Parshat Noach5 min read

Mastema Kept One Tenth of the Spirits After the Flood

After the Flood Noah prays against evil spirits, Mastema bargains to keep one tenth of them, and angels teach Noah remedies to fight back.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Threat After the Flood
  2. Mastema Asked for a Remnant
  3. Noah Learns Medicine to Fight Back
  4. Mastema Bound During the Plagues

Mastema asked to keep a tenth.

The Flood had ended. Noah had survived. The ark had opened. But Jubilees says the world was not clean of danger. Spirits still harmed Noah's grandchildren, and the chief of those spirits came before God to negotiate.

The Threat After the Flood

Jubilees 10, from the Book of Jubilees, a Jewish work usually dated to the second century BCE, looks past the familiar ending of the Flood story. Noah's family leaves the ark and begins to rebuild the world. Then the evil spirits, those born of the union between the Watchers and human women before the Flood, begin attacking Noah's grandchildren: leading them astray, blinding their minds, and killing them.

Noah prays. He appeals to God against these spirits, asking that they be sealed and bound, that his descendants be preserved from them. His prayer is long and specific. He names what the spirits are doing and asks for it to stop.

The angels, assigned by God to bind the spirits, begin their work. Nine-tenths of the spirits are bound. They are sealed. They will no longer roam freely through the human world.

Then Mastema intervenes.

Mastema Asked for a Remnant

Mastema is not the accuser of the Joban tradition. He is not simply a title. In Jubilees he is a figure with agency and argument: the chief of the spirits, the one who commands the forces that test and corrupt human beings. He goes before God and makes a case.

Lord of all, he says, if some of them remain with me, let them listen to my voice and do everything that I tell them. For if the spirits do not remain with me, I will not be able to execute the power of my will against the children of men. Because of the great wickedness of men, the binding of those spirits would remove the mechanism through which human choices are tested and their corruption plays out.

The argument is strange and uncomfortable because it has a logic. Human beings in the Jubilees worldview are not simply good people assaulted by outside evil. They have inclinations that must be tested. The testing requires testers. Mastema is arguing that he is a necessary part of how the world works.

God agrees. One tenth of the spirits remain with Mastema. The other nine-tenths are bound. The world is safer than it was, but not entirely safe.

Noah Learns Medicine to Fight Back

The bargain is followed immediately by a divine response to Noah that shows the negotiation was not a defeat. God sends angels to teach Noah medicine.

The angels teach him the healing properties of plants, how to use roots and bark and leaves against the illnesses the remaining spirits can cause. Noah writes everything down and gives the written record to Shem, his eldest son, who is told to keep it. This is the origin, in Jubilees, of medical knowledge: heaven's answer to Mastema's retained tenth.

The spirits that remain can harm. The remedies given to Noah can counter that harm. The world after the bargain is a world of contest: spirits press on one side, medicine on the other, and human beings work in the middle, using what they have been given to survive what Mastema is permitted to send.

Mastema Bound During the Plagues

Jubilees 48 completes Mastema's role by showing what happens when the remaining one-tenth is taken away even temporarily. During the exodus from Egypt, God bound Mastema so that he could not interfere with Moses and the plagues. The same power that had been permitted to remain now had to be removed for the exodus to proceed.

Mastema was sealed away when the stakes were highest. His one-tenth was not a permanent entitlement. It was a conditional presence, dependent on the purposes of the divine order. When those purposes required the liberation of Israel from Egypt, the space that Mastema occupied was closed. He could not do to Moses what he had done to Noah's grandchildren. He had to wait until the exodus was complete.

Then the world returned to its ordinary condition: nine-tenths bound, one-tenth active, human beings using the medicines Noah wrote down and the remedies passed through Shem's line to face the portion of danger that remained.

MastemaSpiritsDemonsNoahJubilees
← All myths

From the tradition

Sources

5 sources

The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Book of Jubilees 10:24Book of Jubilees

The familiar story centers on Noah, the ark, and the animals. But what about the aftermath? What kind of world did Noah and his family rebuild?

