Amulet for Falling Sickness

Unknown

16th or 17th Century

An amulet for a person with the falling sickness [epilepsy—Ed.]. He should wear it [the amulet] around his neck, and he should fast and ritually immerse, and it should be written in the first hour at the synagogue, and he should recite the first chapter of the Shema‘ prayer, and recite the “Prayer for Moses” (Tefilah le-moshe) etc., and “Let the Beauty” (Va-yehi no‘am), The Lord of Hosts is With Us (Psalms 46:8) etc., “The Lord of Hosts, Shadai, Blessed” (Y''Y tseva’ot Shadai Ashrei) etc., “The Lord of Hosts Shadai, Save” (Y''Y tseva’ot Shadai hoshiya) etc. And here is an amulet for you:

A AV AVR AVRAK AVRAKA AVRAKAL AVRAKALA AVRAKALAV AVRAKALAVR AVRAKALAVRA—here ends the first line. AVRAKALAVRA AVRAKALAVR AVRAKALAV AVRAKALA AVRAKAL AVRAKA AVRAK AVR AV A, here ends the second line.

Health from the heavens for So-and-So, and for any sickness that he may have, such as consumption, fever, a fever of one day, common fever, double fever, second fever, third fever, fourth fever, a headache, falling sickness, heartache, intestinal sickness, evil spirits, the evil eye, demons, night spirits, and any evil eye from the hour I wrote this amulet and for all eternity. In the name of: It is a guilt offering; he is indeed guilty before God (Leviticus 5:19). Recite the following verses three times: “And the people cried out to Moses; and Moses cried out [prayed] to God, and the fire died out, but you God our Lord, will bring them down into the pit of destruction” [Numbers 11:2, Psalms 55:23]. May it be your will, God and the Lord of our fathers, God the Lord of Israel with the holiness of your great name, ANKT''M, PST''M, PSPSY''M, DYWNSY''M, that you deliver a complete recovery to this So-and-so for any sickness that he may have, such as the falling sickness, or any malady in any of his two hundred forty-eight limbs. And Moses cried out to God saying: “O God heal her now, I beseech You, O God heal her now, I beseech You, O God heal her now, I beseech You in the name of Ela, Nael, Rena, Pa, Anz, Anz, Naz, Ḥurga, Ganon, Laklzua (?), Ẓitẓaz and Klomag, Gagomaz, Ḥovaẓtam, Palmaẓ, Naḥẓon. I adjure you Mikhael, Gavriel, Kaẓsiel, Ẓadkiel, Anael, Samael, with the power of the great Name and its holiness WHW YLY YHWH YHWH, as well as all Seventy-two Names, twice the Seventy-two Names and twice Yud-He-Vav-He. And with the power of this Name I adjure you to deliver a complete recovery to So-and-so and any issue he may have from now and for all eternity, in the name WPT ZAY KTA RBB TRR YYH ATM TYA BRZ RTs K YḤR TKW YWH YAA APR KAZ WTA BBZ WRK AYR AIH BIH GIH DIH etc. until TIH. Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever. I adjure you, those appointed to the healing of humans beings, that you deliver a compete and speedy recovery, from now until eternity, for So-and-So and for any [sickness] that he may have on his body and his flesh and all his limbs, from the falling sickness and from any ache or bad fever, and any illness, in the name of: For your salvation I wait God (Genesis 49:18) and in the name AVGW"Ts, KR"'A, ShT"N, NG"D YKB"Sh BT"R, TsT"G, ḤK"B, TN"A, YG"L, PZ"K, ShK"W TsW"T, blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever. For your salvation I have waited (Genesis 49:18), YHWH AGL''A AGLW''Sh AYMW''Sh, The Lord of Hosts is with us (Psalms 46:8), etc., The Lord of Hosts, blessed is the One (Psalms 84:12), God has delivered (Psalms 20:8), etc., Amen Amen selah.

Translated by
Levana
Chajes
.

Credits

Unknown, Amulet for Falling Sickness, Ms. Bar–Ilan 1053, 91r–v, 16th–17th Century, Ashkenazic script.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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