Yidoni - The myth, the man, the mandrake? Chapter 1 of 5 (Pending images)

Chapter 1: Yidoni and Yadua—Biblical Foundations, Talmudic Insights, and Defining Adnei HaSadeh

Biblical Passages

The Torah forbids ov (אוֹב) and yidoni (יִדְּעֹנִי) as necromantic or divinatory practices tied to Canaanite abominations:

• Leviticus 19:31: “אַל תִּפְנוּ אֶל הָאֹבֹת וְאֶל הַיִּדְּעֹנִים”
  Translation: “Do not turn to ovot or yidoni.”
• Leviticus 20:6: “וְהַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר תִּפְנֶה אֶל הָאֹבֹת וְאֶל הַיִּדְּעֹנִים… וְהִכְרַתִּי אֹתוֹ מִקֶּרֶב עַמּוֹ”
  Translation: “And the soul that turns to ovot or yidoni… I will cut it off from among its people.”
• Leviticus 20:27: “וְאִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּׁה כִּי יִהְיֶה בָהֶם אוֹב אוֹ יִדְּעֹנִי מוֹת יוּמָתוּ…”
  Translation: “And a man or woman who has an ov or yidoni in them shall surely be put to death…”
• Deuteronomy 18:9–11: “לֹא תִלְמַד לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּתוֹעֲבֹת הַגּוֹיִם… שֹׁאֵל אוֹב וְיִדְּעֹנִי וְדֹרֵשׁ אֶל הַמֵּתִים”
  Translation: “You shall not learn to do the abominations of those nations… one who inquires of an ov or yidoni, or seeks the dead.” (cf. Deut. 18:12).

Ov and yidoni are related forms of consulting spirits or the dead, condemned as foreign corruptions.

Focus on Yidoni—Talmudic Explanation

The Talmud defines yidoni and its mechanism:

• Mishnah Sanhedrin 65a: “יִדְּעוֹנִי זֶה הַמְּדַבֵּר בְּפִיו”
  Translation: “A yidoni is this: one who speaks with his mouth.”
• Rashi (Sanhedrin 65a, s.v. “בפיו”): “יִדְּעוֹנִי הַמְּדַבֵּר בְּפִיו - כַּדְּמִפָּרֵשׁ בַּגְּמָרָא חַיָּה אַחַת יֵשׁ שֶׁשְּׁמָהּ יָדוּעַ וּמַכְנִיס מִמֶּנָּה עֶצֶם לְתוֹךְ פִּיו וְהָעֶצֶם מְדַבֵּר מֵאֵלָיו עַל יְדֵי כְּשָׁפִים”
  Translation: “A yidoni who speaks with his mouth—as it is explained in the Gemara, there is one creature whose name is yadua, and he inserts a bone from it into his mouth, and the bone speaks on its own by means of sorcery.”
• Gemara Sanhedrin 65b: “תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בַּעַל אוֹב – זֶה הַמְדַבֵּר בֵּין הַפְּרָקִים… יִדְּעוֹנִי – זֶה הַמַּנִּיחַ עֶצֶם יָדוּעַ בְּפִיו, וְהוּא מְדַבֵּר מֵאֵלָיו”
  Translation: “The Rabbis taught: An ov practitioner—this is one who speaks from between his joints… A yidoni—this is one who places a yadua bone in his mouth, and it speaks on its own.” Ov involves necromancy with bones of the deceased, per the Talmud’s explicit explanation.
• Reish Lakish (Sanhedrin 65b): “רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אָמַר: יִדְּעוֹנִי, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה”
  Translation: “Reish Lakish said: A yidoni, because there is no action in it.” (i.e., no lip movement).

The yidoni uses a yadua bone to channel speech, distinct from the necromantic ov.

Identifying the Yadua

What can this yadua creature be? The Talmud describes it as a creature (chayah) whose bone, when placed in the mouth, speaks via sorcery (Sanhedrin 65a-b, Rashi). This prompts exploration of possible identities.

