Then Simeon the son
of Shetach, leaving his men in ambush, entered the rendezvous of
the witches, who, accosting him, asked, "Who art thou?" He
replied, "I am a wizard, and am come to experiment in magic."
"What trick have you to show?" they said. He answered, "Even
though the day is wet, I can produce eighty young men all in dry
clothes." They smiled incredulously and said, "Let us see!" He
went to the door, and at the signal the young men took the dry
clothes out of the jars and put them on, then starting from
their ambush, they rushed into the witches' den, and each
seizing one, lifted her up and carried her off as directed. Thus
overpowered, they were brought before the court, convicted of
malpractices and led forth to execution.
_Sanhedrin_, fol. 44, col. 2.
(Exod. xxiii. 35), "And I will take away sickness from the midst of
thee." It is taught that sickness (Machlah) means the bile. But why is
it termed Machlah? Because eighty-three diseases are in it. Machlah by
Gematria equals eighty-three; and all may be avoided by an early
breakfast of bread and salt and a bottle of water.
_Bava Kama_, fol. 92, col. 2.
If in a book of the law the writing is obliterated all but eighty-five
letters--as, for instance, in Num.
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