Aiyin Hara (Evil Eye)– concern

Igros Moshe (E H III #26) With regards to an Ayin Hara, one should certainly take it into account, but one shouldn’t be overly concerned, because about these kinds of things the rule is: “One who is not troubled by it, will not be troubled by it” (Pesachim 110b).

Devarim (7:15) And the Lord will take away from you all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you know, upon you; but will lay them upon all those who hate you.

Akeidas Yitzchak (61:1) When G-d gave Moses the second set of tablets containing the Ten Commandments, He commanded Moses to make sure no one would be around to give an "evil eye," when the latter ascended the mountain....The essential damage caused by this evil eye is due to the character deficiency of the viewer who infects everything he sees with his own disease.

Aruch HaShulchan, (Choshen Mishpat 154:6) For most people are particular about others watching their actions, their use of the courtyard and their work, because the evil eye results from the gaze of others - and the Sages said.that it is prohibited for a person to stand by another’s field when its ripe grain is standing; and they also expounded about the verse , "The Lord will ward off from you all sickness," this is the evil...eye - and furthermore, there are many kinds of work and use that require privacy, such that when someone else is watching, one is prevented from doing them.

Avos (2:11) The evil eye, the evil inclination, and hatred of the creations remove a person from the world.

Bava Basra (118a) A person should he on his guard against an evil eye. And this indeed is the purpose of what Joshua said unto them; as it is written, And Joshua said unto them: ‘If thou be a great people, get thee up to the forest’. It is this that he said to them: ‘Go and hide yourselves in the forests so that an evil eye may have no power over you’. They said unto him, ‘We are of the seed of Joseph over whom the evil eye has no power’

Bava Metzia (107b) And the Lord shall take away from thee all sickness. Said Rab: By this, the evil eye is meant. For Rab went up to a cemetery, performed certain charms, and then said: Ninety-nine have died through an evil eye, and one through natural causes.

Berachos (20b) R. Johanan was accustomed to go and sit at the gates of the bathing place. He said: When the daughters of Israel come up from bathing they look at me and they have children as handsome as I am. Said the Rabbis to him: Is not the Master afraid of the evil eye? — He replied: I come from the seed of Joseph, over whom the evil eye has no power, as it is written, Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine above the eye, and R. Abbahu said with regard to this, do not read ‘ale ‘ayin, but ‘ole ‘ayin’. R. Judah son of R. Hanina derived it from this text: And let them multiply like fishes  in the midst of the earth. Just as the fishes  in the sea are covered by water and the evil eye has no power over them, so the evil eye has no power over the seed of Joseph. Or, if you prefer I can say: The evil eye has no power over the eye which refused to feed itself on what did not belong to it.

Berachos (55b) If a man on going into a town is afraid of the Evil Eye, let him take the thumb of his right hand in his left hand and the thumb of his left hand in his right hand, and say: I, so-and-so, am of the seed of Joseph over which the evil eye has no power, as it says: Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a fountain. Do not read ‘ale ‘ayin [by a fountain] but ‘ole ‘ayin [overcoming the evil eye]. R. Jose b. R. Hanina derived it from here: And let them grow into a multitude  in the midst of the earth; just as the fishes in the sea are covered by the waters and the evil eye has no power over them so the evil eye has no power over the seed of Joseph. If he is afraid of his own evil eye, he should look at the side of his left nostril.

Bereishis Rabbah (56:11) Avraham  sent Yitzchok home at night after the Akeidah, for fear of the evil eye. For from the moment that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah ascended unscathed from the fiery furnace they are no more mentioned. Whither then had they gone? R. Jose b. R. Hanina said: They died through an evil eye.

Bereishis Rabbah (91:02) Yaakov told his sons. “do not all enter through one gate”  for fear of the evil eye.

Ibn Ezra (Numbers 12:1)This is similar to the case of a man who calls his beautiful son Cushi so that the evil eye will not harm him.”.

