Комментарий к Шмот 7:11

בלהטיהם The Targum renders this by בלחשיהון: with their secret spells. There is no other example of this word in the Bible. One may compare it to the first word in (Genesis 3:24) “the להט of the sword that turned round” — it appeared to turn round through some magic spell.

AND THEY ALSO, THE MAGICIANS OF EGYPT, DID IN LIKE MANNER ‘B’LAHATEIHEM’ (WITH THEIR SECRET ARTS). Our Rabbis have said¹¹²Sanhedrin 67b. that these are deeds of sorcerers who perform their arts through angels of destruction,¹¹³A term found in Kiddushin 72 a, and designating a supernatural being holding destructive power. the word b’lahateihem being derived from the expressions: eish loheit (flaming fire);¹¹⁴Psalms 104:4. the flame ‘t’laheit’ (burned up) the wicked.¹¹⁵Ibid., 106:18. The purport [of the saying of the Sages] is that these deeds of sorcery are done by means of “the flaming ones,” angels of a fire that burns in man, and he does not know that the fire burns in him and pays no attention to it. It is similar in sense to the expression, “And the Eternal opened the eyes of the young man of Elisha, and behold there were horses of fire and chariots of fire.”¹¹⁶The verse, II Kings 6:17, reads: And the Eternal opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. Perhaps these are identical with the angels that dwell in the atmosphere of the spheres of the [four] elements,¹¹⁷The four elements — fire, air, earth and water — are the basic components of all created things that are beneath the firmament, which is below the lunar sphere. See Rambam, Hilchoth Yesodei Hatorah 3:11 and 4:1. which are called sarim (lords).¹¹⁸See my Hebrew commentary, p. 310, that it is possible there is another reading here. Instead of sarim (lords), the word should be sheidim (demons). The first reading seems to be more correct here. I will explain this theme again [in the Book of Leviticus 17:7] with the help of the Rock.
But the word b’lateihem, [mentioned further in 8:3 — And the magicians did in like manner ‘b’lateihem’] — is explained [by the Rabbis] as meaning sheidim (demons) — the word being derived from the Hebrew word lat (secret): Speak with David ‘balat’ (secretly) — since the demons come quietly inasmuch as they are ethereal bodies whose presence is not felt. This is why Scripture states [in Verse 11 before us] that Pharaoh called for the wise men and the sorcerers, for the wise men who knew [the art of] incanting and assembling the demons were the leaders and elders of the Egyptians.
The term chartumei mitzrayim (the magicians of Egypt) includes both of them, [i.e., the wise men and the sorcerers]. We do not know the root of the word chartumei. Now Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra says that it is either an Egyptian or Chaldean word since we find it only mentioned in their accounts.¹¹⁹Here, and in the Book of Daniel 2:2, and other places there. The more likely explanation is that of Rashi, who said¹²⁰Rashi’s interpretation is found in Genesis 41:8. that it is an Aramaic compound-word: char tami (those who excite themselves by means of the bones [of the dead]). It is known that the greater part of this craft is one with the bones of dead persons or the bones of animals, just as they mentioned in the case of the yid’oni.¹²¹Leviticus 19:31. “The yid’oni takes the bone of a bird [or a beast] called yido’a, puts it into his mouth, burns incense, recites certain prayers, performs a certain ritual until he is in a condition akin to fainting, and falls into a trance in which he predicts the future” (Maimonides,”The Commandments,” Vol. II, p. 10).

בלהטיהם, “with their incantations.” A reference to a variety of activities all connected to witchcraft. Nachmanides explains that the word בלהטיהם is derived from the root להט, flame, i.e. that the activities of the Egyptian necromancers were concentrated on the use of the element of fire, one of the four basic components of the material universe. Apparently, the forces, i.e. “angels” in charge of this are afflicting man with fever (heat) i.e. an invisible flame. The fact that these sorcerers understood some of these processes in nature contributed to Pharaoh discounting the miracle, as in his eyes Moses was nothing but a more accomplished sorcerer. In non-professional parlance, the agents causing such frustrating phenomena are known as שדים, demons. What distinguishes this “demonic” activity is the fact that its approach is invisible, and therefore more frightening than visible phenomena. Just as we get no warning of attacks by viruses or similar disease carrying pollutants in the atmosphere, so these harmful phenomena not only cause disease and death, but they inspire fear in addition.

.ויקרא גם פרעה , “Pharaoh also called in.” According to an ancient version in the Tanchuma Vaeyra 11 the word גם means that Pharaoh also called in his wife and that the latter then called in the sorcerers of Egypt. The practice of witchcraft was so commonplace in Egypt that Pharaoh’s wife and even young children were well versed in such sleights of hand.

For it appears to rotate by magic. In other words, this sword rotates on its own, and a person who sees it thinks it rotates by magic. Accordingly, the word להט which appears there connotes “magic.”

