The Meaning of Evil Eye in Judaism

The evil eye is also called as the ayin hara in the Hebrew language, refers to the negative and dangerous type of energy that is being made by a certain person if he or she takes a look at someone or something with an ill feeling or envy. This is being referred by the Jewish people in their religion which is Judaism. You can found the evil eye or the ayin hara several ideas in the law of the Jewish people as well as in Talmud. For instance, a certain Jewish person is commanded not to take a look at the grain field of his fellow Jews, once you disobey the command that is the time where you were told as having an evil eye. Another culture of the Jewish people that is being implemented is no one is capable of calling a father and son or two brothers up to the consecutive times of Torah. The ayin hara is the only reason why the Jewish people don’t count Jews.

But before the evil eye threatened the Jewish people, it is imperative for a specific Jewish person to know why, how and when the ayin hara works.

Which Eye is the Evil Eye

One of the 10 commandments given by God to His people is similar to the concept of evil eye which is the commandment “Do not covet.” There are some sages in the medieval period gives an opinion about the evil eye that it is not the concept of a physical event where a certain person automatically have a negative energy that can be seen in their eyes when he takes a look at something or someone with envying or ill feeling. Furthermore, the Rabbi Dover Shneuri, Chabad Rebbe also give their opinion about the word eye that is referring in this article is the physical eye of a certain Jewish person or other organs that can be associated with eyes, because those organs couldn’t cause actions that are evil or not. But instead, the word evil eye refers to the vision of the spirit of a certain person that has the intellect or what we call the eye of the mind.

How an Evil Eye Works

Many people are asking about the possibility of how the negative thought or harmful gazes of an individual person can give risks to the other people. The answer is that the evil eye or the ayin hara is not the one that can bring harm to the people around the person who are thinking negative thoughts. The following are the things on how an evil eye works. Want to know it more? Keep on reading to gain more knowledge about ayin hara or evil eye.

God is the primary source of happiness and strength by a certain Jewish people. Through that, the Kingdom of God which is the Heaven, can’t judge a particular person generally through the stringent terms. But when a certain person take a look to the fate of a certain person with the presence of ill feeling, envy or other negative thought, that person is probably asking himself or herself on how that person get that kind of fate? This time, the very strict decision from the Kingdom of God will arouse, and that person who thinks negative thoughts about a certain person who takes a glance to the fortune of a certain person that has a good fortune will be judged by the above according to the things he did when he was still alive. So if a certain person already possesses grievous sins, the evil eye is the reason of that and can make the person be judged by Heaven unfavorably and strictly.

To make the judgment clear, the court of Heaven will weigh the merits and the sins of a certain person, both the bad and good doings of the person. When a certain person thinks and acts it in a good way, that person possesses good characteristics. But when a certain person thinks and acts in the counterpart way or in a negative way, that person surely possesses negative characteristics.

And according to these, we will know why the different sages explain that the evil eye or the ayin hara will also affect both the person who possesses the evil eye and the people around him or her. Since then, the judgment of the court of Heaven will always be fair and general for both people.

Warding Off the Evil Eye

When a certain person praises another person, his things and family, without the ill feeling, envy or any other negative thoughts, you can avoid being sinned and having an evil eye. Through that, you can also bless that person, his things and family that the ayin hara can’t harm that person, his things or even his family.

In the culture of the Jewish people, avoiding a certain person to have an evil eye, they are using the words “bliayinhara” that has the meaning of “without the presence of evil eye.” In Yiddish cultures, they are using the words “keinayin hara” which you can pronounce as kinnahora orkenainahora. Furthermore, there are also some cultures that are using sacred amulets or remedies to prevent having an evil eye instead of the words of Jewish culture and the Yiddish culture.

Since the ayin hara is being created by the person who is having an envy or ill feeling to one person’s properties or fate, the best way for you  to avoid having an evil eye is to act and to think in a good way, not giving a flaunt look to the things and properties of a certain person. As the famous sages told the Jewish people, “Blessings only rests on that which is hidden from the eye.”