Kav HaYashar (32) According to a tradition I have received from earlier generations, the eleven verses in Scripture that begin with the letter nun and end with the letter nun are efficacious in warding off sorcery and the evil.eye. Save Your people the House of Israel from all forms of sorcery and from all manifestations of the evil eye....And just as You spread Your wings over our ancestors in the desert so that Bilaam’s evil eye would have no dominion over them, so too spread Your wings over us in Your abundant mercy that we should be...concealed with a covering and shield of Your holy names from every manifestation of the evil eye....And when a pregnant woman recites these eleven verses she can rest assured that no evil eye will have dominion over the fetus....Therefore a person should be certain to recite these eleven verses and he will be spared from the evil eye. Amein, so may it be His will.

Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (23:13) A father and his son or a grandfather and his grandson, should not be called one after the other for an aliyah to the Torah for fear of an "evil eye;" even if they profess not to mind.

Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (183:6) It is forbidden to stand at your neighbor's field, to gaze at it at the time the crops are standing , so as not to harm them with an "evil eye."...It is certainly forbidden to gaze at someone in a way that might damage him personally, as a result of an "evil eye."...Even with regard to his business and occupation where there is no cause to fear an "evil eye", if he works in his own house or property, it is forbidden to watch him without his knowledge, 

Or HaChaim (Devarim 28:1)The evil eye does not exercise any influence on hidden places; this is why the Torah emphasised that this blessing will occur in places which are out of reach of the evil eye.

Pesachim (110b) This is the position in general: when one is particular, the demons are particular about him, while when one is not particular, they are not particular about him.

Rabbeinu Bachya (Bamidbar 1:45) There was a need for this blessing as the evil eye exerts its influence on all matters which have undergone counting....This is also why, during the Torah’s report of the six days of creation, the word vayehi is used again and again to act as a counterweight to the power of the evil eye.

Rabbeinu Bachya (Bamidbar 12:1) Rashi, on the other hand, considers that Tzipporah was indeed beautiful but that the term Cushit which implies the opposite was meant to ward off the evil eye, to make sure people would not be jealous. 

Rabbeinu Bachya (Bereishis 15:13) “four hundred years.” The reason for this number in connection with the exile in Egypt is not clear. Not a single one of the commentators gives us any insight into this number. You will find that the number 400 is prominent in matters concerning the “the evil eye.” The numerical value of the words evil eye is 400. We may now understand the words, “you must surely know that your descendants will be strangers”, i.e. the ones who will be born as the result of the two letters hai which will be added to both your and Sarai’s name respectively, and which represent the attribute of Justice, will be subject to the evil eye. As a result of such a development, they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. You will encounter this number again in connection with Efron, whose name equals 400 and who demanded 400 shekel from Avraham before he allowed him to bury Sarah in the cave of Machpelah. What we learn from this is that Efron also represented the “evil eye.” You will also find this in connection with Esau who based his success in life on that of his father Yitzchak who represented the attribute of Justice. He too possessed an evil eye. 

Rabbeinu Bachya (Bereishis 16:5) We learn from this line that Sarai had looked at Hagar with the evil eye and she had aborted her fetus.”

Rabbeinu Bachya (Bereishis 30:38) Do not question how it is possible that the power of the evil eye is so great that it can even interfere with miracles!...We find that the birth of Yaakov’s children was influenced by the power of the evil eye....eye....Our sages in Sotah 36 comment on this that Joshua meant that they should hide in the forests so as not to arouse other people’s evil eye, an area where the evil eye is rampant. This is why the second set of Tablets was given in secret,

Rabbeinu Bachya (Shemos 30:12) This was one of the major reasons the Torah forbade head-counts of people to ensure they would not be exposed to the “evil eye,” As long as the blessings apply to people in a manner which cannot be checked..., the the evil eye, the negative influence brought to bear, does not have a precise target on which to focus....The evil eye can influence only matters which have been measured, weighed or counted.

Rabbeinu Bachya (Shemos 34:3) It is meant to teach you the power of the evil eye. The evil eye is potent even in matters which are being orchestrated by a miracle of G-d. This is why they wound up being broken....The second set never were broken because the evil eye did not have something to focus on.

