Nachmanides’ secret synthesis of mystical theurgy and astral magic
Nachmanides Commentary on the Torah
Note: This piece is technical but clarifies important
distinctions between Jewish rationalists and mystics, while tracing the
evolution and subtle differences between the French and Spanish Kabbalists.
Introduction
This article—based extensively on the research by Professor Dov Schwartz—examines Nachmanides’ attempt to synthesise mystical theurgy (aimed at influencing the Divine realm, perfecting the cosmos and Sefirotic spheres) and practical astral magic (aimed at channelling those cosmic and Sefirotic forces into the physical, material world).
The term “theurgy” literally means “working on the Divine,” from the Greek theos (God) and ergon (work). Although “theurgy” is often portrayed as using (or misusing) religion as magic to improve one’s worldly circumstances, the term more neutrally describes any practices believed to transform the Divine. Therefore, there are two ways to understand theurgy: one can read it as an upward, harmonising activity that aligns God, Heaven, and the cosmos; or as a downward, magic‑like application of religious rites for healing, wealth, prestige, and similar ends. In this article, “theurgy” is used in its upward sense, to distinguish it from “astral magic” (or Kabbalistic-astrology), which is used in its downward sense as a tool to direct Divine influence earthward (although both can still be described as different aspects of theurgy).
Schwartz uses the biblical sacrifices (Korbanot) as a test case for this integration of theurgy and astral magic, showing how Nachmanides explained them as fulfilling a dual purpose: (1) theurgically influencing the divine realm and harmonising the Sefirot, and (2) magically channelling those forces into the physical domain, providing the practitioner with healing, protection, and worldly benefit. In other words, Nachmanides and the Spanish Kabbalists revised the earlier, purer French Kabbalist model—which saw sacrificial theurgy as essentially for God—by introducing a practical, astral-magical dimension that aims to benefit human needs. This way, Nachmanides’ school of Kabbalah sees the sacrifices not only as harmonising the divine realm (theurgy) but also as channelling cosmic forces (through astral magic) into the material world for human advantage. By using the sacrifices as a test case, the inference is that this dual structure of the sacrifices (theurgy and astral magic) serves as a model and paradigm for all other mitzvot and rituals as well.
Astral magic enters Kabbalistic thought
Nachmanides (1194-1270) is known as the father of Jewish mysticism. He flourished just after Maimonides (the father of Jewish rationalism, 1138-1204) and just before the emergence of the Zohar around 1290. It seems that both Nachmanides and Maimonides hid their deepest thoughts from their readers.
Nachmanides’ students, Shlomo ben Aderet (Rashba), Yitzchak Todros and David Cohen, became authoritative Kabbalists in their own right. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, the third generation of this Kabbalistic circle (especially the students of Rashba, including Rabeinu Bachya ben Asher, R. Shem Τον ibn Gaon, and R. Isaac of Acre,[1]) focused on a new genre of mysticism which explained and expounded on the ‘secrets’ hidden in Nachmanides’ Commentary on the Torah. This genre became a distinct and veritable Kabbalistic school with a “well-defined set of ideas” (Schwartz 2001:165). It was this school that perpetuated these dual notions of theurgy and magic latent within all Torah observances as part of the ‘sodot’ or ‘secrets’ found in their teacher Nachmanides’ writings. This school established a framework for understanding not only sacrifices but all Torah observances—every commandment and ritual potentially carried both theurgical (divine harmonisation) and magical/astral (worldly benefit) dimensions.
This Spanish school differed from the earlier Provençal Kabbalists of southern France—like the school of Yitzchak the Blind—which focused exclusively on the more abstract and upwardly theurgical benefits of the mitzvot and excluded a magical component. The later Spanish school of Nachmanides thus represents a turning point in Kabbalah with its emphasis on astral magic, allowing for a mystical model of mitzvah observance with dual efficacy, with influences flowing both upward and downward.