• Mishnah Kilayim 8:5: “וְאַדְנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה, חַיָּה. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר, מְטַמְּאוֹת בָּאֹהֶל כָּאָדָם”
  Translation: “And adnei ha-sadeh, a creature. Rabbi Yosei says: It imparts impurity in a tent like a human.”

Defining Adnei HaSadeh

What is adnei ha-sadeh? Interpretations range across naturalist and traditionalist perspectives:

Naturalist Views:

• Rambam (Commentary on the Mishnah, Kilayim 8:5): “ואדני השדה. הם חיות הדומות לבני אדם ואומרים המספרים חדושי העולם שהוא מדבר דברים רבים שאינם מובנים ודבורו דומה לדבור אדם ושמו אלנאנס בלשון ערב ומגידים מעניניו בספרים דברים רבים:”
  Translation: “And adnei ha-sadeh—they are creatures resembling human beings, and the narrators of the wonders of the world say that it speaks many things that are not understood, and its speech resembles human speech, and its name is al-nāns in the Arabic language, and they recount many things about it in books.”¹
  Maimonides presents a creature with human-like traits, possibly an animal from distant lands, approached with rational detachment.
• Malbim (Leviticus 11:27): “וְאַדְנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה מוּבָא בְּכִלְאַיִם (פֶּרֶק ח) וּפֵרוּשׁ הָרַמְבַּ"ם חַיּוֹת הַדּוֹמִים לִבְנֵי אָדָם… וּלְהָרַמְבַּ"ם יִהְיֶה אָדָם הַיַּעֲרִי (הַנִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם אָרַאנְג אוֹטָאנְג אוֹ הַמִּין הַנִּקְרָא שִׁימְפַּאנְזֶע)”
  Translation: “And adnei ha-sadeh is mentioned in Kilayim (Ch. 8), and Rambam explains it as creatures resembling humans… For Rambam, it would be a forest man, called orangutan or chimpanzee.”
• Tiferet Yisrael, Yachin (Kilayim 8:5): “וְאַדְנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה בַּר נַשׁ דְּטוּר. נִרְאֶה לִי דְּרַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה וָואלְדְמֶנְשׁ הַנִּקְרָא אוֹרָאנְגָאוּטָאנְג וְהוּא מִין קוֹף גָּדוֹל בְּקוֹמַת וְצוּרַת אָדָם מַמָּשׁ. רַק שֶׁזְּרֹעוֹתָיו אֲרֻכּוֹת וּמַגִּיעִין עַד בִּרְכָּיו וּמְלַמְּדִין אוֹתוֹ לַחְטֹב עֵצִים וְלִשְׁאֹב מַיִם וְגַם לִלְבֹּשׁ בְּגָדִים כְּבֶן אָדָם מַמָּשׁ. וּלְהַסֵּב עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן וְלֶאֱכֹל בְּכַף וּבְסַכִּין וּבְמַזְלֵג וּבִזְמַנֵּנוּ אֵינוֹ מָצוּי רַק בְּיַעֲרוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת שֶׁבְּאֶמְצָעִית אַפְרִיקָא. אָכֵן כְּפִי הַנִּרְאֶה הָיָה מָצוּי גַּם בִּסְבִיבוֹת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהָרֵי לְבָנוֹן שֶׁשָּׁם גַּם בִּזְמַנֵּנוּ יֵשׁ שָׁם יְעָרוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת מֵאַרְזֵי לְבָנוֹן הַמְּפֻרְסָמִים לְהַכִּי נִקְרָא בַּר נַשׁ דְּטוּר. מִיהוּ תַּנָּא קַמָּא סָבַר דְּאַף עַל גַב דְּדוֹמֶה לְאָדָם בְּפַרְצוּפוֹ וְאֵבָרָיו. אַף עַל פִּי כֵן כְּשֶׁמֵּת דִּינוֹ רַק כְּשְׁאָר נְבֵלוֹת. וְאֵינוֹ מְטַמֵּא בְּאֹהֶל. וְהָא דְּנָקֵט הַכָּא הַיְינוּ מִדְּאַיֵּירִי הַכָּא בְּכוּלֵּיהּ פִּרְקָא מִבֵּי מִינֵי שֶׁדּוֹמִין זֶה לָזֶּה לְעִנְיַן כִּלְאַיִם נָקֵט נָמֵי הָא נָפְקָא מִינָּהּ לְעִנְיַן טוּמְאָה”
  Translation: “And adnei ha-sadeh, a mountain man. It seems to me that our Rabbis, of blessed memory, meant the ‘wild man’ called orangutan, which is a type of large monkey with the stature and form of an actual human. Only its arms are long, reaching down to its knees, and they teach it to chop wood, draw water, and even wear clothes like an actual human, to sit at the table and eat with a spoon, knife, and fork. In our time, it is found only in the great forests of central Africa. However, it appears it was also found in the vicinity of the Land of Israel, in the mountains of Lebanon, where even now there are great forests of the famous cedars of Lebanon, which is why it is called a ‘mountain man.’ However, the first Tanna holds that even though it resembles a human in its face and limbs, nevertheless, when it dies, its law is only like that of other carcasses and it does not impart impurity in a tent. And the reason it is mentioned here is because this entire chapter deals with types that resemble one another regarding kilayim, so it also mentions this, from which a distinction arises regarding impurity.”
  