Why You Need Not Worry About Evil Eye

Even though the Talmud people give their credence and measurement about the evil eye, the Talmud people also tell the Jewish people that they will not be troubled if they will not think about the troubling things. You are in need not to worry about the ayin hara, and it will probably not worry about you.

As the teachings taught by the Maggid of Mezritch which is Rabbi Dovber, he says that all of the living organisms in this world are being called as nothing until God give it their worth in this world, and no person or animal can live without the presence of God. Therefore, when you think and act through something in a good way, you also can recognize and see the things that have been created by God. And since we all know that God is the primary source of happiness and blessings in our lives, by doing those things in a good way, you also offer good things to our God. But if you take a look at someone’s ownership or property with an ayin hara, even if you are praising these things but without appreciating that all of these things are from God, you think that these things are just nothing for you. Thus, you are separating it from the spiritual vitality and the Divine source, and it will cause you to have lesser to nothing of blessings.

And of course, the counterpart meaning of these are also real. If a certain person will bring negative things to himself and can harm other people around him through just taking a look at someone or something with negative feelings, think of the things that you can have if you think of someone or something in a positive way. Let us practice appreciating the things that God is giving to us and the things that the other people receive with a pure heart and soul.

What is Hamsa?

Certain Israelite gave an attractive design of Hamsa to his new friend. The Hamsa is also known in the word of Miriam’s Hand. And the person who has been given by the Hamsa is very interested in the prayers of Hebrew. You can find these Hebrew prayers at the back part of Hamsa. He asked himself if there is an available Hamsa that has the Hebrew prayer translated into English. He found out that if a certain person has Hamsa inside their house as its decoration, more blessings will come to the family living in there. While there are some people, who believe that Hamsa is their guard against the envying eye of the evil eye. He did his research about Hamsa, and according to his research, he found out the following:

Hamsa

There are so many Arabic words that you may know including Hamsa which means five. Both the Jewish people and Arab people have their own culture and tradition where they are in need to raise their five fingers in their hands to have more blessings and luck and to protect themselves against the evil eye or also known as the ayin hara. In the Exodus 17:11, you will know that when a certain man raised his hand, the man is Moses. The Jewish people win their battle against the Amalek soldiers. And according to the experts, this is the scene where the luck of Hamsa originated.

There are also Kabbalistic words that are being used to draw the Hamsa prayers. This Hamsa with Kabbalistic words is known as the amulet or what they called as Kamaya. Kamaya is the prayers that you should have if you want to have more good lucks and blessings. There is no permanent translation of the Kabbalistic words written in the Hamsa, but some people considered these words as the prayer for their house be able to gather more blessings and good luck or to make their business a successful one. Although your explanation about the text written in Kabbalistic words might be different in another opinion, the following is somehow one of the explanations that the house blessing prayer written in Kabbalistic words may say:

“Make this building a full of peace and beautiful one. Let the unity, success, and blessings fill every corner of this house, through the help of angels and God in Heaven. Let this house produce a righteous people that will give this house the words of the Hebrew Bible. And keep the existence of the Presence of Divine in this house.”

13 Jewish Symbols You Should Know

Judaism is the religion that used the Hebrew Bible or the Torah as their basis on doing the different types of mitzvah. Through doing the mitzvah, a certain person will have a stronger connection with God and will create a better world of human being. When there are people who have studied the history of the Jewish people, they have concluded that there are several symbols that can be connected with the Jewish culture and tradition, Jewish scholarship and Jewish people.

Menorah: The Temple Candelabra

When Moses created the desert, the Holy Temple that became the Jerusalem, there are seven branches of the golden menorah which is called as the candelabra. God asked this rhetorically, “Do you think I need its light?” He also stated that “It is one of the testaments for the human being to have the presence of Divine in Israel.” This type of symbol of the Jewish people was often misinterpreted with the several round branches, while there are also some suggestions of the Jewish sources that it is preferable to associate the Menorah symbol to the straight or slanted branches.

