Building a Jewish Magic System

The search for Jewish Narnia

There is a somewhat famous (at least in certain circles) article titled Why There Is No Jewish Narnia by Michael Weingrad written almost 15 years ago at this point. The essay prompted several responses- including multiple authors attempting to prove him wrong by attempting to write said “Jewish Narnia”. In fact, the idea of a Jewish Narnia is one of the first talking points when talking to some Jewish authors attempting a fantasy novel.

Link: Why There Is No Jewish Narnia

As my goal here is to discuss Jewish storytelling, while I do acknowledge that the industry and options for Jewish fantasy have changed a bit in the last 15 years, I still think it is worth revisiting the concerns of this original article - because it raises some points that Jewish writers in the Speculative Fiction genre, especially in Fantasy, do often have to address. First, the traditional trappings, settings and tropes of fantasy are often problematic. The full essay is worth a read but I have provided excerpts of the key portion of this argument below.

[W]e should begin by acknowledging that the conventional trappings of fantasy, with their feudal atmosphere and rootedness in rural Europe, are not especially welcoming to Jews, who were too often at the wrong end of the medieval sword. Ever since the Crusades, Jews have had good reasons to cast doubt upon the romance of knighthood, and this is an obstacle in a genre that takes medieval chivalry as its imaginative ideal.

It is not only that Jews are ambivalent about a return to an imaginary feudal past. It is even more accurate to say that most Jews have been deeply and passionately invested in modernity, and that history, rather than otherworldliness, has been the very ground of the radical and transformative projects of the modern Jewish experience. This goes some way towards explaining the Jewish enthusiasm for science fiction over fantasy (from Asimov to Silverberg to Weinbaum there is no dearth of Jewish science fiction writers).¹

The second point from this essay I want to highlight before we continue, and the one which inspired today’s post more directly is the following:

The Jewish difficulty with fantasy is not only historical and sociological. It is theological as well, and this has to do with the degree to which Judaism has banished the magical and mythological elements necessary for fantasy.

To put it crudely, if Christianity is a fantasy religion, then Judaism is a science fiction religion. If the former is individualistic, magical, and salvationist, the latter is collective, technical, and this-worldly. Judaism’s divine drama is connected with a specific people in a specific place within a specific history. Its halakhic core is not, I think, convincingly represented in fantasy allegory.²

The part of this that I am challenging most directly today is this last point, that Judaism has sufficiently banished any elements necessary for fantasy and so any magic system is inherently at odds with Jewish thought. In other words, our exercise today is: what would it mean to create a Jewish Magic System? Is such a thing possible? How does one write a story with Jewish Magic?

What is a Jewish Magic System?

C. R. Rowenson, author of the book The Magic System Blueprint defines magic as “anything enabling actions beyond our current capability or undersanding” and as such defines a magic system as “the set of facts and principles that frame the magic and make it understandable to the audience and user.” This definition includes as “magic” everything from the fantasy of Narnia or Harry Potter to the faster than light travel of Star Wars and Star Trek. Science Fiction may claim it is science and not magic, but in this particular case of writing fiction, we are talking about a fictional set of rules in which the world seems to operate differently from our own, beyond our current understanding or expectations. The line between fantasy and science fiction can be blurred by some who put both under a Speculative Fiction umbrella.

If we return for a moment to Weingrad’s first point about the traditional trappings of fantasy literature and a Jewish investment in history and modernity as opposed to otherworldliness, - while it may be fairly accurate in describing the classic fantasy genre, to limit fantasy and magic systems to the stereotypical tropes is a limited understanding of the range of the speculative fictional genre and its subgenres.

Okay - so what would make a Magic System to be a Jewish one?

Well first of all - I would think a magic system is Jewish if “the set of facts and principles that frame the magic” are tied to, inspired by, and associated with Jewish thought, community, history, practice etc.

However, there is also some additional points to consider. The Magic System Blueprint itself is a tool for writers and creatives to create systems for their own fictional worlds, and it includes many components. One such element of the blueprint is four different categories of magic systems created by a quadrant system of two axes. The two axes are 1) known vs unknown (often called hard vs soft) and 2) irrational vs rational. This means any magic system may be known and rational, known and irrational, unknown and rational, or unknown and irrational. A known magic system is one in which everyone knows and understands what is happening and how it is being used, as opposed to an unknown system in which the system itself is not known to people. A rational system is one in which reason and logic can be applied to the laws and principles in a way that allows prediction of how the system will work, as opposed to an irrational system in which logic does not seem to apply. These are all, of course, on a spectrum and not purely binary.

