AND JACOB WAS LEFT ALONE, ETC. R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. (Ps. 91, 10). ‘When God’, he said, ‘created the world, He made on each day the work appropriate for that day. This has already been explained. Now on the fourth day the lights were created; but the moon was created without light, since she diminished herself. This is implied in the phrase “Let there be lights”, wherein the term meoroth (lights) is written defectively (less the letter vau), as it were me’eroth (curses); for as a result of the moon’s diminution, occasion was granted to all spirits and demons and hurricanes and devils to exercise sway, so that all unclean spirits rise up and traverse the world seeking whom to seduce;
they haunt ruined places, thick forests and deserts. These are all from the side of the unclean spirit, which, as has been said, issues from the crooked serpent, who is, indeed, the veritable unclean spirit, and whose mission is to seduce man after him.
Hence it is that the evil prompter has sway in the world, following men about and employing all manner of ruses and seductions to turn them aside from the paths of the Holy One, blessed be He. And in the same way as he seduced Adam and thereby brought death into the world, so does he ever seduce men and cause them to defile themselves;
and whoever allows himself to be defiled draws upon himself the unclean spirit and clings unto him, and numerous unclean influences are at hand to defile him, so that he remains polluted in this world and in the world to come.
Contrariwise, should a man strive to purify himself, the unclean spirit is foiled and can no longer dominate him. Thus it is written: “No evil shall befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent”.’ R. Jose said: ‘“Evil” here alludes to Lilith (night-demon), and “the plague” to the other demons, as has been explained elsewhere.’
R. Eleazar said: ‘It has been taught that a man should not go out alone at night, and especially when the time of the creation of the moon recurs and it is without light. For at that time the unclean spirit, which is the same as the evil spirit, is at large. Now, the term “evil” here is an allusion to the evil serpent, while “the plague” alludes to him who rides on the serpent, so that evil and plague work together.
It is true, we have also been taught that the term “plague” signifies “the plagues of the sons of man”, which issued from Adam. For during all those years that Adam kept away from his wife, unclean spirits came and conceived from him, and bore offspring, which are called “plagues of the offspring of Adam”;
and it has been affirmed that when a man is sleeping and is not in control of himself, he is assailed by an unclean spirit and sometimes by a number of unclean female spirits who draw him unto themselves, conceive from him and give birth to spirits and demons. These sometimes appear in the form of human beings, save that they have no hair on their heads.
It is therefore incumbent on a man to be on his guard against them and not to let himself be contaminated by them, but to follow the paths of the Torah. For there is no man falls asleep on his bed in the night-time but he has a foretaste of death, in that his soul (neshamah) departs from him; and since his body is left without the holy soul, an unclean spirit comes and hovers upon it and it becomes defiled. It has already been said elsewhere that a man should not pass his hands over his eyes when he wakes in the morning on account of the unclean spirit hovering over his hands.
R. Simeon said: ‘It is written of Balaam, “and he went shefi (to a bare height)” (Num. 23, 3). The word shefi signifies “alone”, and it is also akin to the term shefifon, in the phrase “shefifon (a horned snake) in the path”. So Balaam went alone, like a snake that goes alone and lurks in by-paths and lanes, with the object of attracting to himself the unclean spirit. For he who walks alone at certain periods, and in certain places, even in a town, attracts to himself the unclean spirit.
Hence no one should ever go on a lonely road, even in a city, but only where people are about, nor should a man go out in the night-time, when people are no longer about. It is for a similar reason that it is written: “his body shall not remain all night upon the tree” (Deut. 21, 23), so as not to leave the dead body, which is alone, without the spirit, above ground in the night. The wicked Balaam, however, for that very reason went alone like the serpent, as already explained.’
וַיִּוָּתֵר יַעֲקֹב לְבַדּוֹ וְגו'. רִבִּי חִיָיא פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (תהילים צ״א:י׳) לֹא תְאֻנְּה אֵלֶיךָ רָעָה וְנֶגַע לֹא יִקְרַב בְּאָהֳלֶךָ. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עַלְמָא עֲבַד בְּכָל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא עֲבִידְתֵּיהּ דְּאִתְחֲזֵי לֵיהּ וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ. וְאִתְּמָר, (ד"א ל"ג ואי תימא) בְּיוֹמָא רְבִיעָאָה עֲבַד נְהוֹרִין. וּכְדֵין אִתְבְּרֵי סִיהֲרָא חָסֵר, נְהוֹרָא דְּאַזְעִירַת גַּרְמָהּ, וּבְגִין דְּאִיהִי מְאֹרֹת חָסֵר וא"ו, אִתְיְהִיב דּוּכְתָּא לְשַׁלְּטָאָה כָּל רוּחִין וְשֵׁדִין וְעִלְעוּלִין וּמַזִּיקִין וְכָל רוּחֵי מְסָאֲבֵי.
