Community Magazine February 2003

gift from Hashem, and sharing it with oth- ers. Rav Yochanan wanted the women to benefit from the beauty Hashem gave him, and bring beautiful children into the Jewish nation. The second difficult aspect of the Rabi Yohanan’s practice is the implication that he might be looking at the ladies as they exit the mikveh. This would clearly be improper. However this was not even a consideration in his days as the Rabbi was known to have very long and thick eye- brows which would have to be lifted when he needed to see. It was therefore clear that he was there not to see but to be seen. This brings us to a question asked of Rabi Yohanan by his contemporaries: “With all these ladies looking at you, aren’t you afraid of the Ayin Hara?” He answered, “I don’t have to worry, I come from the tribe of Yosef. Yosef’s tribe is immune to the Ayin Hara.” This invulnerability of Yosef is cited in the Torah when Yaakov calls all the tribes together at the end of his life, he refers to Yosef as “Aleh Ayin”, “above the eye.” Yaakov goes further to bless Yosef that he should be like fish, because they are beneath the water where no one sees them and they are shielded from the evil eye and can therefore multiply abundantly. The final question on Rabi Yohanan is with respect to his position as the presid- ing official of the Rabbinic court, a post that was traditionally held by descendants of Yehuda. Was his claim to be from the seed of Yosef literal, and if not, what can we learn that may help us similarly to pro- tect against the evil eye? The answer from the Mekubalim (Masters of the Kabala) explains that we shouldn’t be amazed at the grandeur of someone else’s wealth or property, because everything is a gift of Hashem. Everything we can fathom is His property. When we consider how miniscule even the richest person’s possessions are in comparison to G-d’s greatness and limit- less capabilities we should be unmoved by even the most extravagant displays of worldly possessions. But if we are impressed, it’s as if we’re giving credit to the man, and taking the credit away from Hashem. It’s as if we detach the blessing from Hashem, and deny that it came from his treasure-stores; at that point the discon- nected object or attribute becomes suscep- tible to the Ayin Hara. How do we recon- nect the blessing to Hashem and protect ourselves? When receiving a compliment, simply attribute it to Hashem. Say, “Hasdei Hashem,” it is a kindness of Hashem, “Baruch Hashem,” or “G-d is good to me.” Just keep in mind that any accomplishment or greatness acquired is a gift from G-d rather than a result of your own skill or acumen—once you think your success comes from your own effort, you leave yourself vulnerable for the Ayin Hara to attack. This is clearly illustrated in Perashat Ekev where the Torah enumerates the blessings that the Jews will receive when they enter the land of Israel. “The land will produce an abundance of fruit, they will eat bread without poverty, the cattle and goats and sheep will increase, and there will be wealth: copper mines in the moun- ADAR I 5763 FEBRUARY 2003 17 s ” xc Our comprehensive evaluations & therapies are performed free of charge, in the privacy and convenience of your home! Approved by the Department of Health and the OMRDD SERVICES PROVIDED: c OT, PT and Speech Therapy c Special Instruction c Nutrition, Vision Therapy, Assistive Technology c Psychological Counseling / Social Work Services / Parent Training c Respite c Unparalleled Service Coordination (small caseloads with personal attention by experienced case coordinators) Serving delayed infants & toddlers, in the Brooklyn / NYC area. J umpstart EARLY INTERVENTION A Division of Women s League Community Residences, Inc. This early intervention program is funded and regulated by the New York State Department of Health, and in New York City, by the New York City Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Alchoholism Services. DC DESIGN 732.901.4784 Sheindel (Jeanne) Warman E X E CU T I V E D I R E C T OR Pinchus Lerner Ph.D. C L I N I CA L S U P E R V I SOR For more information please call 718-853-9700 We don’t have to wear a fish or a hand or paint our ceilings blue. The symbolic items are not necessary. The key is to train ourselves to give all the credit to Hashem