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The Eyes:
- Seeing the face of the Tzaddik has the power to lift a person from depression
and lethargy and free him of his evil impulses and all their ramifications
(4:8).
- The sexual appetite depends on the eyes. The tzitzit are `eyes.' The mitzvah
of tzitzit is a protection and a remedy against immoral impulses (7:4).
- Falsehood harms the eyes physically and spiritually (51).
- Be careful not to look at people with an evil eye. The evil eye brings
death to the heart of the one who has it. There are several different kinds
of evil eye. Some people are filled with envy when they see the success of
others. Or there may be different reasons for looking at people with an evil
eye. You should be on your guard against this. You must also pray earnestly
to God to protect you from being harmed by the evil eye of others. If a person
feels he lacks the strength to stand up to the evil eye without being harmed,
he must run away in order to escape (54:4).
- The evil eye is the source of forgetfulness: it impairs the memory and
causes one to forget one's purpose in this world, namely to acquire the World
to Come. He should remember his purpose every day of his life, and fix all
his thoughts on the World to Come, both as a general concept and in relation
to all the particular details of his life. But the evil eye kills the heart
and it can no longer be directed to the World to Come (Ibid.).
- One with an evil eye will not have a son to survive him after his death
(Ibid.).
- You must also guard your eyes against illusions. Their source is in the
image-making faculty, which gives rise to fantasy and imagination. Someone
with a good eye must also guard against illusions. Even people with excellent
vision can make mistakes when they look from a distance and things appear
the opposite of what they really are. This is as true of the mind's eye as
it is of the physical eye. For example someone may have the impression that
his friend is not being honest or is behaving badly towards him. He may feel
resentful in consequence and this can lead to friction. He may think that
he has the highest of motives for taking issue
with his friend. But the truth is that it all stems from an illusory impression.
He has been led astray by his imagination, which has caused him to believe
things about his friend that were fabricated and untrue. There are many other
ways in which the eyes and the mind can veer from the truth because of mistaken
impressions. The imagemaking faculty has the power to deceive even those
who have a good eye. You must be extremely careful to avoid mistakes like
this. The way to do so is by being careful not to speak badly of other people
or even to listen to somebody else's malicious talk. Lashon hara, malicious
gossip, gives strength to the image-making faculty and the power of illusion,
and it damages the power of memory -- the power to remember at all times
that this world only has meaning in terms of the World to Come (Ibid 5).
- It is good to judge even the wicked in the scale of merit. This is the
way to be saved from the evil eye of the wicked. The reason why at times
the wicked go unpunished and God raises His judgements far above them is
purely for the benefit of the Tzaddik. God Himself judges the wicked in the
scale of merit in order to save the Tzaddik from the evil eye of the wicked
(55:3).
- When a person sees the face of the true Tzaddik he can examine himself
and see what progress he is making in the various aspects of his character.
Then he can repent for all the shortcomings he finds (II, 67).
- Merely to see the true Tzaddik is in itself a great thing. Admittedly
it is even better to hear Torah from his lips. But even just to see him is
also very good. When a person sees the Tzaddik and looks at himself in contrast,
it brings radiance to his mind and understanding, and through this he can
receive greatness and attain new horizons in Torah, each individual in accordance
with the power of his mind. He will achieve true modesty and humility and
return to God. This is the enduring life of the World to Come (Ibid. 72).
- Merely to see the face of the Tzaddik can help one change for the better
and attain holiness (75).
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