Jewish Magic

This course is designed to introduce you to a wide variety of texts representing magical beliefs and practices found in mainstream and marginal Jewish life from the biblical and rabbinic through the early modern periods (with some present-day comparison). It is also designed to acquaint you with some of the kinds of literature (legends, liturgical compositions, chronicles, exempla, amulets, magic recipe books) that describe magical practices with varying degrees of sympathy. One question we will ask in our discussions is how the literary representations of magic relate to actual magical beliefs and practices of their time.