Let’s return to the original argument from Why There is No Jewish Narnia about how Jewish fantasy cannot be possible because Judaism might be inherently more technical and less mythic. I disagree with this premise, but even still - it is a mistake to presume that magic systems must inherently be an unknown and unexplainable miracle type of magic as shown in Narnia. Even in Jewish Law, we have the concepts of both chukim and misphatim - chukim being laws with no rational explanation as to why (think laws of Kashrut) and mishpatim being laws with clear rational explanation.³ Now there can be philosophical debate over what is rational - but we already make space for Judaism encompassing more than the purely rational. I do think that Narnia’s magic - with no explanation to the reader making it an unknown system, and one that has no logic to predict what can or will happen next from a magic perspective - is not one that connects well to Jewish thought. I would personally imagine that if nothing else, a Jewish magic system would at minimum be more known than unknown - as Jewish practice and thought thrives in the debate and the minutia of specific rules and practices. I cannot imagine any Jewish magic being one without a set of commentary and commentary on the commentary about how it is best used and practiced.

But what is Jewish Magic?

When anyone starts talking about Jewish Magic, a few important and key verses of the Torah come to mind for most people. One such verse might include “Let no one be found among you who consigns a son or daughter to the fire, or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer, one who casts spells, or one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who inquires of the dead.” (Deuteronmy 18:10-11) And at that point the conversation tends to end with - the Torah prohibits magic. However, some make the argument that this list is a list of specific prohibited magical practices -practices which were popular in communities neighboring Israel - and that it is not a prohibition over use of the supernatural -but prohibitions of specific uses of the supernatural.

An illustration of this is the scene in which Moses and Aaron appear before Pharaoh and Aaron’s staff becomes a serpent.

יהוה said to Moses and Aaron,

כִּי֩ יְדַבֵּ֨ר אֲלֵכֶ֤ם פַּרְעֹה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר תְּנ֥וּ לָכֶ֖ם מוֹפֵ֑ת וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן קַ֧ח אֶֽת־מַטְּךָ֛ וְהַשְׁלֵ֥ךְ לִפְנֵֽי־פַרְעֹ֖ה יְהִ֥י לְתַנִּֽין׃

“When Pharaoh speaks to you and says, ‘Produce your marvel,’ you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it down before Pharaoh.’ It shall turn into a serpent.”

וַיָּבֹ֨א מֹשֶׁ֤ה וְאַהֲרֹן֙ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה וַיַּ֣עֲשׂוּ כֵ֔ן כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֣ה יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיַּשְׁלֵ֨ךְ אַהֲרֹ֜ן אֶת־מַטֵּ֗הוּ לִפְנֵ֥י פַרְעֹ֛ה וְלִפְנֵ֥י עֲבָדָ֖יו וַיְהִ֥י לְתַנִּֽין׃

So Moses and Aaron came before Pharaoh and did just as יהוה had commanded: Aaron cast down his rod in the presence of Pharaoh and his courtiers, and it turned into a serpent.

וַיִּקְרָא֙ גַּם־פַּרְעֹ֔ה לַֽחֲכָמִ֖ים וְלַֽמְכַשְּׁפִ֑ים וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֨וּ גַם־הֵ֜ם חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י מִצְרַ֛יִם בְּלַהֲטֵיהֶ֖ם כֵּֽן׃

Then Pharaoh, for his part, summoned the sages and the sorcerers; and the Egyptian magician-priests, in turn, did the same with their spells:

וַיַּשְׁלִ֙יכוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ מַטֵּ֔הוּ וַיִּהְי֖וּ לְתַנִּינִ֑ם וַיִּבְלַ֥ע מַטֵּֽה־אַהֲרֹ֖ן אֶת־מַטֹּתָֽם׃

each cast down his rod, and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed their rods.

Exodus 7:8-12

Aaron was able to access supernatural abilities. So were Pharaoh’s magician priests. But Aaron did so as commanded by and approved by G-d and Pharaoh’s priests did so without G-d’s approval or through another source or method. As such, when considering the Jewish supernatural, whether or not we call it magic, the line is not that the supernatural is forbidden, but rather that certain acts are sanctioned by G-d and that anything supernatural is done by G-d’s command - not an individual human’s.

