Pt2 Demon-Infested Shadows: Sorb Trees, Amulets, and Exorcism (Pesachim 111b)
This is the second and final installment of a two-part series. First part is here, outline can be found there.
Morning and Afternoon Demons: “Ketev Meriri” vs. “Ketev Yashud Tzaharayim”
The Talmud discusses two types of “ketev”1 demons, mentioned in Torah and Psalms. These demons are linked to specific times of day and particular objects:
The first, called “ketev meriri” (קטב מרירי), is based on the verse in Deuteronomy.32.24:
מזי רעב, ולחמי רשף
וקטב מרירי, ושן בהמת
אשלח בם
עם חמת זחלי עפר
Wasting famine, ravaging plague (רשף),2
Deadly pestilence (קטב מרירי), and fanged beasts
Will I let loose against them,
With venomous creepers in dust.
It appears before noon3 and is associated with a jug (כדא) of kutaḥ,4 where it continuously turns (בחשא).
The second is called “ketev yashud tzaharayim”,5 based on the verse in Psalms.91.6:
מדבר באפל יהלך
מקטב ישוד צהרים
the plague (דבר) that stalks in the darkness,
or the scourge (קטב) that ravages at noon.
It appears in the afternoon and is seen between the horns of a goat, revolving like a sifter (נפיא).
קטב מרירי —
תרי קטבי הוו.
חד מקמי טיהרא, וחד מבתר טיהרא.
דמקמי טיהרא — ״קטב מרירי״ שמו,
ומיחזי בי כדא דכמכא, והדר ביה בחשא.
דבתר טיהרא — ״קטב ישוד צהרים״ שמו,
ומיחזי בי קרנא דעיזא, והדר ביה כנפיא.
The Gemara discusses the ketev meriri, a demon mentioned in the Torah (Deuteronomy 32:24).
There are two types of ketev demons, one that comes before noon in the morning and the other one comes in the afternoon.
The one that comes before noon is called ketev meriri,
and it appears in a jug of kutaḥ, a Babylonian spice, and continuously revolves around inside it.
The ketev in the afternoon is called ketev yashud tzaharayim (Psalms 91:6),
and it appears inside the horn of a goat and revolves around inside it like a sifter.
Story: Abaye Protects Rav Huna from Demon, Trusts Rav Pappa's Good Luck for Safety
The Talmud recounts a story where Abaye was walking with Rav Pappa on his right and Rav Huna son of Rav Yehoshua, on his left.
Abaye noticed a “ketev meriri” demon approaching from the left.
To protect Rav Huna, he switched their positions, placing Rav Pappa on the left instead.
Rav Pappa asked why Abaye was not concerned for his (i.e. Rav Pappa’s) safety.
Abaye responded that “The hour is in your favor”.6
אביי הוה שקיל ואזיל,
ואזיל רב פפא מימיניה, ורב הונא בריה דרב יהושע משמאליה.
חזייה לההוא קטב מרירי, דקא אתי לאפיה דשמאליה.
אהדרא לרב פפא לשמאליה, ולרב הונא בריה דרב יהושע לימיניה.
אמר ליה רב פפא: אנא מאי שנא דלא חשש לי?!
אמר ליה: את שעתא קיימא לך.
The Gemara relates: Abaye was coming and walking along the street.
And Rav Pappa was walking on his right and Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, was on his left.
Abaye saw a certain ketev meriri coming on his left side
and he switched Rav Pappa to his left and Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, to his right.
Rav Pappa said to Abaye: And I, what is different that you were not concerned about any possible harm to me?!
Abaye said to him: The time is in your favor. You are wealthy and fortunate, and therefore I believe that you will most likely not be harmed by the demon.
Demons in the Shadows: Tammuz Timing and Places of Hidden Danger
The Talmud states that demons are definitely present from the first of Tammuz until the sixteenth of the month (approximately late June or early July). After that, it is uncertain whether they are present.
Demons can be found in the shadows of specific things:7
The short shadow of a pitcher:8 shadow that’s less than a cubit (גרמידא) long
The short shadow of objects in the morning (צפרא) and evening (פניא): shadows less than a cubit long.
The shadow of an outhouse.9
מחד בתמוז עד שיתסר ביה — ודאי שכיחי.
מכאן ואילך — ספק שכיחי, ספק לא שכיחי.
ומשתכחי
בטולי דחצבא דלא חצב גרמידא,
ובטולי דצפרא ופניא דלא הוי גרמידא,
ועיקר בטולי דבית הכסא.
The Gemara comments: From the first of Tammuz to the sixteenth of that month, these demons are certainly found.
From here onward it is uncertain whether they are found or whether they are not found.
And they can be found
in the shadow of a sea squill that has not grown a cubit,
and in the shadow of objects in the morning and evening when their length is less than a cubit.
And they are mostly found in the shadow of a privy.
קטבי; in biblical Hebrew, this word means “destruction, plague”, see Hebrew Wiktionary: קטב - ויקימילון.
Compare the demon called resheph, in the previous part of this series.
כמכא - a Babylonian porridge, mentioned a number of times in the Talmud, often in the context of it being a controversial and unappealing food.
קטב ישוד צהרים - literally: “ketev which robs at midday”.
שעתא קיימא לך - literally: “the hour stands for you”. Likely meaning that based on astrology, Rav Pappa at that moment had better luck. See my series on talmudic astrology, final part here.
On the expression שעתא קיימא, meaning a time of “good fortune, luck”, compare Taanit.21a.2-3, in a stammaitic story about R' Yoḥanan and Ilfa, where the denoument is R’ Yohanan saying לדידי קיימא לי שעתא - meaning, “it’s my lucky time”.
On the danger of shadows (טולי, cognate with Hebrew צל - “shadow, shade”), see the previous part of this series, as well as throughout the sugya.
חצבא. Steinsaltz translates this word here as “sea squill”, a kind of plant. This word has both senses, see Jastrow.