The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text from around the 2nd century BCE, fills in some of those gaps. It offers a unique perspective on the period following the great deluge, particularly in its tenth chapter.

In Jubilees, they were actively prevented from harming Noah's descendants. It makes you wonder what methods were employed! Was there some kind of spiritual quarantine?

Then there's the matter of inheritance. Noah, it seems, wasn't just handing down land or livestock. "He gave all that he had written to Shem, his eldest son; for he loved him exceedingly above all his sons." What was this written material? Was it a record of the flood? Prophecies? Secret teachings? The Book of Jubilees doesn't explicitly say, but it emphasizes the importance of transmitting knowledge and wisdom from one generation to the next. Shem, clearly, was deemed worthy of this sacred trust.

The text then recounts Noah's passing. "And Noah slept with his fathers, and was buried on Mount Lûbâr in the land of Ararat." The phrase "slept with his fathers" is a beautiful, poetic way of saying he died, joining the generations that came before him. And the location, Mount Lûbâr in Ararat, connects us back to the ark's landing place, completing the cycle.

His lifespan is given with remarkable precision: "Nine hundred and fifty years he completed in his life, nineteen jubilees and two weeks and five years." A jubilee is a period of 49 years (seven cycles of seven years, as prescribed in Leviticus). This meticulous accounting highlights the importance of time and chronology in the Book of Jubilees, which aims to provide a detailed historical and legal framework for understanding God's covenant with humanity.

The passage concludes with a powerful statement about Noah's righteousness. "And in his life on earth he excelled the children of men save Enoch because of the righteousness, wherein he was perfect." Noah was considered exceptional, but he still stands second to Enoch. And who was Enoch? "For Enoch's office was ordained for a testimony to the generations of the world, so that he should recount all the deeds of generation unto generation, till the day of judgment."

Enoch, who "walked with God" (Genesis 5:24) and was taken directly into heaven, held a unique position as a celestial scribe and witness. He was responsible for recording the history of humanity and bearing witness to their deeds until the final judgment. The Zohar tells us of the great mysteries surrounding Enoch, who became the angel Metatron.

So, what does all of this tell us? Jubilees 10 gives us a glimpse into a world confronting the consequences of a global catastrophe. It highlights the importance of transmitting knowledge, upholding righteousness, and remembering the past. It's a reminder that even after the most devastating events, the work of rebuilding, both physically and spiritually, must continue. And it leaves us pondering the legacy of Noah, the wisdom of Enoch, and the enduring power of stories to shape our understanding of the world.

Full source
Book of Jubilees 10:14Book of Jubilees

Here, we get a glimpse into a celestial negotiation, a cosmic bargain struck about the fate of humanity. It's a negotiation that hinges on a character you might not know so well: Mastêmâ.

Who is Mastêmâ? He's described as the "chief of the spirits," and in this passage from Jubilees 10, he approaches the Creator with a request. It’s not exactly a humble request, either. He essentially asks for a workforce, a retinue of spirits to carry out his will.

Why?

The Mastêmâ says these spirits are essential. He argues that without them, he won't be able to "execute the power of my will on the sons of men." In other words, he needs these spirits to tempt, to corrupt, and to lead humanity astray. He claims "these are for corruption and leading astray before my judgment, for great is the wickedness of the sons of men." Sounds like he's blaming humanity for his own need to tempt them, doesn't it? The text implies a cosmic system where temptation, the yetzer hara (the "evil inclination"), is not just a random occurrence but an active force, managed and deployed. What are we to make of it?

So, what's the divine response? Does God grant Mastêmâ’s wish completely?

No. There's a compromise. God decrees that only a tenth of the spirits will remain with Mastêmâ, while the other nine-tenths are cast down "into the place of condemnation." It's a fascinating image, isn't it? A celestial bureaucracy, haggling over percentages of demonic influence.