AND JACOB WAS LEFT ALONE, ETC. R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. (Ps. 91, 10). ‘When God’, he said, ‘created the world, He made on each day the work appropriate for that day. This has already been explained. Now on the fourth day the lights were created; but the moon was created without light, since she diminished herself. This is implied in the phrase “Let there be lights”, wherein the term meoroth (lights) is written defectively (less the letter vau), as it were me’eroth (curses); for as a result of the moon’s diminution, occasion was granted to all spirits and demons and hurricanes and devils to exercise sway, so that all unclean spirits rise up and traverse the world seeking whom to seduce;
כֻּלְּהוּ סָלְקִין וְשָׁאטִין בְּעַלְמָא לְאַסְטָאָה, וְאִתְמַנּוּן בְּדוּכְתֵּי דְּאִתְחֲרִיבוּ, וּבְחַקְלִין תַּקִּיפִין וּבְמַדְבְּרִין חֲרִיבִין. וְכֻלְּהוּ מִסִּטְרֵי רוּחַ מְסָאֲבָא. וְהָא אִתְּמָר דְּהָא רוּחַ מְסָאֲבָא דְאַתְיָא מִנָּחָשׁ עֲקִימָאָה אִיהוּ רוּחַ מְסָאֲבָא מַמָּשׁ. וְאִיהוּ אִתְמַנָּא בְּעַלְמָא לְאַסְטָאָה בַּר נָשׁ לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְעַל דָּא יֵצֶר הָרָע שַׁלִּיט בְּעַלְמָא.
they haunt ruined places, thick forests and deserts. These are all from the side of the unclean spirit, which, as has been said, issues from the crooked serpent, who is, indeed, the veritable unclean spirit, and whose mission is to seduce man after him.
וְאִיהוּ אִתְמַנֵּי לְגַבַּיְיהוּ דִבְנִי נָשָׁא וְאִשְׁתַּכַּח עִמְּהוֹן. וּבַעֲקִימוּ וּבְתַסְקוּפִין אָתֵי לְגַבַּיְיהוּ לְאַסְטָאָה לוֹן מֵאָרְחוֹי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, כְּמָה דְאַסְטֵי לְאָדָם קַדְמָאָה וְגָרִים מוֹתָא לְכָל עַלְמָא, הָכִי נָמֵי אַסְטֵי לְהוּ לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא וְגָרִים לוֹן לְאִסְתָּאֲבָא.
Hence it is that the evil prompter has sway in the world, following men about and employing all manner of ruses and seductions to turn them aside from the paths of the Holy One, blessed be He. And in the same way as he seduced Adam and thereby brought death into the world, so does he ever seduce men and cause them to defile themselves;
וּמַאן דְּאָתֵי לְאִסְתָּאֲבָא אִיהוּ מָשִׁיךְ עֲלֵיהּ הַהוּא רוּחַ מְסָאֲבָא וְאִתְדַּבֵּיק בַּהֲדֵיהּ, וְכַמָּה אִינוּן דִּזְמִינִין לְסָאֲבָא לֵיהּ וּמְסָאֲבִין לֵיהּ, וְאִיהוּ מְסָאָב, וְסָאֳבִין לֵיהּ בְּהַאי עַלְמָא וּבְהַהוּא עַלְמָא וְהָא אִתְּמָר.
and whoever allows himself to be defiled draws upon himself the unclean spirit and clings unto him, and numerous unclean influences are at hand to defile him, so that he remains polluted in this world and in the world to come.
וּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּאָתֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְאִתְדַּכָאָה, הַהוּא רוּחַ מְסָאֲבָא אִתְכַּפְיָיא קַמֵּיהּ וְלָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְטָאָה עֲלוֹי, וּכְדֵין כְּתִיב, (תהילים צ״א:י׳) לא תְאֻנֶּה אֵלֶיךָ רָעָה וְנֶגַע לא יִקְרַב בְּאָהֳלֶךָ. אָמַר (ס"א כדאמר) רַבִּי יוֹסֵי לא תְאֻנֶּה אֵלֶיךָ רָעָה, דָּא לִילִית, וְנְגַע לֹא יִקְרַב בְאָהֳלֶךָ, אִלֵּין שְׁאָר מַזִּיקִין, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ וְאִתְּמָר.
