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Zohar, Zion.
Modern Judaism, Volume 27, Number 1, February 2007, pp. 72-99 (Article)
Zion Zohar
INTRODUCTION
Pulsa De-Nura
73
activities was driven by secular concerns, whereas the other group was
motivated by religious values. While the motives of Rabins secular
opponents were relatively straightforward, stemming as they did from
the political philosophy of Israels right-wing opposition,5 the motives
deriving from religion have been, by contrast, much more difficult to
decipher.6
On the one hand, some religious opposition to Rabin centered
upon halachic (Jewish religious legal) objections to his overtures for
peace with the Palestinians. Such objections were made manifest in
attempts by certain rabbis to determine whether Rabins political
behavior violated religious law and thus placed him into the legal
category of din rodef 7 and mosser,8 a traitor and betrayer of the Jewish
people. Alternatively, other religious opponents expressed their
objections utilizing a more mystical, magical approachby performing
the ritual known as pulsa de-nura (Lashes of Fire).9
In this article, I intend to make a modest contribution to our
understanding of the events leading up to Prime Minister Rabins
assassination by tracing the sources and understanding the meaning
behind the magical10 ritual11 known as the pulsa de-nura,12 which
was carried out by a group of radical, religious Jews with the intent of
cursing Yitzhak Rabin to death. Significantly, it is widely believed that
the origin of this mysterious ritual stems from The Zohar or some
other ancient Jewish mystical/magical source.13 This article will
attempt to disprove this supposition by critically analyzing all of the
likely sources in the Zoharic literature as well as many sources
from pre-Zoharic literature. However, before delving into a philological, textual, and theological discourse on this issue, let us first
acquaint ourselves with the ritual itself as well as the events
surrounding its use against Rabin as reported by the media and in
popular literature.
The Pulsa De-Nura in the Media and Popular Literature
In Murder in the Name of God: The Plot to Kill Yitzhak Rabin,14 the public
casting of the pulsa de-nura ritual (which occurred about a month
before the assassination) is described by the authors as follows:
[I]n October, on the eve of Yom Kippur, a very different sort of
incident had taken place in front of the prime ministers official
residence in the quiet residential neighborhood of Rehavia
[in Jerusalem]. Wrapped in prayer shawls, a handful of Meir
Kahanes disciples had stood in a circle on the sidewalk reciting an
ancient execration known as the Pulsa de-Nura [sic](Lashes of Fire).
According to a tradition dating to the Middle Ages, if ten rabbis
cursed a man by invoking the formula, he would meet his end within
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thirty days. The leader of the strange group was Avigdor Eskin, who
had come to Israel from the Soviet Union in the early 1970s and
been drawn into Kahanes circle . . . Rocking back and forth on the
sidewalk that day, he raised his eyes to the prime ministers house
and solemnly intoned the words: I deliver to you, the angels of
wrath and ire, Yitzhak, the son of Rosa Rabin, that you may smother
him and the specter of him, and cast him into bed, and dry up his
wealth, and plague his thoughts, and scatter his mind that he may
steadily be diminished until he reaches his death. As Eskin
declaimed the Aramaic text, the men around him chimed in: Put
to death the cursed Yitzhak, son of Rosa Rabin, as quickly as possible
because of his hatred for the Chosen People. For the finale, Eskin
filled his lungs and shouted up at the building: May you be damned,
damned, damned!15
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Pulsa De-Nura
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In the only text containing the singular form of pulsa de-nura,41 the
author attempts to understand the idea of fear, specifically fear of
God, within a mystical framework. Reading the passage in its proper
context, it becomes clear that pulsa de-nura is meant to serve as an
educational tool encouraging fear of God, which in turn, eventually
leads to a love of God. Thus, in the broader context of this Zoharic
discourse, pulsa de-nura is portrayed as a positive tool propelling
people to a higher level of spiritual conduct, rather than as a tool of
punishment.
Pulsa
The first instance of the terms use in its plural form42 comprises a
story about Rabbi Simon, the main hero of The Zohar, who travels on a
donkey while two of his students, Rabbi Abba and Rabbi Judah, walk
by his side. As is customary in The Zohar, a whole discussion
concerning the mystical understanding of the Bible ensues during
which the term is used. In this context, the term pulsei de-nura is
understood not as a tool of punishment, but rather as a tool of
protection or as a weapon enabling the angel to accomplish his task,
i.e., the task of serving the Shekhinah by keeping all of the external
negative forces from clinging to her.
