Volume 29 Issue 31 16 Oct 2020 28 Tishri 5781

Word of the week – Satan/שטן

Rabbi Daniel Siegel – Head of Jewish Life

Speaking about the devil

Word of the week/מילת היום 
Satan/שטן

Satan does not play as prominent a role in Judaism as it does in other religions.

Beginning with the Bible, the root word for satan/שטן is often associated with diverting one from the path. The Torah relates that when God is incensed that Bil’am sets out to curse Israel, an “angel of the Lord” places himself in his way “to divert him”, “le-sitno/לשטנו”. Here, the verb satan/שטן has a positive connotation, to prevent one from doing what is wrong.

The word satan/שטן, indicating working against someone, naturally can assume the noun form of being an adversary. The Philistines shudder at David joining them in battle lest he turn on them and “become an adversary for us”, “le-satan lanu/לשטן לנו”.

It might not be surprising, then, that we find the “angel of the Lord”, whom we have seen serving as a satan for a positive purpose, confronted by a personification of Satan as a malevolent adversary. The prophet Zecharyah relates: “He showed me Yehoshu’a, the high priest, standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan/שטן standing at his right (hand) to accuse/be an adversary to him, leSitno/״לשטנו.

With actions making for a persona, the word satan here morphs from verb to noun form.

Satan is thereby rendered more real, albeit, we might like to believe, metaphorically so. Consequently, even God, likewise metaphorically, is forced to take a stand: “And, the Lord said to Satan/השטן: The Lord rebukes you Satan/השטן”. Advocating for His angel serving as a satan, in the case of Bil’am, God now becomes the prosecutor of Satan (who is himself a prosecutor).

Working for or against God?

Heeding the words of our Rabbis, “Al tiftach peh la-satan” – “Do not open your mouth to (provide an entry for) Satan/״שטן, perhaps it is best that we end our exploration here.