹּאת חֻרְבַּן עוֹלָם, וְאֵין עֲמִידַת הָעוֹלָם וְקִיּוּמוֹ אֶלָּא א"כ יֵלֵךְ עַל טִבְעוֹ הַפָּשׁוּט אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ בְּרָאוֹ וְחִדְּשׁוֹ הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ... וְהִנֵּה זֶה מֵחָכְמַת הַתּוֹרָה הָעוֹלֶה עַל חָכְמַת הַכּוֹכָבִים וְהַמַּזָּלוֹת שֶׁצִּוְּתָה אוֹתָנוּ בְּמִצְוַת הַשַּׁבָּת אֲשֶׁר כּוֹכָב שֶׁלּוֹ שַׁבְּתַאי שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה בְּהֶפֶךְ מִכָּל זֶה, כִּי הַחָכְמָה הַזֹּאת סִיבָּה גְּדוֹלָה לְתַחֲלוּאֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ, וְחָכְמַת הַתּוֹרָה לָהֶם תַּחְבֹּשֶׁת וּרְטִיָּה.
R' Bachyei does not deny that "real" magic exists, dark magic that draws from the powers of טֻמְאָה (see shiur on Devarim 2024). Such magical powers do exist in the world but they are forbidden by the Torah because their path leads to destruction of the world. Therefore, we are commanded to live by the simple laws of nature that were created and are constantly renewed by HKB"H. Dabbling in the "dark arts" will lead to only one thing – mental illness, תַחֲלוּאֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ, and the Torah acts as a remedy and a bandage for them.
We live in a world of "entertainment", of escapism - spearheaded by Hollywood, Marvel/DC comics, Disney etc. One might mistakenly think that escapism is something new, but it has always existed in history. The Roman emperors cleverly manipulated it to divert attention away from their depravity and corruption, by providing "entertainment" in the form of gladiators in the Colosseum (back then there was no PG rating). Entertainment today serves a similar purpose – to divert the public's attention from corruption of governments, conglomerates and tycoons, by providing entertainment in modern day "Colosseums" (football stadiums, ice-hockey rinks, basketball courts, etc.) and in "virtual Colosseums" on our TV's and cell phones.
The question that needs to be asked is "What are the acceptable boundaries of entertainment and escapism?"
To my mind, these boundaries have already been crossed. When the idols of society are "celebrities", the primary proponents of escapism, you know that society is on the wrong track. When performers, peddlers of "illusion", are at the pinnacle of the "adoration pyramid" of society, that is an indicator that society prefers escapism to realism. When someone prefers escapism to realism, that means there is something fundamentally wrong with the reality. If reality was so hunky dory and appealing, people would not be trying to escape from it.
In our world there are two types of "real magic". Magic that draws from the forces of טָהֳרָה and magic that draws from forces of טֻמְאָה.
Yosef's brothers appeared to be eating אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי and engaging in עֲרָיוֹת, so Yosef went to speak lashon hara against them to Yaakov. Sefer Pardes Yosef says that the animals and women in question were not natural, the brothers "created" them using Sefer HaYetzirah. This book, written by Avraham Avinu, harnesses the Divine power of speech, used by HKB"H when creating the world, in order to create things. The Gemara (e.g Chulin 2a) refers to numerous instances of this practice. To an untrained eye – such a thing could appear as magic. It is certainly not the natural order of things.
The Torah is rife with acts of magic performed by Moshe and Aharon in Egypt. This type of magic is akin to a "miracle", something supernatural which does not occur usually in nature. HKB"H allows this type of magic/miracle to occur sporadically throughout history and for special people or events only, but does not make a habit of it. If people saw the sun standing still in the sky every day, it would no longer be a miracle.
Bilam also possessed magical powers, for example (Targum Yonatan, Bamidbar 31, 8) he flew up into the air by magic to escape Pinchas' sword. This power was derived from the forces of טֻמְאָה. Pinchas managed to duplicate that same trick and kill him, by using the powers of טָהֳרָה. Same trick, two different techniques.
