Prayer against the evil eye — a text attributed to the Chida

A prayer against the evil eye traditionally attributed to the Chida. Different texts and customs appear in books and communities. Its recitation is prayer and a plea for mercy, not a determination that a particular person has been affected by the evil eye or harmed by someone else.

In place of the abbreviation for ‘[name], child of [name],’ say the person’s name and their mother’s name according to the worshippers’ custom. One may pray with understanding of the words without engaging in intentions unfamiliar to the reader.

Text of the prayer

As for me, my prayer is to You, LORD, at a favorable time; God, in Your abundant kindness, answer me with the truth of Your salvation. In Your abundant kindness I shall enter Your house and bow toward Your holy sanctuary in reverence for You. Joseph is a fruitful son, a fruitful son beside a spring; branches climb over a wall.

Master of the universe, by the power of the sacred names arising from the initial and middle letters of these verses, remove the evil eye from [name], child of [mother’s name], and quickly send him (her) complete healing from heaven. Amen, selah, forever and ever. May it be accepted as though I had held all the intentions held by Rav Huna, peace be upon him.

I adjure you, every kind of evil eye: black eye, burning eye, blue eye, green eye, long eye, short eye, wide eye, narrow eye, straight eye, crooked eye, round eye, sunken eye, protruding eye, seeing eye, gazing eye, piercing eye, drawing eye; the eye of a man, of a woman, of husband and wife, of a woman and her daughter, of a woman and her female relative; the eye of a young man, an old man, an old woman, a virgin, a woman who has known a man, a widow, a married woman, a divorced woman; and every kind of evil eye in the world that saw, looked or spoke with an evil eye concerning [name], child of [mother’s name].

I decree and adjure you by that supreme eye, the holy eye, the keen eye, the white eye, the eye that is white within white, that encompasses all whiteness; the eye entirely of the right side, the open eye of constant watchfulness; the eye entirely of mercy, mercy within mercy, encompassing all mercy; the eye without brows, that neither slumbers nor sleeps. Before that eye all evil eyes are subdued and hidden in rocky clefts. It is the eye that guards Israel, as it is written: ‘Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps’; and: ‘Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear Him, upon those who await His kindness.’ By that supreme eye I command and adjure you, every kind of evil eye, to depart, flee and escape from [name, child of mother’s name]. May you have no power over this person, by day or night, awake or dreaming; over none of his 248 limbs or 365 sinews (for a woman: over none of her limbs or sinews), nor his hair or nails (for a woman: her hair or nails), now and forever. Amen, eternally, selah and forever. ‘You are a hiding place for me; You preserve me from distress; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.’ [The same verse, with its word order reversed:] ‘Selah, surround me, deliverance, songs of, preserve me, from distress, for me, hiding place, You.’ ‘Joseph is a fruitful son, a fruitful son by a spring; branches climb over a wall.’ [The same verse, with its word order reversed:] ‘Wall, over, climb, branches, spring, by, fruitful, son, Joseph, fruitful, son.’

After this text, some customarily read Psalm 91, which begins ‘Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High.’