In the latest episode of the Israeli program "Davar Rishon," hosted by Moshe Mans, the show tackled two unrelated but topical themes: American policy toward Israel and a deep dive into witchcraft, evil eye beliefs, and illusion. Mans opened with an interview with Samuel Rosner, the researcher and commentator who edits the website "HaMiddad," about the U.S. strategy toward Iran, the situation in Lebanon, and whether Donald Trump has "turned against" Israel.
Rosner rejected the idea that Trump has changed, saying, "He did not turn. He is still exactly the same person he was six months ago and a year ago. A man who does his own calculations, for whom being unpredictable is the most predictable thing about him." He argued that the American campaign against Iran has not produced the desired result, that Tehran has not collapsed, and that the Iranians are now approaching negotiations from a stronger position while seeking to embarrass the United States internationally. In his view, Israel and the U.S. do not face the same Iranian threat, because Washington can retreat behind its shores while Israel remains exposed, and he said Israel's standing in America is weaker than it used to be, so it must prepare for a long struggle even without the level of U.S. support it enjoyed over the past 30 years.
The second half of the program, tied to Parashat Balak, examined whether concepts such as magic, the evil eye, and idolatry still have any reality today. Mans showed striking videos from India and China, including a Hindu magician who appears to heal a sick child with a touch and elaborate ceremonies before thousands of believers, as well as the story of an Indian yogi said to have sat inside a tree for years without food or water.
Mans explained these phenomena as sleight of hand, fraud, and above all the power of autosuggestion. He said the human brain can reinforce what it expects to see, pointing to the RAS filtering system, placebo effects, and nocebo effects, where belief alone can produce real physical symptoms. He then outlined two major Jewish approaches: Maimonides, who saw magic and astrology as falsehood and deception, and Nahmanides and the kabbalists, who held that such forces once existed but faded after prophecy ended and idolatry declined, leaving little or no genuine magic today.