Although the Torah and Gemara acknowledge this kind of magic, even if it stems from the forces of טָהֳרָה, this is not the way the Torah wants us to live our lives. According to R' Bachyei (above), HKB"H wants us to live our lives according to the laws of nature – the natural, not the supernatural.
When we live in a society that idolizes escapism and its proponents, it is an indicator that society has lost the appreciation of the magic that resides in reality. It is a society that does not recognize the intrinsic beauty of Creation. I am not only talking about the beauty of the "extraordinary" wonders of Creation, like Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, the Aurora Borealis, etc. I am specifically referring to the wonders of Creation that abound in our everyday lives.
In his psak on allowing magicians to perform sleight of hand for entertainment purposes, R' Moshe Feinstein zt"l above brings two examples – Naftali (son of Yaakov Avinu) who could run very fast (נַפְתָּלִי אַיָּלָה שְׁלֻחָה... בראשית מה, כא) and Shimshon who was very strong (שופטים יד). The Tanach did not try hide these talents, because they were used לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם. Similarly, someone who is "quick of hand", like a magician, who uses that talent לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, for example לְשַׂמֵּחַ חָתָן וְכַלָּה or to lift peoples' spirits, is not discouraged from doing so, quite the opposite.
It does not matter whether it is a Naftali or a Usain Bolt, or a Shimshon or a Gregg Ernst, or a David or a Pavarotti, or a Betzalel or a Rembrandt, or a Shlomo or an Einstein, or a Mrs. Ben-Pelet or a Mrs. Berkowitz - they are all "magicians" of a kind.
You will probably easily identify the first few in the list (or you can at least look them up online). The last two, you won't find online, or anywhere in fact. We don't know Mrs. Ben Pelet's first name because the Torah prefers to leave her anonymous. You have never heard about Mrs. Berkowitz (the specific one I am referring to) anywhere, her name has never appeared in the media or online anywhere. Both of them are also "magicians", they had and have a special talent that nobody else ever had or has. Mrs. Ben Pelet saved her husband On from certain death.
The Torah doesn't mention her in any other context, because this action was her purpose in life, her magic – to save her husband. She most certainly washed On's clothes and cooked his meals, but that is not what she is remembered for. Mrs. Berkowitz certainly cooks Mr. Berkowitz's meals and washes his clothes, but that is not what she was put in the world for either. It was to nurse Mr. Berkowitz when he became an invalid from a car accident, day in and day out, with total love, to the present day – that is also magic.
When you see Usain run the 100m it is like watching magic. When you hear Pavarotti sing, it is like hearing magic. When you see Albert publishing the theory of relativity it is also magic. Which magic is "better"? None of them are better than the others, they are just - different.
This is the Creation of HKB"H. Every single one of us is born to do magic. When we are accomplishing the purpose for which HKB"H placed us in this world – that is the real magic. When we observe people doing what they were born to do – we are privileged to share that magic as well. There is no magic that is better than another. Whether the magic is running fast, being a genius or caring for an elderly or disabled relative, etc. They are ALL magic.
Everyday magic occurs all around us with everyone around us. We do not need to go to a movie theatre to see it or read a Marvel comic. All we need is to look at ourselves and those around us.
If Hollywood, Disney and Marvel/DC et al's purpose was to help us identify the "superhero" in ourselves, that would also be another form of real magic. However, to my mind, it seems that Hollywood and Marvel et al are instead trying to deceive us into thinking that we are not superheroes, by creating an illusion, an image that does not exist in nature, an image that we can never be – thus demeaning who we are and our true magical ability. You are not "beautiful" unless you are over a certain height, with a certain waistline and with a certain hair color. You are not "strong" unless you can bend metal bars with your bare hands, or melt rocks with laser beams coming out of your eyes. You are not "smart" unless you can solve the Murder on the Nile or invent a time machine and go back to the future.
To be sure there are a miniscule number of individuals who somehow "approximate" the above "illusions". They appear in the Guiness Book of Records. But what about the billions and billions of other people who do not appear that "revered" tome? People whose magic is equally great, but that society has conditioned us to treat as "mundane"! To my mind the Hollywood, Disney and Marvel/DC type of "magic" is a part of the dark magic that as R' Bachyei says, can only lead לְתַחֲלוּאֵי הַנֶּפֶשׁ if not consumed with caution.