V. 11. גם: Pharao sah in Aaron und Mosche Zauberer, er rief daher auch die seinigen. — כשף .מכשפים: sehr wahrscheinlich verwandt mit כזב ,קשב ,ישב. Grundbedeutung ישב: körperlich ruhen. ישב ל־: ruhen in bezug auf jemanden, d. h. auf jemanden warten, bereitstehen für jemanden. Was ישב ל־ leiblich ist, d.i. קשב ל־ geistig: seinen Geist völlig ruhen lassen von allem andern und ihn jemanden zuwenden, die intensivste Aufmerksamkeit auf die Worte eines andern. מְיַשֵב ל־ oder מְקַשֵב ל־ würde heißen: etwas für jemanden zur Ruhe, oder zum Aufmerken auf ihn bringen. Nun ist aber das Geschäft des מכשף nichts anderes, als angeblich לישב oder לקשב die vorhandenen Wesen und Kräfte der Natur, sie angeblich entweder zum Stillstand oder zum Gehorsam für einen bestimmten Zweck zu bringen; sie zum negativen oder positiven Gehorsam zu zwingen. Das Ganze ist jedoch nur כזב, Täuschung, ist ja auch nichts anderes als Bewältigung der Einsicht des andern. Nur der wird getäuscht, der sich sorglos den Einwirkungen eines andern hingibt. כשוף wird zum todeswürdigen Verbrechen, obgleich es כזב ist. Alle Verbrechen, die ע׳׳ז sind oder damit zusammenhängen, sind nicht wegen der ihnen innewohnenden metaphysischen oder logischen Lüge, sondern wegen der sittlichen Verderblichkeit ihrer Folgen Verbrechen. Für sittlich gute Zwecke hat man nie den מכשף zu Hilfe gerufen. Wo man das Bewusstsein hatte, der Zweck, den man verfolge, habe die Billigung der Gottheit und laufe ihrer Weltordnung parallel, da hat man zu keinem solchen Hilfsmittel zu greifen sich veranlasst gesehen. Nur wo man wegen der Schlechtigkeit des Wollens nicht auf den Beistand des Weltenordners rechnen durfte, da suchte man sich bei der vermeintlichen Kunst des כשוף eine Nebentüre, einen Schleichweg, das Schlechte der Weltordnung zum Trotze ausführen zu können. Daher erklären die Weisen שמכחישים פמליא של מעלה :מכשפים, machen angeblich die höhere Weltordnung zu Schanden. Im Dienst der alten Herrscher finden wir in תנ׳׳ך überall מכשפים, sowie wenn heutigen Tages die Naturwissenschaft in den Dienst der Staatszwecke tritt; und wollte die Naturwissenschaft sich heutigen Tags in den Dienst der Lösung des Problems stellen, wie man beispielsweise allen Ausschweifungen sich hingeben könne, ohne deren gesundheitszerstörende Folgen fürchten zu müssen, so würde das eine dem Grundgedanken des כשוף ähnliche missbräuchliche Bewältigung der Natur anstreben. —

ויקרא גם פרעה, “also Pharaoh called upon etc.;” what is the meaning of the word: “also” here? After all, even little babies can call to people for help!

גם הם, “they too.” First he had only called on the children; subsequently on the wise men and sorcerers. This is the reason why the Torah repeated the word גם when writing ויעשו גם הם, “they did likewise.” Rabbi Shimon ben Pezzi said (Shemot Rabbah 9,3): “what did the sages perceive that they compared the wriggling of a snake to the conduct typical of the kingdom of Egypt seeing they quoted Jeremiah 46,22 ‘she shall rustle away like a snake.’ Just as a snake winds its way slithering hither and thither, the king of Egypt did likewise. Just as the snake hisses prior to killing, so the Egyptian Kingdom hisses prior to killing its enemies.” Moses suspended the staff over Pharaoh telling him that it would become the source of the plagues he was going to inflict upon him.

חרטומי, von הרט: das Werkzeug zum Schreiben, daher: Schriftkundige. Es braucht nicht eben Bilderschrift zu sein. Der Begriff Bild liegt nicht in חרט, und es gab auch in Ägypten eine Kursivschrift. Nur scheint man irrtümlich in חרט einen Schreibgriffel zum Eingraben in Stein, wie חרת, zu finden. Es ist nicht gut denkbar, dass man sich zur gewöhnlichen Schrift des langsamen Eingrabens in Stein bedient habe. Schrieb man doch größtenteils auf Papyrusrollen. Jesaias 8, 1 wird ja חרט geradezu zum Schreiben auf eine Rolle gebraucht, wo doch unmöglich an ein Eingraben gedacht werden kann. חרט kann in Verwandtschaft mit חרד stehen, welches nicht nur eine heftige Gemütsbewegung wegen etwas zu Erwartenden, sondern auch eine starke innere und äußere Tätigkeit für die Ausführung eines Zweckes bedeutet. חרדת אלינו את כל החרדה הזאת (Kön. II 4, 13), חרדים אל דברו ,חרד על דברי (Jes. 66, 2. 5). Es kann daher vielleicht den Schreibgriffel als den emsigen, rasch sich bewegenden Diener des menschlichen Gedankens bezeichnen. (So ist im rabbinischen חרטה synonym mit חרדה als innere Gemütsbewegung.) —

בלהטיהם, “with their spells.” Some kind of witchcraft. The ability to perform such tricks is anchored in the מלאכי חבלה, spiritually negative forces [whose origin are wasted human sperm, and other sins committed by man. Ed.] The word is derived from לוהט as in אש לוהט, (Psalms 104,4) “fiery flames.” The author speculates about a variety of causes responsible for these phenomena. One of his suggestions is that they attack man בלט, when he is unaware. The word חרטומים is a combination of two words i.e.חר טמי , “people who consult dead bones.” Most necromancers employ either human bones or animal bones to receive their knowledge of matters not accessible to ordinary people (compare Nachmanides).