Rabbanism and Zoroastrianism:A look into the origins of the Talmud

A Publication of the al-Qirqisani Center for the Promotion of Karaite Jewish Studies

By Dr. Zvi Cahn and Yosef Yaron

edited by xakham Avraham Ben-Raxamiël Qanaï

Zoroastrianism and Rabbanism. Copyright © 2001 the al-Qirqisani Center. All rightsreserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this book may bereprinted, reproduced or used in any manner except that implied by sale, and in thecase of brief citations for the purpose of critical articles and reviews. For informationsend inquiries to qirqisani@karaitejudaism.com

______________________________________

Library of Congress Card Number: pending

ISBN 0-9700775-6-4 (pbk.)______________________________________

Rabbanism and Zoroastrianism:A look into the origins of the Talmud

The Babylonian Talmud was greatly determined byZoroastrianism, the dominant religion of Persia during the first andsecond Babylonian exile. We find in it not only Persian superstitionand legend, but many decisions handed down in accordance withPersian law, not to speak of the customs and usages of Persian life.Even the forms and expressions of the literary Pahlavi entered intothe Talmud Bavli in no small abundance. The Talmud was soinfluenced by this alien religion that it is difficult to sift the Jewishfrom the Persian; especially, in matters pertaining to spirits andimps, astrology and other superstitions of Persian source.

It is, of course, gratuitous to say that the burden of proof restshere; but it is, in reality, no burden. For even to those who havefound the statement above over-amplified, the following detailedexposition will reveal the full measure of Persian influence on theTalmud.

This exploration of Persian influence is organized according tothe following catagories: Ideology, legend, laws and customs,proverbs, and language – the five “phases of influence” ofconsequence.

IDEOLOGY

A system of nomenclature for angels in Jewish literature,previous to Iranian influence, did not exist. Manifestations referredto in English as “angels,” (from the Greek angelos, which meansmessenger) were, of course, referred to in the Bible, however, without

specification. The names of angels had been embodied in the Persianreligion, from whence it was taken by the Talmudists, as is attestedto by the Talmud itself. Thus one finds now in Rabbanite lore the evil1

angel and the angel of good. In Persian teaching, it is Ahura Mazda,who meets the latter requirements, and Ahriman, the Prince ofDarkness, who is the incarnation of bad.2

The induction of Persian elements extended even to the namesof entities in their pantheon itself. Above all is Mithra; Hadar, the3

angel of fire; Dahraman the angel appointed over the dead; Tir, the4 5 6

guardian of rainfall; Serosh, defender against evil spirits; and the7

angels who bear the prayer before Ahura Mazda, and many more are8

found conspicuously in the Talmud and subsequent Rabbinicliterature.

DEMONS, FIENDS AND EVIL SPIRITS

As with angels, the Amora’im of Babylon were in theconsideration of, and belief in, demons derived from Persian lore.

Ahriman is known likewise as Satan who arouses the evil in9

man, afterwards bringing about his degradation and death. In theZend-Avesta, he is also alluded to as the Primordial Serpent;10

(Vendidad II, 384) . To him is ascribed the pains of menstruation11

that are visited upon this world (Vendidad I).His myriads of helpers are called devs (devils), and they12

infest the universe throughout (chap. 1,21). However their place ofhabitation is the cold North; particularly, they revel in the vicinity13

of graveyards (Ibid. II, 337) .14

Ahriman is also privileged to ascend the heavens and castthere his accusations (Ibid. III, 62) .15

There are two kinds of demons, male and female; and they16

assume different shapes and forms, such as that of man, or that of17 18

a fly. And like the human race, they multiply; for those who19 20

wantonly spill their seed, bring demons upon the earth.21

Eshem is the greatest of the devils. One of the fundamental22

teachings of Persian religious conduct is the avoidance of uncleanhands; for Sabetch, the baneful spirit, rests upon such hands.23 24

The cock that crows in the early dawn drives away the imps ofthe night (Ibid. 143, 93) . During the period of darkness no one must25

offer his hand, or receive the hand of another (Ibid.).26

To repel these unseen forces, each Persian intoned a specialprayer. The demons’ mastery extends over the participants in27

wedlock (Ibid. ), and over the mother in the pangs of childbirth28

(Ibid. III, 223) ; that of fiends, over wells and springs (Ibid.).29

The driving off of pernicious spirits by adjuration was amongthe Persians a conviction that translated itself into action. Wholesystems of conjuration were devised; and many were the invocationswith which some of them commanded the devils. All this entered intothe Talmud.

