The Prayer of R. Simeon bar Yoḥai

These are the secrets and revelations divulged to R. Šim‘ōn. This is R. Šim‘ōn ben Yoḥai whom they dispatched from Jerusalem to Rome to [entreat] Caesar. While he was [still voyaging] on the ship, Ašmedai, ruler of the demons, appeared to him [in] a dream. He [Ašmedai] addressed him, “Ask what I might do for you!” R. Šim‘ōn responded, “Who are you?” He answered: “I am Ašmedai, the one whom the Holy One, blessed be He, has sent to perform a miracle for you.” He exclaimed: “Master of the Universe! For Hagar, the serving-maid of Sarai, You summoned an angel, but for me You have sent the ruler of the demons?!?” Ašmedai said to him, “Does the source from which the miracle comes matter—whether from I or from an angel—as long as your wishes are accomplished?” Ašmedai continued: “I am going now to enter into [and take possession of] the body of the daughter of Caesar. I will weaken her and have her cry out your name (‘R. Šim‘ōn! R. Šim‘ōn!’). Then, when you arrive and they ask you to expel me so that I might leave from this household, I will say ‘I shall not leave it until they satisfy the wishes of R. Šim‘ōn and what he desires!’”

Ašmedai departed and went to the palace of Caesar and did everything that he told R. Šim‘ōn [he would do]. The daughter of Caesar arose [from her bed?] and he entered into her. As soon as he had entered into her, she shattered all the crockery in the palace of her father, and was crying out “R. Šim‘ōn! Šim‘ōn ben Yoḥai!” After a few days a ship arrived, and R. Šim‘ōn was on board. They went and announced [this news] to Caesar. Caesar sent for him and said to him, “What is your wish?” He replied, “The Jews of Jerusalem have sent a gift for you.” He [Caesar] said, “I will accept nothing from you, nor do I wish anything [from you] except that you expel this demon from my daughter. I have no one to succeed me in rule save for her, for there is no other offspring.” R. Šim‘ōn went and addressed him: “Ašmedai! Come out from this maiden!” He [Ašmedai] replied, “I will not leave until they do everything which you want [them to do]!” He repeated this a number of times—“I will not leave [the girl] until they satisfy your wishes!”

The ruler then went and sent for all his elders, princes, and servants. He asked them: “What do you advise [me] to do about my daughter? This demon has lately taken possession of her, but we have already decreed against the Jews that they will not circumcise their sons, observe the Sabbath, or permit their wives to observe [the rules of] menstrual impurity. The custom of our kingdom is that those who issue a decree can never revoke [it]; should a ruler revoke it, they must remove him from his royal station in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians!” One of his counselors arose and said to him, “My lord king, allow me to say something to you by which your daughter will be healed and which will permit you to revoke all of your decrees, for this decree against the Jews is bad both for us and for you.” He [Caesar] replied to him, “Speak on!” He [the counselor] continued, “If one has an enemy, would one rather that he [the enemy] be poor or rich?” The king answered him, “Poor.” The counselor said to him, “It is the Jews’ universal custom to labor all week long during which they accumulate wealth. On the sixth day they spend it all for the sake of honoring the Sabbath. But now, if you discontinue their Sabbath observance, the resources spent on the Sabbath will [instead] be left [unspent] by them, and they will continue collecting wealth and [eventually] rebel against you. However, if you restore the Sabbath to them, they will expend many resources on it and remain poor.” The king replied, “Restore the Sabbath to them!”

The same counselor again said to him, “If a man has enemies, which would he prefer them to be? To be many or few?” The ruler replied, “Few!” He [the counselor] continued, “My lord king, the Jews perform circumcision upon their sons when they are [only] eight days old. Even should one of them survive [the operation], a hundred [others] will die!” The ruler declared, “Also restore [the practice of] circumcision to them!”

Once more he [the counselor] said to him, “My lord king, [the rules of] menstrual impurity operate thusly: when Israelite women are assumed to be in a state of menstrual impurity, they engage in little sexual activity, for they must observe seven days [as] ‘days of bloodflow’ and seven [further] days as days of purification.” The ruler declared, “Permit their law regarding menstrual impurity as before!”

The ruler [then] said to R. Šim‘ōn, “I grant your condition. Go, inform the demon that he should leave my daughter!” R. Šim‘ōn ordered Ašmedai [to come forth], and he [the demon] departed from the ruler’s daughter. The ruler returned to R. Šim‘ōn the gift which he had brought to him [from Jerusalem], gave him numerous additional presents, and wrote for him letters of endorsement for his official who was in Jerusalem. And R. Šim‘ōn returned to Jerusalem rejoicing and in good spirits, and the decrees were annulled.