Segulos Against Ayin Hara The Evil Eye Related To Yosef Hatzadik
The pasuk in parashas VaYechi says:
בֵּ ן פֹּ רָ ת יוֹסֵ ף בֵּ ן פֹּ רָ ת ﬠֲ לֵ י־ﬠָ יִ ן בָּ נוֹת צָ ﬠֲ דָ ה ﬠֲ לֵ י־וּשׁר
The literal translation of the pasuk is something like “Yosef is a fertile vine or bough, a fruitful vine or bough by a spring, Its branches run over a wall.” Based on Rashi the translation should be more like: A charming or graceful son is Yosef, a son charming to the eye; the women or girls, strode along to see him and gaze upon him." Or "A son of grace is Yosef, he is a charming child, a beautiful child by the spring —the girls mounted the wall or stepped onto the rocks (to gaze at him)." (Bereishis 49:22)
Rashi (ad. loc. s.v. Shur): "They [the Rabbis] interpreted it (ﬠִ לֵ י וּשׁר) further as referring to the idea that the evil eye should have no influence over his [Yosef's] descendants. Also, when he [Yaakov] blessed Menasheh and Efraim, he blessed them [that they should be] like fish, over which the evil eye has no influence or sway."
Based on our pasuk the Talmud Bavli teaches us that:
Someone who enters a city and fears the evil eye should hold the thumb of his right hand in his left hand and the thumb of his left hand in his right hand and recite: I, [insert Hebrew name son of Father's Hebrew name], descend from Yosef, over who the evil eye has no control or sway, as it is says: “Yosef is a fruitful vine (Ben poras Yosef), a fruitful vine by the spring (alei ayin); its branches run over the wall.” (Bereishis 49:22) Do not read these words as alei ayin (by the spring); but rather, read it instead as olei ayin (who rises above the eye) — then the evil eye has no control or sway over him.
Rabbi Yosei, the son of Rabbi Chanina, said: Derive it from here instead, from what is stated regarding Yaakov’s berachah given to Yosef’s sons: “May they multiply like fish into a vast number in the midst the land” (Bereishis 48:16) Just like fish in the sea are concealed and covered up by water and therefore evil eye has no control over them since they cannot be seen, so too, the evil eye has no control over the offspring of Yosef either.
Now, if he is concerned that his own evil eye, should not harm anyone else, then he should look at the side of his left nostril.
And if you wish, say instead: Yosef’s eye, which did not seek to feast on that which was not his, Potiphar’s wife, the evil eye has no dominion over him. (Gemara Berachos 20a, Berachos 55b)
