A Healing Bowl with the Shema‘
4th–7th Century
Notes
[The text of the bowl ends midsentence.—Ed.]
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.
Healing from heaven—that it may be for Aysal(hu)bab daughter of Rimna. May she be healed by the mercies of heaven from fever and from shivering and from the evil eye and from the evil blast and from the evil prosecutor and from the evil spirit and from the evil educator and from the evil (female) companion and from the evil Lilith—male and female, and from all evil spirits blast demons and harmers. Whether their names were recalled or whether their names were not recalled. All of you, you are bound and sealed from her by the signet ring of Elshadai, and by the signet ring of Solomon son of David the king of Israel by which are sealed three hundred and sixty-six demons which Adam sealed for Seth his son. He placed bodies and they slapped his hands so that no human might come near him for evil.
He covered the mountain so that no human might come near him for evil. By the name of YH by YH YH YH YHY YH YHW YH YHWH Sabaoth is his name. (He) who performed signs and wonders upon Egypt, and performed bad things by the agency of his right hand, and pushed pharaoh’s chariot into the Red Sea. Amen amen selah hallelujah. Hear O Israel YHWH our God YHWH is one. Blessed is the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be in your heart. You shall impress them upon your children, and you shall speak of them, when you sit at home and when you go on a journey, when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be as ornaments between your eyes.
And you shall write them on the door-posts of your house and upon your gates. Now, if you will carefully obey My commandments which I command you today: to love the Lord your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will provide rain in your land in its proper time, the early and the late rains; and I will gather in your corn, your new wine and your oil. And I will provide pasture for your cattle; and you will eat and be satisfied. Beware lest your heart be lured away, and you turn aside and serve other gods, and bow down to them. For then the Lord’s anger will blaze against you; He will restrain the heavens so that there will be no rain; the ground will not yield its produce, and you will soon perish from the good land which the Lord is giving you. Therefore store these words of Mine in your heart and in your soul; bind them for a sign on your hand, and let them be as ornaments between your eyes. Also teach them to your children, and speak of them when you sit [at home], and when you go on a journey, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And write them on the doorpost of your house and on your gates, so that you and your children will live long in the land so that you and your children will live long in the land that the Lord <swore to your forefathers to give them, for as long as the heavens are above the earth> that (YYY) Y(H)WH Y(H)1
Source: Museum of Ancient Near Eastern Antiquities in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin, VA 3854