Similarly, in the second instance of its use in plural form,43 sixty
pulsei de-nura clothe the Shekhinah, serving as her dress, so to speak,
since they surround and shield her at all times. Here, in contrast to its
treatment in the Talmud, pulsei de-nura are understood to be lights or
powers that are used by the Shekhinah to reward the angelic being
Metatron so that he may serve her properly.
The third mention of pulsei de-nura is found earlier in the same
Torah portion of The Zohar,44 and presents pulsei de-nura or whips of
fire as a manifestation of the Sefirah of judgment (din) in combination
with grace (hesed). While these two sefirot are considered opposites of
each other, they serve the necessary purpose of maintaining balance
Pulsa De-Nura
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and harmony in the Divine world. Thus, although the sixty pulsei
de-nura or whips of fire are clearly stated here in connection with
instruments of judgment and severity, they also represent part of the
wholeness of perfection, a very positive image.
Again, we find that pulsei de-nura utilized by the shekhinah do not
represent a tool or instrument intended to punish, nor serve as a kind
of curse, nor is it employed in connection with an angelic being.
Rather, the pulsei de-nura contribute to perfection and the implementation of harmony in the divine world, as well as by extension, the
lower worldour own world here on earth.
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THE CURSE TEXT FORMULA AND RITUAL
The second text formula can be found in two different sources with
translations that deviate slightly but are almost identical. Both are
reported by Ehud Sprinzak; one in his book Brother Against Brother:
Violence and Extremism in Israeli Politics from Altalena to the Rabin
Assassination, the other a year later in his article Israels Radical Right
and the Countdown to the Rabin Assassination.49 In the latter
account, we find the following updated formula:
Angels of destruction will strike him. He is damned wherever he
goes. His soul will instantly leave his body . . . and he will not survive
the month. Dark will be his path and Gods angel will pursue him. A
disaster he has never experienced will beset him, and all curses
known in the Torah will apply to him.50
Pulsa De-Nura
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part of the first text from I deliver to you, the angels of wrath and
ire . . . to that he may be steadily diminished until he reaches death
is found in one of the central books of Jewish magic from antiquity,
Sepher Ha-Razim.51 The original source for the second text,52
as reported by Sprinzak, is still unclear to me.53 Having said that,
the usage in the second reported text (Sprinzaks) of Angels of
destruction and the call for the immediate death of the accursed with
the words His soul will instantly leave his body are repeated themes
in all of the texts. Moreover, the paraphrased biblical expression
all curses known in the Torah will apply to him also appears in three
of the four versions.
Even though the first text is partially based on an authentic
magical source (Sepher Harazim), it is important to stress that the
original citation in Sepher Harazim has nothing to do with the term
pulsa de-nura. Of further interest, the term pulsa de-nura is found
nowhere in Sepher Harazim, which by all accounts is one of the most
important books of Jewish magic.
It appears as if these two texts are not two parts of one common
source and that we seem to possess two texts, one from an academic
book and one journalistic, which simply report the same event in two
different ways. Again, this divergence casts doubt on the reliability of
these reports. Credibility becomes an even greater issue when we take
into consideration that there is still one more formula (at least) that
was reportedly employed against Prime Minister Rabin. This third text
differs from the first two, as we shall now see. In the following pages,
I will provide my own English translation in a critical edition
format54 of the last two curse texts, which were originally reported
in Aramaic and Hebrew.55
The third text formula is found in a home-produced, printed
booklet entitled Pulsa DeNura that circulated in limited numbers
among right-wing religious extremists, such as Kach members and the
like.56 The author, Yossi Dayan,57 claims that he used the curse
formula included in the pamphlet against the late Prime Minister
Rabin.58 This third formula appears to be a complete curse, possessing
a beginning, middle, and an end:
And upon that man, Yitzhak, son of Rosa, known as Rabin, we have
permission to call upon the celestial beings, and it is permissible for
us in this place to demand of the angels of wrath that they run a
sword through this evil man. Furthermore, the Angels of Wrath, who
are earthly messengers, have no authority to be merciful to him and
forgive him his sins. Therefore, all the merits that he acquired in this
world will be forgotten. And these are the two gates59 that will be
opened in order to kill him for his incitement of the holy people and
for delivering60 the Land of Israel to its enemies, the descendents of
Ishmael, may they perish immediately. About this it is written,
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The Lord will never be willing to forgive him. 61 Rabbi Yose said that:62
All the goodness of the tree of life will never be given to him, and
nor will he enjoy its fruits. That is [the tree of life] good insight63
without evil whatsoever. As long as no good is bestowed upon him
[upon Rabin], the world is blessed, and that is [when] good insight
[is] without evil. May all of the achievements64 of that one who stands
at the head of the evil government [of Israel] be voided. Of him it
should be said twelve times: To the men who sit upon the wall, that they
may eat their own dung, and drink their own urine. 65 And until he dies
a strange death, let every curse66 recorded in the Torah67 come down
upon him. 68 May not even one be omitted.
