[Avodah] Fwd: demons

[Eli Turkel via Avodah]

from the sefer of Shnerb (keren zavit) on parshat ha-azinu

He brings that according to most commentators the Amorain of Bavel neleived
in "sheidim" (see eg baba Batra 73a, meilah 17, SA OC 179:109). Rambam
never explicitly denied demons but rather whereever they appear in halacha
would bring a different rationale. His son R Avraham was more explicit.

In the late 1800s there were 3 hospitals in EY (Rotschild, Bikur Cholim and
Misav Ledach) (actually in modern terms they were more clinics) For those
that couldn't afford to pay there were women who would take care of the
demons, one of the rabbis from Syria (R Mnesahe Sathom) declared this was
AZ. in a sefer of 127 pages. Much deals with the opinion of the Riaz who
seems to allow it. Even the Abarbanel opposed the Rambam based on parshat
Haazinu.

Shut Maharam Lublin 116 discusses the case of a woman who had an affair.
The woman clains the partner was not human but a demon. Maharam not only is
"matir" the woman but claims that this type of affair is allowed! see aslo
Chida (Chaim Sheal 1:53) and Bet Shmuel (EH 6:17) agree.

The amazing story occurred about 100 years ago in Chotcha in Slovakia
(Ausrian-Hungary empire) A woman gave birth though it was obvious that he
husband was not the father (eg he was away over 1 year) allowed the woman
to remain with her husband and said the child was not a mamzer based on the
teshuva of the Maharam of Lublin!  There were debates about this psak and
in 1939 R Miller (shut chaye Asher 123) discusses a case of a shidduch with
the Chotcha family which many refused to marry descendants of the family. R
Miller allows the shidduch to be cancelled without a fine and says that the
descendants of this family are known to be trouble-makers.

According to the yiddish wikipedia this family is one of the prominent
families in the Satmar community in Williamsburg!!!
For Shnerb's cute remark on this case see his book

-- 
Eli Turkel



-- 
Eli Turkel
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