“In the [French-Provençal] kabbalistic-theurgical model, the main action of the precepts is to achieve a proper balance in the world of the sefirot and to enhance their power and fertility. The balance is generally obtained by drawing down an emanation or influence [shefa] from the uppermost sefirah (or from several sefirot) to the lower sefirot. The action [in the test case of offering a sacrifice, symbolising all other commandments] and its accompanying intention are directed toward "the need of heaven" [Tzorech Gavoha]; that is, toward the perfection and proper functioning of the Divine world. The [French] kabbalist is not concerned with personal, material benefit; even if that is the ultimate outcome, it is not a direct consequence of the religious act or the performer's intent” (Schwartz 2001:166).
This contrasts the Spanish school of Nachmanides’ students, which incorporates an extraneous force said to facilitate and aid the spiritual process—namely the heavenly constellations. In other words, it allows for the assistance of astral magic and the idea that the stars and planetary influences could facilitate and aid the efficacy of religious ritual:
“[T]he religious act is thus directed toward the beneficial, material advantage of the celebrant [in the test case, the person who offers the sacrifice]” (Ibid.).
Internal nuances within the Spanish school of Kabbalah
We have established that the Spanish Kabbalistic school accepted astral magic as part of their mystical cosmology. It is notable how the second and third generations of Nachmanides’ disciples developed distinct emphases, with each branch increasingly relying on astral techniques, amplifying the role of astrological assistance in their practices and teachings:
First generation (13th century): Nachmanides subtly introduces a theoretical synthesis between theurgy and astral magic, setting him apart from the earlier Provençal Kabbalists of southern France who emphasised that the sacrifices were theurgical, functioning leTzoerch Gavoha—for divine service only.
Second generation (13th-14th centuries): Nachmanides’ student, Rashba, is more cautious, emphasising the theurgical side and divine intention, and he is wary of astral elements being misconstrued as idolatry.
Third generation (mid-14th century) comprising Rashba’s students represents a developmental leap by engaging actively with astral magic:
a) Rabeinu Bachya is open to astral influences, weaving them into his Torah commentary as part of the ‘secrets’ of the commandments.
b) Yitzchak of Acre: Explicitly engaged with astral influences, often trying to reconcile contradictions between theosophical and astral models.
Unlikely origins of astral thought in Kabbalah
Yitzchak of Acre was comfortable incorporating and engaging in astral magic, but he was not the intellectual originator of this model because, ironically, these ideas entered the discourse a little earlier, through Yehuda haLevi (1075-1141) and Avraham Ibn Ezra (1089-1167). They are often associated with more rationalist approaches to Judaism, and through that lens saw astral forces as part of the natural, predictable order. For them, it was simply how the cosmos operated. They did not regard astronomy or astrology (which in those times often overlapped) as magic in the Kabbalistic sense; instead, they were rational, predictable forces governed by Divine design. They did not practise astral magic, but they legitimised talking about stars and constellations as channels of Divine influence. These ideas were later appropriated and expanded—if not distorted—by the Spanish Kabbalists, transforming them from rational cosmology into a mystical‑magical system.
The secrets of the Sacrifice
Nachmanides commentary on Genesis 4:3 (regarding the offerings of Cain and Abel) refers to the sacrificial rite as a “great secret.”[2] This sets the stage for theological intrigue because he implies something he cannot reveal.
Nachmanides on Leviticus
1:9
Nachmanides’ commentary on Leviticus 1:9 (dealing with biblical sacrifices and describing them as “reiach nichoach laHashem,” or a “pleasing odour to the Lord"), was used by later Kabbalists as the basis of a system of theurgy for "the need of heaven" [Tzorech Gavoha], as it pleases God. “Nichoach” can also mean to rest (noach), alluding to the Divine energies being in a state of harmony or at ease. It is also performed for no other intention than for the Tetragrammaton (YHWH), not even for any other Divine name. In other words, the sacrifices ensure that all the Sefirot (Divine spheres) are in a state of balance. There is no reference in his commentary on Leviticus 1:9 (where sacrifices are described as “a pleasing odour”) to any astral magic at all, only theurgy with the purpose solely directed upwards, and not for earthly benefit.