In exorcising a demon, the chief thing to utter was “I expel youfrom me” (Ibid.). If one has been bitten by a mad dog, an accordant30

spell must be cast in order to eject the hurtful spirit. This incantationhas been written into the Talmud (Vendidad I. 30); also, those31

against forgetfulness, and that the sheep of the slaughterhouse may32

be fatter. Too, did the Talmudists (Cf. Shabbat 90) take over the33 34

Persian belief in cameos and talismans (cf. Kleiker II, 179 [?perhapsKeli Yeqar]) as capable of averting evil.

The reading of the sacred writings as a means to restore35

health, is analogous to the effects the Persians attributed to theirZend-Avesta. Generally speaking, it is the Persian religion that isresponsible for the appearance of demons and imps in the Midrashand Talmud.

PARADISE AND GEHENNA,THE MESSIAH AND RESURRECTION

The idea of a Reward and Punishment after death is notknown in the Bible. It gained credence among the Jews because it didamong the Babylonians; and – following its sweep over the Persians,to whom it represented an unassailable conviction. In Vendidad IX,there is a detailed account of the life of the righteous in the “Gardenof Paradise.”

The Amora’im wholly and unreservedly received thisconception, as evinced in the Talmud Yerushalmi, TractateKelayim, as well as in the Midrash Bere’shit Raba. And thus wefind in the Talmud completely depicted that: Paradise, as Hell, isdivided sevenfold; after death, the good and bad must pass over a36

bridge, the righteous entering Paradise, while the latter fall into37

warmer climes, where they are led to the incessantly blazing furnaces.And the punishments that are inflicted upon them are great andvaried; some are continually suspended by their feet, others eat oftheir own flesh. This celestial chastisement sometimes takes the formof sharply-pointed objects and spears. For those who have duringtheir mundane existence spoken ill of their neighbours, there are thereversed gallows, so that their tongues may loll out in pain andanguish; still, others are burnt in their own excrement, or in their38

own semen; some are hanged by the hair or skull smoke issues39 40

from the graves of others.41

The Persians believed that in the generation that was to see thedivine deliverer [Persian Saoshyant], humanity would greatlydwindle, and soon after will the dead arise, with Ahura Mazda as the42

supreme deity and guardian of mankind. In like manner, does theTalmud dwell upon its notion of the Delivery, with, of course,43

different identities.The Zend-Avesta, in its theory of Resurrection, as that of the

Talmud, finds it wholly feasible; for did not the One On High in the44

beginning create substance from a void, to raise the dead would beonly recreating His handiwork. After Resurrection, homage to King45

will no longer be necessary, and the Devil’s shadow will no moredarken the earth.46

LEGEND

In the Persian faith, the righteous dwell in Paradise and areluminous as the stars (Vendidad II. 130 ). He who does not peruse47

the Zend-Avesta is doomed.The art of magic does not derive from the Evil Power, and all

wise men can practice it (Vendidad 18, 166). The Talmud, expressinga like opinion, believes that the Sanhedrin should possess thesesupernatural qualities.48

Because of debauchery and licentiousness will the rains bewithheld from the soil (Ibid. 18, 125). He who studies the Scriptures49

will be at peace with Temptation (Ibid. 19, 19). Even the godly, after50

their expiration, fear the Angels of Evil so as not to be enmeshed intheir snares before they enter Paradise.51

The Iranian conception was that of two firmaments; the visibleone, of precious stones, and the second, vaulting above the first52

(Ibid. 19, 128).Both the Zend-Avesta and the Torah (according to the

Talmud) are alike in their power to repel demonic influences, merelyby reading, to their followers. The idea of the Persians that the good53

deeds of the pious are accumulated in a treasure-trove is also broughtout in the Midrash.54

