Rituals for Favorable Dream Manifestation and Protection from the Evil Eye (Berakhot 55b)

Appendix - Timing the Disclosure of Illness to the Public: Balancing Avoiding Bad Luck and Harnessing Public Sympathy and Schadenfreude

Ameimar, Mar Zutra, and Rav Ashi (all three fl. early 5th century CE in Babylonia) were once sitting together. They proposed: “Let each of us share a teaching that the others have not heard before.”¹

Each one then covered a different topic:

1. A prayer for a dream to have a favorable manifestation

2. An incantation for protection from the evil eye

3. When to publicly reveal an illness

Each of the three expositions starts with the formula:

פתח חד מינייהו ואמר:

One of them “opened” and said:²

Outline

1. Intro: “Let each and every one of us say something that the other has not heard”

2. A Prayer for a Dream to Manifest Favorably

   1. Part 1: stand before the priests when they lift their hands during the Priestly Blessing

   2. Part 2: The First part of the Prayer

   3. Part 3: The Second part of the Prayer - Six Biblical References

   4. Part 4: Alternative Method: Prayer for peace

3. Protection from the Evil Eye

   1. Part 1: Clasp Thumbs and Statement

   2. Part 2: If one fears their own evil eye affecting others

Appendix - Timing the Disclosure of Illness to the Public: Balancing Avoiding Bad Luck and Harnessing Public Sympathy and Schadenfreude

The Passage

Berakhot.55b.11-12

Intro: “Let each and every one of us say something that the other has not heard”

1. אמימר,

2. ומר זוטרא,

3. ורב אשי

הוו יתבי בהדי הדדי.

אמרי:

כל חד וחד מינן לימא מלתא

דלא שמיע ליה לחבריה.

The Gemara relates:

1. Ameimar

2. and Mar Zutra

3. and Rav Ashi

were sitting together.

They said:

Let each and every one of us say something

that the other has not heard.

A Prayer for a Dream to Manifest Favorably

Part 1: stand before the priests when they lift their hands during the Priestly Blessing

If someone dreams but doesn’t know if it’s good or not, they should stand before the priests during the Priestly Blessing³ and recite a specific prayer.

פתח חד מינייהו ואמר:

האי מאן דחזא חלמא, ולא ידע מאי חזא,

ליקום קמי כהני, בעידנא דפרסי ידייהו

ולימא הכי:

One of them began and said:

One who saw a dream and does not know what he saw

should stand before the priests when they lift their hands during the Priestly Blessing

and say the following:

Part 2: The First part of the Prayer

The prayer⁴ expresses surrender to God, acknowledging that both the dreamer (אני) and their dreams (חלומותי) belong to the Divine.

The speaker is uncertain about the nature of their dream—whether it was personal, dreamt by others about them, or about someone else.

״רבונו של עולם!

אני שלך, וחלומותי שלך,

חלום חלמתי, ואיני יודע מה הוא.

1. בין שחלמתי אני לעצמי

2. ובין שחלמו לי חבירי

3. ובין שחלמתי על אחרים,

Master of the Universe!

I am Yours and my dreams are Yours,

I dreamed a dream and I do not know what it is.

1. Whether I have dreamed of myself,

2. whether my friends have dreamed of me

3. or whether I have dreamed of others,

Part 3: The Second part of the Prayer - Six Biblical References

The prayer now references biblical examples of healing and transformation:

If the dreams are good, strengthen and reinforce them like Joseph’s dreams (Genesis 37:5-11)

If the dreams require healing, heal them:

• Like Moses sweetening the bitter waters (מי מרה - Exodus 15:23-25)

• Like Miriam’s recovery from tzara'at (skin disease; Numbers 12:10-15)⁵

• Like Hezekiah’s recovery from his illness (2 Kings 20:1-7; Isaiah 38:1-8)

• Like the bitter waters of Jericho purified by Elisha (2 Kings 2:19-22)

Transform any negative dreams into blessings, just as God turned Balaam's curses into blessings (Numbers 23:7-12, 23:18-24, 24:1-9).⁶

Conclude the prayer together with the priests (so the congregation responds "Amen" to both the priestly blessing and the individual's request).

אם טובים הם —

חזקם ואמצם כחלומותיו של יוסף.

ואם צריכים רפואה —

רפאם

1. כמי מרה על ידי משה רבינו,

2. וכמרים מצרעתה,

3. וכחזקיה מחליו,

4. וכמי יריחו על ידי אלישע.

וכשם שהפכת קללת בלעם הרשע לברכה,

כן הפוך כל חלומותי עלי לטובה״.

ומסיים בהדי כהני דעני צבורא ״אמן״.

if the dreams are good —

strengthen them and reinforce them like the dreams of Joseph.