Note that the first two curse texts were reported by people who were
not involved in the casting of the curse and, therefore, saw themselves
as objective third-parties covering the event for journalistic or
academic purposes. In contrast, this third text formula represents
a first-hand account given by one of the curse-casters himself.
In numerous media appearances, Dayan proudly acknowledged his
involvement in performing the ritual and issuing the curse against
Rabin. As Dayan points out in his booklet, the version mentioned
above is the shorter one.69 Be that as it may, the next curse version is
much longer than the third one, and resemblance between the two
is quite obvious.
In contrast to the previous three texts that were used against
P.M Rabin, the fourth pulsa de-nura formula was employed against
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. In front of television cameras,
approximately twenty Kabbalists conducted the ritual early on the
morning of July 22, 200570 in the old cemetery of Rosh Pina near the
grave of Shlomo Ben-Yosef,71 who was executed by the British
mandatory government for his anti-British and anti-Arab activities.
Based upon a tape of the ceremony that was shown on Israeli
television,72 I have translated the formula as follows:
Here we stand at this time with pure thought at the spring of water73
from which prayers issue forth. We offer our supplications before the
Master of earth and heaven, that He will pass judgment against this
man. Since, by his hand, he stole and violently robbed the crown74
and stands as the head of the holy assembly of Israel; he is Ariel
Sharon, the son of Vera of the Sheinerman family, nicknamed Arik
Sharon. Each and every one of us born of a woman 75 have
permission to call upon the celestial beings; it is permissible for us in
this place to demand from the Angels of Wrath that they run him
through with a sword along with the sinners that are with him.
May the Angels of Wrath, who are earthly messengers, have no
[authority to forgive him for his sins . . .]76 The Lord will never be willing to forgive him. 77 All of his merits from the past will be forgotten;
his countless lies and iniquitiesbecause of them, he should die. As it
is written in Kabbalah: If a righteous person turns away from his
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righteousness and does evil, practicing the very abominations that the wicked
person practiced, shall he do them and live? None of the righteous deeds that
he did shall be remembered; because of the treachery he has practiced and the
sins he has committed-because of them, he should die78 now, at this time.
It is not an enemy who reviles meI could bear that; it is not my foe who
vaunts himself against meI could hide from him79 as it has been said: the
righteous man will rejoice when he sees retribution; he will bathe his feet in the
blood of the wicked. Men will say, there is, surely a reward for the righteous;
there is, indeed, divine justice on earth 80 because he had strengthened
his hand in the slaying of his brothers,81 to hand over [limsor]82 to our
enemies the territories from the Land of Israel, on which the Holy
One keeps His eye from years beginning to years end83 shall never come
to pass, shall never come to pass, shall never come to pass.84
And because of this, God will never be willing to forgive him; for the
anger and fury of the Holy One will rage against that man, and all the
curses85 recorded in the Torah86 will come down upon him, and He will blot
out his name from under heaven.87 And he shall die immediately;
because he has spoken slander against the Lord our God, who brought
us out of exile and redeemed us out of the house of slavery.88
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kabbalistic in the least. It was taken almost word for word from the
traditional, ancient Aramaic translation of the Torah (known as
Targum Onkelos) on the verse in question, Deuteronomy 29:19. Once
again, these curse-casters going to great lengths to bestow a pseudomystical/kabbalistic aura to a text that has almost nothing to do with
mystical or kabbalistic sources.
Overall, this fourth curse formula can be roughly divided into
three types of texts. The first and largest part constitutes direct
quotations from the Bible and the use of biblical language. The second
part refers to Prime Minister Sharon. Finally, only in the third
and smallest part is there a vague resemblance to magic or Kabbalah
by way of mentioning angels of destruction, although the formula
does not even mention the angels by their specific names as
is customary in authentic magical and mystical texts. Ironically, in
many ways, this fourth text formulathe longest and most public
of all92is the least kabbalistic or magical of all the curse formulas
mentioned thus far.
Pulsa De-Nura
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CONCLUSION
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Pulsa De-Nura
NOTES
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who were present at those forums for their valuable feedback and critique.
