What
Is
the
“Bread
of
an
Evil-Eyed
Man”
in
the
Work?
Article
No.
13,
1989
It
is
written
in
The
Zohar,
Shemot
[Exodus]
(Item
21):
“Rabbi
Hiya
started,
‘Do
not
eat
the
bread
of
an
evil-eyed
man,’
since
it
is
not
good
to
eat
and
enjoy
the
bread
or
the
pleasure
from
that
evil-eyed
man.
And
had
Israel
not
tasted
the
bread
of
the
Egyptians
when
they
went
down
to
Egypt,
they
would
not
have
been
left
in
the
exile
in
Egypt
and
they
would
not
be
able
to
harm
them.”
(In
Item
23)
It
says,
“There
is
no
evil
bread
in
the
world
but
the
bread
of
an
evil-eyed
man.
What
does
it
say?
‘Because
the
Egyptians
could
not
eat
bread
with
the
Hebrews,
for
that
is
an
abomination
unto
the
Egyptians.’
This
means
that
they
could
not
look
at
the
Hebrews
eating.
Thus,
an
evil-eyed
bread.”
We
should
understand
the
prohibition
of
the
“bread
of
an
evil-eyed
man,”
to
such
an
extent
that
had
Israel
not
tasted
the
bread
of
the
Egyptians,
they
would
not
have
remained
in
exile.
This
is
very
perplexing.
What
is
the
connection
between
the
“bread
of
an
evil-eyed
man”
and
the
exile?
Why
does
it
cause
them
to
be
in
exile,
implying
this
is
a
grave
prohibition?
Is
it
included
in
the
negative
Mitzvot
[prohibitions
on
certain
actions]
from
the
Torah
or
by
our
great
sages,
that
it
warrants
exile?
To
understand
this
in
the
work,
we
must
always
remember
these
two
things
before
us:
1)
The
purpose
of
creation
is
to
do
good
to
His
creations.
This
reminds
us
that
we
must
achieve
wholeness
and
merit
receiving
the
delight
and
pleasure
found
in
the
purpose
of
creation.
Prior
to
this,
a
person
is
regarded
as
deficient
because
he
has
not
achieved
the
purpose
of
creation
and
is
still
in
the
middle
of
the
work.
In
Kabbalah,
this
is
considered
that
a
person
should
be
rewarded
with
attaining
the
NRNHY
in
the
root
of
his
soul.
2)
The
correction
of
creation.
Since
disparity
of
form
creates
separation,
and
since
man
was
created
in
order
to
be
able
to
receive
the
delight
and
pleasure,
he
must
have
a
desire
and
yearning
to
receive
pleasure,
and
that
will
to
receive
separates
him
from
the
root.
Since
the
Creator
wants
to
bestow,
but
the
created
beings
have
a
desire
to
receive,
this
causes
separation
that
removes
the
creatures
from
the
Creator.
Therefore,
a
correction
took
place,
called
Tzimtzum
[restriction]
and
concealment,
whereby
the
creatures
cannot
feel
their
root—meaning
who
created
them—before
they
correct
the
separation.
It
is
written
(in
the
“Preface
to
the
Wisdom
of
Kabbalah,”
Item
10),
“Thus,
you
find
that
this
Nefesh,
the
light
of
life
that
is
dressed
in
the
body,
extends
from
His
essence,
existence
from
existence.
As
it
traverses
the
four
worlds
ABYA,
it
becomes
increasingly
distant
from
the
light
of
His
face
until
it
comes
into
its
designated
Kli
[vessel],
called
Guf
[body].
And
even
if
the
light
in
it
has
so
diminished
that
its
origin
becomes
undetectable,
through
engagement
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments/good
deeds]
in
order
to
bring
contentment
upon
his
Maker,
he
purifies
his
Kli,
called
Guf,
until
it
becomes
worthy
of
receiving
the
great
abundance
in
the
full
measure
included
in
the
thought
of
creation,
when
He
created
it.”
Accordingly,
we
can
understand
that
our
work
is
to
emerge
from
self-love,
meaning
that
our
sustenance
should
be
from
sustaining
the
body
so
it
has
life
and
can
enjoy
life
not
because
the
will
to
receive
for
oneself
is
enjoying,
for
it
is
called
“evil-eyed,”
meaning
that
it
does
not
want
to
be
a
giver
but
wants
only
to
receive
for
itself.
This
is
called
“evil-eyed,”
when
it
does
not
want
to
give
anything
to
others
and
is
immersed
in
self-love.
This
is
called
“evil-eyed.”
Therefore,
the
nourishments
that
a
person
eats,
which
is
called
“bread,”
are
forbidden
for
a
person
to
enjoy,
as
it
is
the
“bread
of
an
evil-eyed
man.”
That
is,
a
person
is
enjoying
and
satiating
himself
on
the
bread
of
an
evil-eyed
man.
