“Bilaam raised his eyes …” (Bamidbar 24:2)
Hired by Balak to curse the Jews but ultimately unsuccessful, Bilaam now wanted to cast the Evil Eye on the Jewish Nation, expounds Rashi.
The Talmud (Bava Metzia 107a) states that it is prohibited for one to stand by another’s field when the produce is ready for harvest, as he could harm the produce with the Evil Eye (Eiyin Hara); nor one should buy land near a town, as it may be harmed by the people of the town watching it. This is codified in the Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat.
It is told that when Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, the Rav of Slutsk and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Eitz Chaim, would conclude his shiur each day, he would go home through Machane Yehuda in Yerushalayim. At one point, people noted that he had changed his routine and was now walking a different route. When the children of Yerushalayim asked Rav Isser Zalman why he had made this change, he refused to answer.
His disciples, however, realized that there must be some Torah basis for this deviation in his path, and they continued to question his decision. Rav Isser Zalman finally explained that when he had last passed through the marketplace, he had noticed the abundance of summer fruits on the shelves – watermelons, peaches, plums, all beautifully ripe. Recalling the counsel in Bava Metzia to refrain from the possibility of affecting an eiyin hara, he decided to take a different path home.
There are many other halachos in Shulchan Aruch concerning the Evil Eye. We do not count people for a minyan, for example; and two brothers, or a son and a father, should not be called up consecutively to the Torah for an aliyah. Nor, says the Ibn HaEzer, should the bracha for a chassan be shared with other chassanim. Similarly, when a person is given a compliment, he should say “bli eiyin hara” or “kein eiyin hara,” and he should avoid talking about his own family and praising them. There are various references in the sefarim regarding situations one should shun to avoid the possibility of incurring the Evil Eye.
The Torah outlook is that one should be modest and eschew conspicuous consumption. Over the centuries, when antisemitism reared its ugly head, others would often accuse the Jews of controlling the flow of money in the world or having more wealth than any other group. The Talmud (Chagiga 9b) says: “Poverty is good for the Jewish people like a red bridle on a white horse,” i.e., when the focus of nations of the world is drawn to the poverty of the Jewish People their resentment and envy is deflected and they leave us alone. (The Minhag Yisroel, in commenting on Yoreh Dei’ah, notes parenthetically that the color red has the power to ward off the Evil Eye.) In light of the pasuk in Devarim that says “and Hashem will bless you in all that you do” (15:18), the Mesikus HaTorah cites the Tzaddik of Rudnik’s explanation that just as a horse does not wear its best while it remains in the barn and is only dressed up when it is presented to the public, the Jewish Nation should present as unpretentious and simple when in the public eye, and be discreet with their abundance and riches at home.
The sefer Chashukei Chemed cites an interesting question presented to HaGaon Rav Chaim Kanievsky: Should he publicize a miracle which he experienced?
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 93a) asks why there is no further mention of Chananya Mishoel and Azaryah after they were saved from the fiery furnace, and explains that they died as a result of the Evil Eye of others who were jealous that they had been saved. Similarly, the Daas Zekeinim says there is no mention that Yitzchak returned from the site of the akeida with Avraham Avinu because he was sent away during the night to avoid the Evil Eye. The Shefa Chaim also observes that the children of Yosef had long lives because they were not affected by the Evil Eye.
Additionally, our sages comment that when the luchos were given to the Jewish Nation the first time amid great fanfare, they were eventually shattered. It was only the second time, when the luchos were given quietly, that they remained intact.
For all these reasons we see that when someone experiences a supernatural miracle, it is better not to publicize the incident.
It is commendable, however, writes the Chayei Adam, to make a seudas mitzvah when one has recovered from a serious illness, when one is released from captivity, or when one returns from a dangerous journey, as a pasuk in Tehillim says: “I will thank Hashem exceedingly with my mouth, and I will praise Him among many people” (109:30).
