The author of Turei Zahav mentions in Yoreh De’ah (116:6) a number of days on which blood letting is especially dangerous, and therefore forbidden, because these are days of strict judgment. The reader is advised to examine that source.9The days mentioned there are: The first day of Rosh Chodesh of the months Iyar, Elul and Teves when they fall on a Monday or Wednesday. Here is something else that he should read and remember. For I have found it written in the name of a certain great and pious rabbi that the following days are also designated for affliction and are therefore forbidden for bloodletting: the 17th of Marcheshvan, the 5th of Shevat, the 20th of Adar, the 25th of Nisan, the 29th of Iyar, the 16th of Sivan, the 24th of Tammuz, the 26th of Tammuz, the 20th of Av, the 27th of Av and the 12th of Elul.
On all of these days one should be very careful not to allow one’s children to walk alone, even in the street. There are many spirits out and about in the world on these days and they have permission to enter into a little boy or girl, Heaven forbid. For these are the designated times for the emissaries of Heaven’s judgment to carry out their duties. How many fates and misadventures come upon those who are worthy of punishment! How many benevolent spirits there are, bringing goodly blessings upon the world! And how many malignant spirits there are, bringing noxious fumes and virulent and tenacious illnesses, Heaven forbid! Concerning all these things a person must awaken Heaven’s mercy and pray to the Master of the Universe to save him, along with all His people Israel, from all these terrible circumstances.
On the days mentioned above the begrudging have the authority to inject the power of the evil eye into another person’s children or wealth. Therefore one should conceal his children when taking them through the street on those days, just as the Holy One Blessed is He did to Israel to protect them from the wicked Bilaam (Zohar 3:211b). For when Bilaam saw that he was unable to do them any harm he tried gazing at them with his evil eye, because whatever he set his gaze upon was cursed. This is the meaning of the verse, “Bilaam looked up and saw Israel dwelling according to his tribes and the spirit of God came upon him (meaning Israel!).” Explains the Zohar, “Like one who spreads a garment over the head of a child, to prevent the evil eye of the wicked Bilaam from harming them.”
Know further that according to a tradition I have received from earlier generations, the eleven verses in Scripture that begin with the letter nun and end with the letter nun are efficacious in warding off sorcery and the evil eye. Therefore after one recites these verses in the Ma’amados of Sunday it is good to recite this short prayer:
Master of the Universe! Save Your people the House of Israel from all forms of sorcery and from all manifestations of the evil eye. And just as You spread Your wings over our ancestors in the desert so that Bilaam’s evil eye would have no dominion over them, so too spread Your wings over us in Your abundant mercy that we should be concealed with a covering and shield of Your holy names from every manifestation of the evil eye. Then recite the verse, “You are my shelter, from distress You preserve me; with glad song of rescue You envelope me, selah” (Tehillim 32:7). And when a pregnant woman recites these eleven verses she can rest assured that no evil eye will have dominion over the fetus. Therefore a person should be certain to recite these eleven verses and he will be spared from the evil eye. Amein, so may it be His will.
כָּתַב הָרַב בַּעַל "טוּרֵי זָהָב" בְּיוֹרֶה דֵּעָה (סִימָן קטז), אֵיזֶה יָמִים שֶׁאָסוּר לָאָדָם לְהַקִּיז דָּם מִפְּנֵי סַכָּנָה, שֶׁהֵן יוֹמָא דְּדִינָא. עַיֵּן שָׁם. גַּם אֶת זֶה רְאֵה וּשְׁמֹר, כִּי מָצָאתִי בְּשֵׁם גָּדוֹל אֶחָד וְחָסִיד שֶׁבַּחֲסִידִים, שֶׁאֵלּוּ יָמִים הֵן מְיֻחָדִים לָאָדָם לְקַבֵּל יִסּוּרִים, עַל כֵּן אָסוּר בָּהֶן לְהַקִּיז דָּם, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן: יז בְּמַרְחֶשְׁוָן, יוֹם ה בִּשְׁבָט, כ אֲדָר, כה נִיסָן, כט בְּאִיָּר, טז בְּסִיוָן, כז סִיוָן, כד כו בְּתַמּוּז, כ אָב, כו אָב וְיוֹם כז בְּאָב וְיוֹם יב אֱלוּל.
