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CHAYA SARAH 5783
Don't Mess With the Evil Eye
The Evil Eye, does it exist? Can someone really put the Evil Eye on you and do you in—knock you off your horse? Can this really happen? Is the Evil Eye real?
Let’s see how the Evil Eye manifest itself in the lives of our Patriarchs. In this morning’s Torah reading Abraham purchases of a burial plot for his wife Sarah (Genesis 23). Follow along with me on p. 106 in your Stone Chumash. The burial plot that Abraham wanted was the maarat hamachpeyla (the Cave of the Couple) in Hebron, in the field of Efron the Hittite. Why this plot of land? Tradition has it that this was the burial place of the original couple—Adam and Eve—and Abraham wanted it for his family. Subsequently all the patriarchs and matriarchs—with the exception of Rachel—were buried there.
In the narrative, Efron offers the site for free. But it was really a scheme to hold up Abraham for a good deal of money. Recent calculations of the weight and amount of money paid reveal that the sum in today’s terms could be well in the millions of dollars.
Let’s look at the text. In verses 8-16, you will notice a noticeable difference in the spelling of Efron’s name before and after the sale. It’s most clear in verse 16. Before the transaction Efron is spelled with the “oh” vowel in the form of the letter vav. After the transaction, it’s spelled in an abbreviated fashion without the vav! Why the sudden change of spelling in the same verse? Rashi tells us that the vav is suddenly missing because: “For he took from him great shekels.”
To understand this, let’s do some gematria mathematical calculations. What is the numerical equivalent of Efron without the vav? Ayin = 70 + fey = 80 + reysh = 200 + nun = 50, totaling 400. Why is the number 400 significant? Because 400 is also the gematria of ayin ra (Evil Eye): Ayin=70 + yud=10 + nun=50 + reysh=200 + ayin=70, totaling 400. When Efron takes advantage of Abraham in his time of need, it is obvious he had an evil eye. Therefore, the Torah spells his name after the sale here without the vav equaling 400 and the Evil Eye.
What was the final price Abraham had to pay for the burial site? 400 shekels! Why did Abraham pay such an exorbitant price? To dispel the evil eye. For if Efron was more than satisfied with the amount received, he wouldn’t have ill feelings for Abraham, and ill feelings are usually the foundation of the Evil Eye.
Let’s move on to the story of Isaac blessing his sons Jacob and Esav that we’ll read about next week. You know the story. Jacob, following the prodding of his mother Rebecca, steals his brother Esav’s blessing from his blind father Isaac. Isaac is suspicious and he feels Jacob’s arms upon which his mother had placed goatskins. Let’s read what Isaac then says. Turn to page 136, verse 27:22: Hakol kol Yaakov, v’hayadayim y’dey Esav (The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esav).
The Midrash (Vayishlach) notes that “The voice is the voice of Jacob” indicates that Jacob was blessed with the “power of the voice.” While v’hayadayim y’dey Esav (the hands are the hands of Esav) indicates Esav was given the “power of the eye.” What is the gematria of y’dey Esav (the hands of Esav)? You guessed it—400: 10 + 4 + 10 + 70 + 300 + 6 = 400. It is the power of the Evil Eye to destroy.
Years later when Jacob returns to assume his rightful place as the spiritual head of his family, Esav comes to greet him with soldiers. With what power did Esav come to wage war with Jacob? Let’s read the 1st verse of chapter 33 on page 176: “And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esav came, and with him 400 men (soldiers)!”
One more example from the Patriarchs—the blessing Jacob gave Joseph at the end of his life. It’s in Genesis 49:22, page 280: Beyn porat Yosef, beyn porat aley ayin (Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a fountain). In other words, Jacob blesses Joseph to be fruitful and have wonderful children and wealth. Rashi goes deeper and points out that ayin (fountain), also means “eye,” rendering the verse, “His beauty attracts the eye that beholds him.” Joseph was so beautiful that the girls of Egypt would climb walls to get a good look at him. The Talmud (Berachot 20a) makes note of the phrase aley ayin, meaning, “over the eye.” In other words, this was a special blessing for Joseph—an insurance policy for ayin ra—to be protected from people’s jealousy because he was so handsome.
What is ayin ra (the evil eye)? We live in a technological society. Are we supposed to believe in old wives’ tales like ayin ra? There were great Jewish scholars of the Middle Ages that did not accept certain Kabbalistic concepts. But ayin ra is was universally accepted.
