Things That Go Bump in the Night

(10) Let no one be found among you who consigns his son or daughter to the fire, or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer, (11) one who casts spells, or one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who inquires of the dead. (12) For anyone who does such things is abhorrent to the LORD, and it is because of these abhorrent things that the LORD your God is dispossessing them before you.

(3) Now Samuel had died and all Israel made lament for him; and he was buried in his own town of Ramah. And Saul had forbidden [recourse to] ghosts and familiar spirits in the land. (4) The Philistines mustered and they marched to Shunem and encamped; and Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. (5) When Saul saw the Philistine force, his heart trembled with fear. (6) And Saul inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets. (7) Then Saul said to his courtiers, “Find me a woman who consults ghosts, so that I can go to her and inquire through her.” And his courtiers told him that there was a woman in En-dor who consulted ghosts. (8) Saul disguised himself; he put on different clothes and set out with two men. They came to the woman by night, and he said, “Please divine for me by a ghost. Bring up for me the one I shall name to you.” (9) But the woman answered him, “You know what Saul has done, how he has banned [the use of] ghosts and familiar spirits in the land. So why are you laying a trap for me, to get me killed?” (10) Saul swore to her by the LORD: “As the LORD lives, you won’t get into trouble over this.” (11) At that, the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He answered, “Bring up Samuel for me.” (12) Then the woman recognized Samuel, and she shrieked loudly, and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” (13) The king answered her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up from the earth.” (14) “What does he look like?” he asked her. “It is an old man coming up,” she said, “and he is wrapped in a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Samuel; and he bowed low in homage with his face to the ground. (15) Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me and brought me up?” And Saul answered, “I am in great trouble. The Philistines are attacking me and God has turned away from me; He no longer answers me, either by prophets or in dreams. So I have called you to tell me what I am to do.” (16) Samuel said, “Why do you ask me, seeing that the LORD has turned away from you and has become your adversary? (17) The LORD has done for Himself as He foretold through me: The LORD has torn the kingship out of your hands and has given it to your fellow, to David, (18) because you did not obey the LORD and did not execute His wrath upon the Amalekites. That is why the LORD has done this to you today. (19) Further, the LORD will deliver the Israelites who are with you into the hands of the Philistines. Tomorrow your sons and you will be with me; and the LORD will also deliver the Israelite forces into the hands of the Philistines.” (20) At once Saul flung himself prone on the ground, terrified by Samuel’s words. Besides, there was no strength in him, for he had not eaten anything all day and all night. (21) The woman went up to Saul and, seeing how greatly disturbed he was, she said to him, “Your handmaid listened to you; I took my life in my hands and heeded the request you made of me. (22) So now you listen to me: Let me set before you a bit of food. Eat, and then you will have the strength to go on your way.” (23) He refused, saying, “I will not eat.” But when his courtiers as well as the woman urged him, he listened to them; he got up from the ground and sat on the bed. (24) The woman had a stall-fed calf in the house; she hastily slaughtered it, and took flour and kneaded it, and baked some unleavened cakes. (25) She set this before Saul and his courtiers, and they ate. Then they rose and left the same night.

Lo, there is a teaching : It once happened that a pious man gave a denarius to a beggar on the New Year's eve in a time of drought. His wife upbraided him ; so he went and spent the night in the cemetery. He heard two spirits conversing. One said to the other, "Come, friend, let us wander in the world and hear behind the curtain what visitation is to come upon the world." The other spirit replied, "I cannot, because I am buried in a matting of reeds; but go thou and report to me what thou hearest." She went, and having wandered about returned. The other asked, "What didst thou hear, friend, behind the curtain ?" She replied, "I heard that if one sows in the first rainfall, the hail will smite it." This man thereupon went and sowed in the second rainfall. [The hail] destroyed everybody's crops but not his. The following year, he again spent the [New Year's] night in the cemetery, and heard the same two spirits conversing. One said to the other, "Come, let us wander in the world and hear behind the curtain what visitation is to come upon the world." The other spirit replied, "Have I not told thee, friend, that I cannot, because I am buried in a matting of reeds? But go thou and come and tell me what thou hearest." She went, and wandered about and returned. The other spirit asked, "What didst thou hear behind the curtain ?" She replied, "I heard that if one sows in the second rainfall, it will be smitten by the blast." This man went and sowed in the first rainfall. What everybody else sowed was smitten by the blast, but not his. His wife asked him, "How is it that last year everybody's crop was destroyed by hail, but not thine ; and this year everybody's crop was blasted except thine ?" He told her the whole story. It is related that very soon afterwards a quarrel broke out between the wife of that pious man and the mother of the girl. The former said to the other, "Come, I will show thee that thy daughter is buried in reed-matting." The following year the same man went and spent the [New Year's] night in the cemetery, and he heard those spirits conversing. One said, "Come, friend, let us wander in the world and hear behind the curtain what visitation is to befall the world." The other replied, "Leave me alone, friend ; what has passed between me and thee has been overheard by the living." Infer from this that the dead do know ! [No ;] it is possible that some other person died and went and informed them.

The student asked the angel, "until when will this man be condemned in Judgement?" He (the angel) said to him: Until Shimon Ben Shetach dies and someone replaces him (as Nasi of the Sanhedrin).

"Why?" the student asked. The angel answered, "because the Jewish witches are still living in Ashkelon and he has not yet placed judgement upon them."

The student went and told Shimon ben Shetach. What did Shimon do? He gathered together 80 young and studious men on a day when it was raining, and theywere each given a jar with a dry cloak/tallit in it. He instructed them to keep their cloaks/tallit dry and to ensure that they were not seen by the witches until the appointed signal.

He left the young men outside the cave, and approached the witches' residence. "Who are you," they asked. Shimon answered, "I am a magician, and I came to see you magical works."

"What magic can you do," the witches inquired.

"I can make 80 young men appear in dry cloaks, even thought it is a rainy day."

"Show us!" The witches demanded.

Shimon went outside and signaled to the young men to take out the cloaks and cover themselves in them, and they entered and lifted the witches off the ground (to prevent them from doing sorcery, which can only be done while on the ground) and they hung them all.

Some relatives of those witches who were angered by this came forward with false testimony accusing Shimon ben Shetach’s son of a capital crime. Upon being convicted and led to his death the witnesses recanted their testimony. Shimon desired a new trial for his son, but the son insisted that the punishment be carried out, as we learned, if a witness recounts their testimony, we do not believe them.