Last year I posted on the “evil eye” (malocchio), drawing not only from my childhood in a Sicilian-American ghetto, but also from recent scholarship on the Fathers — Chrysostom, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Jerome, Eusebius, and Tertullian. Rabbi Ari Kahn offers a study of biblical and rabbinic sources on the same subject.
5 thoughts on “The Evil Eye”
Comments are closed.
I wonder if this Bil’am character had anything to do with inspiring Balor, the Fomorian king of the Isles in the story of the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh? Or is the evil eye just a general Indo-European thing?
“Lugh and Balor of the Piercing Eye met in the battle. An evil eye had Balor. That eye was never opened save only on a battle-field. Four men used to lift up the lid of the eye with a (polished) handle which passed through its lid. If an army looked at that eye, though they were many thousands in number they could not resist a few warriors.”
You ask the big questions! Anybody know?
How do you said the prayer when you do the evil eye with oil? I know it is a prayer that you learn on Christmas eve
What is the prayer that is learn on Christmas eve? I was told it is the only time that you can learn this prayer. I know it starts with St Anthony I was starting to learn this when I was very young. I would love to learn this prayer MY aunt was trying to teach me,
Mary 12/27/08
I’ve never heard of this custom, Mary. Sorry!