An reference to the Persian angel Mithra, the preceptor ofchildren and guide to the devout on their passage to Heaven, and55

who is also clothed in white, is found in the Talmud.56

That the departed souls of the virtuous are retained under thevery Throne of the Almighty (Ibid. 19), is also in the Talmud asimparted by Rav Eli‘ezer.57

To worship the glory of God out of love for His Divine Beingwas to the Persians more meritorious than the homage of fear; aTalmudic dissertation, too.58

The Iranian designation of their Zend-Avesta as “provision forthe traveller,” or “guide to life,” was carried over by the Talmud to sostyle the Torah.59

The legendary feat of Zoroaster, who banished the evil spiritsby a mere utterance, was adapted to Moses.60

The passage in the Zend-Avesta, wherein Ahura Mazda speaksunto Zoroaster of the life of virtue that follows death, is quoted in theTalmud.61

The Persians do not erect monuments to their great, for theirgood deeds shall forever be their mark; this injunction is too takenheed of in the Talmud.62

When a righteous man has sinned, he is chastened for histransgression upon this world, so that he may fully reap the fruits ofhis piety in the Garden of Paradise in the hereafter; such is also theTalmudic contemplation.63

The disciples of Zoroaster are assured of a heavenly existence;this has been conformed to the children of Abraham64

When God in His Glory passes divine judgment upon a mortal,it is in the company of His angels (Vendidad 3 9, 89); a notion takenover by the Talmud Yerushalmi.65

The Midrash writes of the Persian belief that to sin is to66

lessen the power of the angels in Heaven.God is with him who studies and meditates in the night67

(Vendidad 18).The kin of a departed bestow charity so that his disembodied

spirit may swiftly proceed to greater celestial heights.68

After death, Persians believed that the actions of good and badare balanced upon divine scales. Talmudic literature has placed greatemphasis upon this concept.

This life, to the Persians, is but a passing, unimportantsojourn; only after extinction is the commencement of the trueexistence.69

Among the earliest creations was the Zend-Avesta.70

The married, according to the Avesta, are looked upon withgreater favour than those who are not married; and he who has71

progeny will possess more worth in the eyes of God; the rich areworthier than the poor; so also is it said in the Talmud.

Zoroastrians were loath to convert others to their faith. Thushad the Talmudists decreed to the Jews to dissuade proselytes.72

Though the Zend-Avesta was unknown to the peoplespreceding the coming of Zoroaster, he claimed that the righteous whohad gone before him were aware of it and followed the preceptstherein. Similarly, is it alluded to of the great and sanctified of theJews.73

That which is told by the Persians of Zoroaster, that God hadshown him all that was to come, was also attributed to Moses by theAmora’im. (I. 103; II. 116).74

Even with the sharp end of the sword lying heavily against thethroat, should not man despair and lose hope (Vendidad I. 116).75

He who gives shelter and sustenance to a wise man is as if hehas brought an offering to the, altar of God (Afrin II. 150, 382).76

The righteous on earth stand higher than the angels above.77

All that is created of God in this world is of two kinds male andfemale.78

You have accepted the Avesta, is the Almighty’s word;therefore, have you in my eyes never sinned (Vendidad 324).79

He who gives himself up to the study of the Avesta is free fromthe obligation of sacrifices (Vendidad II. 324).80

The scoffer shall be deprived of his income (Vendidad 373).81

Marriage to a kinswoman (the daughter of his sister) isdeserving of great reward (Vendidad II. 149).82

Prayer without devotion is as body without soul (Vendidad83

I. 135).Congregational prayer is indeed weighty, for it carries the

supplications of the many (Vendidad II. 131 ).84

A broken pledge is tantamount to the worship of idols 85

( Vendidad II. 315).All that which has been heretofore brought is merely indicative

of the great mass of legendary material taken over from the Persians;the main concern here, however, is with the halakhic influence thatmade itself so strongly felt in the Talmud and Midrash.

