SHEKALIM 5771
Is The Evil Eye Real?
Did you ever hear of the Yiddish word, kinahora, or if your family is from Galicia, Kainahora? It comes from the Hebrew, K’eyn ayin hara, “Without the evil eye.” It’s what our grandparents would say to ward off the evil eye. Whenever there was good news, something to boast about or to be proud of, they would add the word, kinahora, in effect saying, “Let no evil eye focus on such goodness.” For example one might say: “Everyone is the family is happy and healthy, kinahora.” Or, “He’ll be 90 in 3 weeks, kinahora.”
Another way to ward off the evil eye is to quickly spit three times. We’re not talking hawking a big loogie. This is more like lightly spitting a poppy seed off the tongue, as in, “My daughter found a nice guy and it looks as if he’s going to propose. Pu, pu, pu!”
There’s an old joke about kinahora:
An old Jewish man was on the witness stand. “How old are you?” asked the District Attorney.
“I am, kinahora, 88”
“What was that?”
“I said I am, kinahora, 88.”
“Just answer the question!” said the D.A. sharply. “Nothing else! Now, how old are you?”
“Kinahora, 88,” said the old man.
Now the judge said, “The witness will answer the question and only the question without additional comment or be held in contempt of court.”
Up rose the counsel for the defense who was obviously Jewish, “Your Honor, may I ask the question?” He turned to the old man and said, “Kinahora, how old are you?”
Said the man, “88!”
Kinahora, keep the evil eye at bay. Let it not spoil the good. The fear of the evil eye is found in many cultures. It appears in many places in the Torah and we see it prominently featured in this special Shabbos Torah reading—the parsha of Shekalim—the 1st of the 4 special Sabbaths before Passover. In ancient times, every year in the weeks before Passover, every Jew would contribute a ½ shekel to the Temple. This would help support the Temple’s elaborate Passover ceremonies. The origin of this is found in this Torah reading: “When you take a census of the Children of Israel…This shall they give—everyone who passes through the census—a ½ shekel…The wealthy shall not give more and the poor shall not give less.” When the coins were counted, the census was complete. This census was necessary at that time for many reasons, but especially to form an army for the Jews to protect themselves as they traveled to the Promised Land.
The obvious question is: Why count coins when it would have been much simpler to count heads? After all, the main purpose was not to raise funds, but to take a census. Rashi comments on the phrase in these verses, v’lo y’hiyeh vahem negef bifkod otam, “so that a plague will not descend upon them when they count them”: Shehaminyan sholeyt bo ayin hara, “For the evil eye can affect that which has been counted.” So according to Rashi, counting with a ½ shekel instead of physically counting heads was a kinahora to keep the evil eye away. And this practice of not counting heads has continued in Jewish tradition to this very day. You may recall that your grandparents never counted people in a normal fashion. They would count: Nisht ayns, nisht zvay…not one, not 2. In this way, they believed that they could confuse the evil eye. When counting heads for a minyan it is customary to use a verse from the prayer book of 10 words: Hoshia et amecha, uvareych et nachaltecha, ur’eym v’nas’eym ad olam, “Save Your people and bless Your heritage, tend them and elevate them forever” (Psalm 28:9).
Do you believe in the evil eye? The Talmud surely did. The Talmud (B.M. 107b) relates that Rav once spoke to the souls of the dead: “And the Lord shall take away from thee all sickness.” (Deuteronomy 7:15) Said Rav: “By this, the [evil] eye is meant.” This is in accordance with his opinion [expressed elsewhere]. For Rav went up to a cemetery, performed certain charms, and then said: 99 [have died] through an evil eye, and one through natural causes.
Now what I’m going to share with you now is a bit complicated so try to stay with me. The Hebrew alphabet ends with the letter taf. Taf has a numerical value of 400, which is also the gematria—numerical value of the letters—of ayin ra, “the evil eye,” as if to warn, that like the taf at the end of the alphabet, the evil eye brings things to an end. If we want to remain outside of its influence there is a secret method. We must attach ourselves to another taf, the 1st letter of the word “Torah,” which saves and protects. And better to look to the 1st letter of the alphabet, the alef, which is the 1st letter of Elokim, Gd, and the 1st letter of the 10 Commandments in the word Anochi, “I,” Gd. The alef and the taf spell the most frequent word in the Torah—et—to emphasize this lesson: cling to the alef of Gd and to the taf of the word Torah and you can avoid the taf of the evil eye.
What is this evil eye? We live in a world of science and technology. Are we supposed to believe in old wives’ tales like the evil eye? A person’s feelings, emotions of joy and grief, of love and hate can have tremendous effects in the physical world. We have the power to create moods, don’t we? In the presence of certain people we can feel the energy of love or joy. And with others we can sense so much negative energy or even hatred that it’s hard to be around them. It’s as if at these times people send out waves of love or negativity. Scientists are even experimenting with photographing what they call Kirlian waves—different kinds of auras that emanate from people.
Judaism recognizes that feelings can have tremendous effects in the physical world. Emotions can be powerfully destructive. Jealousy and hate are powers of destruction more lethal than bombs and bullets. When one is fortunate enough to be blessed with unusual wealth, one is also in danger. If one flaunts his wealth, he can cause envy, jealousy, anguish and hurt. These feelings, although wrong, are very natural. The effects of these feelings are what Judaism refers to as ayin ra, the evil eye. 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 question whether the person is truly deserving or not of his wealth. The net result is usually harmful to the wealthy person. In other word: If looks could kill!
Joshua Tractenberg, in his classical work, Jewish Magic and Superstition, (p. 55) writes:
In order to counteract the “moral” version of the evil eye it has become customary over a very wide area to append a prophylactic phrase, such as “May the Lrd protect thee,” “no evil eye,” [or as we now say, kinahora]. Medieval Jewry pursued not only this practice, but also the equally well-known device of expressing its approbation in highly unflattering terms: “A man will call his handsome son ‘Ethiop,’ [an ugly name] to avoid casting the evil eye upon him,” said Rashi...Members of a family were reluctant to follow each other in reciting the blessings over the Torah before a congregation. A double wedding in one household…were avoided for this reason.
There are 2 ways, according to Jewish sources, to avoid ayin ra, the evil eye. One is not to flaunt one’s wealth, but to hide it. The Talmud (Taanit 86) teaches that, “The evil eye has no effect on things hidden from the eye.” The other, as we’ve said, is to attach oneself to Torah and Gd—to live and study the Torah and to be Gdly in your actions like judging others favorably. Those who give others the benefit of the doubt are less likely to suffer from a jealous eye. Others will be happy for you and your good fortune if you are happy for them and others in their good fortune. And be careful of your own jealousy because our sages say that the evil eye can deaden the soul of the one who gives it.
Is the evil eye real? Certainly the destructive power of jealousy is real. In any case let us pray with the words of our Siddur: ut’neynu hayom uv’chol yom l’cheyn ulchesed ul’rachamim b’eynecha, uv’eyney chol ro-eynu, “Gd grant us today and every day grace, kindness and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who look upon us.” Amen!
Rabbi Mark Hillel
3/5/11