However, in other places, like Jacob's sacrifice (Genesis 46:1) and the sacrifice to Azazel (Leviticus 16:8), Nachmanides does indeed introduce references to astral magic and earthly benefit.
Nachmanides on Genesis 46:1
Nachmanides comments on Jacob going down to Egypt:
“When Jacob was about to go down to Egypt, he saw that the exile was beginning for him and his children, and he feared it, so he offered many sacrifices to 'the Fear of his father Isaac' in order that Divine judgment not be aimed against him” (Commentary on Genesis 46:1).
Nachmanides on Leviticus 16:8
Regarding the sacrifice to Azazel, Nachmanides comments:
“Now the Torah has absolutely forbidden to accept them [= the angels, the source of the power of the spheres] as deities, or to worship them in any manner. However [implying that there is one subtle and nuanced exception!], the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded us that on the Day of Atonement we should let loose a goat in the wilderness, to that ‘lord’ [=power] which rules over wastelands, and this [goat] is fitting for it because he is its master, and destruction and waste emanate from that power, which in turn is the cause of the stars of the sword, wars, quarrels, wounds, plagues, division, and destruction. In short, it is the spirit of the sphere of Mars, and its part among the nations is Esau [Rome], the people that inherited the sword and the wars, and among the animals [its portion consists of] the se’irim (demons) and the goats. Also in its portion are the devils called ‘destroyers’ in the language of our Rabbis, and in the language of Scripture se’irim (satyrs, demons), for thus he [= Esau] and his nation were called se’ir. Now the intention in sending away the goat to the desert was not that it should be an offering from us to it - Heaven forbid! Rather, our intention should be to fulfill the wish of our Creator, Who commanded us to do so” (Commentary on Leviticus 16:8).
According to Nachmanides’ students and interpreters, this dualism and juxtaposition of sacrificial intent between general sacrifices (Leviticus 1:9) and the Jacob (Genesis 46:1) and Azazel (Leviticus 16:8) sacrifices highlights the multifaceted approach of Nachmanides to sacrifices, where theurgy (Leviticus 1:9: “a pleasing odour to the Lord”) can also become astral magic, as in the cases of Jacob (“that Divine judgment not be aimed against him”) and Azazel (“Mars”) when directed downwards.
Putting this all together, when the Divine is in balance, then the energies flow upward as well as downward, and we have a synthesis between theurgy and magic. In other words, theurgy in the Spanish Kabbalistic sense is a combination of upward Divine balance coupled with downward material benefit, or magic. This is Nachmanides’ “great secret” of the sacrifices (and mitzvot).
The mystical importance of sacrifices
The Kabbalists generally attached great importance to the sacrifices, while the Maimonidean rationalists regarded them as a historical dispensation to a primitive people in the desert who wanted to mimic the religions of the Ancient Near East. The ultimate goal of the concession for sacrifices was to wean them away from idolatry (Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed, III:32).
The Kabbalists, however, took a very different stance. Another student of Nachmanides, probably David Cohen, explains the fundamental cosmic importance of sacrifices through an analogy:
How do the base terrestrial actions of the sacrifice bring about unification in the Divine world and draw down Divine influence to the lower world…? The answer is couched in terms of a parable: A child who is reared far from human society cannot believe, upon becoming a member of society, that the creation of a newborn baby is a consequence of base, sexual activity. So too the sacrifice and its appurtenances constitute preparation for supernal activities and for attracting the influence of the sefirot to the terrestrial world (paraphrase from a citation apparently to David Cohen in Yitzchak of Acre’s Meirat Einayim).
