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Included in the mitzva of faith is knowing that God created the world and the laws of nature by which it runs. He also created people in His image so they would protect and develop the world within these laws of nature. The more intensely people adhere to faith, morality and observe God’s commandments, the more they will succeed in advancing and improving the world. When they turn their back on this mission, the result is more suffering and sorrow they will cause. Furthermore, the Creator determined that people will be rewarded or punished in the World to Come based on their choices. Sometimes people receive part of their divine reward or punishment revealed to them in this world. However, it is forbidden to rely on miracles or spiritual forces, since people are responsible to improve themselves and the world through diligence and integrity.
In contrast, idol worshipers are not interested in bettering the world. Rather, they are looking for the easy way to satisfy their desires and greed. Using knowledge of people’s innate awareness of higher powers, the ancient sorcerers and magicians created various rituals and ceremonies to manipulate people into believing that these forces would bring people what they want, such as wealth, honor, revenge upon their enemies. People without knowledge of God were seduced by their promises, when in reality all these rituals and spells harmed those who relied on them. These practices actually distanced them from God and minimized their own sense of moral responsibility for their actions. This fostered negligence to correct their situation naturally through hard work. This is why the Torah commands the Jewish people: “When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. Let no one be found among you who consigns his son or daughter to the fire, or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer, one who casts spells, one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who inquires of the dead. For anyone who does such things is abhorrent to the Lord, and it is because of these abhorrent things that the Lord your God is dispossessing them before you. You must be wholehearted with the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 18:9-13).
The Torah here prohibits calling upon mystical forces or engaging in strange practices or trickery in order to have a supernatural impact. The prohibition includes casting magic spells, creating illusions, and doing anything else impossible within the laws of nature. Similarly, fortune-telling is prohibited, whether by reading coffee ground (or tea leaves), making astrological calculations, or communicating with the dead. It is also a transgression to consult a magician, sorcerer, or fortune teller.
