From Alexandria to Ashkelon: Talmudic Stories About Yehuda ben Tabbai, Shimon ben Shetah, and Hasidim (Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah 2:2, #5-6) - Pt.2
Part #3 - The Story of the Hasid, and “Miriam, daughter of Onion-leaf”; Part #4 - The Story of Shimon ben Shetah and the Witches of Ashkelon
This is the second part of a two part series. First part is here.
Part #3 - The Story of the Hasid, and “Miriam, daughter of Onion-leaf”
The continuation of the story involving the pious man and the son of Ma’ayan the tax-collector further explores themes of divine judgment and revelation. A few days after pondering the disparity in their funerals, the surviving Hasid experiences a vision where he sees his deceased friend enjoying serene landscapes, while the publican's son suffers torment near a river, unable to quench his thirst.
In the same vision, he also sees someone named Miriam (with the surname “daughter of Onion-leaves” (עלי בצלים),1 who has “the hinge of the gate to Hell (Gehinom) fixed to her ear”. The rabbis explain that she is punished not merely for fasting, but for doing so in a way that brought her fame, possibly with insincere motives, and contrasting her public piety with private immorality.
The vision then shifts focus to Shimon ben Shetah, who faces criticism for not fulfilling his promise to eradicate sorcery (חרשייא),2 despite being elected Patriarch and being aware of sorcerers causing harm. When the pious man is tasked with informing Shimon ben Shetah about the ongoing sorcery, he expresses doubt about being believed due to Shimon's high status.
The spiritual beings assure him that if Shimon ben Shetah believes him, it would be good; if not, he should perform a miraculous sign involving removing and restoring his eye to prove his credibility. However, when the pious man conveys the message, Shimon ben Shetah acknowledges his piety and sincerity, admitting that while he had thought about taking action against the sorcerers, he had never spoken it aloud.
בתר יומין, חמא ההוא חסידא לחסידא חבריה מטייל גו גנין גו פרדיסין, גו מבועין דמיי.
וחמא לבריה דמעין מוכס לשונו שותת על פי הנהר.
בעי ממטי מיא, ולא מטי.
וחמא למרים ברת עלי בצלים.
רבי לעזר בר יוסה אמר: תלייא בחיטי ביזייא.
רבי יוסי בן חנינה אמר: צירא דתרעא דגיהנם קביע באודנה.
אמר לון: למה דא כן?
אמרין ליה: דהוות ציימה ומפרסמה.
ואית דאמרי: דהוות ציימה חד יום ומקזה ליה תריי.
אמר לון: עד אימת היא כן?
אמרי ליה: עד דייתי שמעון בן שטח, ואנן מרימין לה מן גו אודנה, וקבעין ליה גו אודניה.
[אמר לון: ולמה?
אמרי ליה:] דאמר, אין אנא מתעביד נשייא, אנא מקטל חרשייא.
והא איתעביד נשייא, ולא קטל חרשיא? והא אית תמנין נשין חרשיין יהיבין גו מערתא דאשקלון, מחבלן עלמא!
אלא איזיל אמור ליה.
אמר לון: אנא דחיל, דהוא גבר נשייא, ולית הוא מהיימנתי.
אמרי ליה: אי הימנך הא טבאות, ואין לא, [עביד הדין סימנך קומוי.]
הב ידך על עיינך, ואפקה, וחזרה, והיא חזרה.
אזל ותני ליה עובדה.
בעא מיעבד [סימנא] קומוי, ולא שבקוה.
אמר ליה: ידע אנא דאת גבר חסיד, יתיר מן כן, את יכיל עבד, ולא עוד אלא בפומי לא אמרית, בליבי חשבית.
A few days later, this pious man saw his comrade the pious walking in gardens, in orchards, at water sources,
and he saw the son of Ma’ayan the publican with his tongue out on the river bank trying in vain to reach the water.
He also saw Miriam, Onion-leaf’s daughter.
Rebbi Eleazar bar Yose said, she was hanging on her breast nipples.
Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina said, the hinge of Hell’s door was fixed in her ear.
He asked them, why?
They told him, because she fasted and made herself famous.
Some say, she fasted one day and was dissolute two.
He asked them for how long is she in this state?
They told him, until Shimon ben Shetah comes, when we shall remove it from her ear and put it in his ear.
[He asked them, and why?]
They told him, because he [=Shimon ben Shetah] said, that if I would be elected Patriarch, I would kill sorcerers.
But now he was made Patriarch and he did not kill them. In fact, there are eighty women sorcerers in the cave of Ascalon who hurt the world. You shall go and tell him!
He [=the Hasid] told them, I am afraid that since he [=Shimon ben Shetah] is Patriarch, he will not believe me.
They told him, if he will believe you it will be good. In case that he will not believe you, perform a sign in front of him: put your hand on an eye and take it out, put it back and it will be back.
He [=the Hasid] went and told him [=Shimon ben Shetah]. He wanted to perform [the miracle] before him, but he told him, I know that you are a pious person; more than that you could do. In fact, I never spoke it with my mouth even though I intended so in my thoughts.
