To not ask a master of ov: That we not ask a master of ov to inform us of anything. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 18:10-11), “There shall not be found in you, etc. and a master of ov.” And the matter of this magic is that there are people that do sorcery, the name of which is pitos, which brings up the dead from within his underarm and the questioner listens to the dead answer his questions.
The laws of the commandment are in Sifrei Devarim 172 and in Sanhedrin. And there in Sanhedrin 65a they said that one who does this magic is [liable for] lashes and the one who asks from them is [violating] a warning — meaning to say the obligation of a negative commandment. But there are no lashes for it, since there is no act [involved] with it.
שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁאֹל בְּבַעַל אוֹב – שֶׁלֹּא נִשְׁאַל בַּעַל אוֹב שֶׁיּוֹדִיעֵנוּ דָּבָר, וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (דברים יח י יא) לֹא יִמָּצֵא בְךָ וְגוֹ' וְשֹׁאֵל אוֹב. וְעִנְיַן הַכִּשּׁוּף הַזֶּה הוּא, שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁעוֹשִׂין מְכַשְּׁפוּת שֶׁשְּׁמוֹ פִּיתוֹם, שֶׁהוּא מַעֲלֶה אֶת הַמֵּת מִבֵּין שֶׁחְיוֹ וְשׁוֹמֵעַ הַשּׁוֹאֵל מִן הַמֵּת תְּשׁוּבָה עַל שְׁאֵלוֹתָיו.
To not ask a master of ov: That we not ask a master of ov to inform us of anything. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 18:10-11), “There shall not be found in you, etc. and a master of ov.” And the matter of this magic is that there are people that do sorcery, the name of which is pitos, which brings up the dead from within his underarm and the questioner listens to the dead answer his questions.
מִשָּׁרְשֵׁי הַמִּצְוָה. מָה שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי בְּסָמוּךְ בְּעִנְיְנֵי הַכִּשּׁוּף.
What I wrote adjacently about the matters of magic (Sefer HaChinukh 511) is from the roots of the commandment.
דִּינֵי הַמִּצְוָה. בְּסִפְרֵי (כאן) וּבְסַנְהֶדְרִין, (סה א), וְשָׁם בְּסַנְהֶדְרִין אָמְרוּ שֶׁהָעוֹשֶׂה כִּשּׁוּף זֶה, הוּא בִּסְקִילָה, וְהַשּׁוֹאֵל בָּהֶם בְּאַזְהָרָה, כְּלוֹמַר בְּחִיּוּב לָאו, וְאֵין בּוֹ מַלְקוּת, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה.
The laws of the commandment are in Sifrei Devarim 172 and in Sanhedrin. And there in Sanhedrin 65a they said that one who does this magic is [liable for] lashes and the one who asks from them is [violating] a warning — meaning to say the obligation of a negative commandment. But there are no lashes for it, since there is no act [involved] with it.
וְנוֹהֵג אִסּוּר זֶה בְּכָל מָקוֹם וּבְכָל זְמַן, בִּזְכָרִים וּנְקֵבוֹת.
And this prohibition is practiced in every place and at all times by males and females.