My deepest gratitude goes to Moshe Idel, Samantha Baskind, and
Yuval Harari, who provided me with a thorough evaluation of this
article. Without their help, this article would be lacking essential
information. Words cannot express my thanks for their generosity of
time and of spirit.
2. This year (20052006) marks the tenth anniversary of P.M. Rabins
assassination, and as such, is expected to be filled with ceremonies
commemorating his life. May this article (and another one on a related
topicforthcoming) be my modest contribution in tribute to Rabins life,
his sacrifice for peace, as well as his service to the Jewish people and
all humanity.
3. Ironically, Rabins assassin, Yigal Amir, is a practicing Orthodox
Jew, and therefore, quite likely observes this day of fasting and reflection
as well.
4. For a similar and more specific division of motivations relating to
the general phenomenon of Right-Wing religious Zionist ties to the
land and the diverse behaviors stemming from these ties, see Dov
Schwartz, The Land Of Israel In Religious Zionist Thought (Tel Aviv, 1997),
pp. 1820 [Hebrew].
5. Such as that of the Likud Party and its leader at that time,
Benjamin Netanyahu.
6. Attempts to capture the complexity of Jewish fundamentalism can
be found in the many scholarly works published over the past three
decades. See, e.g., Norman, J. Cohen, (ed.), The Fundamentalist
Phenomenon: A View From Within A Response From Without (Grand
Rapids, Michigan, 1990); R. Scott Appleby, (ed.), Spokesmen For The
Despised, Fundamentalist Leaders Of The Middle East (Chicago and London,
1997). In the latter book, see in particular articles by Gideon Aran,
The Father, The Son, And The Holy Land: The Spiritual Authorities Of
Jewish-Zionist Fundamentalism In Israel, pp. 294327, and Samuel C.
Heilman, Guides of The Faithful, Contemporary Religious Zionist
Rabbis, pp. 328362. More recently, see Gabriel A. Almond, R. Scott
Appleby, and Emmanuel Sivan, Strong Religion: The Rise Of
Fundamentalisms Around The World (Chicago, 2003).
7. Author Samuel Heilman maintains that the following arguments
were circulating in yeshiva circles since at least 1993: If the withdrawals
[from Judea and Samaria] were truly endangering life, then the Jews
who
were
making
and
implementing
these
life-threatening
agreements might be defined as a rodef . . . According to Jewish law,
a rodef (pursuer) is someone who threatens the life of a Jew or through
his action puts the life of a Jew in danger . . . The law asserts that
one must, or at least may, kill the rodef and punish the
moyser. Heilman, in Spokesmen for the Despised, (ed.) R. Scott Appelby,
pp. 353354.
8. In Hebrew, mosser is the term for one who delivers the Land of
Israel to enemies, and refers to a halachic (legal) category that sanctions
Pulsa De-Nura
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(Leiden 2005) pp. 91124; Harari, The Opening of the Heart: Magical
Practices for Gaining Knowledge, Understanding and Good Memory in
Judaism of Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages, in Shefa Tal, Studies in
Jewish Thought and Culture presented to Bracha Sack, (eds.) Z. Gries,
H. Kreisel, and B. Huss (Beer Sheva, 2004), pp. 303347; Harari, How to
Do Things with Words: Philosophical Theory and Magical Deeds,
in Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Folklore, No. 1920 ( Jerusalem, 1998),
pp. 365392, [Hebrew]; Harari, If You Wish to Kill a Person: Harmful
Magic and Protection from it in Early Jewish Magic, in Jewish Studies,
No. 37 ( Jerusalem, 1997), pp. 111142, [Hebrew]; Harari, Power and
Money: Economic Aspects of the Use of Magic by Jews in Ancient Times
and the Early Middle Ages, Peamim, Vol. 85 ( Jerusalem, 2000),
pp. 1442, [Hebrew]; Moshe Idel, Judaism, Jewish Mysticism And
Magic, Jewish Studies ( Jerusalem), No. 36 (1996), pp. 2540, [Hebrew];
P. Schafer and S. Shaked, Magische Texte aus der Kairoer Geniza, Vols. IIII
(Tu
bingen 19941999); Joseph Naveh and Shaul Shaked, Amulets and
Magic Bowls: Aramaic Incantations of Late Antiquity ( Jerusalem, 1987);
Naveh and Shaked, Magic Spells and Formulae: Aramaic Incantations of Late
Antiquity ( Jerusalem, 1993). A more general treatment of the phenomenon of Jewish and non-Jewish magic can be found in: Joshua
Trachtenberg, Jewish Magic and Superstition (New York, 1939; reprint
Philadelphia, 2004); Dov Schwartz, Astral Magic in Medieval Jewish Thought
(Ramat Gan, 1999); Esther Liebes, (ed.), Devils, Demons and Souls, Essays on
Demonology by Gershom Scholem, ( Jerusalem, 2004); and Bengt Ankarloo
and Stuart Clark, (eds.), Witchcraft and Magic in Europe: The Middle Ages
(Philadelphia, 2001). Regarding the academic construction and the
methods of research of magic, see in particular: Randall Styers, Making
Magic: Religion, Magic & Science in the Modern World (Oxford, 2004).
