In Jewish tradition, a death-like trance state. Certain people would be seized by a hiner bet, only to awaken with occult knowledge about the sins and transgressions of neighbors in the community. Demons and punishing spirits were assumed to be the source of this secret knowledge.
Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Sandra Kynes, author of several books, including The Herb Gardener's Essential Guide, Plant Magic, and the new Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical Plants, among many others.
Although a few old books...