The difference between magic as s something done by the individual as opposed to through the worship of G-d matches the definition of magic vs religion found in the book Magic: A History by Chris Gosden. Gosden writes “Magic sees a direct human relationship with the world. People’s words and acts can influence events and processes. Religion takes some of the power out of this magical relationship, placing it with the gods but leaving some room for direct human participation, even if often grudgingly.” In this context, magic is specifically the direct interaction of a person with the universe and the idea that an individual can control the universe. Religion, in contrast, is the system in which at least partial control is in the hands of a divine entity who one must follow or worship and petitition to them to intercede on an individual’s behalf.

This is a far more narrow definition than the one we discussed in the context of magic systems - but is something to ponder when creating a magic system. Where is the center focus of the power? Is power in the individual who on their own has a direct relationship with the world? Is power in the hands of a divine entity whom an individual has to appeal to? Is power in the rules of a mechanical universe that individuals simply must simply observe and learn (aka science)? Traditional Jewish texts would seem to me to lean towards a system that requires G-d to be part of the process - but if we are considering magic as “anything enabling actions beyond our current capability or undersanding” - that still leaves room for some creativity. Furthermore, like anything else, things are never quite that simple.

Magic: A History includes a section on the historical practice of Jewish magic from the perspective of a professor of archeology. In a table chronicaling the history of Jewish magic use, Gosden includes mention of miracles, demons/angels/spirits, astrology, protective magic, amulets, magical use of gematria and divine names, and magical use of psalms. Jewish communities have believed in and practiced magic rituals - though there may be a variety of opinions over how to classify it. As an easy and simple example that is relevant to today, many Jews believe in the power of Hebrew letters and specific verses as protective, and amulets were often made by use of specific Hebrew verses. A common use of Hebrew verses that most Jews use even today is the mezuzah. Some Jews will acknowledge the mezuzah is an amulet that protects Jewish homes -and some will argue that this perspective is heresy and that it is simply a commandment from G-d to display mezuzot.

Blessings, Prayers, and Spells

In the book Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik, Miryem must call forth a tree from a nut as part of the final scene in order to fulfill the requirements of earning herself her love interest. I am trying to be careful about minimal spoilers so we will leave it at that. In the scene, she plants the nut but does not know how to call it forth - so her father suggests they use the blessing for fruit trees in bloom. She recites it aloud and imagines the words “written in letters of silver that turned to gold as I spoke them aloud.”⁴ Once she does, a tree springs forth from the ground - branches and all.

This is the first and only time I have personally read the use of a blessing as something like a magic spell. As I was listening to this over audiobook the first time, my first concern was how did they spell out this prayer? if they did so improperly, this becomes a work with G-d’s name in it and requires special treatment. In writing this article - I have checked the print version and can confirm that they spell it out in transliteration - which makes the most sense for an English speaking audience - and do spell out adonai. It also - according to my brief research - does seem to be the full and true proper blessing that people use in real life. I will leave it to you whether you consider it problematic to use the full and proper Hebrew prayer this way for this reason. I, however, also have an additional reason for concern over the usage.

Judaism has many types of prayers for a variety of uses and purposes. Some prayers are more blessings of gratitude - such as the gratitude over the trees being in bloom and providing fruit. Some prayers are more of requests and asking for things - such as prayers asking for healing and the health of an ill person. My understanding (and I may be wrong here) was that prayers for gratitude - such as the prayer for the fruit tree in bloom - cannot be said unless you are actually consuming or enjoying the thing you are expressing gratitude for. You can’t say the hamotzi unless you are about to eat bread. You can’t say the Kiddish unless you are drinking wine or grape juice - etc. So my issue with this scene was and remains to be that she said a prayer before the tree existed, let alone was in bloom, and that the use of a prayer of gratitude to call forth the thing that does not exist would seem to be against the norms and use of such prayers. I am not saying that I do not see the connection between prayers and spells that Naomi Novik was going for in this book. In general, I did appreciate the Jewish representation in Spinning Silver. However, this is an example of where I have concerns about the idea of Jewish magic.

Jewish magic needs to be tied to Jewish practice, community, and norms in order to be a truly Jewish system - and that also means respecting the norms of the real community that this system is inspired by. It would seem disrespectful to me to use blessings in this way. There has to be a line between creating systems that are inspired by and properly represent these communities, as well as making sure that in your creativity you do not cross any lines of members of that community. Some might argue that simply creating a Jewish magic system itself may be crossing a line - so maybe this is a place where we won’t get consensus. But I do think this is an issue that the community needs to discuss more openly of what we feel comfortable including in stories and being used as inspiration for stories.

