With Halloween approaching this weekend, this week’s Daily Kavanot will share some meaningful tales of ghosts and spirits from Jewish tradition.
According to the Talmud (Kiddushin 29B: 12-13), Abaye was troubled by a demon in his house of study. When he learned that Rav Aha bar Ya’akov was visiting town, he discouraged the townsfolk from offering the rabbi a place to stay. Since Rav Aha bar Ya’akov was so righteous, Abaye thought a miracle would occur on his behalf, enabling him to slay the demon.
When Rav Aha found no place to spend the night, he slept in the House of Study. The demon—a serpent-like creature with seven heads—then appeared before him. Rav Aha began to pray, and with each bow he took, one of the demon’s heads fell off, until it died. The next day, Rav Aha chastised the townsfolk, telling them, “Had it not been for a miracle, I would have died!”
In this charming tale, the Talmud illustrates the righteousness of Rav Aha bar Ya’akov through a demonic encounter. However, Rav Aha’s retort to the townsfolk is noteworthy. By refusing him hospitality, they placed him in grave danger, hearkening back to Biblical depictions of hospitality as a means of rescuing visitors from mortal peril. What dangers might people face today if we refuse them a warm and inclusive welcome?
—Rabbi Josh Knobel