[This is part of our series on No Devil/No Hell/No Demonic Spirits/Occult. We left the question hanging when we encountered this strange episode since we were not sure if our interpretation of the verse is in accordance with Jewish thinking, so as we are wont to do when we’re uncertain or can’t agree, we “ask the rabbi” —-not one but as many as who would bother to respond to us. This is the earliest reply we have received; later replies will be posted as we receive them. This is from Rabbi Azaria –(details about him are printed below his signature). His reply has been slightly edited and reformatted for easier readability.]
Shalom [BANS2K],
You asked: “Necromancy is prohibited, why is it allowed in the case of King Shaul asking the witch….”
Know that Necromancy is not allowed.
King Shaul in his great distress broke this Torah commandment and he explains “I am greatly distressed, and the Philistines are battling against me, and God has turned away from me, and has not answered me anymore, neither through the prophets, nor through dreams.”
He did inquire G-d in other permitted ways, but [received] no answer; therefore he decided to try to ask through ways that are not allowed.
The Rambam writes regarding necromancy and idolatry:
“All the above matters are falsehood and lies with which the original idolaters deceived the gentile nations in order to lead them after them.
It is not fitting for the Jews who are wise sages to be drawn into such emptiness, nor to consider that they have any value as [implied by Numbers 23:23]: “No black magic can be found among Jacob, or occult arts within Israel.”
Similarly, [Deuteronomy 18:14] states: “These nations which you are driving out listen to astrologers and diviners. This is not [what God… has granted] you.“
The masters of wisdom and those of perfect knowledge know with clear proof that all these crafts which the Torah forbade are not reflections of wisdom, but rather, emptiness and vanity which attracted the feebleminded and caused them to abandon all the paths of truth. For these reasons, when the Torah warned against all these empty matters, it advised [Deuteronomy 18:13]: “Be of perfect faith with God, your Lord.”
Why did G-d allow the witch to communicate with Shmuel hanavi?
Rabbenu Sa’adya Gaon and Rav Hai Gaon, who agree that the acts of a medium are generally vanity, but here we are dealing with an exception:
God “resurrected Shmuel in order to tell Shaul everything that would befall him in the future. Indeed, the woman who did not know all this was frightened, as it says: ‘she cried with a loud voice.’ And that which the woman said, ‘Whom shall I bring up unto you?’ are words of sarcasm, for she was planning to do as she normally does.” According to this, the woman herself was surprised by the incident, because the acts of a medium are ordinarily a bluff.
Hope this answers your question.
Regards,
Rabbi Azaria
Rabbi Eliyahu Azaria.
l. Rabbi of Beit Yaacov Synagogue – Makati, Philippines
2. Is Sephardic, a native of Chicago, USA, of Puerto Rican descent
3. Ordained at Midrash Sephardic Yeshiva in Jerusalem
4. Have resided in the Philippines since 2004, with wife Miriam, and has 2 daughters.
5. Was recently invited as speaker of the Institute of Formation and Religious Studies (Catholic seminar) as part of the IFRS commitment to improving relationship between Christian and Jews.
