וישרוף לבו עליה: מוטיב השריפה במגיית האהבה מגניזת קהיר (May His Heart Burn after Her: The Motif of Fire in Love Spells from the Cairo Genizah)

References to fire and burning appear in about a third of the recipes and products of Jewish love magic from late antiquity and the medieval period. This is in addition to their appearance in a variety of aggressive texts, designed to harm one’s enemies. This article examines the motif of fire as a key symbol in practices and formulae of Jewish love magic. This motif is expressed in three main forms: (a) burning as part of the magical praxis, (b) textual use of fire metaphors and (c) appeal to supernatural entities whose names are related to fire. A comparison between these manifestations and fire symbolism in aggressive spells sheds light on some special characteristics of Jewish love magic.