And if the dreams require healing —

heal them

1. like the bitter waters of Mara by Moses our teacher,

2. and like Miriam from her leprosy,

3. and like Hezekiah from his illness,

4. and like the bitter waters of Jericho by Elisha.

And just as You transformed the curse of Balaam the wicked into a blessing,

so transform all of my dreams for me for the best.

And he should complete his prayer together with the priests so the congregation responds amen both to the blessing of the priests and to his individual request.

Part 4: Alternative Method: Prayer for peace

An alternative method is to say the following prayer:⁷

The prayer addresses God as the “Powerful”⁸ and “Who dwells in power (גבורה)”. His very essence and name embody peace.⁹

It concludes with a request for God to grant peace to the petitioner

ואי לא,

לימא הכי:

״אדיר במרום, שוכן בגבורה,

אתה שלום, ושמך שלום.

יהי רצון מלפניך, שתשים עלינו שלום״.

And if he is not able to recite this entire formula,

he should say:

Majestic One on high, Who dwells in power,

You are peace and Your name is peace.

May it be Your will that You bestow upon us peace.

Protection from the Evil Eye

Part 1: Clasp Thumbs and Statement

The Talmud provides a ritual for one who’s afraid (דחיל) of the evil eye (עינא בישא) when entering a city:

One should clasp the thumb (זקפא) of their right hand in their left hand, and vice versa,¹⁰ and recite the following incantation:

"I, [placeholder name] (פלוני) son of [father’s name], am a descendant (מזרעא) of the biblical Joseph, over whom the evil eye has no power (שלטא)".¹¹

פתח אידך ואמר:

האי מאן דעייל למתא, ודחיל מעינא בישא,

לנקוט זקפא דידא דימיניה בידא דשמאליה

וזקפא דידא דשמאליה בידא דימיניה,

ולימא הכי:

אנא, פלוני בר פלוני, מזרעא דיוסף קאתינא,

דלא שלטא ביה עינא בישא

[...]

Another began and said:

One who enters a city and fears the evil eye

should hold the thumb [zekafa] of his right hand in his left hand

and the thumb of his left hand in his right hand

and recite the following:

I, so-and-so son of so-and-so, come from the descendants of Joseph,

over whom the evil eye has no dominion

[...]

Part 2: If one fears their own evil eye affecting others

If one fears their own evil eye affecting others, they should gaze at the side (טרפא) of their left nostril (נחיריה).

ואי דחיל מעינא בישא דיליה --

ליחזי אטרפא דנחיריה דשמאליה.

And if he is concerned about his own evil eye, lest it damage others,

he should look at the side of his left nostril.

Appendix - Timing the Disclosure of Illness to the Public: Balancing Avoiding Bad Luck and Harnessing Public Sympathy and Schadenfreude

Berakhot.55b.13

A sick¹² person should not disclose their illness on the first day to avoid bad luck (לתרע מזליה) but should reveal it after the first day.

Rava exemplified this, instructing his servant (שמעיה) to announce his illness publicly after the first day.

He explained that publicizing his illness would prompt his supporters¹³ to pray for him¹⁴ and his opponents to rejoice (לחדי). His opponents’ schadenfreude would aid him, as it would invoke divine displeasure—based on the verse in Proverbs 24:17–18 (בנפל אויבך אל תשמח)—thus aiding his recovery.

פתח אידך ואמר:

האי מאן דחליש,

יומא קמא לא לגלי,

כי היכי דלא לתרע מזליה,

מכאן ואילך — לגלי.

כי הא דרבא, כי הוה חליש,

יומא קמא, לא מגלי,

מכאן ואילך, אמר ליה לשמעיה:

פוק אכריז:

״רבא חלש״.

מאן דרחים לי — לבעי עלי רחמי,

ומאן דסני לי — לחדי לי.

וכתיב:

״בנפל אויבך אל תשמח

ובכשלו אל יגל לבך

פן יראה ה׳ ורע בעיניו

והשיב מעליו אפו״.

Another began and said:

One who is sick

should not reveal it on the first day of his illness

so that his luck should not suffer;

from there on he may reveal it.

Like that which Rava does when he falls ill;

on the first day he does not reveal it,

from there on he says to his servant:

Go out and announce:

Rava is sick.

Those who love me will pray that God have mercy on me

and those who hate me will rejoice over my distress.

And it is written:

“Rejoice not when your enemy falls,

and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles;

lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him,

and He turn away His wrath from him” (Proverbs 24:17–18).

The joy of my enemy over my distress will also assist my healing.

1. A similar exchange occurs in another discussion about a town in Egypt, where three individuals each recount a story about it, as I mentioned in a previous piece.

