Notes on Some Jewish Amulets: Ayin Hara and the Priestly Blessing

Barry Ross

Amulets and talismans against the evil eye have a long history in the Mediterranean basin. In Judaism they most often take the form of an apotropaic hand on which are inscribed one or more Biblical verses. While remedies against the evil eye are commonly perceived as curses in themselves, these verses characteristically are verses of blessing, not of cursing. Numbers 6:24-24, the Priestly Blessing, is included among those commonly found on amulets. This inclusion suggests a relationship between certain apotropaic amulets and the Priestly Blessing at the close of the synagogue service. This relationship points to a unity of cursing and blessing, wherein the act of blessing has the power to ward off a possible curse. This association has found its way back into the synagogue service, where the power of the blessing is acknowledged both by the Kohan's act of hiding his hands and the congregation's act of averting their eyes during the blessing.

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