11. In Who Is Afraid of the Pulsa De-Nura?, in Mishpacha (Nissan
2005), pp. 2226, [Hebrew], Rabbis Dov Schwartz and Isaac Moshe Blau
claim that no such ritual as the pulsa de-nura exists. Recently, Rabbi Blau
made the same claim in Aaron Granot, The Pulsa De-Nura That Has
Never Existed, Mishpacha ( July 28, 2005), p. 4, [Hebrew]. As I show here,
the picture is much more complicated and requires a detailed and
nuanced deliberation.
12. In a forthcoming publication, I will explore the connections
between the term pulsa de-nura and other rabbinic and mystical terms in
which the word fire is present, such as the term river of fire, houses of fire,
sparks of fire, swords of fire, angels of fire and the like.
13. Of the many specious assertions, is the one that this ritual
originates in The Zohar. In my conversations with various rabbis, I posed
the question: What is the source of the pulsa de-nuras ritualistic
formula? Most replied immediately: It is in The Zohar. However,
when I asked them to tell me where it is found in The Zohar, the majority
could not indicate an exact location. Those who could cite a particular
passage referred me to a text in which the term pulsa de-nura is found, but
in reality does not relate to the ritual/formula that was employed against
Pulsa De-Nura
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Rabin. This latter response, given without a second thought, indicates how
little actual knowledge of the ritual even the most learned religious
leaders possess. See also the quote in the body of the text cited from
Michael Karpin and Ina Friedman, Murder in the Name of God: The Plot to
Kill Yitzhak Rabin (New York, 1998): . . .According to a tradition dating to
the Middle Ages, if ten rabbis cursed a man by invoking the formula, he
would meet his end within thirty days . . .. (the emphasis is mine). Here
again the source of the formula is said to be from the Middle Ages though
no proof of this claim has been found. Such an assumption about the
origins of the curse ritual is not only confined to rabbis. In the media as
well as within academic literature, it is almost always described as deriving
from a Jewish mystical or Kabbalistic source, though no one is ever able to
precisely cite it. See, e.g., the article by Yaakov Katz, Rabbi Who Cursed
Rabin Targets Sharon, The Jerusalem Post, March 30, 2005: . . . the curse
which is based on passages from the Zohar, Kabbalas major work . . .
(the emphasis is mine). Also E. Sprinzak, The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin,
pp. 119120: The purpose of the meeting, convened by Avigdor Eskin, a
former Kach activist, was to conduct the traditional Pulsa de-Nura rite
against Yitzhak Rabin. Pulsa di Nura (blaze of fire in Aramaic) is the
most severe death curse that can be invoked against a Jewish sinner. The
invocation of this mystical penalty is rare and done, if at all, by
Kabbalistic rabbis. The curse rite is so rare and mysterious that it is not
even written down. The rules of its execution are said to be passed orally
from father to son and are not a simple matter. (the emphasis is mine).
This article will, at the very least, prove this connection to The Zohar
unsubstantiated.
14. M. Karpin and I. Friedman, Murder in the Name of God.
15. Karpin and Friedman, Murder in the Name of God, pp. 9091.
16. None of the different scholars of Jewish mysticism and magic that
I have consulted over the last four years concerning the sources of this
ritual knew its original source, or if it actually exists at all. In light of
this, I was pleased when my colleague Yuval Harari referred me to a
potential source for a fragment of the formula, which will be explored in
the section on formulas below. By the end of this article, I will offer
a potential answer to the dilemma of whether the pulsa de-nura ritual and
formula are in fact traceable to a particular, historical Jewish text. See also
Idel, Judaism, Jewish Mysticism And Magic, p. 34. Having said that, the term,
though not the ritual, is mentioned numerous times in rabbinic
as well as kabbalistic sources, which will be discussed briefly, later in
this article.
