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One of America’s greatest mentalists is Oz Pearlman. Born in Israel in 1982, Pearlman came to the US in 1985, earned a degree from the University of Michigan, and then decided to try his hand at his two great passions – magic and distance running. He has enjoyed considerable success in the latter, at both the marathon and ultramarathon distances; he holds the record for most loops around Central Park in a day, 19, which translates to 116 miles. But it’s the former that is of more interest to me.
Oz is a world-class magician in terms of performing card tricks. He has even created a number of DVD’s to instruct others on the techniques for becoming successful as a magician in this area. But it’s his work as a mentalist, which you can watch on YouTube, which is the most intriguing of all. In a meeting with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers (boo!), Pearlman dazzled the players by revealing that he could “read their minds” to discover birthdates of loved ones, the names of people important in their lives, and even the code to unlock their cell phones. Oz has also used these skills on television, most notably on the show “America’s Got Talent”.
But all of this raises a question – are Jews permitted to use magic? After all, in the second reading for this Shabbat, Kedoshim, the Torah states, “Do not turn to ghosts and do not inquire of familiar spirits, to be defiled by them; I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:31). This is echoed, with slight differences, by the injunction later in the portion, “A man or woman who utilizes a ghost or familiar spirit shall be put to death…” (Leviticus 20:27). If this is the case, is Oz Pearlman violating a law of the Torah?
According to the midrash, the answer would seem to be no. In the collection Midrash Lekach Tov (“good teaching”, referring to the Torah), written by Toviah ben Eliezer in about the year 1100 in Mainz (Germany), we read:
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Whoever performs magic to bring about an (idolatrous) action (ma’aseh) violates the Torah’s prohibition. This does not include the category of illusions. And though it is forbidden to perform a specific action, it is permitted to teach oneself magic tricks, for the Torah states, “Do not learn to do the abominations of these (seven Canaanite) nations.” (Deuteronomy 18:12). But one can learn magic such as illusions for the purpose of understanding and teaching. (Leviticus 20:6).
For a faith which boasts luminaries in this field from Uri Geller to Oz Pearlman, apparently it’s permitted for them to perform – and for us, to sit back and enjoy.
- Rabbi Scott Hoffman
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