In this 2008 post I discussed ayin horah ladies; women who claim to be able to remove the “evil eye” that could be holding you back from a happy life. For a small fee of course. I believe that such things are hocus pocus – not necessarily the evil eye part, which I see as negative energy, but profiting off the misery of others by claiming to reverse their evil mojo.
Ayin horah is an interesting subject. It means that even our thoughts can have power in the physical world. A rabbi once told me a story about a frum man who was afflicted by the evil eye. He was a very wealthy man and decided to build a huge and extravagant home on a street otherwise populated by modest abodes. A woman walked by as the workers buzzed about their business. Looking at the construction site, she asked one of the men who could possibly afford to build such a big home. It stood out like a sore thumb among all the smaller dwellings in the neighborhood. The worker pointed to the owner standing on the porch. The woman looked over at the owner through narrowed eyes, spat on the ground, threw her cape over her shoulder and flounced off – never to be seen again (well, I’m imagining the part about the spitting, the cape, and the flouncing off, but it paints the picture).
Anyway, the end result was that shortly after that incident, the man came down with a serious brain tumor. The rabbi who relayed this story insisted that this jealous stranger had given him an ayin horah. Why else would a healthy man in the prime of his life suddenly be stricken with such misfortune? Our thoughts have power. This was relayed to me as an admonition to always live a humble and modest life. Showing off and being flashy leads to ayin horah and misery.
If our thoughts can have concrete consequences, it stands to reason that we are judged for them in the same way we are judged for our actions. As such, we might be punished for evil thoughts we have toward others, even if we have no intention of acting upon those thoughts. Apparently, the bad mojo created in our psyche is enough to make bad things happen to someone else. Of course, our victims have to be susceptible to having bad things happen to them in the first place. That’s how it was explained to me – ayin horahs can’t hurt you if you don’t deserve them. However, if you are due for a divine smack down, you will be left vulnerable to the negative energy of others.
Ayin Horah Ladies
My in-laws were recently in Israel, and they told me about a woman they had visited, who claims to be able to detect and remove ayin horahs on a person.
They went with relatives who regularly visit this woman. When they arrived, the woman took them one by one and said a tefilah followed by a bracha with their name. She then poured a hot pot of lead into a pot of water over their heads. As the hot lead cools with the cold water it starts forming pictures. By interpreting the pictures, she can tell you what kinds of ayin horahs you have hanging over your head and advise you on how to eliminate them.
Apparently first time visitors, like my in-laws, have a slew of ayin horahs that would require multiple return visits to correct. Regular customers, like our Israeli relatives, have hardly any ayin horahs to fix. Basically, as long as you regularly visit this woman, you can remain virtually ayin horah free. ETA – My mother-in-law told me that this woman does not charge a fee. She pours the lead and it breaks up into a series of crevices that look like eyes. If she sees this – she says a tefillah and repeats the process until the surface of the lead is smoother. Apparently this indicates that the ayin horahs have been removed.
On a related note, many years ago I was visiting a friend out of state. She wanted me to meet an amazing frum woman she had befriended. This woman was well known in the community for communicating with the dead. People who wanted to get in touch with loved ones who had passed on could make an appointment with her. To my knowledge, she did not charge for her services. Apparently, her rabbi had sanctioned her “gift” as being kosher, because she did not use her ability to for any other purpose other than to pass along a howdy do from the great beyond.
Being game for a new experience, at my friend’s urging I asked the woman about my grandmother. She told me some standard things that you might hear from television mediums. Nothing that would specifically identify my grandmother. I thanked her for her time, and was polite, but I think she could tell I was a nonbeliever.
How does this fit in with the concept of “Tamim Tihyeh.” Do not look into astrology (I am taking liberties with the term astrology to include a general mysticism) – you are above it. The Ramban adds, although the Torah prohibits us to approach astrologers and inquire regarding our Mazal, if they happen to inform us and warn us to be aware of a certain bad Mazal, we must heed their warning and not rely on a miracle.
Have any of you had experience with people who claim to have special mystical powers in the frum world? I am not including going to rabbis for a bracha, but experiences similar to what I have described. Have you ever paid for such services? Are you a believer?
