According to some accounts, these beings are, in a way, leftovers from the very first week of existence.
The story goes that God was creating, creating, creating, all day long for six straight days. But as the sun began to set on that sixth day, ushering in the Shabbat, some spirits were still in the process of being made. They were created, but not given bodies. Their creation was, essentially, incomplete. And because of that incompleteness, they're considered flawed, imperfect. The Zohar tells us that the divine presence, the Shekhinah, doesn't dwell within them (Zohar l:47b-48a, l:178a-178b, 3:19a).
So, what are these beings? They’re demons, spirits without bodies. Pure spirit. Some even say that these disembodied entities tried to sneak into Adam himself, back when God had shaped him but hadn't yet breathed the breath of life into him! Think about that for a second – a world of spirits vying for a place in the first human.
These spirits, these incomplete creations, ended up in what’s called the Sitre Ahra – the “Other Side.” It's a realm of spirits, whirlwinds, and, yes, demons. It's even linked to Cain, the first murderer. In that realm, they do have a kind of physicality, a corporeal existence.
But here's where it gets really interesting: these spirits are said to be a bit of a hybrid. According to the Talmud (B. Hagigah 16a), they share traits with both angels and humans. Like angels, they have wings, they can zip around the world in a flash, and they supposedly know the future because they eavesdrop on heavenly conversations behind the Pargod, the celestial curtain.
But like humans, they also eat, drink, reproduce, and eventually, they die. So, they're not immortal like the angels are traditionally understood to be. It's a strange mix, isn’t it?
And the similarities don't stop there. The spirits are also like humans AND like angels in another way. They eat and drink, reproduce, and die, just like us. But then they also have some rather unique qualities. Legend says they have the feet of roosters, can change their appearance whenever they want, and can see us, but we can't see them!
Now, of course, with claims like that, people have tried to find ways to prove their existence. One folk remedy suggests sprinkling sifted ashes around your bed. In the morning, you might supposedly see rooster-like footprints. Another, a bit more… involved… recipe involves roasting the afterbirth of a firstborn black cat (who is also the firstborn of her mother!), grinding it to a powder, and putting it in your eye. Then, supposedly, you'll be able to see them. I wouldn't recommend trying this at home!
These stories, as Louis Ginzberg retells them in Legends of the Jews, and as we find hinted at in Midrash Rabbah, offer a glimpse into a very old way of understanding the world. It’s a world where the boundaries between the physical and spiritual are blurred, where even unfinished creations have a place, even if it's a shadowy one.
This myth about the origin of evil spirits paints a picture of beings intended to be paired with bodies during creation. But as the sun set on the sixth day, many were left incomplete. These spirits are associated with the Sitra Ahra, the Other Side. They're considered unclean and dwell in the realm of evil or wander restlessly throughout the world.
Ultimately, these stories about the spirits of the sixth day raise some profound questions. What does it mean to be complete? What happens to the things that don't quite fit in? And how do we understand the presence of imperfection and the "Other Side" in a world that was, at its creation, declared "good"? Perhaps the answer lies in recognizing that even in incompleteness, there's a story to be told, a mystery to be explored, and a reflection of ourselves to be found.