What is ayin hara and what causes ayin hara, and how does/can it happen? What should a person do if he’s afraid that ayin hara will come to him?
Answer:
A human being is a powerful creature, and one of his powers is the power of the eye. This is a spiritual power, and it means that when a person looks at something he is able to influence it positively or negatively. Ayin hara refers to the negative influence that a person can have on something by looking at it in a negative way. The Gemara thus teaches that a person should not look at others’ property (the Gemara discusses produce–Bava Metzia 107a) in a negative way, because this can have an adverse effect on the property.
For avoiding ayin hara, a person should not flault his riches (of whatever type he possesses), so that he won’t be seen by others in an envious or negative way. In addition, being popular and well-liked helps, for people usually look at friends positively, and not negatively.
In general, one should not worry too much about ayin hara (as the Rambam advises). We have to live our lives “normally” and try to do the right thing at the right time, and such metaphysical powers as ayin hara can be left, on the whole, to the Divine supervision that guides and protects us.
