THE BAIS HAVAAD HALACHA JOURNAL: Volume 5776 Issue XIV Va'eira MAGIC SHOWS: ARE THEY PERMITTED? Does it make a difference if the magician is a Jew or a non-Jew? By Rabbi Daniel Neustadt

In this week’s parsha the Torah records the first seven makos that befell the Egyptians. The Torah tells us that during the first two makos Paaroh called in his magicians to replicate the makos and so they did. The Torah (Vayikra 18:3) says “Do not perform the practices of the land of Egypt in which you dwelled.” The Midrash Raba (see Matanos Kehuna) explains that the Torah is specifically referring to the evils of adultery and magic which were extremely common in Egypt. The Rambam in Sefer Hamitvos (neg. 32) explains that the Torah prohibits magic because with it one can fool people into believing in things that don’t exist. This is exactly what the magicians of Paroh were essentially doing, and this is what Hashem wants us to keep away from. We must not get carried away with such evil.