Judaism and the Occult part 1

Before we begin, let's remember what I have written elsewhere about Jewish dogma. There isn't any! Both Scripture and Talmud are vague about what we would call theology, concentrating more on our actions and on what G-d expects of us. Although many people regard the philosophical writings of RAMBAM as normative Judaism, they must do so by somehow accepting ideas that are contrary to both the Written and Oral Torahs. Like a modern rabbi, who will often bend over backwards to reconcile Judaism with the latest scientific theories, so RAMBAM, so convinced by Aristotelian ideas (the "science" of his time), that he was willing and ready to "reinterpret" basic Jewish understandings. It must be remembered that this was the age of Scholasticism, in which Christians saw an obligation to understand everything intellectually, as well as carefully define all beliefs. A synod was even held to determine how many angels could dance on the head of a pin! Clearly, RAMBAM was a Jewish Scholastic. Most rabbis, before and since, were willing to accept that the great mysteries are beyond our grasp, and that there is a place for "poetry".RAMBAM was strongly criticized by most of his colleagues, with his books burned in public squares in Europe. One eighteenth century rabbi even questioned if RAMBAM's philosophical writings could possibly have been written by the same great halachist who wrote "Mishneh Torah". He came to the conclusion that these works must be forgeries! For centuries, "Rationalist" Judaism was the province of the few, while a mystical world of Kabbalah and Aggadah was more the norm. All this changed in the wake of the Shabbatean debacle in the seventeenth century, when many saw the Kabbalah as too dangerous, or even heterodoxic. Philosophy and rationalism stepped in to fill the void. So now RAMBAM's "Thirteen Principles" are taken as the central Jewish belief system in most circles, although many had cried out that they contradicted traditional beliefs. There is a story about Rabbi J.B. Soloveichik, who was asked by a student if it was permissible to take a Karate class, as one is required to bow before one's mat at the beginning of a class. "It is stupid" said the Rav. "I didn't ask if it was stupid, I asked if it was forbidden" said the student. "It is stupid, and anything stupid is forbidden!" RAMBAM understands the prohibitions against occult practices in the Torah (and especially in Leviticus 19), as being forbidden because they were superstitious. RAMBAM forbade not only the practice of astrology, but even entertaining a though that it might be real. At the same time, it is difficult to ignore that most of the rabbis of the Talmud DID believe in astrology. It was said of Shmuel, a great third century Babylonian rabbi, that "the paths of the Heavens were as clear to him as the streets of Nehardeah" (his home town). Indeed, many of the Medieval rabbis made their living as astrologers. Looking at Leviticus 19 in context, it is fairly clear that it was not the practices or beliefs that were intended, but their strong associations with idolatry. In this series, I will examine the understandings of these occult activities, and whether or not they are permissible. I will also examine the question that if they are permissible, are they advisable from a Torah standpoint. "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." (Hamlet Act 1, Scene 5)