HALAKHAH

In bringing the Laws that emanated from the Persianwellspring, a different procedure will be followed than has been donehitherto. These Halakhot are known to us from the Talmud, in itsdistinctive style and struck form of expression; hence, for the sake ofgreater clarity, they will be given here in text, the Notes indicatingtheir source in the Zend-Avesta.

Before continuing, however, the variations and rules ofconduct of a general nature are of interest.

The matter of benedictions, or the saying of grace oversomething that affords delectation is of Persian origin; the blessingof food and when viewing the sea for the first time (Vendidad II. 112,and in Tractate Berakhot, p. 60); the blessing that is required whenone visits the cemetery (Ibid. II. 168, and Berakhot, p. 60); etc., etc.

The marriage ritual, with its special benedictions, ceremonyand rites, is fully delineated in the Avesta (II. 157, 158 ; 111. 228).

All enjoinments concerning demons and spirits set forth inVendidad, have entered into the Talmud. Many of the laws of Yasna:the sacrificial arrangement; the rendering of the divine service; themandates in regard to cleanliness and uncleanliness; form the majorportion of Talmudic Law in these matters.

Firstly, a number of dinim germane to demons and imps.

This is, of course, infinitesimal to the huge Persian edifice ofHalakhot regarding demons that are in the Talmud.

The following ten Hilkhot Nashim are a second illustrationof the extent to which the Persian influence permeated the Talmud.

Ten more Halakhot are brought here of Persian origin, andwhich are concerned with the various manifestations of conduct:

To completely and without stint enumerate the Talmudicpassages of Persian origin is not within the scope of this work. Itwould necessitate far greater physical proportions.

It would be of interest here, however, to mention two otherinstances characteristic of Persian influence; the great number ofparables and sayings of Persian origin in the Talmud, and thetransfusion of Persian vocabulary into it

Of the proverbs, twenty of the more popular will be brought:

As to the Persian vocabulary in Talmud, see Hexaluc (VIII,p. 98), the article Pahlavi Words in the Talmud, where there is fullycatalogued 172 such words, with their interpretation andtransliteration into Semitic equivalents.

The cause and effect of the historical sequence of events thatthen followed, assume a sharper outline and through the mist ofcenturies we obtain a clearer picture. The resistance to thesuperstitions of the Persian religion, that flared into open revolt,brought within its orbit the Jews, particularly, the liberal Jews. TheOrient was then up in spiritual arms against the theology ofZoroaster, and in the muster roll that resounded throughout the East,the Jew accounted for himself.

Generally speaking, it was at a time when Israelites were livingin closer amity with the Arabs; it was the proximity of time, place andthought. To many of the Jews, the more cultural and educated, Arabicwas their spoken tongue and literary language. It was the incipientstate of a period of revival in Arabia; in truth, an Arab-Jewish epoch,a binding force that brought the two Semitic nations into greaterfraternal ties. It is not surprising then, that tolerant, non-bigotedJews viewed with alarm and distaste the infusion of Persian thoughtinto the Talmud; chiefly, the ideas relating to demons; andendeavoured to counteract this influence. Against this contentiousbackground saw the long, drawn-out struggle to come.

The adherents of the Talmud, particularly its expounders, theRabbis, set up a hue and cry that the Karaites were the expression ofsubversive designs against it. The negation of the Persiansuperstitious lore in the Talmud was to them a renouncement of itsentirety and a revolt against its authority; and forthwith went up theclamour that the Karaites seek to uproot the Talmud.

A beclouded and muddled history would seem to bear thisout; and it is not until the present that many of the Karaite laws thatwere hitherto taken literally, that is, without discernment, becomeperspicuous in the light of modern analysis.

