online tzaddik

rav ephraim kenig: the power of vision

We learn from the Torah about the power of the eye. In the book of Bamidbar (Numbers), God informs Moses that he is going to die and instructs him to bestow the special qualities of leadership upon his student Joshua, enabling him to lead the Jewish people. Moses then gave Joshua a lot more than what God told him to give. The commentaries remark that Moses gave him with a "good eye." This doesn't mean that what he gave, he gave with a good eye, but rather that he actually gave Joshua a "good eye." This was one of the special qualities that Moses granted to Joshua, empowering him to become the next leader of the Jewish people.

In the previous Torah portion, we read the story of Balak and Bilaam and how they plotted to destroy the Jewish people. Occurring almost forty years after the Exodus from Egypt, the intense drama of the splitting of the Red Sea had apparently waned and they were less intimidated by the Jews. All they knew was that an entire people was wandering around in the desert, approaching the border of Israel, with the intention of conquering the land. They had to come up with a plan.

Balak and Bilaam did, however, remember one thing from the past. When Amalek had attacked the Jews after the splitting of the Red Sea, almost four decades earlier, the Cloud that followed them had absorbed all of his arrows and he was unable to harm the Jews. Realizing that conventional warfare didn't work against the Jews, they needed a different tactic. Bilaam was famous for his ability to cause harm through the curse. A partnership was formed between the two when Balak sent messengers to Bilaam asking him to curse the Jews, and offered to pay him handsomely for his services. Their strategy? Penetrate the Jewish people through the "evil eye."

Commentaries on the Torah describe how Balak took Bilaam to a mountaintop in order to show him the very edge of the Jewish camp. He was already trying to affect them negatively with the evil eye.

the evil eye

What your grandmother never told you about the evil eye... The evil eye, also known in Hebrew as the ayin hara, is usually seen as a mysterious external force, lurking around, waiting to pounce on innocent victims. Some of us are familiar with phrases such as bli ayin hara or k'nayna hara, which are said in an attempt to ward off the influence of the evil eye. Other protective measures against the evil eye include the wearing of special amulets or visits to those who perform various practices using oil, mercury or eggs in an attempt to shatter the effects of the evil eye. On the other hand, many of us understandably relegate any discussion about the evil eye to superstition and irrationality. However, there is another dimension to the story of the evil eye, which can dramatically transform our relationship to others and the world in general.

The evil eye is synonymous with greediness, not being satisfied with one's portion, jealousy and begrudging others their good fortune. Someone who has an evil eye possesses these attributes as part of their personality. These characteristics can be manifested in a person quite openly, or sometimes in a much more hidden and subtle way. The potential damaging influence arises when someone who harbors these types of feelings against us, looks upon us, or our good fortune, including our children and our possessions. The negative force only has power over that which can actually be seen by the physical eye. This is one of the reasons that it can actually be a blessing to not be so noticeable in the public eye.