Page 146 - Tzurba M'Rabanan Volume1

144 · Halachot of Sorcery, Magic, and Superstition Tzurba M’Rabanan

Rabbi Yosef Kolon, known as the Maharik, distinguishes between two cases. In the first, one deceives the
eyes by performing an action that appears to be supernatural. This action thereby violates mechasheif. In the
second, one deceives the eyes with an appearance that he is performing a natural action, which in reality he
never did. In this case, he has not violated a Torah law, and he does not receive malkut (lashes).

r Responsa of the Maharik, Siman 76 וע ןמיס | ק”ירהמ ת”וש . 27
In my humble opinion Rabbeinu Moshe [Rambam] םיאורל המדמ ןיב השמ וניבר קלחמד ל”יד ד”עלנ
distinguishes between one who appears to the audience אריספס לקשד איההכ ןוהמת השעמ השוע אוהש
to do a wondrous act, like that case where one took a sword םתה היל ירקד םקו אלבטב שקנו הילמגל הייזגו
and sliced a camel and beat on a drum and [the camel] arose תימהל ןוהמת השעמ אוה הזש םיניעה תא זחוא
[from the dead], which is called there [by the Gemara] לבא …וילע הקולו וננועת אל ללכב יוהו תויחלו
“deceiving the eyes,” as this is a wondrous act to kill and השעמ השוע אוהש הארמו םיניעה תא זחואהב
to revive, and is included in the prohibition of “do not be
a time decipher [lo te’oneinu],” and one receives lashes for אוהו ינולפ םוקמל ךלוהש רמולכ והשע אל רשא
it… However, one who deceives the eyes by illusion and ןיאש ןעטנ אל אוהו ןיאושיק עטנש וא ךלוה אל
shows as if he did something where in reality he didn’t, הארמו םה רקש ירבד אלא ןוהמת ירבד הזב
i.e., he is going to a certain place but he really is not, or he הרות הרימחה אל הזב םיניע תזיחא ידי לע התויה
planted squashes but [in reality] he didn’t; here there is no …וילע ותוקלל כ”כ
wondrous act; only lies, as he presented it [as occurring]
through deception of the eyes – regarding this the Torah
was not so stringent as to give lashes.

The Kesef Mishneh cites the answer of the Maharik but questions the source of such a distinction. He
therefore suggests an alternative answer:

r Kesef Mishneh, | הנשמ ףסכ . 28
Hilchot Avoda Zara 11:15 וט:אי הרז הדובע ׳לה

…It seems to me that in any deception of the eyes, one ידכ השעמ השוע אוה םיניעה זחוא לכד ל"נו…
performs [some] action in order to deceive the eyes, and אל אוהו השעש האריש אוהו ש"מו םיניעה זוחאל
that which he [Rambam] said, “it’s as if he did something השעמ השע אלש רמימל ואל ללכ השעמ השע
yet he didn’t do an action at all” was not to say that he didn’t הארנש ןוהמת השעמ ותואש רמול ונייה אלא
do any action, rather he meant that the specific wondrous המדנש אלא תמאב ואשע אל השעש םדא ינבל
act that people thought he did, he didn’t actually do; he just דע השעמ םוש השוע אוהש יאדו לבא ךכ םהל
made an illusion, but obviously he performed some action
to deceive them to make them believe [that it was true]. וב שיש רחאמו ךכ םהל תומדהל םהיניע זחאש
Since there was an action, in principal he should receive םושמ תחא םיתש וילע תוקלל היה ןידב השעמ
lashes twice, once for the prohibition of me’onein and היב והנתיא והייוורתד ףשכמ םושמ תחאו ןנועמ
once for the prohibition of mechasheif, for both of them are תא זחואה הז ןנועמ אתיירבב םימכח ונש אהד
included in this; for the Sages taught in a beraita: “Me’onein אוהש עמשמ תותימ עברא פ”סד ’ינתמבו םיניעה
– this is a person who deceives the eyes,” and the Mishna אוהש ינפמ ףשכמד תוקלממ רטפנש אלא ףשכמ
at the end of the chapter implies that it is included in the .ד”ב תתימ תרהזאל ןתינש ואל
prohibition of mechasheif, just that he doesn’t receive
lashes for this, since it is a prohibition that serves as a
mandate for court-imposed capital punishment.

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