The Torah teaches us to appreciate the magic in reality, which makes escapism unnecessary. When we truly live and appreciate this real magic, why would we need to escape? Those who feel a constant need to escape are not living their purpose in the world. When a person is living their purpose, they resonate with the simple harmonic motion of the planets. Their life itself is a perpetual song of praise to HKB"H.
Someone who has not yet discovered their life purpose has two choices.
They can spend every second of every day and every fiber of their being seeking it out, continuously and tirelessly trying different alternatives - until they find the one that resonates. The Vilna Gaon says that each of us has a certain level of Ruach HaKodesh that nudges our neshama in the right direction. When you finally stumble upon your life purpose you will know.
The other choice is to find solace in escapism, fleeing to the refuge of illusion. This latter choice can never bring happiness, only the illusion of happiness. I might make you think that you feel good, but that is not the real good. You will only appreciate the real good when you have experienced it and then realize how second-rate the escapism good is.
This is not to say that a person should never watch a movie or read a novel. The only question is the degree and purpose.
When a person uses escapism as a crutch or a defense mechanism, that exceeds the boundary. When a person begins to believe that the illusion is reality, that exceeds the boundary. That person is headed down a dark path, the path that R' Bachyei warned about.
When a person indulges in occasional escapism, like watching a movie or reading a novel for light relief (often I will watch a movie after a hard physical day's work in the bakery – not necessarily because I enjoy the movie, but rather just to get off my tired feet and sit down) this is not dangerous. In the worst-case scenario, it is wasting valuable time that may be better spent doing something more productive, like listening to a shiur, for example.
Sometimes a person (like me) is just so exhausted that they will sit down and fall asleep. The question is if it is more derech eretz to fall asleep on the sofa watching a movie, or going to shul and falling asleep in the Rav's shiur in front of everyone? The jury is still out on that one. Does the שְׂכַר הֲלִיכָה outweigh the insult? I guess it is an individual thing that has to be judged on a case-by-case basis.
We are human after all - we cannot be awake and functioning 24/7. Every person has their own personal "burnout point". When you use the escapism as a recovery period to increase your productivity in living your purpose in life, then it is as acceptable and essential as sleeping or eating.
Obviously when the escapism is used לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, for example לְשַׂמֵּחַ חָתָן וְכַלָּה or a medical clown raising the spirits of someone who is ill, that is also a kind of a magic and is totally acceptable, even commendable.
As long as we do not make the escapism the culture. The culture is living your purpose in life and making your own magic - in the reality of the world, according to the laws of nature with which HKB"H created our world. Existing in simple harmonic motion like the planets and resonating HKB"H's praises by living our purpose. This is HKB"H's Creation and our part in it.
Just as there is magic and escapism on an individual level, so too on a national level. When Am Yisrael are fulfilling our purpose and working as one unit, that is magic on a national level. When, Rachmana litzlan, we are divided and steeped in escapism and illusion, we experience national dysfunction.
An example of this is when Israel wages war on our enemies, like the recent 12-day war in Iran. Our entire nation was galvanized as one against a common enemy. We all ran to the shelters together and the voices of dissention were not only stilled - they were mind shatteringly altered. If there is any miracle greater in history than the Splitting of the Red Sea, it was to hear anti-Bibi activists admit that Bibi was doing something right. That was the magnitude of the miracles during this war.
Am Yisrael never finished the job, we just did our hishtadlut and HKB"H is completing the job. He caused the USA to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities and He is now wreaking havoc with Iran's water resources. The IDF and the US armed forces are formidable military arsenals, but only HKB"H can cause a drought in the country of our worst enemy, probably the deadliest blow in this conflict, that will result in a national uprising and coup – and that is just the beginning. Soon Iran will make another catastrophic error and try attack us again and we will decapitate their leadership and further drive a nail into the coffin of the Ayatolla regime.