Part #4 - The Story of Shimon ben Shetah and the Witches of Ashkelon
This story follows Shimon ben Shetah's direct action against sorcery in Ashkelon. On a stormy day (יום סגריר), he gathers eighty select men and prepares a plan to capture the eighty women sorcerers. He outfits each man with a clean garment hidden inside a new jug (קידרין), instructing them to don these garments on his first whistle (צפר)3 and to enter the sorcerers' cave on his second whistle. The key to neutralizing the sorcerers' powers is to lift them off the ground, as their magic is ineffective when they are not in contact with the earth.
Posing as a sorcerer himself, Shimon ben Shetah enters the cave, convincing the sorcerers of his affiliation by claiming he walked between raindrops to reach them. He expresses a desire to learn and teach magic, prompting the sorcerers to demonstrate their abilities by conjuring bread, meat, dishes, and wine. When they inquire about his magical skills, he cleverly states that he can summon eighty men to please them (sexually), which the sorcerers eagerly anticipate.
Upon Shimon's second whistle, the hidden men emerge from their disguises, pair up with the sorcerers as instructed, and then capture and hang them.
(I added numbering)
מיד, עמד שמעון בן שטח ביום סגריר, ונסב עימיה תומנין גוברין בחירין,
ויהב בידיהון תומניי לבושין נקיים, ויבונין גו קידרין חדתין, וכפונון על רישיהון.
אמר לון: אין צפרית חד זמן, לבשון לבושיכון. ואין צפרית זמן תניין, עולון כולכון כחדא. וכיון דאתון עללין כל־חד וחד מינכון יגוף חדא ויטלטליניה מן ארעא, דעיסקיה דהדין חרשא, טלטלתניה מן ארעא לא יכיל עבד כלום.
אזל וקם ליה על תרעא דמערתא.
אמר ליה: אויים אויים, פתחון לי, דמן דידכן אנא.
אמרון ליה: היך אתית להכא בהדין יומא.
אמר לון: ביני טיפייא הוינא מהלך.
אמרון ליה: ומה אתיתא הכא מיעבד.
אמר: מילף ומילפא.
כל מטי יעביד מה דהוא חכם, והות כל־חדא מינהון
אמרה מה דהיא אמרה, ומייתיא פיתא.
וחדא אמרה מה דהיא אמרה, ומייתיא קופד.
אמרה מה דהיא אמרה, ומייתיא תבשילין.
אמרה מה דהיא אמרה, ומייתי חמר.
אמרון ליה: את מה אית בך עבד.
אמר לון: אית בי, צפר תרין צפרין, ומייתי לכון תמנין גוברין בחירין, הווי עמכון חדיי ומחדיי לכון.
אמרון ליה: כן, אנן בעיי.
צפר חדא זמן, ולבשון לבושיהון.
צפר זמן תיניין, ועלון כולהון כחדא.
אמר: כל דמטי, יחכום זוגיה.
וטענונון, ואזלון, וצלבונון.
Immediately, Simeon ben Shetaḥ went on a stormy day and took with him eighty select men.
He gave them eighty clean garments, put them in eighty new amphoras, and put them on them upside down.
He told them, when I whistle once, put on your garments. When I whistle for the second time, come in all of you together. When you enter, each of you shall choose one and lift her from the ground, since the nature of this sorcery is that separated from the earth it cannot do anything.
He went and stood at the entrance to the cave.
He said אוים, אוים, open for me, I am one of yours.
They asked, how did you come here on such a day?
He said, I was walking between the raindrops.
They asked him, what do you want to do here?
He said, to learn and to teach. Every one should make what he is able to:
One of them said what she said and produced bread.
One of them said what she said and produced meat.
One of them said what she said and produced dishes.
One said what she said and produced wine.
They asked him, what can you do?
He told them, when I whistle twice, I shall bring here eighty select men for your pleasure and entertainment.
They told him, that is what we desire.
When he whistled the first time, they put on their garments;
when he whistled for the second time, they all entered together.
He said, every one who comes shall select his mate.
They lifted them, took them away, and hanged them.
The mean of this epithet is unclear. It is also unclear if this is a nickname for Miriam herself, or for her father. On patronymics in the Talmud, see my paper “Ben Bag Bag”.
See Hebrew Wiktionary, “חֶרֶשׁ א“, my translation, with adjustments:
Whisper, secret matter, done covertly.
Isaiah 3:2-3 (bolding mine):
גבור, ואיש מלחמה, שופט, ונביא, וקסם, וזקן
שר־חמשים, ונשוא פנים, ויועץ, וחכם חרשים, ונבון לחש
JPS 1917 translation:
“The mighty man, and the man of war; The judge, and the prophet, And the diviner (וקסם), and the elder;
The captain of fifty, and the man of rank, And the counsellor, and the cunning charmer (חכם חרשים), and the skilful enchanter.
Derivation
From Ugaritic: charash in the sense of “enchanting”. Syriac: ܚܪܫܐ - charasha meaning “magician”. Likewise in Aramaic: charasha meaning “magician”, and as an adjective meaning 'charming'.
Translation
English: surreptitiously
For another example in the Jerusalem Talmud of whistling used for coded communication, see my previous piece, where the term tziltzul (מצלצל) is used. And see Wikipedia, “Whistling” > “As communication”.