Comment: You once said that praising someone for the work he has done in spiritual development is bad for a person because he advances not on his fuel but on the fuel of others.

My Response: It depends on what he is praised for and how. But it really can stop a person. There is the concept of a jinx. In Hebrew, this is called an evil eye.

If a lot of people think badly of you, then, of course, nothing good comes out of it. At some level, this affects a person because we are all connected.

There are a great number of forces in the world with a hierarchy and purposefulness. If I have to go forward, lead others, or do something, then in doing so I call some negative opinions upon myself. It all depends on what I do.

There is no single force at work here, but a whole system. My teacher Rabash emphasized this and said that one should be afraid of the evil eye, i.e., others’ bad opinion when people talk and think badly about you. You have to try to avoid it because it harms you.

The main thing is not to cause feelings of envy. It is not good. Therefore, when they scold me and say: “And who are you after all?” and so on, I am content.

Comment: But in Kabbalah, on the contrary, envy advances a person.

My Response: If you are envious of something good in a person and you want to be like him, then such envy advances you. But when you are envious and want him to fall below you so he does not have what you envy, this is bad envy. That is why it is called the evil eye, not the good one.
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From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Protection from the Evil Eye” 7/21/11

Related Material:
How To Protect Yourself From The Evil Eye
The Evil Eye Is The Power Of Thought
The Masach Is The Power Of Thought

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