Hebrew Studies 62 (2021): 1–3 1 A WICKED WITCH OR A GOOD PSYCHOTHERAPIST? THE MEDIUM OF ENDOR IN MODERN HEBREW LITERATURE * Rachel Ofer Herzog College and Efrata College ABSTRACT Modern Hebrew poets and writers describe the biblical figure of the Medium of Endor (I Sam 28: 3–25) as an empathetic woman, warm and compassionate, healing the souls of depressed individuals. This article categorizes the corpus of works that deal with the story of Saul and the Medium of Endor into two primary subjects: debunking the myth of the witch and presenting the world of magic favorably. In the works that belong to the former subject – there is a clear inclination to “purify” the Medium from the negative stereotype associated with her as a “witch.” By re-presenting the Medium various writers object to the negative, sometimes chauvinistic views, that were accepted in western culture regarding the image of the witch as one who seeks to harm human beings and threatens the social order, and who should therefore be persecuted and even put to death. Works from the second category tend to “purify” magic from the negative view that regards it as something “forbidden,” malicious, and dangerous. In these works, magic, mainly used as a therapeutic-psychological technique, aids human beings, and the Medium (ba’alat-ov) of Endor, is described as a contemporary psycho-spiritual therapist. Nowadays, people live in an alienated world and feel the need to turn to the supernatural to find solace for their anxieties. In these works, magic is described favorably, and in some of them it even provides a preferred theological alternative. The extraordinary biblical story of the dramatic encounter between Saul and the anonymous Medium of Endor (I Sam 28:3–25), 1 who raises the spirits of the dead, has inspired the imagination of many poets, writers, playwrights, and painters. The contrast between the high moral qualities of the Medium of Endor in the biblical story, and her being one of the witches whom Saul had * I thank Herzog College for its generous support, and Dr. Tamar Werdiger and my daughter Maayan Mandel- Ofer for their helpful comments. 1. Verses 3–6 are the exposition of the story. See: Yairah Amit, Reading Biblical Stories," Tel Aviv: Broadcast University Library, 2004, pp. 43–45.