17. A brief description of practical Kabbalah can be found in Gershom
Scholem, Kabbalah (New York, 1974), pp. 182189.
18. For an example of practical Kabbalah, see Sepher Ha-Razim:
The Book of the Mysteries, trans. Michael A. Morgan, in the Texts and
Translations Pseudepigrapha Series, Harold W. Attridge, (ed.), Society of
Biblical Literature (Chico, 1983). Also Sepher Ha-Razim: A Newly Recovered
Book of Magic From the Talmudic Period, edited with introduction and
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Pulsa De-Nura
93
94
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Pulsa De-Nura
95
(Chico, 1983), p. 27. Note that the text reported by Karpin and Friedman
is a direct translation from the Hebrew version of this book and not a
replica of the English version. I would like to thank Dr Yuval Harari,
expert on Jewish magic, for directing me to this book.
52. Sprinzaks reference for the curse is an article in the Israeli
newspaper Yediot Acharonot, but he did not provide the original classical
source.
53. Although certain words and phrases in this text can also be found
in texts three and four below, I was unable to find the classical source of
the entire text, if it indeed exists.
54. I go beyond a mere translation of the curse texts (more so in the
fourth text than this one) by providing the potential biblical verses that
serve as the direct or the inspirational source for many of the phrases
utilized in these curses.
55. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that these texts appear in
the English language. To capture the tone, style, and intention of the
original text, I have utilized two biblical translations (JPS and Artscroll) as
I deemed necessary.
56. Founded by the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, Kach was a military antiArab, far-right wing political party in Israel, which was outlawed by the
State of Israel in 1988 for incitement to racism.
57. Yossi Dayan is a former member of the Kach party. Before party
membership was deemed illegal, he was listed second after Kahane on the
party list to the Knesset (Israels Parliament) in the elections of 1988.
58. This third curse formula text as well as the fourth one was written
originally in Hebrew and Aramaic.
59. Alluding to two Kabbalistic concepts, the sefirot Yesod and
Shekhinah, see The Zohar 1:8a, in which Yesod and Shekhinah correspond
respectively to Good and Understanding (or insight): Hence in that
place abides fear, which is the gateway to all that is good. Good
and understanding are two gates, Zohar, Bereshith (E.T., London, 1970),
Section 1, p. 8a. Matok Medvash interprets the two gates as Yesod and
Tiferet, See Daniel Frish, Matok Me-Devash, ( Jerusalem, 2005) [Hebrew],
but I tend to accept Daniel Matts understanding in which Yesod and
Shekhinah are Good and lower Wisdom (or insight) respectively, see
Daniel Matt, The Zohar, Vol. 1, p. 51, fn 357. In any case, Yesod is
often called Good, thus the curse writers usage of the gates as a
source of harm and killing in this context is quite puzzling to me.
60. This refers to the Hebrew term, mosser, explained in fn 8.
61. Deuteronomy 29:19
62. The author of this text paraphrases a Zoharic discourse concerning
the ideas of fear, wisdom, and the tree of life, which refers to the biblical
verse: The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; all who practice
it gain sound understanding [sechel tov]. Praise of Him is everlasting.
(Psalms 111:10) The Zoharic text, taken from the Daniel Matt translation,
The Zohar, reads as follows: Rabbi Yose said, Good insight [sechel tov] is
the Tree of Lifegood insight with no evil at all. Since no evil abides there,
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it is good insight without evil. Thus, from Rabbi Yose to [when] good
insight [is] without evil only is a paraphrase from the actual Zoharic text.
One can see that the usage of this discourse is not only taken out of
context (i.e., from the context of a mystical journey attained by a mystic
who thorough a spiritual process eventually reaches the upper wisdom
(hokhmah) in the Sefirotic realm), but the writer also took the liberty of
corrupting the Zoharic text in order for it to fit his holy quest, the death
of Rabin.
63. The term used in The Zohar is sechel tov, which means good
insight (according to Matts translation of The Zohar) or good understanding (according to the Soncino translation).
64. Literally the doings of his hands.
65. Isaiah 36:12, based on the Soncino translation on CD-ROM.
66. In Deuteronomy 29:19, the word ala is used, which means
a curse. In the wording of this ritual, Dayan prefers a more simple and
colloquial form for the word curse, using term klalah instead.
This usage might imply that he seeks to be accessible to an audience that
likely would not understand the more obscure biblical term ala.
Despite the opening words of the ritual, the curse is clearly not meant to
apply only to celestial beings.