Rashi (Bamidbar 12:1) THE CUSHITE WOMAN — Because of her beauty-she was called, “the Ethiopian” just as a man calls his handsome son “Moor”, in order that the evil eye should have no power over him .

Zohar (1 68a) A man possessed of an evil eye carries with him the eye of the destroying angel; hence he is called “ destroyer of the world”, and people should be on their guard against him and not come near him, so that they should not be injured by him; it is actually forbidden to come near him in the open. If, therefore, it is necessary to beware of a man with an evil eye, how much more should one beware of the angel of death?

Trump orders India tariff hike to 50% for buying Russian oil

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dxr1g4y7yo

Delhi has previously called Trump's threat to raise tariffs over its purchase of oil from Russia "unjustified and unreasonable".

In an earlier statement, a spokesperson for India's foreign ministry said the US had encouraged India to import Russian gas at the start of the conflict, "for strengthening global energy markets stability".

He said India "began importing from Russia because traditional supplies were diverted to Europe after the outbreak of the conflict".

India has previously criticised the US - its largest trading partner - for introducing the levies, when the US itself is still doing trade with Russia.

Last year, the US traded goods worth an estimated $3.5bn (£2.6bn) with Russia, despite tough sanctions and tariffs.

The Staggering Amount Trump Is Profiting From the Presidency Revealed

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-staggering-amount-donald-trump-is-profiting-from-the-presidency-revealed

Donald Trump has leveraged both terms of his presidency to pocket billions of dollars, according to a bombshell report.

A lengthy investigation from The New Yorker estimates Trump and his family will have enriched themselves by more than $3.4 billion by the end of his second term, much of it from deals, transactions, and investments that almost certainly wouldn’t have happened if he’d never been president.

The haul includes lucrative commercial projects in the Persian Gulf overseen by the Trump Organization, such...

How much is Trump pocketing off the Presidency?

 https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/08/18/the-number

I’d suspected that my estimation of the family’s profiteering from the Presidency would disappoint the haters who saw Trump as a Putin-level kleptocrat. Yet some three and a half billion dollars in Presidential profits—even though my accounting is necessarily approximate—is a dizzying sum. I shared my tally with Gary Kalman, of Transparency International. He said that Trump’s profiteering resembles that of an Arab monarch: he treats his public office as personal property, as an asset that is his to exploit as if he owned it. Kalman said, “One of the differences between a monarchy and a democracy is that the President should not start to view the Presidency as his personal fiefdom.”

What Trump can — and can’t — do in his bid to take over law enforcement in DC

 https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/11/dc-law-enforcement-national-guard-deployment-00502896

President Donald Trump’s attempt to take over law enforcement in Washington, D.C., is once again testing the bounds of his authority to militarize a major U.S. city.

Trump said he’s taking control of the D.C. police. Can he do that?

Yes, with limits. The Home Rule Act gives him the power to use the D.C. police force for “federal purposes” if he determines that there are “special conditions of an emergency nature.”

He can use the D.C. police for up to 48 hours, or for up to 30 days if he sends a special message to the leaders of certain congressional committees.

To use the D.C. police for longer than 30 days, he would need authorization from Congress.

'A sham': Federal judge blasts Trump admin on improper firings of federal workers; orders rehiring

Ex-government officials pen letter blasting Kash Patel's FBI 'purge'

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ex-government-officials-pen-letter-blasting-kash-patels-fbi-purge

A group of former FBI, intelligence, diplomatic and national security officials released a letter blasting FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino for firing several bureau agents, saying they were targeted for not being loyal to President Trump.

"It is not about reform. It is about control. The aim, it seems, is to transform the FBI from a respected, constitutionally grounded investigative service into a personal enforcement arm of a political figure," the letter reads. "We have seen these dynamics abroad—leaders who demand loyalty from security services not to the law, but to themselves. These regimes do not end well."

