Jewish Warnings from Our Grandmothers, or Balaam’s Evil Eye Technique Today

Jewish Warnings from Our Grandmothers, or Balaam’s Evil Eye Technique Today

Many people recall in conversation how their mothers and grandmothers warned them to be especially cautious around people who excessively praise or admire them. Even without “Psychological Aikido,” it is clear that such flattery will eventually have consequences. The Zohar HaKadosh says that when Balaam realized he could not harm Israel through sorcery and witchcraft, he decided to cast an evil eye upon them: “And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel.” (Bamidbar 24:2) He did this in order to look upon them with an evil eye. See how the Almighty always precedes a blow with a remedy. It is written: “And the spirit of G-d appeared over him” — “over him,” that is, over Israel: Kadosh Baruch Hu spread this spirit over Israel, like a person covering a child’s head with a cloth so that the evil eye would not have power over him. Then he (Balaam) began his speech and said: “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob.” (Bamidbar 24:2) There is a recognizable sign of a person from whom the evil eye emanates: he shows honor and lavishly praises others, intending to curse them with the evil eye. He says: “How good he is, how pleasant he is,” all in order to establish the power of the evil eye. It was the same here. For this purpose Balaam began praising them and said: — “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob” — how pleasant they are, how beautiful. How beautiful are the plantings that spring from them: they are like the pleasant plantings that Kadosh Baruch Hu planted in Gan Eden. It would be good if these plantings were found in these dwellings. — “Water shall flow from his buckets...” (Bamidbar 24:7) It is told of a man with beautiful hands—their appearance was striking. Someone with an evil eye passed by him, looked at his hands, took the man by the hands, and began expressing admiration for them. He said: How beautiful they are, how pleasant! Look at these fingers—they seem to have been shaped according to the patterns of the highest beauty! Then he said: It would be good if these hands were beside precious stones, in costly purple garments. And if they were hidden in his own house (the house of the man with the evil eye), in his jewel box, so that he could use them. So too Balaam began praising them: “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel”... (Zohar on Balak, translated by Rabbi Tzvi Nisanzon) In our days, Balaam’s technique is still used and works at full force, and many of us have already experienced it firsthand. The only thing left to do is react immediately—or, better yet, not let such flatterers come close to us.