Rabbinic Amulets

Reeds that are near a town have no fewer than sixty demons. A certain town official went and relieved himself among the reeds and was endangered. A certain sage came and wrote him an amulet for one demon. He did not know that there were [in fact] sixty demons among the reeds. He heard them rejoicing in it [in the reeds] and singing: “Master’s scarf is like that of a certain scholar, but we have examined him and he does not know [how to say] ‘blessed [are you].’” One who knew that there were sixty demons among the reeds came and wrote an amulet for them. He heard them [the demons] say: “Remove yourselves from here, sixty demons.”

Source: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York, MS 9035

Translated by Simcha Gross and Avigail Manekin.

Credits

b. Pesaḥim 111b, trans. Simcha Gross and Avigail Manekin. Copyright Simcha Gross and Avigail Manekin. Used with permission of the translators.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.

Engage with this Source

You may also like