The predilection of the Jewish people for the symbolism of the light giving can be determined by the assertion of King Solomon that is stated that the lamp is the mitzvah and the light is the Hebrew Bible or the Torah. The different branches of the menorah also used by the home of the Jewish people to let them celebrate the Chanukah holiday, it is also used as the symbol of the Jewish on letterheads, synagogues and many more.

Luchot: The Two Tablets

The two tablets that have been received by Moses in the Mount Sinai are the one that will remind the Jewish people to live their lives according to the will of God. The Luchot: the two tablets have also appeared in the uniforms worn by the US militaries, hospitals and in synagogues. The two tablets usually have some of the words at the beginning of the 10 commandments given by God to His people. It is also preferable to write the first 10 letters of the alphabet of the Hebrew, each letter is meant for each commandment.

And more interestingly, the two tablets have several iterations that are very common, that will feature tops that are rounded, it is considered as the historical inaccuracy that is being known with the help of the Renaissance artists. The luchot tablets are made up of sapphire and are in the ice cubed shapes, according to the tradition of the Talmud.

On Gravestones: Open Hands and the Pitcher

The gravestones of the Jewish people such as the tablets and scrolls often have features of different symbols that are unique from each other. This is according to the Stars of David. The hands with five fingers that are being scattered in the Vulcan will refer to the Kohen, which is one of the members of the clan of the priests that can bless that Jews while their hands are being held in the different positions.

A pitcher of water that is being drawn in the gravestone is the one refers to the Levite that will be honored only when the Jewish people will rinse both of their hands with clean water before conducting the Priestly Blessing. With the token that is the same with the candelabra, that has often had different branches, is usually being used to make the Jewish woman’s grave that is righteous as its decoration. To do this, the family of the righteous Jewish woman is in need to light the candles for Sabbath in their home during the afternoon time of Friday and the evening of the Jewish holidays.

Torah Scroll

Yeshivah has the big part logo of the scrolls of the Hebrew Bible or the so-called Torah by the Jewish people or the several Torah study’s institutions. The Five Books of Moses are often written in the scrolls of Torah, that has been written by the sofer or the trained scribe on the parchment scrolls of Torah.

The experts about the history of Judaism or the sages stated that the 600,000 collections of the souls of the Jewish people usually correspond to the 800,000 letters that are written in the Hebrew Bible or the Torah. This is because the single Jewish person has their part in the Hebrew Bible. Therefore, every symbol will give the Jewish people several of messages such as the Hebrew Bible will not just take a seat at the ark of holy. The Torah must be read, opened, internalized and studied by every individual of the nation of the Jewish people.

Etrog and Lulav Branch (or Palm Tree)

When the Jewish people have celebrated the holiday of Sukkot, four different types are all been taken together, during the previous years. These four types are the aravah or the willow, the hadas or the myrtle, the Etrog or the citron and the lulav or the palm branch. The Jewish people are using these four species as their symbol that is until now. It has still been recovered in the coins that were found in the Bar Kochba revolt.

The Midrash also explain that the very type of the four species has their representation in the several Jewish people type, but performing the mitzvah can only be conducted if all of these four species have been tied all together. Through tying all the four species together, it symbolizes that the certain nation has been united.

Torah Decor: Lions and Eagles

The parchment scrolls of the Hebrew Bible as well as the Holy Ark usually been designed with the feature of lions. The Eagle as one of the Torah decors has also been decorated in the accouterments of synagogues, just like the crown in silver that is being located at the top of the parchment scroll so of the Hebrew Bible. The lions and eagles are both considered as the violent animals, so the question is, what is their part in the Hebrew Bible, which is known as the “ways are  pleasant, and the tributaries are peace?”

First, it is because the Jewish people must know the symbolism of lion which symbolizes the Judah tribe, which is created by Solomon, David and other kings who have done great, and the Messiah is also included as the great kings. Second, the lion and eagle are the image that represents the words used by Judah ben Teima, who come to be the famous when he says the words “Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, fleeting as a deer, and mighty as a lion, to do the will of your Father in Heaven.” And the words of Judh ben Teima also echoed with David, who also eulogized both Jonathan and Saul who say, “Lighter than eagles and stronger than lions” in the service of Divine presence.

