THE JEWISH VIEW ON MAGIC AND SORCERY (1)

Among the many mitzvot in parshat Shoftim is the prohibition against various different types of magic and sorcery.

What is the definition of “magic” and “sorcery”, and does this prohibition have any practical implications for our lives today? For example, is one allowed to go to a faith healer or a tarot card reader? Does something have to be empirically proven before a Jew can make practical use of it? Are we forbidden to believe in magic?

Rabbi Dunner takes us through a variety of sources to understand Judaism’s view of magic and sorcery, and how these phenomena might affect Jewish life in the 21st century.

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