But even with only a tenth, Mastêmâ still has power. He still has the ability to influence humanity. It raises some serious questions. Does this absolve us of responsibility for our actions? Are we merely puppets dancing to the tune of demonic influence? Jewish tradition generally argues against that. We are endowed with free will, the ability to choose good over evil, even when the whispers of temptation are loud.

Perhaps the story of Mastêmâ and the spirits is not meant to be taken literally. Perhaps it's a metaphor for the internal struggles we all face, the constant battle between our higher and lower selves. Maybe the "spirits" are simply the negative thoughts and impulses that we must learn to control.

Whatever the interpretation, this passage from the Book of Jubilees offers a powerful glimpse into the complex and often unsettling world of Jewish angelology and demonology. It reminds us that the struggle between good and evil is not just an external battle, but an internal one as well. And it's a battle that, ultimately, we have the power to win.

Full source
Book of Jubilees 10:18Book of Jubilees

The Book of Jubilees, a text considered scripture in some traditions but not included in the Tanakh, fills in gaps in the Genesis story. It's like the director's cut with extra scenes and behind-the-scenes explanations. And in its tenth chapter, we get a glimpse into Noah's post-flood education.

See, according to Jubilees, God knew that humanity wasn't exactly going to emerge from the Ark as a band of perfectly righteous individuals. They wouldn't "walk in uprightness, nor strive in righteousness." So, what to do?

The solution? Send down some angelic teachers.

Not just to teach them Torah or ethics. These angels were tasked with revealing something quite practical: medicine. "One of us He commanded that we should teach Noah all their medicines," the verse states.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. The angels weren't just dealing with illnesses. They were dealing with the cause of those illnesses, which, in this worldview, was often demonic. The text mentions "malignant evil ones" who were causing trouble. Think of it like this: they were spiritual viruses spreading spiritual diseases.

And the angels? They rounded up most of these troublemakers, binding them in a "place of condemnation." A celestial jail, if you will. But, crucially, they didn't capture them all. A tenth of these demons were left on Earth, "that they might be subject before Satan." Think of it as a controlled release, a necessary evil to maintain some kind of cosmic balance or perhaps as a test for humanity.

So, Noah wasn't just given a list of symptoms and cures. He was given the whole package: "all the medicines of their diseases, together with their seductions, how he might heal them with herbs of the earth." He learned about the demonic influences and the natural remedies to combat them. Talk about a holistic approach to healthcare!

And what did Noah do with all this newfound knowledge? He wrote it down. "Noah wrote down all things in a book as we instructed him concerning every kind of medicine." Imagine that book! A compendium of angelic wisdom, demonic strategies, and herbal cures, all compiled by the man who survived the Flood. It's a fascinating thought, isn't it? What happened to that book? What secrets did it hold?

The Book of Jubilees offers a unique perspective, blending the practical with the supernatural, the physical with the spiritual. It suggests that even in the aftermath of a cataclysmic event, the pursuit of healing and understanding continues, guided by divine intervention and human effort. It makes you wonder: what other hidden stories are waiting to be uncovered in the ancient texts? And what can they teach us about ourselves and the world around us?

Full source
Book of Jubilees 48:23Book of Jubilees

The familiar story is this: the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the Israelites' triumphant escape from Egypt. But what about the behind-the-scenes cosmic drama?

The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating Jewish text from around the 2nd century BCE, gives us a peek behind that curtain. It fills in gaps, offering a heavenly perspective on earthly events. And Chapter 48 focuses on a particularly intriguing detail: the binding of Mastêmâ.

Who exactly is this Mastêmâ? Well, think of him as a powerful, adversarial figure – not quite the Satan we might imagine from late antique traditions, but certainly a force of opposition. Some scholars link him to Mastema, which in Aramaic means something like "hostility" or "enmity." He's a prince, a leader of sorts, with influence in the heavenly realms.

In Jubilees, this Mastêmâ was bound – restrained – for five days, from the fourteenth to the eighteenth of the month. Why? So that he "might not accuse" the children of Israel. the Israelites were about to ask the Egyptians for valuables – "vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze." The Talmud (Sanhedrin 91a) actually discusses the legality of this act; some rabbis saw it as justified compensation for generations of slavery, while others viewed it as ethically questionable.