Traditionalist Views:

• Yerushalmi Kilayim 8:4 (31b): “אַבְנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה חַיָּה. יַסִּי עַרְקִיֵּי: בַּר נַשׁ דְּטוּר הוּא וְהוּא חַיֵּי מִן טִבּוּרֵיהּ. אִי פָּסַק טִבּוּרֵיהּ לָא חַיֵּי. רַבִּי חָמָא בַּר עוּקְבָּא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בֶּן חֲנִינָה טַעֲמָא דְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵי וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר יִגַּע עַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה בְּגָדֵל עַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה”
  Translation: “Adnei ha-sadeh, a creature. Yassi the fugitive [says]: It is a mountain man, and it lives from its navel. If its navel is severed, it does not live. Rabbi Chama bar Ukba in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Chanina [explains] the reason of Rabbi Yosei: ‘And all that touches the face of the field,’ [meaning] that grows on the face of the field.”
• 
  Rash Mishantz (Kilayim 8:5): “יְרוּשַׁלְמִי (הַלְכָה ד') אָמַר רַבִּי חָמָא בְּרַבִּי עוּקְבָּא בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא טַעֲמָא דְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵי וְכָל אֲשֶׁר יִגַּע עַל פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה (בְּמִדְבָּר י״ט:ט״ז) בְּגָדֵל מִן הַשָּׂדֶה כְּלוֹמַר מִין אָדָם הוּא אָמַר רַבִּי בַּר נַשׁ דְּטוּר הוּא וְהוּא חַיֵּי מִטִּבּוּרָא פָּסַק טִבּוּרָא לָא חַיֵּי וְשָׁמַעְתִּי בְּשֵׁם הָרַב מֵאִיר בְּרַבִּי קָלוֹנִימוֹס מֵאַשְׁפִּירָא שֶׁהִיא חַיָּה שְׁשְׁמָהּ יָדוּעַ וְהִיא יִדְּעוֹנִי דִּקְרָא וּמֵעֶצֶם שֶׁלָּהּ עוֹשִׂין כְּמִין כְּשָׁפִים וּכְמִין חֶבֶל גָּדוֹל יוֹצֵא מִשֹּׁרֶשׁ שֶׁבָּאָרֶץ שֶׁבּוֹ גָּדֵל אוֹתָהּ הַחַיָּה שְׁשְׁמָהּ יָדוּעַ כְּעֵין אוֹתָם קִשּׁוּאִין וּדְלוּעִים אֶלָּא הַיָּדוּעַ צוּרָתוֹ כְּצוּרַת אָדָם בְּכָל דָּבָר בְּצוּרַת פָּנִים וְגוּף וְיָדַיִם וְרַגְלַיִם וּמִטִּבּוּרֵיהּ מְחֻבָּר לְחֶבֶל הַיּוֹצֵא מִן הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ וְאֵין כָּל בְּרִיָּה רָשַׁאי לְיִקָּרֵב כִּמְלֹא הַחֶבֶל שֶׁטּוֹרֶפֶת וְהוֹרֶגֶת כִּמְלֹא הַחֶבֶל וְרוֹעָה כָּל סְבִיבוֹתֶיהָ וּכְשֶׁבָּאִין לְצוֹדָהּ אֵין אָדָם רָשַׁאי לְקָרֵב אֵצְלָהּ אֶלָּא גּוֹרְרִין אוֹתָהּ אֶל הַחֶבֶל עַד שֶׁהוּא נִפְסָק וְהִיא מִיָּד מֵתָה”
  Translation: “Yerushalmi (Halakha 4): Rabbi Chama bar Rabbi Ukba said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Chanina the reason of Rabbi Yosei: ‘And all that touches the face of the field’ (Numbers 19:16), that grows from the field, meaning it is a type of human. Rabbi said: It is a mountain man, and it lives from its navel; if the navel is severed, it does not live. And I heard in the name of Rabbi Meir ben Rabbi Kalonymus of Speyer that it is a creature whose name is yadua, and it is the yidoni of the verse, and from its bone