Commentary for Shabbat 133:1

לאשתא תילתא לייתי שבעה סילוי משבעה דיקלי ושבעה ציבי משבעה כשורי ושבעה סיכי משבעה גשורי ושבעה קטימי משבעה תנורי ושבעה עפרי משבעה סנרי ושבעה כופרי משבעה ארבי ושבעה בוני כמוני ושבעה ביני מדיקנא דכלבא סבא ולציירינהו בחללא דבי צוארא בנירא ברקא

[As a remedy] for a tertian fever one should procure seven prickles from seven palm trees, seven chips from seven beams, seven pegs from seven bridges, seven [heaps of] ashes from seven ovens, seven [mounds of] earth from under seven door-sockets, seven specimens of pitch from seven ships, seven handfuls of cummin, and seven hairs from the beard of an old dog, and tie them, in the nape of the neck with a white twisted thread.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Magical properties were ascribed to the number seven, which was regarded as the most sacred number. Various factors were responsible for this: it is a combination of three and four, themselves held to be sacred; there are seven days in the week; the seventh day is holy. — The Rabbis, though opposed to superstitions practices in general (v. p. 243, n. 3), were nevertheless children of their age, and recognized their efficacy. ');">¹</span>

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