67. Dayan uses the phrase in the Torah, while in the original Hebrew
of the Bible (Deuteronomy 29:19) the words are in this book.
68. Based on Deuteronomy 29:19.
69. One wonders where the longer version is.
70. According to Ben-Horin, a Right-Wing extremist and one of the
participants in the ritual, the event took place on July 21, 2005. Perhaps
the discrepancy can be explained by positing the rituals start at midnight
on Thursday night and its continuance through the early morning of
Friday the 22nd.
71. Shlomo Ben-Yosef was arrested by the British mandatory authorities in pre-State Palestine after shooting at an Arab bus in retaliation for
the murder of six Jews. He was sentenced to death, and on June 29, 1938,
was hanged in the Acre jail at the age of 25. Ben-Yosef was subsequently
buried in the Rosh Pina cemetery.
72. A segment of the ritual can be seen via the following link to
channel 2 news in Israel: http://213.8.193.29/msnvideo/Channel2/
News8/pulsadenura_050726.wmv
73. Referring to Genesis 16:7
74. Referring to the fact that for the curse casters, Sharon had acted
against the majority of the members of his own party by seeking
to withdraw the Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip. Because he had
only a small number of supporters for this decision within his party,
his actions were considered illegitimate by many: Sharons death is
more important [than] that [of] Rabins. With Rabin, he was just one man
surrounded by many others in power who were pushing for the same
capitulation to terror. Here, Sharon is the single man pushing his party
and many unwilling people to go along with the evil evacuation plan.
Pulsa De-Nura
97
Getting rid of Sharon can do the trick. For more, see the link
to the article of Aaron Klein in WorldDailyNet.com (July 26, 2005):
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID45454 or
in an article on July 27, 2005, from the Hebrew newspaper Haaretz at:
http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo605002
75. Referring to Job 14:1, 15:14, 25:4.
76. The additions in square brackets are mine. The rest of the sentence
contained within the square brackets is my own reconstruction of the text
based on what was shown briefly on TV as well as that found in Yossi
Dayans booklet. The video clearly shows that the leader of the group lost
his focus and coughed at this point during the ritual, obscuring the rest of
this sentence.
77. Deuteronomy 29:19. In the original biblical context, God is unwilling
to forgive the person or group that turns away from serving Him in order to
serve other gods. The text also notes that such a person would hear the
words of this curse and think he would be safe even though he chose to
follow his own willful heart. Such an individual or group will be set aside for
evil by God and the Land will be cursed as well.
78. Ezekiel 18:24.
79. Psalms 55:13.
80. Psalms 58:11.
81. A paraphrase of Judges 9:24.
82. Limsor is the verbal form of the same root as the Hebrew term
mosser, alluding to one who delivers the Land of Israel to enemies.
83. Deuteronomy 11:12.
84. Ezekiel 20:32.
85. The biblical text uses the word kol ha-ala meaning the entire
imprecation or every sanction.
86. In the ritual, the text employs the words in the Torah (oraita in
Aramaic), while in the original Hebrew of the Bible the words are in this
book.
87. Deuteronomy 29:19. During the ritual, this verse was recited in
Aramaic based upon the traditional, ancient Aramaic translation of
the Torah known as Targum Onkelos, and is taken from it almost word
for word.
88. This is a very creative, or more accurately, a very distorted
paraphrase of Deuteronomy 13:6, which refers in the original biblical
context to a false prophet who tries to lead the people to worship other
gods. This textual manipulation is obviously designed to insinuate that
Sharon is not only leading the Jewish people astray through public
support of false ideas, but is also deserving of deaththe biblical
punishment for false prophets. Note also Deuteronomy 13: 910
. . . show no pity or compassion, and do not cover up the matter; but
take that persons life . . .
89. In a chapter in my book in progress on pulsa de-nura.
90. I have, in fact, italicized biblical texts in all four of the curse
versions discussed.
98
Zion Zohar
91. See for example the article by Yaakov Katz, Rabbi Who Cursed
Rabin Targets Sharon, The Jerusalem Post, March 30, 2005; and
E. Sprinzak, Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, pp. 119120.
92. I call it the most public of all because it was captured on film and
broadcast widely on television. P.M. Sharons subsequent illness only
heightened its effect.
