Every Great Story Begins With A Snake - Nicolas Cage

And if you say that sometimes one goes down into the pit for some requirement of his, and he will come to eat it, with regard to a loaf that was in the mouth of a snake, is it necessary for him to bring a snake charmer to take the loaf out of the snake’s mouth, or is this effort not necessary?

זִימְנִין דְּנָחֵית לְצוּרְכֵּיהּ וְאָתֵי לְמֵיכְלַהּ: כִּכָּר בְּפִי נָחָשׁ — צָרִיךְ חַבָּר לְהוֹצִיא, אוֹ אֵין צָרִיךְ?

This Gemara mentions Snake Charmers and I thought it would be interesting to study the long history of this particular art or technique. Snake Charmers are known most famously in India, where the Charmer use a flute and body movements to apparently “hypnotize” a snake to dance to and fro, often impressively with a poisonous Cobra. Just google it on YouTube and you can watch actual performances.

There are records of Snake Charmers going back to ancient Egypt, and we also find them mentioned in Tehilim (58:6), metaphorically in reference to the evildoers whose venomous poison cannot be thwarted even by the Snake Charmers. They were apparently used, sort of like an exterminator, to remove unwanted and dangerous snakes from your home. 

אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־יִ֭שְׁמַע לְק֣וֹל מְלַחֲשִׁ֑ים חוֹבֵ֖ר חֲבָרִ֣ים מְחֻכָּֽם׃

so as not to hear the voice of charmers  or the expert mutterer of spells.

Rashi ibid

חובר חברים. שיודע ללחוש את הנחשים:

According to one source, Egyptians Snake Charmers possess an ability to press below the neck of certain snakes to paralyze them. By pressing a certain spot below the neck, the snake becomes stiff and difficult to bend, much like a rod. If so, this could explain how the Egyptians performed their magic trick to compete with Aaron's turning his staff into a snake. ( https://www.apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=2&issue=854&article=846 )

An interesting point to ponder: if this was a common trick done by the Egyptians, why would G-d use that trick through Moses to convince Pharaoh of anything? The answer would seem to be that this was a part of the process of hardening pharaoh's heart.  Perhaps it is also a lesson  that defensively, religion cannot be proved. One can offer compelling evidence but not airtight evidence. Even with the great showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal, after which unquestionably it was proven that Hashem is the only G-d (Kings I ch. 18), it didn't take too long for people to go back to their idolatrous practices.

for Video Shiur click here to listen:  Psychology of the DAF Pesachim 10

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

Do you like what you see? Please subscribe and also forward any articles you enjoy to your friends, (enemies too, why not?)