Rabbi Yehuda Fatiya
A Baghdadi Kabbalist, the foremost talmid of the Ben Ish Chai, remembered for Minchas Yehuda and his mastery of exorcism.
Biography
A Kabbalist's life
Chacham Yehuda Fatiya zt"l was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1859. He rose to be the foremost talmid of the Ben Ish Chai, and he was a Kabbalist and a famous exorcist.
He said of himself that he was the gilgul (reincarnation) of Rav Yehuda Landau, a great Ashkenazi halachist and author of the responsa Noda B'Yehuda. He explained that he had to return to the world because, although in his last lifetime he was a tzaddik and a pious man, he did not fulfill his obligation to study Kabbalah. In this lifetime the study of Kabbalah was his main focus and his tikkun (rectification).
His seforim
Among his many works are several commentaries to the holy Zohar and to the Eitz Chaim. He also authored Minchas Yehuda, in which he writes of his experiences with earthbound souls and of the exorcisms he performed. This is not the norm even among Kabbalists, and Rav Yehuda was a step above the rest.
He was a master at detecting the presence of spirits and demons and an expert in the art of exorcism. At the same time he knew that people often make up or imagine things that are not true. He never simply accepted someone's word that they were in contact with a spirit or demon. To ascertain their credibility, he would test them to see whether the person was truly having an other-worldly experience.
Minchas Yehuda is one of the most revealing works about demons, how they act, and how they deceive people in the most malicious ways. Rav Yehuda records a number of experiences he personally witnessed, in which demons appeared to people in dreams and while awake, in all kinds of forms, with the intent of deceiving them for some devious purpose. He was an expert at exposing these demons and casting them out, and he recorded the procedures for doing so in his work.
Passing
Rav Yehuda Fatiya passed away in Israel in the month of Av, 1942.
Teachings
Dreams That Come From Angels and From Demons
In Minchas Yehuda, Rav Yehuda Fatiya explains in detail how to distinguish between dreams that come from angels and those that come from demons. He warns that demons are not stupid and know very well how to seduce a person as he sleeps. These unclean entities have learned the art of replication, and they can show a dreamer false heavenly and sublime spiritual symbols. The person believes he is receiving a holy heavenly message, when in fact his soul is being deceived into becoming an agent of evil. Just as there are unscrupulous people in this world who seek to dupe others for their own gain, so are there spiritual beings who wish to do the same. The dream world is the realm of the unconscious, and it is therefore the rightful domain of spirits both good and bad. Each of us must be very cautious when we dream, and we must learn how to control our dreams. A dream interpreter must likewise be aware that not all message dreams come from holy sources.
Minchas Yehuda
How Demons Appear in Dreams
Rav Yehuda Fatiya brings examples of how demons appear in dreams in the form of tzaddikim or as “ascended masters.” They can show dreamers images of the heavens, the holy throne, or even Kabbalistic symbolism, all in an attempt to convince the dreamer to believe what they send him. In this way the forces of evil ensnare another soul. The demons always begin by showing images of holiness, to convince the person that what he sees in his dreams is kosher. Once the soul is convinced and believes what it is shown, they lead him step by step until the person sinks into mental illness, and in that state they can control his mind and body. The only way to avoid the onset of such an attack is to recite the full order of the nighttime Shema Yisrael prayers. The Zohar teaches, “When a man's soul ascends above as he sleeps, if he is sinful then his soul is cast about from place to place by the forces of the powers of evil. This is why one sees himself in a dream in another country or in another land.”
Minchas Yehuda; Zohar III, 222b
The Angelic Dream
Rav Yehuda Fatiya explains that an angelic dream is a message dream. During it the dreamer remains calm and composed, almost unemotional, regardless of what he sees. He watches the vision as one would watch a movie, while its inner meanings are somehow imprinted in his mind. On waking he is not frightened or alarmed. He may be perplexed about what to do next, but the next step always seems to become clear. Such was the case with Pharaoh. After he awoke from his dream, he knew it needed to be interpreted. Intuitively he felt that the interpretations his wise men gave were all wrong, and he knew that something was missing. Only then did his cupbearer speak to him about Yosef, whom Pharaoh had never heard of until that day. That day forever changed the lives of both men and both nations. Hashem gave Pharaoh his dreams, struck Pharaoh's wise men with stupidity, and brought Yosef into Egypt, made him a master of dreams and brought him before Pharaoh, all in accordance with the Divine plan.
Minchas Yehuda
The Demonic Dream
A demonic dream takes a different form, Rav Yehuda Fatiya teaches. During it one feels great agitation, and may feel a weight on his chest as if someone is sitting on him. The dream images are confusing and blurry, and no clear message is received. One wakes with feelings of anxiety and panic. He feels an inner conviction toward a certain course of action, yet no logical or permissible means to carry it out presents itself. The person is then led to believe that his family, friends or community are holding back from him some form of unmanifest destiny. The forces of evil return in dreams to confuse him further and make him suspicious of those around him. Eventually paranoia sets in, followed by schizophrenia. All this occurs because the person opened himself to foreign outside influences without first being on a proper level of kedusha (holiness) to defend himself.
Minchas Yehuda
Seforim
- Minchas Yehuda: Records his experiences with earthbound souls, demons and exorcisms, how demons act and deceive, the procedures for casting them out, and how to tell angelic dreams from demonic ones.
- Commentaries to the Zohar and the Eitz Chaim: Among his many works are multiple commentaries to the holy Zohar and to the Eitz Chaim.
Family & talmidim
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@{name=The Ben Ish Chai}:
Historical sources
- Minchas Yehuda
- Zohar III, 222b