Avodah Zarah, Daf Yod Bet, Part 6

 

Introduction

This section continues to deal with the issue of healthy drinking water. Trigger warning this sugya refers to demons. If they frighten you, you ve been warned.

 

ת"ר לא ישתה אדם מים בלילה ואם שתה דמו בראשו מפני הסכנה

מאי סכנה? סכנת שברירי

 

Our rabbis taught: One should not drink water at night; if he does drink his blood is on his head, for it is dangerous. What danger is there? The danger of Shabriri.

 

Shabriri is a demon that causes blindness in anyone who drinks from uncovered water at night. The name seems to mean something like breaker of light.

 

ואם צחי מאי תקנתיה?

אי איכא אחרינא בהדיה ליתרייה ולימא ליה צחינא מיא

ואי לא נקרקש בנכתמא אחצבא ונימא איהו לנפשיה פלניא בר פלניתא אמרה לך אימך אזדהר משברירי ברירי רירי ירי רי בכסי חיורי:

 

But if he is thirsty, what can he do?

If there is another person with him, he should wake him and say, I am thirsty for water.

If not, let him knock with the lid on the jug and say to himself: So and so son of so and so [his mother s name] said to me, be warned to guard your against Shabriri, briri, riri, iri, ri, in clear vessels.

 

If he is thirsty at night he has two options. First of all, he could wake up another person and have them come with him to get water. Evidently, Shabriri is afraid of two people. The other possibility is to use a magical incantation taught to him by his mother. This incantation involves reducing the demon s name until the name is gone. This is symbolic means of reducing the demon himself and seems to be a common way of warding off demons.