That
is,
that
which
the
evil-eyed
man
enjoys
gives
pleasure
to
the
person.
In
other
words,
the
will
to
receive,
which
is
called
“evil-eyed,”
enjoys,
and
from
this
comes
all
the
joy
and
high
spirits
that
a
person
receives.
This,
he
does
not
agree
to
receive
because
this
pleasure
causes
him
to
part
from
the
Kedusha
[holiness]
due
to
disparity
of
form.
Now
we
can
understand
what
we
asked,
Why
is
the
grave
prohibition
of
“Do
not
eat
the
bread
of
an
evil-eyed
man,”
for
which
Israel
remained
in
exile?
It
is
as
it
says,
“Had
Israel
not
tasted
the
bread
of
the
Egyptians
when
they
went
down
to
Egypt,
they
would
not
have
been
left
in
the
exile
in
Egypt.”
“Exile”
means
that
the
people
of
Israel
could
not
work
in
order
to
bestow
upon
the
Creator,
but
only
in
order
to
receive
for
themselves.
This
is
called
the
“exile
in
Egypt,”
when
they
could
not
emerge
from
their
control
and
the
will
to
receive
for
oneself
dominated.
This
is
why
The
Zohar
says
that
if,
when
they
descended
to
exile
in
Egypt,
they
had
been
cautious
not
to
eat—meaning
not
to
enjoy
what
the
Egyptians
enjoy,
meaning
the
evil-eye,
which
is
the
will
to
receive
for
oneself—they
would
not
have
come
under
their
control
in
the
exile.
It
follows
that
the
gravity
of
the
prohibition
of
an
evil-eyed
man
is
because
his
bread
is
entirely
in
order
to
receive,
and
this
causes
all
the
separation
from
Kedusha.
This
is
the
prohibition
of
“Do
not
eat
the
bread
of
an
evil-eyed
man.”
That
is,
all
our
work
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot
is
in
order
to
emerge
from
the
exile
of
the
will
to
receive
for
ourselves.
In
other
words,
we
must
aim—while
engaging
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot—that
our
reward
will
be
that
by
this
we
will
be
rewarded
with
emerging
from
the
exile
and
enslavement
in
the
will
to
receive
for
ourselves,
and
we
will
be
able
to
work
only
in
order
to
bring
contentment
to
the
Creator,
and
we
will
not
demand
any
other
reward
for
our
work
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
In
other
words,
we
want
to
be
rewarded
with
feeling—while
engaging
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot—that
we
are
serving
a
great
and
important
king,
and
that
by
this
there
will
be
love
of
the
Creator
within
us,
from
feeling
His
exaltedness.
However,
all
of
our
pleasure
will
come
from
serving
the
Creator;
this
will
be
our
reward,
and
not
that
He
will
somehow
reward
us
for
the
work.
Instead,
we
will
feel
that
the
work
itself
is
the
reward,
and
there
is
no
greater
reward
in
the
world
than
the
privilege
of
serving
the
Creator.
Conversely,
the
bread
of
the
Egyptians
in
the
work
is
the
complete
opposite,
as
it
is
written,
“Because
the
Egyptians
could
not
eat
bread
with
the
Hebrews,
for
that
is
an
abomination
unto
the
Egyptians.”
“Abomination”
comes
from
the
verse,
“for
every
shepherd
is
an
abomination
to
the
Egyptians,”
meaning
that
they
despised
the
shepherds.
For
this
reason,
the
meaning
is
that
the
Egyptians
despised
the
food
of
the
Hebrews,
since
all
the
bread
of
the
Hebrews,
meaning
their
nourishment,
was
in
order
to
bestow,
and
to
the
Egyptians,
all
the
bread
is
evil-eyed,
namely
to
receive.
When
they
heard
that
the
Hebrews’
bread
is
to
bestow,
and
bestowal
is
loathsome
and
despicable,
since
when
they
must
work
in
order
to
bestow
and
not
receive
for
their
own
sake,
they
regard
this
work
as
despicable
and
they
do
not
feel
any
taste
in
it.
Therefore,
as
soon
as
the
Egyptians
heard
that
we
must
work
in
order
to
bestow,
they
came
to
feel
that
they
must
lower
themselves,
meaning
that
all
their
reason,
which
mandates
that
a
person
should
see
to
his
own
benefit
and
they
cannot
do
anything
that
does
not
yield
self-benefit.
Therefore,
when
the
body
is
under
the
governance
of
Egypt,
as
soon
as
it
hears
the
slightest
hint
that
we
must
work
in
order
to
bestow,
it
immediately
despises
this
work
and
claims
that
it
is
still
with
all
its
wits
and
will
not
surrender
and
eat
the
Hebrews’
bread,
as
for
them
this
bread
is
abomination
because
this
bread
is
against
reason.