Donald Trump's Bid To Make Key Data Secret Hit by Major Legal Blow

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-bid-make-key-data-secret-receives-legal-blow-2111584

The D.C. Circuit's decision reaffirms Congress' exclusive constitutional authority over federal spending and its power to require public disclosure of how funds are allocated.

By ordering the Trump administration to restore a congressionally mandated database of apportionment records, the court underscored that only Congress—not the president—can decide whether such information remains public. The panel warned that allowing the executive branch to conceal these records would undermine congressional oversight, weaken the separation of powers and hinder enforcement of laws such as the Impoundment Control Act, which bars presidents from withholding or delaying funds that Congress has approved.

Why Do So Many People Think Trump Is Good?

 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/07/trump-administration-supporters-good/683441/

And then in the 19th and 20th centuries, along came the crew who tried to fill the moral vacuum the Enlightenment created. Nietzsche, for example, said: God is dead. We have killed him. Reason won’t save us. It’s up to heroic autonomous individuals to find meaning through some audacious act of will. We will become our own gods! Several decades later, Lenin, Mao, and Hitler came along, telling the people: You want some meaning in your life? March with me.

How do people make decisions about the right thing to do if they are not embedded in a permanent moral order? They do whatever feels right to them at the moment. MacIntyre called this “emotivism,” the idea that “all moral judgments are nothing but expressions of preference, expressions of attitude or feeling.” Emotivism feels natural within capitalist societies, because capitalism is an economic system built around individual consumer preferences.

If no one can persuade anybody about right and wrong, then there are only two ways to settle our differences: coercion or manipulation. Each of us comes to regard other members of society as simply means to our ends, who can be coerced into believing what we believe. (Welcome to corporate DEI programs.) Alternatively, advertisers, demagogues, and influencers try to manipulate our emotions so we will end up wanting what they want, helping them get what they want. (Welcome to the world of that master manipulator, Donald Trump.)

Along comes Trump, who doesn’t even try to speak the language of morality. When he pardons unrepentant sleazeballs, it doesn’t seem to even occur to him that he is doing something that weakens our shared moral norms. Trump speaks the languages we moderns can understand. The language of preference: I want. The language of power: I have the leverage. The languages of self, of gain, of acquisition. Trump doesn’t subsume himself in a social role. He doesn’t try to live up to the standards of excellence inherent in a social practice. He treats even the presidency itself as a piece of personal property he can use to get what he wants. As the political theorist Yuval Levin has observed, there are a lot of people, and Trump is one of them, who don’t seek to be formed by the institutions they enter. They seek instead to use those institutions as a stage to perform on, to display their wonderful selves.

Ethiopian (Falashas) are Jews?

 Concerning the status of Ethiopians as Jews - there is a teshuva printed in the Igros Moshe which refers to a previous letter on the subject. This other letter was not published in the Igros Moshe but was published in HaPardes (59:1) in 1984. There are clear differences between the two letters and it seems strange that the second letter was not included in the Igros Moshe - especially since it was addressed to Mordechai Tendler who was involved in editiing the Igros Moshe.

Igros Moshe (Y.D. IV #41 page 271) After much investigation it appears that if the Falashas are not given a Jewish education they will deteriorate even more and will refuse to convert and this can possibly cause – G‑d forbid! –intermarriage between Jews and the Falashas. Therefore l’maaseh they should be given a Jewish education and be influenced through this education to convert as they need to do - as I have written to your brother R’ Mordechai Tendler. One should not be concerned by the fact that we are teaching Torah to people whose status as Jews is in doubt. Since it is actually possible that they are Jews and since there is a reason for this education - it would appear there is no prohibition to teach them Torah. But you should not teach them false halachos - an act which itself is prohibited. In other words, don’t tell them that we in fact view them as definitely Jewish. Instead tell them that while in fact there is a doubt about their status as Jews nevertheless we are prepared to educate them in G‑d’s Torah and His mitzvos. Please note that until they are actually converted they are not to be considered as definitely Jewish even in regards to counting them as part of a minyan or to receive an aliya to the Torah. They are not to be shamed or embarrassed but on the other hand they should not be deceived with false flattery. On the other hand l’chumra they are required to keep all the mitzvos because maybe they are in fact genuine Jews.