Contrariwise, should a man strive to purify himself, the unclean spirit is foiled and can no longer dominate him. Thus it is written: “No evil shall befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent”.’ R. Jose said: ‘“Evil” here alludes to Lilith (night-demon), and “the plague” to the other demons, as has been explained elsewhere.’
רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר הָא אֲמָרָן דְּלָא יִפּוּק בַּר נָשׁ יְחִידָאָה בְּלֵילְיָא, וְכָל שֶׁכֵּן בְּזִמְנָא דְסִיהֲרָא אִתְבְּרִיאַת וְהֲוָה (והיא) חֲסֵרָה, וְאוּקְמוּהָ. דְּהָא כְּדֵין רוּחָא מְסָאֲבָא שָׁלְטָא, וְדָא הוּא רוּחַ רָעָה, מַאן רָעָה, דָּא חִוְיָא בִישָׁא. וְנְגַע, דָּא הוּא מַאן דְּרָכִיב עַל חִוְיָא. רָעָה וְנֶגַע כְּחֲדָא אִינוּן.
R. Eleazar said: ‘It has been taught that a man should not go out alone at night, and especially when the time of the creation of the moon recurs and it is without light. For at that time the unclean spirit, which is the same as the evil spirit, is at large. Now, the term “evil” here is an allusion to the evil serpent, while “the plague” alludes to him who rides on the serpent, so that evil and plague work together.
וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּתָנִינָן, דְּנְגַע, אִלֵּין נִגְעֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם דְּנַפְקוּ מֵאָדָם. דְּהָא כָּל אִינוּן שְׁנִין דְּלָא קָרִיב אָדָם עִם אִתְּתֵיהּ, רוּחֵי מְסָאֲבֵי הֲווּ קָא אַתְיָין וּמִתְחַמְמָן מִנֵּיהּ וְאוֹלִידָן מִנֵּיהּ וְהַנֵּי אִקְרוּן נִגְעֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם.
It is true, we have also been taught that the term “plague” signifies “the plagues of the sons of man”, which issued from Adam. For during all those years that Adam kept away from his wife, unclean spirits came and conceived from him, and bore offspring, which are called “plagues of the offspring of Adam”;
וְהָא אִתְּמָר, דְּכַד בַּר נָשׁ בְּחֶלְמֵיהּ וְלָא שַׁלִּיט בְּגוּפֵיהּ וְגוּפָא אִשְׁתַּכַּךְ, רוּחַ מְסָאֲבָא אַתְיָיא וְשַׁרְיָא עֲלֵיהּ. וְאִית זִמְנִין דְּרוּחֵי נוּקְבִין מְסָאֲבִין אַתְיָין וְקָרְבָן בַּהֲדֵיהּ, וּמָשְׁכִין לֵיהּ בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ וּמִתְחַמְמָן מִנֵּיהּ, וְאוֹלִידוּ לְבָתַר רוּחִין וּמַזִּיקִין (נגעי בני אדם נ"א כגוונא בני נשא). וּלְזִמְנִין אִתְחַזְיָין כְּחֵיזוּ בְּנֵי נָשָׁא בַּר דְּלֵית לוֹן שַׂעֲרֵי בְּרֵישָׁא.
and it has been affirmed that when a man is sleeping and is not in control of himself, he is assailed by an unclean spirit and sometimes by a number of unclean female spirits who draw him unto themselves, conceive from him and give birth to spirits and demons. These sometimes appear in the form of human beings, save that they have no hair on their heads.
