The Torah outlaws the practice of divination (Leviticus 19:26 and Deuteronomy 18:10); that is, basing one’s actions on signs and omens, or advising others to do the same. A collection of beraitas at the bottom of yesterday’s page and the top of today’s provide describe some of the signs included in this prohibition. For example:
The diviner mentioned in the verse (Deuteronomy 18:10) is one who relies on signs, e.g., one who says: “If one’s bread fell from his mouth, that is a bad sign for him,” or: “If one’s staff fell from his hand, it is a bad sign,” or: “If one’s son calls him from behind, it is a sign that he should return from his journey,” or: “If a raven calls to him, or if a deer blocks him on the way, or if a snake is to his right, or if a fox is to his left, all of these are bad signs.”
The verse “Neither shall you practice divination nor soothsaying” (Leviticus 19:26) is referring to those who divine and receive guidance according to what happens to a weasel, bird or fish.
Many of these are reminiscent of more familiar superstitions, like the notion that it’s bad luck if a snake slithers across one’s path. According to the rabbis, basing a decision or changing one’s course of action in response is divination and therefore forbidden. The diviner’s claim to access secret truths is akin to idolatry, which can also be thought of as a mechanism for harnessing illicit power.
But what if the signs we see are actually useful and lead to wise decisions? Couldn’t the dropped staff be a sign that we’ve been traveling for too long and it’s time to make camp? Don’t we get clues from animals about the coming of a storm, allowing us to drop what we are doing and prepare? Aren’t there experts among us who can interpret the signs earlier than the rest of us? Is it idolatrous for us to rely on their advice?
Not at all, as the Kessef Mishneh, in his commentary on Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah:
It appears to me that the divining that the Torah forbade is when one makes their actions depend upon a sign that logic does not suggest will cause benefit or injury to the thing, such as “bread fell from his mouth,” or “a deer blocks him on the way.” As these signs and those similar to them are “the ways of the Amorite.” But if one accepts signs that logically indicate a benefit to the thing or its injury; this is not divining. For all business of the world is like that. As behold, the one who says, “If it rains, I will not go out on the road; but if not, I will go out,” is not practicing divination. Rather it is the way of the world.
In other words, there is a difference between knowledge and superstition, between that which is observable and that which is conjured from thin air. For both the Torah and the rabbis, it is a religious obligation to differentiate between the two.
Read all of Sanhedrin 66 on Sefaria.
This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on February 21, 2025. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.
Help us keep Jewish knowledge accessible to millions of people around the world.
Your donation to My Jewish Learning fuels endless journeys of Jewish discovery. With your help, My Jewish Learning can continue to provide nonstop opportunities for learning, connection and growth.
