Faith
Exchanging safety pins among brides at a wedding
Question
Hello, Rabbi,
1. I got married 4 months ago, and I was told that if someone who got married within 40 days before or after comes to the wedding, we need to exchange safety pins against the evil eye. We did not exchange them because we forgot. My question is whether it could be that I have the evil eye because of this, and if so, what should I do?
2. And in general, what can be done against the evil eye?
Answer
Hello,
1. There is no source for this custom of exchanging pins between brides, and therefore there is no reason at all for concern (and see further in the book Yalkut Yosef, Shovav Simchot, Part 1, 2005 edition, pages 43-44, and what he brought regarding this in the book Segulot Raboteinu, pages 234-238).
2. One should be careful to eat fish at the third Shabbat meal, for this is a segulah to be protected from the evil eye and from all kinds of harmful forces throughout the week (Rabbi Salman Mutsafi, of blessed memory, cited in the book Shivat Tzion, Part 1, page 266, and he greatly encouraged others on this matter).
Likewise, hearing the Priestly Blessing is a segulah to be saved from the evil eye (Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein, may he live long, in the book Barkhi Nafshi, Leviticus, page 222).
Good tidings,
Hillel Meirs