So maybe Mastêmâ, in his role as accuser, would have had a field day with that situation! By binding him, God prevented him from influencing the Egyptians against the Israelites at this crucial moment. It's like a cosmic gag order!

But here's the twist. On the nineteenth day, Mastêmâ was released! And upon his release, his role shifted: he was then allowed to "help the Egyptians and pursue the children of Israel." Think about the dramatic shift here: for five days, he was bound to help the Israelites, but then once he was released, he was on the side of the Egyptians.

The text goes on to say that Mastêmâ "hardened their hearts and made them stubborn." This detail might feel a bit uncomfortable. Weren't the Egyptians responsible for their own actions? Jubilees adds a layer of complexity, suggesting that divine forces were actively shaping events. But let's not forget the end goal. The hardening of the Egyptians' hearts, the text clarifies, "was devised by the Lord our God that He might smite the Egyptians and cast them into the sea."

In other words, even Mastêmâ's actions ultimately served God's larger plan. It's a reminder that even in moments of apparent chaos and opposition, a divine purpose is at work.

So what does this all mean? The story in Jubilees challenges us to think about the Exodus on multiple levels. It wasn't just a historical event, but a spiritual battle, a cosmic drama with unseen players and forces. It invites us to consider the role of free will, divine intervention, and the ultimate triumph of good over evil. And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that even when things seem bleak, there might be a larger, divine plan unfolding that we can’t fully grasp.

Full source
Book of Jubilees 10:9Book of Jubilees

Book of Jubilees turns to Evil Spirits Torment Noah's Grandchildren.

This ancient Jewish text, considered canonical by some but not included in the standard Hebrew Bible, offers a unique perspective on biblical narratives. It expands on the stories we think we know, filling in gaps and adding layers of detail. And when we turn to Jubilees 10, we find a powerful plea, a desperate prayer.

The passage echoes the anxieties of a world confronting evil, with forces beyond human control. It speaks of the Watchers, those celestial beings who, according to tradition, fathered the spirits of wickedness. Remember those stories of angels who descended to Earth and mingled with humans, resulting in giants and corruption? These are their offspring, these are the spirits Jubilees speaks of.

The prayer is a direct address to God. "And Thou knowest how Thy Watchers, the fathers of these spirits, acted in my day.." It’s a reminder that God is fully aware of the chaos unleashed by these transgressions. There's no hiding from divine knowledge.

But the heart of the passage lies in its plea: "..imprison them and hold them fast in the place of condemnation, and let them not bring destruction on the sons of thy servant, my God; for these are malignant, and created in order to destroy." It's a cry for divine intervention, a plea to contain the forces of destruction. The speaker isn't just asking for protection, but for the permanent incapacitation of these malevolent spirits.

Notice the urgency in the language. They are "malignant," created "in order to destroy." There’s no room for negotiation, no possibility of redemption. These spirits are defined by their destructive nature.

And what's the ultimate desire? "And let them not rule over the spirits of the living; for Thou alone canst exercise dominion over them. And let them not have power over the sons of the righteous from henceforth and for evermore." This isn't just about physical safety; it's about spiritual sovereignty. The prayer seeks to establish God's exclusive dominion over the spirits of the living, ensuring that the righteous are forever shielded from the influence of these fallen entities.

It’s a powerful statement about the nature of good and evil, of divine power and human vulnerability. The prayer acknowledges that evil exists, that it’s a force to be reckoned with, but it also asserts that God's power is supreme. Only God can truly contain and control these destructive forces.

What does this ancient prayer tell us today? Perhaps it reminds us that the struggle against evil is a constant one, a battle fought not only in the external world but also within our own hearts and minds. It reminds us to seek divine protection, to strive for righteousness, and to trust in the ultimate power of good to overcome evil. And maybe, just maybe, it's a call to be Watchers ourselves – not in the fallen sense, but as protectors of good, standing against the forces that seek to destroy.

Full source