What is happening in Iran is the finger of G-d and pure magic. What is happening in Gaza, on the other hand, is the opposite.
The whole of פרק כ in parshat Shoftim deals with war.
כִּי תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל אֹיְבֶךָ וְרָאִיתָ סוּס וָרֶכֶב עַם רַב מִמְּךָ לֹא תִירָא מֵהֶם כִּי ה' אֱ-לֹקֶיךָ עִמָּךְ הַמַּעַלְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם. וְהָיָה כְּקָרָבְכֶם אֶל הַמִּלְחָמָה וְנִגַּשׁ הַכֹּהֵן וְדִבֶּר אֶל הָעָם. וְאָמַר אֲלֵהֶם שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתֶּם קְרֵבִים הַיּוֹם לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל אֹיְבֵיכֶם אַל יֵרַךְ לְבַבְכֶם אַל תִּירְאוּ וְאַל תַּחְפְּזוּ וְאַל תַּעַרְצוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶם. כִּי ה' אֱ-לֹקֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אֹיְבֵיכֶם לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם. (דברים כ, א-ד)
Although this is talking about a מִלְחֶמֶת רְשׁוּת and not a מִלְחֶמֶת מִצְוָה, the principle is the same. The greatest danger in a war is being afraid of the enemy. The Gemara (Sota 42a) explains the components of this fear. אַל יֵרַךְ לְבַבְכֶם means do not fear the sound of charging horses and rattling of sabers. אַל תִּירְאוּ means do not fear the striking of shields and the sound of marching boots. וְאַל תַּחְפְּזוּ means do not fear the sound of trumpets. וְאַל תַּעַרְצוּ means do not fear war cries.
The lack of unity regarding the war in Gaza has its origins in fear. Paradoxically, Am Yisrael no longer fears Iran, the head of the snake, but some of us still fear Hamas, the proxy. They fear Hamas, not because Hamas are militarily superior, but because they believe that Hamas are ideologically superior to us. They believe we can never defeat Hamas, because Hamas is an idea, not an organization.
They fear Hamas because Hamas' ideology is stronger than theirs and this is true. This faction in Am Yisrael are lacking ideology, all they are interested in is escapism, pretending that we do not have nazi population-group on our doorstep in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria, whose sole raison d'etre is our destruction "from the river to the sea".
The lack of ideology and national identity of this faction among us has led them to believe that the only possible way to "coexist" in the Middle East is to relinquish vast tracts of our ancestral homeland and allow our enemies to establish yet another nazi self-governing entity on our doorstep in Judea and Samaria, akin to that in Gaza, Syria and parts of Lebanon. October 7 proved that this misguided strategy is purely an illusion and pure escapism.
Unfortunately, too many of them are still addicted to this escapist fantasy and will not let it go, because it defines who they are. It also pays their bills, via funding from foreign countries and governments, who also secretly seek our failure and downfall, they are just too "politically correct" and lacking in honesty to publicly admit it. Many countries in Europe, North America and down under. They cannot stomach the Jews having the upper hand and want us to be perpetually downtrodden and weak. This is what is called שִׁעְבּוּד מַלְכוּיוֹת.
However, it is drawing to an end as the Geulah speedily approaches. All our enemies are in a panic and are furiously rattling sabers, making loud trumpeting noises in their state-controlled media, mobilizing their "troops" in demonstrations and saddling their "horses" in international organizations, like the UN. The degree of their panic is indicative of exactly how righteous our path is and instead of veering from it, we must stand steadfast. We must "send home" all those among us who continue to live in the escapist illusion of defeatism, as if by surrendering we will win the war (??).
We must allow the brave warriors of Am Yisrael to spearhead the battle with their authentic and healthy ideology, which is light years ahead of Hamas' and will therefore defeat it. And we must trust in HKB"H to take our hishtadlut in Gaza to the next level and finish the job, as He is doing in Iran. If we do, the same "magic" that is happening in Iran will also happen in Gaza, בבי"א.
Shabbat Shalom
Eliezer Meir Saidel
Machon Lechem Hapanim
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