Hiding these ideas
Interestingly, according to Shem Tov ibn Gabbai, it seems that Nachmanides was hiding his thoughts and not expressing them openly in his writing (only referring to them as “secrets”) because of the ongoing polemic between the Maimonidean rationalists (accused of following the ways of Aristotle and the other Greek philosophers) and the Kabbalists. Shem Tov himself was also reluctant to put too much into writing:
"For I am not permitted to explain and to reconcile the different opinions because of the opinion of the Greek [=Aristotle, or perhaps a hint at Maimonides?], for the Greek opposes whatever is not perceived by his physical senses, and he holds that no spiritual benefit may be derived from a sacrifice" (Shem Tov ibn Gaon, Maor vaShemesh, 41b).
According to Schwartz :
“Shem Τον [ibn Gaon] is hinting that the full explanation of sacrifice will be achieved by adding the magical-astral aspect of the act of sacrifice” (Schwartz 2001:192).
The fourteenth-century Shem Tov Ibn Gaon (although not a direct student of Nachmanides, he was part of his circle) is claiming to express the secret view of Nachmanides—and that is the power of astral magic. Shem Tov Ibn Gaon then buttresses his claim that Nachmanides was obliquely referring to astral magic by confirming this was something he had heard from his teacher, Yitzchak Todros, who in turn heard it from Nachmanides:
“[If the master (Nachmanides) said that he cannot explain, who shall explain?! But] I received his [Nahmanides'] opinion from my teacher R. I[saac] T[odros]” (Shem Tov ibn Gaon, Maor vaShemesh, 30b).
Not only did Nachmanides hide his thoughts, but even Shem Tov ibn Gabbai—three generations later—expressed his own difficulty in presenting his views on astral magic due to the intellectual climate shaped by Aristotelian philosophy. This is fascinating because, as we have noted many times, Maimonides also hid his deeper thoughts and kept them out of his overt writing—and we sometimes revert to traditions that claim Maimonides’s contemporaries clarified that he held more radical personal views that could not be put in writing [see Kotzk Blog: 571) Did Maimonides believe the universe was created or eternal?]. This parallel of secrecy indicates just how deep the roots of the mystical-rational polemic were, with both sides not revealing the full extent of their positions.
Conclusion
From what we have seen, both Nachmanides and his followers seem to concur that the “great secret” of the sacrificial rite was the linking of the relatively safe concept of theurgy (in the sense of working on God in the upper realms and restoring the cosmic balance) with the more radical mystic notion and use of astral magic as a talismatic (channelling and protective) device directing Divine influence earthwards.
The multi-generational Kabbalistic circle of Nachmanides daringly
unified theurgy and astral magic by “presenting them as the
two aspects of the same influence or as two hypostases [multiple distinct
aspects of one divine or metaphysical unity] in the process of emanation”
(Schwartz 2001:212).
Bibliography
Schwartz, Dov, 2001, ‘From Theurgy to Magic: The Evolution of
the Magical-Talismanic Justification of Sacrifice in the Circle of Nahmanides
and His Interpreters’, Aleph, no. 1, 165-213.
[1]
Not to be confused with the earlier Yitzchak the Blind (1160-1235) from
Provence, who was associated with the Sefer haBahir.
[2]
Nachmanides’ commentary on Genesis 4:3:
These men [Cain and Abel] understood the great secret of the
sacrifices and the meal-offerings. So also did Noah, [who likewise offered
sacrifices]. Our Rabbis have said that the first man also sacrificed a bullock.
This should close the
mouth of those who speak foolishness *Reference is made here to the
Moreh Nevuchim, III, 46, where it is stated that the laws concerning the
sacrifices were intended as a guard against idolatry. It is this theory that
Ramban intends to refute when he says that in the days of Adam, Cain and Abel,
there was no idolatry and yet they brought sacrifices. There is thus a positive
aspect to the sacrifices which Rambam did not take into account (Sefaria).