they perform a kind of sorcery. And a kind of large cord emerges from a root in the ground by which that creature called yadua grows, like those cucumbers and pumpkins, except the yadua’s form is like the form of a human in every way—in the form of face, body, hands, and feet—and from its navel it is connected to the cord that comes from the root. And no creature is permitted to approach within the length of the cord, for it devours and kills within the length of the cord and grazes all around it. And when they come to hunt it, no man is permitted to come near it, but they drag it by the cord until it is severed, and it dies immediately.”
• Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 514): “שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁאֹל בְּיִדְּעוֹנִי – שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁאֹל יִדְּעוֹנִי. וְהָעִנְיָן הַזֶּה הוּא שֶׁמֵּשִׂים הַמְכַשֵּׁף עֶצֶם חַיָּה שֶׁשְּׁמָהּ "יַדּוּעַ" לְתוֹךְ פִּיו, וְאוֹתוֹ הָעֶצֶם מְדַבֵּר עַל יְדֵי כְּשָׁפָיו. וְזֹאת הַחַיָּה שֶׁשְּׁמָהּ יַדּוּעַ רָאִיתִי בְּסֵפֶר מִן הַגְּאוֹנִים (עַיֵּין רַשִׁ"י כִּלְאַיִם פּ"ח מ"ה) שֶׁהִיא גְּדֵלָה בְּחֶבֶל גָּדוֹל שֶׁיּוֹצֵא מִן הָאָרֶץ כְּעֵין חֶבֶל הַקִּשּׁוּאִין וְהַדְּלוּעִין, וְצוּרָתוֹ כְּצוּרַת אָדָם בְּכָל דָּבָר בִּפְנִים וְגוּף וְיָדַיִם וְרַגְלַיִם, וּמִטַּבּוּרוֹ מְחֻבָּר לַחֶבֶל, וְאֵין כָּל בְּרִיָּה יְכוֹלָה לִקְרַב אֵלֶיהָ כִּמְלוֹא הַחֶבֶל, לְפִי שֶׁהִיא רוֹעָה סְבִיבוֹתֶיהָ כִּמְלוֹא הַחֶבֶל, וְטוֹרֶפֶת כָּל מָה שֶׁיְּכוֹלָה לְהַשִּׂיג, וּכְשֶׁבָּאִין לְצוּדָהּ מוֹרִים בְּחִצִּים אֶל הַחֶבֶל עַד שֶׁנִּפְסַק, וְהִיא מֵתָה מִיָּד. וּבַיְּרוּשַׁלְמִי דְּכִלְאַיִם (פּ"ח ה"ד) אָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה בְּפֵרוּשׁ כִּי עִם אַבְנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה בְּרִיתֶךָ (אִיּוֹב ה, כג), בַּר נַשׁ דְּטוּר הוּא, וְהוּא חָיֵי מִן טִבּוּרֵהּ, אִי פָּסֵק טִבּוּרֵהּ לָא חָיֵי”
  Translation: “That one should not inquire of a yidoni—that one should not inquire of a yidoni. And this matter is that the sorcerer places a bone of a creature named yadua into his mouth, and that bone speaks by means of his sorcery. And this creature named yadua—I saw in a book of the Geonim (see Rashi, Kilayim 8:5) that it grows with a large cord that emerges from the ground, like the cord of cucumbers and pumpkins, and its form is like the form of a human in every way—in face, body, hands, and feet—and from its navel it is connected to the cord. And no creature can approach it within the length of the cord, because it grazes around it within the length of the cord and devours everything it can reach. And when they come to hunt it, they shoot arrows at the cord until it is severed, and it dies immediately. And in the Yerushalmi of Kilayim (8:4), they said explicitly, of blessed memory: ‘For with the stones of the field is your covenant’ (Job 5:23), it is a mountain man, and it lives from its navel; if its navel is severed, it does not live.”²