Pardes (September 1984 vol 59:1) Question Are the Falashas considered Jews? Answer I will repeat what I have said before. It seems that they are presumed to be Jewish however their actual status is difficult to determine and for actual halachic issues it is difficult to rely on this presumption since it is not known whether the Radvaz knew the full facts about them or whether there have been significant changes from his time to modern times. .However according to the actual halacha they are not prohibited because of mamzerus as the Radvaz noted because there are many uncertainties. See what I wrote in the  Igros  where I went into detail regarding the Rabbinic prohibitions of  Shtuki and Asuphi.  Regarding their Jewishness this is questionable and therefore they require true conversion before they are allowed to marry a Jew . However before conversion they need to be saved from conversion to other religions and from danger as is true for all Jews.  It is important to know that even if they are not Jews but since they consider themselves to be Jews and they sacrifice themselves for their Jewishness we are obligated to save them. As I said before they are not to be brought to Israel unless they have been properly converted to avoid the problem of intermarriage. Once they convert they are to be viewed as all other Jews. They are to be assisted in all aspects of their lives both material and spiritual. I am very upset to hear that there are those in Israel who refrain from bringing them close  spiritualy and as a result cause them to be lost from Judaism.  I think that this conduct is because they have dark skin. It is obvious that they need to be brought closer not only because they are perhaps converts and  they are not inferior to other Jews to which there is the command to love converts

Convicted sex offender and former Melbourne headmistress accused of sexual assault in prison

 https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/crime/convicted-sex-offender-and-former-melbourne-headmistress-accused-of-sexual-assault-in-prison/news-story/33049c41b148996eb254989faaafe439

The former headmistress of a Melbourne school who raped her students has allegedly sexually assaulted a much younger woman inside Melbourne’s maximum security women’s prison.

Malka Leifer, 58, previously ruled over the ultra-orthodox Addas Israel School in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick before she was jailed for 15 years for repeated sexual abuse against students in her care.

The convicted predator sexually abused sisters Nicole Meyer, Elly Sapper and Dassi Erlich on campus, in a school office, in her home and on school camps. The dual Israeli-Australian citizen fled to Israel and remained there from 2008 until 2021 before she was extradited to Melbourne to face justice.

Trump Envoy Slammed for 'Damaging Incompetence' Over Putin Talks

 https://www.newsweek.com/steve-witkoff-putin-russia-talks-trump-2111348

According to The Wall Street Journal, Witkoff presented Putin's ceasefire plan to European officials after he met with the Russian leader. Citing anonymous sources, the publication said Moscow was prepared to withdraw from the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in exchange for full control of Donetsk Oblast.

The publication said that the next day, he presented a different claim—that Putin would withdraw and freeze the front line, and that during a third call, he said the Russian leader wanted Ukraine to withdraw from Donetsk in an exchange for a ceasefire.

‘Witkoff Misunderstood Putin’s…’: U.S’ Shocking Blunder Ahead Of High-Stakes Trump-Putin Talks - Incompetent lackey

 https://www.oneindia.com/videos/witkoff-misunderstood-putins-u-s-shocking-blunder-ahead-of-highstakes-trumpputin-talks-4258133.html

Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has come under fire after reportedly misinterpreting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ceasefire terms, according to German outlet BILD. Sources say Putin demanded full control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson while offering only a limited halt to attacks on energy sites and major cities—not a full ceasefire. Witkoff allegedly believed Putin was proposing a withdrawal from Ukrainian territories, a misunderstanding that baffled both European partners and members of Trump’s own team.

Vance: ‘We’re done with the funding of the Ukraine war business’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/5445500-vance-done-funding-ukraine-war-business

Earlier this week, the Kremlin shared a ceasefire deal with the Trump administration, asking for control of Eastern Ukraine in exchange for a halt in hostilities. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky adamantly opposed the deal, stating on the social platform X, “Ukraine is ready for real decisions that can bring peace. Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace.”