What is the Evil Eye? Emotions of love, compassion and joy can be forces for good. They can motivate us to do the things that bring meaning to life. But emotions can be powerfully destructive as well. Jealousy and hate are powers of destruction more lethal than bombs and bullets—they can actually bring about a negative impact on a person or situation.
I was once asked, “Rabbi, ayin hara sounds like idolatry. Can there be something that has more power than Gd? Gd showers us with blessings—prosperity, children, family, home, livelihood—and then someone can come along and with their Evil Eye and undermine or override Gd’s blessings?”
The answer has to do with the power of prayer. If Gd could be influenced to look at us with a stricter eye—more with the attribute of judgment because of other’s jealousy and hate towards us—there might be plenty of reasons for us to get punishments we truly deserve—punishments that are consequences of our own actions, punishments Gd had been withholding because of His mercy.
So, when one is fortunate enough to be blessed with unusual wealth, one is in danger. OK Gd, I’m willing to risk it. But seriously, if one flaunts his wealth, he can cause envy, jealousy, anguish and hurt. These feelings, although wrong, are natural. One must pay in one way or another, for causing pain to others. When people don’t find someone’s good fortune acceptable, they provoke Heavenly Justice to give the wealthy person extra scrutiny to determine whether he is deserving of his wealth. The net result can be harmful to the wealthy person. If looks could kill!
What can we do to ward off the evil eye? What remedies are there? The Talmud and Jewish law actually tell us not to put ourselves in situations where the Evil Eye might affect us like:
· not to have 2 family members called up to the Torah one after the next, so people might say what’s with that family, why are they more prestigious to get 2 Aliyas to the Torah;
· or not to have double weddings within families to avoid the harm of noticeable celebration (Even Haezer 62:3);
· or to say, bli ayin hara (without the Evil Eye), or kenahora in Yiddish, when speaking about how Gd has blessed us to avoid the Evil Eye;
· or putting a spot of dirt or ash on the forehead of a beautiful newborn child, saying, “She’s not so beautiful;”
· one source recommends when a husband gives the Evil Eye to his wife, she should open her hand and say, “Chameysh,” meaning “5,” for the 5 books of the Torah. You see the Torah has the power to remove the Evil Eye. Let’s practice that ladies: “Chameysh, slip me 5!” By the way, this might be the basis for the popularity in Israel of the 5-fingered Chamsa jewelry.
· Someone recommended spitting 3 times on your fingertips and each time make a quick movement in the air with your hand. That will go over big these days with Covid and the flu!
· I read a recommendation that to counteract the Evil Eye on your children, put garlic in their ear. I guess that will keep the evil eye away…and probably everyone else!
And then we have celebrities from veterans like Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie, and Madonna to the younger gen celebs like Ariana Grande wearing red string bracelets to distract the Evil Eye. At the Kabbalah Center in LA, a little red string sells for $26. You want a bargain? Go to Target—you can get enough for 10 wrists at $3.99! And it’s just as effective!
Does the red string, as claimed, ward off the Evil Eye? Some say it comes from the Mishkan/Tabernacle of old, where red dye from a worm was used. The red is to remind us that we are to hold ourselves as lowly as a worm, so as not to draw too much attention to ourselves and arouse envy.
When Brittney Spears appeared on the cover of Entertainment Weekly wearing little but a red string, was she really not looking to draw attention to herself? I once saw a relative wearing a red string on her wrist, but it was encased in a beautiful silver bracelet. I tried in vain to explain that this was contrary to the spirit of it all. I used to get a red string on my wrist from a woman beggar in the Old City of Jerusalem. If the string had any power, it was from the blessing she gave me when she tied it on my wrist.
There are only 2 solid ways, according to Jewish sources, to avoid the Evil Eye. One is not to flaunt your wealth, but to hide it, as the Talmud (Taanit 86) teaches: “The evil eye has no effect on things hidden from the eye.” The other is to attach yourself to Torah—studying and living Torah. The letter that equals 400 in Hebrew is the tav. Tav is the 1st letter of the word Torah. Torah has the power to be a shield against the Evil Eye.
Do I believe in ayin ra, “the Evil Eye?” In my years as a rabbi I have seen and experienced things that defy any other explanation. So, I try to live my life modestly and attach myself to Torah. May I suggest you do the same. Amen!
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