• Bartenura (Sanhedrin 7:7): “וְיִדְּעוֹנִי. חַיָּה שְׁשְׁמָהּ יָדוּעַ. וְצוּרָתָהּ כְּצוּרַת אָדָם בְּפָנֶיהָ וְיָדֶיהָ וְרַגְלֶיהָ, וְהִיא מְחֻבֶּרֶת בְּטַבּוּרָהּ לְחֶבֶל הַיּוֹצֵא מִן הַשֹּׁרֶשׁ שֶׁנִּשְׁרָשׁ בָּאָרֶץ שֶׁמִּשָּׁם חַיּוֹתָהּ, וּכְשֶׁרוֹצִים לְצוֹד אוֹתָהּ מוֹרִים בְּחִצִּים אֶל הַחֶבֶל עַד שֶׁהוּא נִפְסָק וְהִיא מֵתָה מִיָּד. וְהִיא קְרוּיָה בִּלְשׁוֹן חֲכָמִים בַּר נַשׁ דְּטוּר”
  Translation: “And yidoni. A creature whose name is yadua. And its form is like the form of a human in its face, hands, and feet, and it is connected at its navel to a cord that emerges from the root that is rooted in the ground, from which it derives its life. And when they want to hunt it, they shoot arrows at the cord until it is severed, and it dies immediately. And it is called in the language of the Sages a ‘mountain man.’”
• Tiferet Yisrael, Boaz (Kilayim 8:5): “וְרַבּוֹתֵי פֵּרְשׁוּ שֶׁהוּא חַיָּה בְּצוּרַת אָדָם וּמְחֻבָּר לָאָרֶץ בְּחֶבֶל שֶׁיּוֹצֵא מִטִּבּוּרוֹ. וּמְסֻכָּן מְאֹד (וְעַיֵּין בְּמַעֲשֵׂה טוֹבִיָּה) וּכְשֶׁנִּפְסָק הַחֶבֶל מִיָּד מֵת. וְאָכֵן הַגַּם שֶׁאֵין לִתְמוֹהַּ שֶׁאֵינוֹ בִּנְמָצָא בְּסִפְרֵי הַטֶּבַע. כִּי כְּמוֹ כֵּן נִמְצָא בְּתַחְתִּית אֶרֶץ עַצְמוֹת מִכַּמָּה בְּרוּאִים שֶׁנֶּאֱבַד זִכְרָם כְּעַת כְּמַאֲמוֹט וּכְדוֹמֶה וְאוּלַי לְרֹב הִסְתַּכְּנוּתָם. בִּיעֲרוּם הַקַּדְמוֹנִים מֵהָאָרֶץ. וְגַם אֵין לִתְמוֹהַּ הֵיאַךְ דָּבָר חַי יִגְדַּל מֵהַקַּרְקַע. יֵאָמֵר דְּהָרֵי מָצִינוּ דּוּגְמָתוֹ (חוּלִין פּ"ט מ"ו) בְּעַכְבָּר שֶׁגָּדֵל מֵאֶרֶץ. וְעַיֵּין מָה שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי בְּסִיַּעְתָּא דִּשְׁמַיָּא בְּפֵרוּשֵׁינוּ שָׁם. אֲבָל יֵשׁ לִתְמוֹהַּ מֵאֵין לוֹקַחַת פַּרְנָסָתָהּ בַּאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה…”
  Translation: “And our Rabbis explained that it is a creature in the form of a human and connected to the ground by a cord that emerges from its navel. And it is very dangerous (see Maaseh Toviyyah), and when the cord is severed, it dies immediately. And indeed, although there is no wonder that it is not found in natural science books, for likewise, in the depths of the earth, bones of several creatures whose memory has been lost are found, like the mammoth and similar ones, and perhaps due to their great danger, the ancients eradicated them from the earth. And there is also no wonder how a living thing grows from the ground, for it is said that we find an example of it (Chullin 9:6) in a mouse that grows from the earth—see what I wrote there with the help of Heaven in our commentary. But there is wonder from where it takes its sustenance in eating and drinking…”³

