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The Curse of the Saint
Judaism, Spring, 2001 by Daniel J. Schroeter
Wazana was closely linked to the Berber and Muslim culture of the surrounding society (though the Berbers are usually incorrectly referred to as "Arabs," which is the term used by the informants in Israel for Muslims). Wazana immersed himself in Muslim traditions and Arabic writings on magic and healing, in effect, becoming an apprentice to a Muslim sorcerer. Perhaps in the major centers ofJewish learning in Morocco, this behavior would have caused him to be ostracized from the community, but in Assarag and later in Agouim (Agwim), another town in the High Atlas mountains where he settled following his mother's death, Wazana remained within the borders of acceptability. It might even be argued, that his propensity to court danger, to push the frontiers of acceptable behavior by relying primarily on the esoteric knowledge of Muslims for his healing talents, was the litmus test for his great courage. None of his followers doubted his great healing powers, to which the many fantastic stories collected by Bilu attest. His readiness to convene his demonic servants, enabled him to restore the critically ill to good health. Unusual among healers was his ability to remedy problems that were the result of sorcery and spells. Many of the stories recount how Wazana's fame was by no means confined to the Jewish community; even the most powerful governors of the region sought his miraculous intervention in times of need. A half century after his death, his memory is still vivid among the Muslim inhabitants of Agouim. In 1998 practically the first person we met in Agouim, recounted his experiences with Wazana to my Israeli colleague. Echoing the Jewish traditions that Bilu collected, we learned that theJewish saint was married to a she-demon. We were also told that Wazana had made a talisman that enabled our informant to have three sons, after he had told the Jewish healer that he wanted no daughters. Belief in the mystical powers of this extraordinary holy man easily transcended religious boundaries.
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His death was the result of his taking on the daughter of the local sheikh (or amghar as the local chief would have been called in Berber) as a client. The story told is that the daughter stumbled over several snakes, who were in fact the offspring of demons. The result was the snakes took possession of her body. Near death and after the family had exhausted other avenues of cure, the sheikh brought her to Wazana. Unwilling to heed the warnings of the demons to desist from healing the doomed girl, Wazana miraculously restored the sheikh's daughter to health, but at the expense of his own life. The saint's death, however, did not spell the end of his extraordinary powers that followed his devotees to Israel.
Bizarre as Wazana was, he is described as very personable and human. He was friendly and sociable, relaxed, and not at all arrogant. Known for his hearty laugh, he lived for the pleasures of the moment. He loved liquor but of course never got drunk! He used his demonic connections to amuse himself by playing trivial tricks, but all of this playful, even childish prankishness seemed only to endear him to his followers.
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