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Why does the Torah (תורה) use feminine language for the prohibition against witchcraft (mechashefa lo s'chayeh)? The shiur develops the thesis that kishuf (witchcraft) represents an intrinsic connection to death and separation from God. Since women have a deeper metaphysical connection to death through their biology and spiritual role, they dominate this realm—making them the "active party" the Torah addresses directly.
This shiur explores Parshas Mishpatim's prohibition against witchcraft, beginning with several textual anomalies. The Torah (תורה) writes "mechashefa lo s'chayeh" (a sorceress shall not live) in the feminine, though most prohibitions are phrased in masculine language. Rashi (רש"י) explains that while both men and women can practice kishuf, the Torah uses feminine language because dibra Torah k'chaveh—women are more frequently involved in witchcraft. This raises fundamental questions: Why are women more prone to kishuf? Why does the Torah need to tell us this by changing its usual linguistic pattern? And why does the Torah phrase the prohibition as "shall not live" rather than the more common "shall be put to death"? The Gemara (גמרא) in Sanhedrin derives that the punishment for kishuf is skilah (stoning) through a gezeirah shavah from the phrase "lo yichyeh" used at Har Sinai regarding the prohibition of crossing the boundary (hagbalah). This connection itself demands explanation: what links witchcraft to the boundary violation at Sinai? Furthermore, the adjacent verse about bestiality uses masculine language but actually refers to a woman with an animal—creating a parallel linguistic inversion.
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Mishpatim 22:17-18
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