93. Ritual is a system of actions and beliefs that has a beginning, a
middle, and an end, and is directly related to superhuman
beings . . . This relation is usually expressed through the language
of ritual belief. It is this relation that constitutes ritual. Thus, ritual is
made up of act and belief. Rituals have a specific system or
structure . . . This structure has three stages that can be identified
as follows: the preliminal stage, the liminal stage, and the postliminal
stage. All rituals . . . consist of this threefold structure that marks the
beginning, the middle, and the end of a ritual. Jonathan Z. Smith (ed.),
Ritual, The Harper Collins Dictionary of Religion, (San Francisco, 1995),
pp. 930931.
94. H. Schiff, Shaah Tovah, the week of January 14, 2006, pp. 1415.
95. It is not a book; it is merely a small booklet, which mostly
constitutes page after page of direct quotes from classical sources.
This, as we have shown, has nothing to do with the modern version of
the ritual of Pulsa De-nura.
96. H. Schiff, Shaah Tovah, p. 14.
97. ibid, p. 14.
98. See Dayans booklet in which he makes use of many Kabbalistic
texts within which the term Pulsa De-nura is used. His attempt to
contextualize the whole ritual in a mystical framework is self evident.
99. See mainly Rabbi Dov Schwartz and Rabbi Moshe Blau,
Who Is Afraid of the Pulsa De-Nura?, Mishpacha ( Jerusalem, Nissan
2005, pp. 2226), [Hebrew].
100. See Arica, Kabbalah In Clear Light, p. 258. Unfortunately, I do not
have access to Dov Elboims article, The Murdering Curse, Yediot
Aharonot, November 13, 1995 [in Hebrew], which may be even earlier than
Arica. In any case, Aricas work is no doubt one of the earliest modern
versions of the connection between the ritual and the term, if not the
earliest one. However, I would be remiss if I do not mention the existence
of a potential source predating modernity from the circle of Rabbi Luria
Ashkenazi, which has not been mentioned by anyone thus far in any
context and requires greater deliberation beyond the scope of this article.
101. Rabbi Moshe Blau asserts that the first time this connection was
made it was by the leader of the Neturei Carta, Rabbi Amram Blau, in
1950, who purportedly performed a condemning ritual in the Beit Midrash
Kehal Yereim Hasidim that he called, for the first time, Pulsa De-nura. It was
used against another member of the ultra-Orthodox community who had
cooperated with the authorities in their attempt to relocate an old Jewish
cemetery in order to allow greater space for the building of the new
government headquarters and the Israel Parliament. I have yet to see the
Pulsa De-Nura
99
documentation for this story. See Yaakov Stern, The Pulsa Denura
of Rabbi Amram Blau, Shaah Tovah, the week of January 14, 2006,
pp. 1617 [Hebrew]. In an even earlier episode of its use, Professor
Moshe Idel reports hearing personally from Professor Gershom Scholem
that during World War II the Haredi community performed Pulsa De-nura
against Hitler. Although in Sterns article, Moshe Blau dismisses
this information, saying, There never was a Pulsa De-nura performed
against Hitler.
102. See endnote 8.
103. J.D Eisenstein, Ozar Dinim U-Minhagim: A Digest of Jewish Laws and
Customs in Alphabetic Order, (New York, 1938) pp. 143144, [Hebrew]. The
translation and emphasized words are mine. A detailed form of the herem
can be found in the anthology Sefer Kol Bo, Part II (printed version,
Jerusalem, 1997), pp. 524526.
104. For the history of the herem (excommunication), see the term in the
following sources: Encyclopedia Judaica, CD-ROM Version, Keter
Publishing, Jerusalem, 1997, as well as Encyclopaedia Britannica, CD-ROM
Version 19941998. See also Encyclopaedia Hebraica, Vol. 18, pp. 5156,
[Hebrew]. For herem in the biblical period, see, Encyclopaedia Biblica,
(Jerusalem, 1958), Vol. 3, pp. 290292 [Hebrew]. For specific kinds of
herem, see: R. J. Zwi Werblowsky and Geoffrey Wigoder (eds.), Herem
Beit Din and Herem Ha-Yishuv, The Oxford Dictionary Of The Jewish
Religion (Oxford, 1997), p. 317.
105. Even if the reports about the pulsa de-nura ceremony do not reflect
reality, by which I mean that even if the ritual did not actually take place,
it is, in any case, important to discuss due to the fact that these accounts
are attested to in written sources and are believed to have taken place by
many readers. Thus, an objective review is required in all cases.
106. http://mystical-politics.blogspot.com/2004/09/i-named-thisweblog-mystical-politics.html
107. The art of attributing works to well-known texts and personalities
from ancient times.
108. It is considered outmoded in modern times by all except for a
small minority among some haredi circles.