Magen David: Six-Pointed Star

It is true that the most known Jewish symbol is the Magen David: Six-Pointed Star. But this Jewish symbol is also considered as the symbol that has a lesser importance. Some people are knowledgeable enough about the history of the Star David or the Shield of David in the Hebrew language. This is associated for a long time with the Jews people and has been graced the several synagogues in every corner of this world.

The Seven Species

The seven species that are being referred in here are the dates, olives, pomegranates, figs, grapes, barley and wheat that are being considered as the species which blessed Israel. Some of these species are being used as the decoration in the synagogues and the several places of the Jewish people. You can also find some of these species in the coins decorated in the coins of the Bar Kochva. The Jewish people are still using all of these species symbols as an exile in their area.

Chai Pendant

After the symbol of the Star of David, the second symbol of the Jewish people is the so-called Chai Pendant. The word Chai is a Hebrew word that has an English meaning of life. There are only two letters that are being used to write this word which is the yud and chet. The yud and chet have different numbers that will give you 18 as its result when the two numbers were combined. This is the reason why the Jewish people love to give some donations, birthday presents, and other several treats.

Olives and Doves

Both the symbolism of olive and dove symbolizes peace because of the scene in the bible that the dove is back in Noah’s ark with a single olive leaf in its peak that will indicate that the God has ended the flood. And the doves and the olives are still the metaphor and symbolism by the Jews since the time of the Bible. God took the opportunity to grab the attention of His Jewish people to tell them that they are the leaves of the olive tree that has a good and fair fruit. One of the explanations of this statement is that Jewish people are just leaves of the olive tree that will not fall off in any season either winter or summer, and there is no chance that the Jews will be cast off, either in this world or the world with God. This is according to the Talmud, Menachot 53b.

High Priest’s Breastplate

You can find the so-called High Priest’s Breastplate in the synagogues, which is usually emroided in the particular curtain that covers the Holy Ark where the parchment scrolls of Torah lives. The choshen or also known as the breastplate is one of the eight garments of the priests that are being worn by the Kohen gadol or the priests with a high position, which serves the Holy Temple. In Israel, there are 12 tribes and each tribe has their corresponding gemstone.

The animals and flags can also be the symbols of the tribes of Israel if the gemstones are not available in their area. You can use this because it also symbolizes the blessings that Jacob gave to his kids before his death. Yes, we all came from several histories with several tribes with different cultures, but still, our nation has remained united.

Maccabee Shield

מכבי, this is a Hebrew word which means Maccabee in English. This word usually found in the harkens of flags or in the banner. In previous years, this Hebrew word is being used by the Jewish people if there are still small tribes of different Jewish people. The tribes of the Jewish people are being called the Maccabees. Through that time, the Maccabee word or the מכבי in the Hebrew language is still symbolizing the powerless and small winnings of the tyrants against their opponents.

One of the classic explanations of the word Maccabee or the Hebrew word מכבי that contains several letters of the initials in every verse of the Hebrew Bible or Torah which the Jewish people recited to their God.“Who is like You among the mighty, O G d?”or in Hebrew word as the “Mi kamocha ba’eilim Hashem (מיכמוךבאיליםי׳).” We all know that all the people in this world either with different religions are all weak, but with the presence of our Protector in our lives, all of these struggles will be overcome by us.

Hamsa: the Hand

Hamsa is a Hebrew word which means the hand has the image on the palm that is symmetrical and has an eye at its center. Hamsa is the most popular culture in the different religions including the religion of the Jewish people which is Judaism. Some people are asking the legitimating of this symbol of the Jewish people. Many Jewish people are hanging this Hamsa in their house because they believe that it will protect them from the eyes of the people who have envy and ill feeling to them.

Conclusion

The word evil eye is not referred to as the physical part of a person. This is the feeling of a certain person who thinks negative thoughts to their fellow or their fellow’s family with ill feeling or envy. Hamsa is the thing that the Jewish people believe that can protect them from the harmful eye of the people who possesses an evil eye.