Scope

This chapter grounds yidoni in Torah and Talmud, introduces yadua, and explores adnei ha-sadeh through naturalist and traditionalist lenses.

Images

• Ancient necromancy reliefs (Mesopotamian) - [Image Placeholder]
• Medieval Talmud MSS (Munich 95) - [Image Placeholder]
• Primate art (Egyptian baboons) - [Image Placeholder]
• Modern yidoni sketches - [Image Placeholder]
• Tethered Creature Representations:
  • Yerushalmi’s Adnei HaSadeh: Depicted in Rabbi Moses ben Mordecai Zacuto’s Sefer HaSod (17th c., manuscript illustration, Bodleian Library) as a humanoid figure with a cord from its navel to a root, resembling a mandrake-like plant-man - [Image Placeholder]
  • Mandragora Myth: Medieval Arabic herbals (e.g., Kitāb al-Diryāq, 13th c., Bibliothèque Nationale de France) show tethered mandrakes, human-shaped plants uprooted fatally, paralleling adnei’s cord lore - [Image Placeholder]
• Nasnās in Arab Culture:
  • Thousand and One Nights: Walters Manuscript W.659 (18th c.) illustrates three nasnās—single-legged, single-armed figures alongside a camel—depicting their agility and monstrous form - [Image Placeholder]
  • Modern Art: Saudi artist Abdulnasser Gharem’s Flora and Fauna (2007) reimagines nasnās as a half-human silhouette tethered to a tree, blending folklore with ecological commentary - [Image Placeholder]