וּבְכֹלָּא אִית לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְאִסְתַּמְּרָא מִקַּמַּיְיהוּ, בְּגִין דִּיהַךְ בְּאָרְחֵי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא וְלָא יִסְתָּאַב בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ. דְּהָא לֵית לָךְ מַאן דְּנָאִים בְּלֵילְיָא בְּעַרְסֵיהּ, דְּלָא טָעִים טַעְמָא דְמוֹתָא וְנָפְקַת נִשְׁמָתֵיהּ מִנֵּיהּ. וְכֵיוָן דְּאִשְׁתָּאַר גּוּפָא בְּלָא נִשְׁמָתָא קַדִּישָׁא, רוּחַ מְסָאֲבָא זַמִּין וְשַׁרְיָא עֲלֵיהּ וְאִסְתָּאַב. וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא מִלָּה, דְּלֵית לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְאַעֲבָרָא יְדוֹי עַל עֵינוֹי בְּצַפְרָא. בְּגִין דְּהָא רוּחָא מְסָאֲבָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלַיְיהוּ וְכוּ' וְהָא אִתְּמָר.
It is therefore incumbent on a man to be on his guard against them and not to let himself be contaminated by them, but to follow the paths of the Torah. For there is no man falls asleep on his bed in the night-time but he has a foretaste of death, in that his soul (neshamah) departs from him; and since his body is left without the holy soul, an unclean spirit comes and hovers upon it and it becomes defiled. It has already been said elsewhere that a man should not pass his hands over his eyes when he wakes in the morning on account of the unclean spirit hovering over his hands.
תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּהָא יַעֲקֹב אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִתְרָחִים קַמֵּיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּגִין דְּאִשְׁתָּאַר בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, רוּחָא אָחֳרָא הֲוָה זַמִין לְאִזְדַּוְּוגָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ.
Now, although Jacob was beloved by the Almighty, yet when he was left alone a strange spirit immediately came and joined battle with him.’
רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָמַר, תָּא חֲזֵי, מַה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ בְּהַהוּא רָשָׁע דְּבִלְעָם, וַיֵּלֶךְ שֶׁפִי, מַהוּ שֶׁפִי, יְחִידָאי. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר שְׁפִיפוֹן עֲלֵי אֹרַח, כְּהַאי חִוְיָא דְּאָזִיל יְחִידָאי וְכָמִין עֲלֵי אָרְחִין וּשְׁבִילִין. הָכִי נָמֵי בִּלְעָם הֲוָה אָזִיל יְחִידָאי. מַאי טַעְמָא בְּגִין לְאַמְשָׁכָא עֲלֵיהּ רוּחָא מְסָאֲבָא. דְּכָל מַאן דְּאָזִיל יְחִידָאי בִּזְמַנִּין יְדִיעָן, אֲפִילּוּ בְּמָתָא, בְּאַתְרִין יְדִיעָן. מָשִׁיךְ עֲלֵיהּ רוּחָא מְסָאֲבָא.
R. Simeon said: ‘It is written of Balaam, “and he went shefi (to a bare height)” (Num. 23, 3). The word shefi signifies “alone”, and it is also akin to the term shefifon, in the phrase “shefifon (a horned snake) in the path”. So Balaam went alone, like a snake that goes alone and lurks in by-paths and lanes, with the object of attracting to himself the unclean spirit. For he who walks alone at certain periods, and in certain places, even in a town, attracts to himself the unclean spirit.
בְגִין כָּךְ, בְּכָל זִמְנָא לָא יְהַךְ בַּר נָשׁ יְחִידָאי בְּאָרְחָא בְמָתָא אֶלָּא בְּאֲתַר דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא אָזְלִין וְתָבִין וּמִשְׁתַּכְּחִין תַּמָּן, וְעַל דָּא לָא יְהַךְ בַּר נָשׁ יְחִידָאי בְּלֵילְיָא הוֹאִיל וּבְנֵי נָשָׁא לָא מִשְׁתַּכְּחֵי, וְהַיְינוּ טַעְמָא דְּלָא תָלִין נִבְלָתוֹ. דְּלָא לְקַיְימָא גּוּפָא מִיתָא בְּלָא רוּחָא עַל אַרְעָא בְּלֵילְיָא. בְּגִין כָּךְ הַהוּא רָשָׁע דְּבִלְעָם הֲוָה אָזִיל יְחִידָאי כְּהַאי נָחָשׁ כְּמָה דְאוּקְמוּהָ.
Hence no one should ever go on a lonely road, even in a city, but only where people are about, nor should a man go out in the night-time, when people are no longer about. It is for a similar reason that it is written: “his body shall not remain all night upon the tree” (Deut. 21, 23), so as not to leave the dead body, which is alone, without the spirit, above ground in the night. The wicked Balaam, however, for that very reason went alone like the serpent, as already explained.’