The author of Turei Zahav mentions in Yoreh De’ah (116:6) a number of days on which blood letting is especially dangerous, and therefore forbidden, because these are days of strict judgment. The reader is advised to examine that source.9The days mentioned there are: The first day of Rosh Chodesh of the months Iyar, Elul and Teves when they fall on a Monday or Wednesday. Here is something else that he should read and remember. For I have found it written in the name of a certain great and pious rabbi that the following days are also designated for affliction and are therefore forbidden for bloodletting: the 17th of Marcheshvan, the 5th of Shevat, the 20th of Adar, the 25th of Nisan, the 29th of Iyar, the 16th of Sivan, the 24th of Tammuz, the 26th of Tammuz, the 20th of Av, the 27th of Av and the 12th of Elul.
וְהִנֵּה בְּאֵלּוּ הַיָּמִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים יֵשׁ לִזָּהֵר מְאֹד, שֶׁלֹּא יֵלְכוּ הַיְלָדִים יְחִידִים אַף בִּרְחוֹבוֹת, כִּי הָרוּחוֹת מְצוּיִין בָּעוֹלָם, וְיֵשׁ לָהֶם רְשׁוּת, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, לִכָּנֵס לַתִּינוֹק אוֹ תִּינוֹקוֹת, רַחֲמָנָא לִצְלַן. כִּי אֵלּוּ הָעִתִּים הֵם קְבוּעִים לִשְׁלוּחֵי דִּין לִפְעֹל בָּעִתִּים הַקְּבוּעִים, הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל. כַּמָּה אַחֲרָיוּת וְהַרְפַּתְקָאוֹת עַל הָאָדָם הֶעָנוּשׁ, כַּמָּה רוּחוֹת טוֹבוֹת הֵן הַמְּבִיאִים בְּרָכוֹת טוֹבוֹת עַל הָעוֹלָם, וְכַמָּה רוּחוֹת רָעוֹת הֵן הַמְּבִיאִין, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אֲוִירִין בִּישִׁין וָחֳלָאִים רָעִים וְנֶאֱמָנִים. וְעַל כֻּלָּן צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְעוֹרֵר רַחֲמִים וּלְהִתְפַּלֵּל לִפְנֵי אֲדוֹן הָעוֹלָם לְהַצִּילוֹ וְאֶת עַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכָּל עִנְיָנִים רָעִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל.
On all of these days one should be very careful not to allow one’s children to walk alone, even in the street. There are many spirits out and about in the world on these days and they have permission to enter into a little boy or girl, Heaven forbid. For these are the designated times for the emissaries of Heaven’s judgment to carry out their duties. How many fates and misadventures come upon those who are worthy of punishment! How many benevolent spirits there are, bringing goodly blessings upon the world! And how many malignant spirits there are, bringing noxious fumes and virulent and tenacious illnesses, Heaven forbid! Concerning all these things a person must awaken Heaven’s mercy and pray to the Master of the Universe to save him, along with all His people Israel, from all these terrible circumstances.
וּבְאֵלּוּ הַיָּמִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל יֵשׁ רְשׁוּת לְבַעֲלֵי עֵינַיִם רָעוֹת לִתֵּן עַיִן הָרָע לְתִינוֹק, אוֹ לְהַכְנִיס עַיִן הָרָע בְּמָמוֹן שֶׁל חֲבֵרוֹ; וְלָכֵן צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהַעֲבִיר כְּסוּתוֹ עַל יַנּוּקָא דִּילֵיהּ, בְּאוֹתָן הַיָּמִים כְּשֶׁמּוֹלִיכוֹ עַל הָרְחוֹבוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַב הַזֹּהַר, שֶׁכֵּן עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל מִפְּנֵי בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע, דְּכֵיוָן דַּחֲמָא בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע, דְּלָא יָכוֹל לַעֲשׂוֹת שׁוּם רַע, בָּעֵי לְאִסְתַּכָּלָא בְּעִנּוּי בִּישָׁא דִּילֵיהּ, בְּגִין דְּכָל אֲתָר דַּהֲוֵי מִסְתַּכֵּל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע בְּעֵינֵי בִּישָׁא דִּילֵיהּ — הֲוֵי מִתְלַטַּיָּא. וְזֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: וְיִשָּׂא בִּלְעָם אֶת עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל שׁוֹכֵן לִשְׁבָטָיו, וַתְּהִי עָלָיו (עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל) רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים. כְּמָאן דְּפָרִיס סוּדְרָא עַל רֵישָׁא דְּיַנּוּקָא בְּגִין דְּלָא יִשְׁלֹט בְּהוּ עