[Avodah] The Talmud's Many Demons

[Daas Books]

On Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:04:25 -0400, Zev Sero <zev at sero.name> wrote:
> On 14/08/2012 3:32 PM, Rich, Joel quoted some author in Tablet Magazine:
>> Most troubling, perhaps, is the way the rabbis never try to explain how
>> these countless demons fit into a world picture where God is the source of
>> all law and power. Did he create them, and if so, why?

> What is this person talking about?  Chazal were very clear that Hashem
> created the sheidim.   Why did He create them?  That's the same question
> as why He created anything else.  Why panthers, or pinecones, or Pluto?

One of these I can answer.

He created pinecones so we could enjoy pine nuts.

I have to admit, though, that Pluto stumps me presently.

On , 16 Aug 2012 01:42:27 GMT, Akiva Miller" <kennethgmiller at juno.com> wrote:
> A) As RZS and others wrote, "sheidim" could be just another way of talking
> about germs, radios, and psychological phenomena. We can leave it at that, and
> wonder about the cat-ash recipe another day.

> B) Or, perhaps the cat-ash recipe -- or more specifically, its ability to make
> these sheidim large and visible -- demonstrates a fundamental error in
> understanding the entire subject. The connection between sheidim and germs
> doesn't merely need to be fine-tuned, but it needs to be thrown out
> altogether.

Maybe someone should just try the cat-ash bit and settle this once and for
all. Any volunteers?

Alexander Seinfeld