Of Mice and Magic

 

The Jewish holiday of Passover is fast approaching and with it comes the cleaning of ones house and belongings of any bread or leaven food. Back in the day, the possibility of mice or other vermin moving around crumbs was a real concern and is one of the first discussions in the Talmud tractate of Pesahim (which deals with the laws of Passover). 

What about magically keeping mice away? Is there any practical kabbalah to keep those pesky varmints away? Lets take a look....

Rabbi Chaim Vital in his personal notebook of kabbalah known as Sefer HaPeulot does indeed have a solution. In section 4:4 #203 we find the following:

To remove mice from the house: Write these four shapes of mice on uncooked pottery vessels and place in the four corners of the house. Over the first one say: "Leave this house and never return forever!". Over the second one say: "Mice! Mice! Leave this house with the secret that God created you, and return not henceforth." Over the third say: "Mice! Mice! Leave this house and do not return to it from this day till the day of the resurrection of the dead.". Over the fourth say: "Mice! Mice! Make haste, not one of you may remain in this house! Quickly! Quickly!"

Sefer HaPeulot of Rabbi Chaim Vital. Fol. 95b

I'll also mention he quotes this formula in the name of "Rabbi Nathanel". I don't know who he is referring to.

We find one more example of magical pest control on fol. 52b in mss. Cod. Heb. 214 (Bayerische StaatsBibliothek). 

Tilsam [Arabic, Talisman] To send away the mice: Engrave these shapes [i.e. the sigils] on a red copper foil when the face of Leo rises for the first time. And these shapes are from the stars (?). Place it in the place that you wish and then the mice will flee from that location.

This one involves the engraving of three sigils on a reddish copper foil during a astrologically significant time ("face of Leo"). Unfortunately there are few words I can't make out (as of now) where I left the question mark. 

Bayerische StaatsBibliothek  Cod. Heb. 214, fol. 52b

But wait, I have one more "amulet" against mice to share:

This is a picture of the Krerestir Rebbe, Rabbi Yeshaya Steiner (1852-1925). This Hasidic rebbe of Hungary was considered a miracle worker amongst his followers. The story goes something like this: Someone complained to the Rebbe that mice were ruining his granary and Rabbi Steiner told him to tell the mice in his name to leave right away, which they did. After that incident, some Hungarian Jews decided to keep a picture of the Rebbe in their house as a charm against mice!