Magic as Conversation with G-d

We have reached the point where I propose how I might start a magic system, recognizing this is not the only way to do so - but in consideration of what we have discussed so far.

An area of Judaism that fascinates me that I would want to explore more via story is Kabbalah, otherwise known as Jewish mysticism - and more specifically the use of meditation. Now I know that meditation may seem anti-climactic as a way to access magic - but hang in with me here for a moment. “A number of Judaic sources speak of meditation as a means of attaining extrasensory perception (ESP) in such areas as telepathy, mind-reading, clairvoyance, and predicting the future.”⁵ The book, Jewish Meditation, by Aryeh Kaplan, also discusses how “in learning how to see the blue aura around the candle, one can learn how to see auras in general” - an aura being “a fluish field that appears around people an other objects”.⁶ The reason the discussion of supernatural acts in Kabbalah fits more within the Jewish framework is because it is accessed through meditation, otherwise known as conversation with the divine. It is done in partnership and so still fits with the definition of religion we discussed earlier.

How does one speak with G-d? Well, there is always prayer - though there are concerns about using real prayer in fictional magic systems as discussed previously. This leaves us with more unstructured meditation - which while maybe less popular or well known - does have space in Jewish thought and practice. Jewish meditation can take a range of forms - from using mantras to contemplating candles to the practice of Hitbodedeut popularized by and often attributed to Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Hitbodedeut is at its simplest described as finding a quiet place, preferably in nature, and talking to the divine like you would a close friend, share your feelings about everything, and argue as needed - but have a real conversation in your own language and words.⁷

If we want more structure, we can continue adding layers. For example, Kaplan discusses how there are four ways of relating to G-d, as taken from the Amidah “Melech, Ozer, u’Mashiach, u’Magen” - King, Helper, Rescuer, and Shield.⁸ G-d as King is remote, able to help out in big ways but slow to do so. In contrast, G-d as a Shield is immediate- able to intercept the quickest arrow. Helper and Rescuer fall in the middle. Helper is quicker to help when asked but Rescuer helps even without asking, as if to jump in and pull you from a river while you are drowning. These range of categories define four levels of intimacy one can have with the divine. If magical powers derive from one’s relationship with G-d, we can also layer in personal levels of intimacy and relationships one has with G-d based on these four categories and use it to affect the limits, constraints, or possibilities of the available magic.

What might this look like in a scene or story? I haven’t tried it - but I am thinking something like having a character who needs to regular have check-ins and talking to keep the line open- so to speak - and their magical power - let’s go with telepathy - is dependent on those check-ins. If the character skips a day or two, their power starts draining and becoming harder to access. I am imagining someone realizing that they haven’t done a check-in in a while and losing power mid-mission/quest, and who has to start talking out loud while they go in order to try to multi-task. Would this work for a full story? I have no idea. I am not primarily a fiction writer. If this inspires you to write something - please go ahead and run with it. I only ask you let me read it when you are done.

Conclusion

Let us return to where we started. We wanted to consider whether a Jewish magic system, whether a story about Jewish magic is possible - and I think the answer is yes. I do think that traditional fantasy tropes are problematic for obvious reasons and that we may not end up with a Jewish classic fantasy like Narnia - but that doesn’t mean a Jewish version of a fantasy story isn’t possible. What I described here is not the only way to approach it. This is simply some tools and frameworks that I have found helpful in considering the question for myself - and something I thought others might appreciate.

As always, I welcome disagreement, pushback, commentary, correction, etc. I am not a scholar. I do not write this from on-high to declare and prescribe the answers. But rather I want to talk about what I have found interesting, making a proposal, and hopefully enable others to make it their own. I do not write alone, but in conversation and as part of a community and I look forward to hearing from you.

1. Why There Is No Jewish Narnia

2. Why There Is No Jewish Narnia

3. https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2797/jewish/The-Logic-of-the-Mitzvot.htm

4. Spinning Silver, Noami Novik, Chapter 23

5. Jewish Meditation, Aryeh Kaplan, page 12

6. Jewish Meditation, Aryeh Kaplan, page 71

7. https://breslov.org/hitbodedut/

8. Jewish Meditation, Aryeh Kaplan, pages 117-118