We find, too, in the Talmud that at that time a Persianreligious group was formed who styled themselves xabbarei, andwho worshipped the ideal of fire, especially on their day of religiousfestival. These xabbarei were so hated and abominated for theiracts of malice toward Jews, that in the Talmud Rav exhorts: “To beunder a gentile but not subject to a xabbar” (Tractate Shabbat 11). The passage in the Bible, “I will bring the wrath of an odious nationupon you,” is construed by the Talmud as signifying the xabbarei(Tractate Yevamot 13) . In Tractate Pesaxim 113: “There are threewho manifest aversion one to the other: the dogs, cocks, and thexabbarei.” xabbarei were to the Talmudists of the same ilk asdogs and cocks. They harassed the Jews, among other torments,

from lighting the xanukkah lamps, for it was to them a reverenceof fire in their Jashan-e-Sadeh winter fire festival (which, accordingto Zoroastrianism, only their priests are allowed to kindle; and theGemara inquires whether it be prudent to transport a xanukkahlamp out of fear for the xabbarei (Tractate Shabbat 45).

While many Jewish scholars of later periods wholly andunambiguously discarded from the Talmud all that which isconcerned with magic and demons, their efforts have largely gonewithout much success. And, interestingly, one finds a great level ofconfusion on the matter of witchcraft in Rabbinic legal works. Forexample, the Sefer xasidim (which contains many spells andincantations), expresses that “though the Torah forbade ussign-reading, there are among Jews today those who do not heed thisinjunction and declare that it is not in the signs to engage in certainactivities at certain times. Also, have people desirous of proving tothemselves its value, come to believe in it because, of somecoincidence, and verily is it the Devil’s work that leads us to evil, andwoe beside those who do it, for with their actions do they transgressmany of the prohibitions of the Torah and are false to its command-ments that magic has no place in Jewish life.”

The influence of Zoroastrianism on the two “daughter”religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity, through Rabbanism canbe plainly observed. In the Torah, there is no mention whatsoever ofDemons, and Karaite sages have always been adamant that they donot exist. A Satan in the Torah is not a person, though for literarypurposes a “Satan” is personified in the book of Job. As can plainlybe seen by the story of Balaam, where God sends a Satan (anobstacle/adversary) to block Balaam’s way, (See BeMidbar[Numbers] 22:22), this is merely one of the many manifestations ofGod’s will, (a.k.a. heavenly servants which also includes Mal’akhim[messengers], and Keruvim [guards]).

Still, today, it is not uncommon to find Rabbanites practicingastrology, divination, and idol-worship (i.e., Rebbe veneration),

professing a belief in the Devil and demons, and practicing thosePersian rights which protect him/her from them (manyunknowingly).

End Notes

87 On arising the devout Persian kneels in prayer; a hope in his resurrection to come. It is akin to that of the Talmud (Ibid.

100) . 88 He also possessed a special blade for the pruning of his

nails; a usage which orthodox Jews to this day observe (Ibid.166 ) .

89 Khorda, p. 92 90 Vendidad 19, 142 ; Khorda, 45.19.

139 At the end of this chapter I wish to make clear that as it was necessary to bring in this chapter simultaneously twosources, the Persian and Talmudic, I believe that a thirdsource, of modern investigation, would be too great aburden upon the reader; therefore, I will mention here the bibliographical sources with which this chapter isconcerned, namely:

Darmesterer and Mills, Sacred Books of the East, Oxford, 1887,3 Vol.;

Darmesterer, Annales du Musee Guimet, Paris, 1892, 3 Vol.; Bartholomae, Die Gathas der Avesta; Darmesterer, Ormazd and Ahriman, Le Zend-Avesta;Justi, Geschichte des Alten Perssen; G. Meyer, Geschichte des Altertums; Z. Jackson, The Prophet of Ancient Iran, New York, 1899;F. Windischman, Zoroastische Studien; Spiegel, Die Traditionelle Literatur der Parsen,

Zur Erklarung des Avesta, The Religious .Book of the Parsees, Eranische Alterkunde, Eran, Das Land Zwischen den Indus und Tigris, Einleitung in die Traditionelle Schriften der Parsen;

Hexaluc, Vol. VII, VIII; Kokhavei Yicxaq, Vol. XXXIV, the article by Dr. Solomon Rubin;Kohut, Uber die Yüdische Angelegenheiten and Demonologie; Mills, The Avesta, Neo-Platonisrn and Judaism.