In my Harry Potter and Torah blog I'm writing this week about the subject of killing curses in the Torah, and in parshas Shmos in particular. This subject was mentioned offhand in my book, Harry Potter and Torah, but was not developed in the book. I started writing about it in the blog on Monday, and will continue developing the theme over the course of the week.

The blog is at: http://harrypottertorah.blogspot.com/
The book's home page is: http://www.harrypottertorah.com/

The idea is built around the Midrash that says that Moshe killed the Egyptian not by hitting him but by saying a Name of G-d which killed him on the spot. This is discussed by Rashi, Ramban, and Rabbeinu Bechaya on Shmos 2:12-14, and by Midrash Shmos Raba. The son of the Egyptian was the mekalel in the desert, raising the question of whether his klala was meant to kill the Jew he was fighting with at the time, rather than a "stam" klala.

I'm developing this more at:
http://harrypottertorah.blogspot.com/

and am happy to discuss and receive comments here, through blog comments, or by e-mail to author@harrypottertorah.com

The book Harry Potter and Torah is a collection of Torah-true Jewish insights into themes raised in the Harry Potter series. A sample chapter and list of sources cited are available on the book's web site.

--Dov