2. On this formulaic term “opened” for beginning a lecture, see my recent piece.

3. בעידנא דפרסי ידייהו - literally: “at the time that they spread their hands”. See Jastrow, sense #3.

4. This prayer later became known as (תפילת הטבת חלום), see Hebrew Wikipedia, תפילת הטבת חלום. See also other parts of this sugya, which I plan to discuss separately.

5. See also Wikipedia “Tzaraath” section “Stories involving tzaraat”, item #2.

6. In Balaam’s curses transforming into blessings, see my previous piece.

7. ואי לא, לימא הכי - Literally: “And if not, he should say”. This is the talmudic stock formula for introducing an alternative method, see for example, its standard usage in my series on talmudic medicine.

8. אדיר במרום - “Adir (אדיר - mighty, powerful) on high“.

On the adjective adir for God, see my recent piece here, section “Appendix - The Nine Sacred Names of God That Must Not Be Erased and the Ten Divine Descriptives Permitted to Erase (Shevuot 35a)“, and my footnote there.

The phrase “Adir on high” to describe God is biblical. See my piece “Four Riddle-like Aggadic Statements and Their Interpretations By R’ Ezra, Grandson of R’ Eutolus (Menachot 53a-b)“

כיון דשמעיה דקאמר "אדיר",

פתח ואמר

1. "יבא אדיר,

2. ויפרע לאדירים

3. מאדירים

4. באדירים"

[...]

When [R’ Ezra] heard [R’ Perida] say the word: Excellent [addir],

he too “opened” (פתח - E.B. the formulaic term for starting a homily, as mentioned in a previous footnote) a homily, one that plays with different forms of this term, and said:

1. Let the Addir come

2. and exact punishment for the addirim

3. from the addirim

4. in the addirim.

[...]

The Talmud explains that each of the four parts of this riddle is based on a biblical allusion, as follows, Menachot.53a.18:

1. יבא אדיר —

   1. זה הקדוש ברוך הוא

   2. דכתיב (תהלים צג, ד): “אדיר במרום ה'“

2. ויפרע לאדירים —

   1. אלו ישראל

   2. שנאמר: “ואדירי כל חפצי בם”

3. מאדירים —

   1. אלו המצרים

   2. דכתיב (שמות טו, י): “צללו כעופרת במים אדירים”

4. באדירים —

   1. אלו מים

   2. שנא' (תהלים צג, ד): “מקולות מים רבים, אדירים משברי ים”

1. “Let the Addir come” —

   1. this is the Holy One, Blessed be He,

   2. as it is written: “YHWH on high (במרום) is mighty [addir]” (Psalms 93:4).

2. In the phrase: “And exact punishment for the addirim” —

   1. these addirim are the Jews,

   2. as it is stated: “The excellent [ve’addirei] in whom is all My delight” (Psalms 16:3).

3. In the phrase: “From the addirim” —

   1. these addirim are the Egyptians,

   2. as it is written with regard to the splitting of the Red Sea: “The mighty [addirim] sank as lead in the waters” (Exodus 15:10).

4. In the phrase: “In the addirim” —

   1. these addirim are the waters,

   2. as it is stated: “Above the voices of many waters, the mighty [addirim] breakers of the sea” (Psalms 93:4).

9. שלום. See Wikipedia, “Shalom”, section “Name for God“:

The Talmud says, "the name of God is 'Peace'", therefore, one is not permitted to greet another with the word 'shalom' in places such as a bathroom.

See Shabbat.10b.2:

אין שם שאילת שלום.

מסייע ליה לרב המנונא, משמיה דעולא, דאמר:

אסור לאדם שיתן שלום לחבירו בבית המרחץ,

משום שנאמר: ״ויקרא לו ה׳ שלום״.

It was taught in the Tosefta: There is no greeting [shalom] others permitted in the bathhouse.

The Gemara comments that this statement supports the opinion of Rav Hamnuna in the name of Ulla, who said:

It is forbidden for a person to greet [shalom] his friend in the bathhouse (בית המרחץ) because Shalom is one of the names of God,

as it is stated: “And Gideon built there an altar for God and he called Him YHWH Shalom” (Judges 6:24).

Therefore, it is prohibited to utter the word shalom in a dishonorable place.

10. See the same talmudic ritual action in a previous piece of mine.

11. The Talmud then gives two possible biblical sources for the idea that the evil eye doesn't have power over Joseph; I elide that part.

12. חליש - literally: “weak”.

13. מאן דרחים לי - literally: “one who loves me”.

14. See a similar talmudic idea in a previous piece of mine; a talmudic rabbi giving advice to a sick woman.