Footnotes

1. Maimonides’ “אלנאנס” (al-nāns) suggests two readings. First, it might stem from “ناس” (nās, “people”) or “إنسان” (insān, “human”), implying a “human-like” creature—perhaps a primate, fitting his naturalist stance and Malbim’s later orangutan or chimpanzee. In Arabic, nās denotes humanity collectively, while insān highlights individual human form, both plausible for an animal mimicking speech. Second, it could be “النسناس” (al-nasnās), (and some versions actually have that textual variant,) a figure from pre-Islamic Arabian folklore, vividly described in al-Jāḥiẓ’s Kitāb al-Hayawān (9th c.) as a creature with one leg, one arm, and half a human body (split vertically), hopping with agility and producing speech-like sounds; some accounts note bat-like wings or a tether to the earth via a cord, once hunted and eaten in Hadramaut for its sweet flesh (cf. Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon, s.v. “نسناس”; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasnas). This mirrors the Yerushalmi (Kilayim “lives from its navel”) and traditionalist views (e.g., Rash Mishantz, Bartenura) of a humanoid adnei linked to sorcery or the ground. Maimonides’ attribution to “narrators of wonders” and note of unintelligible speech reflect skepticism, distancing himself from myth, as seen in his Guide (3:29, 3:37) dismissal of superstition. By contrast, Kafich’s edition omits al-nāns entirely: “وأدني السدة هو حيوان يشبه الإنسان في صورته وليس من جنس الإنسان، وله قوة النطق، ويوجد في أماكن بعيدة، وليس لنا أن نطيل في وصفه لأنه لا فائدة لنا في ذلك من جهة الحلال والحرام” (“And adnī al-sadda is an animal that resembles a human in its form but is not of the human species, and it has the power of speech, and it is found in distant places, and we have no need to prolong its description because there is no benefit to us in this regarding the permissible and the forbidden”—Pirush HaMishnah, Seder Zera’im, vol. 1, p. 304). Kafich’s rationalist bent shines here, stripping away folkloric traces, possibly reflecting a tradition honed by predecessors over generations rather than his own alteration. Whether our text bears later non-Maimonidean embellishments or Kafich’s version trims authentic cultural nods remains unresolved. [Back]
2. Elsewhere in Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 256), the yadua is identified as a bird, quoting Maimonides: “שֶׁלֹּא לַעֲשׂוֹת מַעֲשֵׂה יִדְּעוֹנִי – שֶׁלֹּא נַעֲשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה הַיִּדְּעוֹנִי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יט לא) אַל תִּפְנוּ אֶל הָאֹבֹת וְאֶל הַיִּדְּעֹנִים. וּפֵרֵשׁ הָרַמְבַּ"ם זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה (סהמ"צ ל"ת ט), וְזֶה לְשׁוֹנוֹ שֶׁהָעִנְיָן הוּא שֶׁיִּקַּח עֶצֶם עוֹף שֶׁשְּׁמוֹ יַדּוּעַ וִישִׂימֵהוּ בְּפִיו וִיקַטֵּר לוֹ בְּמִינֵי קְטֹרֶת וְיַשְׁבִּיעַ הַשְׁבָּעוֹת וְיַעֲשֶׂה פְּעֻלּוֹת עַד שֶׁיִּתְחַבֵּר לוֹ עִנְיָן מֵחֹלִי הַנּוֹפֵל, כְּמוֹ הַחֹלִי הַנִּקְרָא סובא"ת וִידַבֵּר בָּעֲתִידוֹת” (“That one should not perform the act of a yidoni—that we should not perform the act of a yidoni, as it is said (Leviticus 19:31), ‘Do not turn to ovot or yidoni.’ And Rambam, of blessed memory, explained (Sefer HaMitzvot, Negative Commandment 9), and this is his language: that the matter is that he takes a bone of a bird named yadua and places it in his mouth, and burns incense for it with various kinds of incense, and makes oaths and performs actions until a condition connects to him from the falling sickness, like the sickness called suba’t [epilepsy], and he speaks of future events”). This suggests a variant tradition or interpretation linking yadua to ornithomancy rather than a tethered humanoid creature. [Back]
3. Some interpreters link the tethered creature to the plague of arov in Exodus 8:17: “For I will send against you and your servants… the arov, and the houses of Egypt will be filled with the arov, and also the ground on which they stand.” Chanukat HaTorah (on Exodus 8:17) explains: “בפסוק הנני משליח בך ובעבדיך וגו' את הערוב ומלאו בתי מצרים את הערוב וגם האדמה אשר הם עליה. הנה על תיבת האדמה הזאת נאמרו הרבה פירושים. ויש לבאר דהנה רש"י ז"ל פירש ערוב כל מיני חיות רעות. והנה איתא בר"ש פ"ח דכלאים מ"ה שיש חיה אחת ששמה ידעוני וכמין חבל גדול יוצא משורש שבארץ וכו' וכשבאין לצודה אין אדם רשאי ליקרב אצלה שטורפת והורגת אלא גוררין אותה אל החבל עד שהחבל נפסק והיא מיד מתה וכו' עיין שם. והנה כאן אמר הכתוב ומלאו בתי מצרים את הערוב כל מיני חיות רעות אם כן יפלא היאך הביא עליהם החיה הרעה הנזכר לעיל ששמה ידעוני הלא היא קשורה בחבל בארץ ואם יפסק החבל היא מתה מיד. משום הכי אמר וגם האדמה אשר הם עליה ר"ל האדמה אשר החיה קשורה עליה בחבל”—suggesting the arov includes the yadua tethered to the earth, resolving the paradox of its presence in Egyptian homes. [Back]