Pulsa diNura

Pulsa deNura, Pulsa diNura or Pulsa Denoura (Aramaic: פולסי דנורא‎ "The Lashes of Fire") is a purportedly Kabbalistic ceremony in which the destroying angels are invoked to block heavenly forgiveness of the subject's sins, allegedly causing all the curses named in the Bible to befall him resulting in his death. It is controversial for having been allegedly invoked against several contemporary political figures, including Yitzchak Rabin prior to his assassination.

Etymology

Pulsa (plural: pulsei) is an Aramaic noun derived from the Latin word pulsus meaning a "blow" or "stroke". Nura is an Aramaic noun meaning "fire".

Sources

The phrase pulsa dinura appears in several stories in classical rabbinic literature (though not with the meaning of a mystical curse):

  • Adam told Rabbi Akiva that angels were beating him with a stick of fire in punishment for his sins.[1]
  • God punished the angel Metatron with pulsei denura for having mislead Elisha ben Abuyah.[2]
  • God punished the angel Gabriel with pulsei denura for not performing his task properly when Jerusalem was destroyed.[3]
  • Elijah was punished in heaven with pulsei denura for having disclosed a heavenly secret to humankind.[4]
  • Rava said that if Levi ben Sisi were alive, he would strike with pulsei denura another rabbi who had misrepresented his opinion.[5]
  • The term is mentioned once in the Zohar, where it is described as a heavenly punishment against a person who does not fulfill their religious obligations.[6]

Some adherents of Kabbalah developed the idea of invoking a curse against a sinner, which they termed pulsa deNura. The source for this modern ritual is not to be found in Kabbalah, but among the Hebrew magical manuals of antiquity, such as Sefer HaRazim and The Sword of Moses.[7]

In contrast to the ceremony, Judaism discourages praying that an evil person die, and instead recommends praying that the person repent and cease their evil deeds.[8]

Recent usage

Accusations of the use of this curse by religious Jews against Jewish figures who have committed major transgressions has been made often over the past 50 years and quoted mostly in Israeli media. As the saying goes in Israel "you have not made it in Israeli politics until you've been cursed by the Pulsa DiNura."

Early in the 20th century, Haredi Jews in Jerusalem were accused by the media of having recited the curse against the linguist Eliezer Ben Yehuda. However, there is no proof of the curse being performed before 1948.[9]

There have been unsubstantiated media reports of the curse being recited against archaeologists and authors.

Prior to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, there were reports that the curse had been recited against him. On February 26, 2012, Tamar Yonah of IsraelNationalNews.com interviewed Yosef Dayan, who, with rabbinical guidance, was involved in the Pulsa DiNura of Yitzhak Rabin and Ariel Sharon.[10]

Avigdor Eskin, a member of the Gush Emunim ("Bloc of the Faithful"), claimed to have recited the following maledictions of the Pulsa diNura on the night of October 2, 1995:[11]

Regarding that Yitzchak son of Rosa, called Rabin, we have permission from the angels of destruction... to kill him on account of his inciting the holy people and transferring the Land of Israel to our enemies...

This was preceded by a similar ceremony in Safed.[12] Rabin was assassinated within the month.

In July 2005, the Israeli media, without citing sources, reported that opponents of the Israeli disengagement from Gaza recited the Pulsa deNura in the old cemetery of Rosh Pina, asking the "Angel of Death" to kill Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.[13] Six months later Sharon suffered two strokes and was in a coma, fighting for his life, until his death on January 11, 2014. However, most analysts link this to his age (77) and obesity.

On November 7, 2006, the Edah HaChareidis said it was considering placing the curse on the organizers of the Pride parade scheduled to march in Jerusalem on November 10, 2006. Army Radio interviewed Rabbi Shmuel Papenheim, who announced, "The Rabbinical Court has held a special session and discussed placing a 'pulsa denura' on those who have had a hand in organizing the march." Papenheim, editor of the Haredi religious umbrella organization's weekly magazine, added that the rabbis were also considering placing the curse "against the policemen who beat Haredi Jews".[14]

In 2013, Naftali Bennett received the pulsa denura.[15]

gollark: This is GOOSE3.
gollark: [REDACTED]
gollark: Some of them are kind of blurry because digital zoom.
gollark: I do have about 5 more pictures of the goose, actually.
gollark: This is in Bristol. I was briefly there ironically.

See also

References
  1. Kallah Rabbati 2:9
  2. Hagigah 15a
  3. Yoma 77a
  4. Bava Metzia 85b
  5. Bava Metziah 47a
  6. Zohar, section 3:263c, "Raya Mehemna"
  7. Dennis, Geoffrey W. (2016). The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic and Mysticism: Second Edition. Llewellyn Worldwide, Limited. ISBN 978-0-7387-4814-6.
  8. Brachot 10a
  9. מחקר: עסקנים חרדים המציאו את הפולסא דנורא
  10. Today's King Of Israel?, Israel National News, February 27, 2012.
  11. מחקר: עסקנים חרדים המציאו את הפולסא דנורא; see variant version reported at אין חרטה בימין הקיצוני: "הפולסא דנורא עבדה"
  12. 15 שנה אחרי שערך טקס פולסא דנורא ליצחק רבין, אביגדור אסקין מאחד את הימין הקיצוני בעולם
  13. "ערכנו טקס פולסא דנורא וביקשנו ששרון ימות"
  14. Eida Haredit Rabbinical Counsel Considers Curse on Parade Organizers, Israel National News, November 7, 2006.
  15. "Bennett receives death curse over non-Haredi policies".
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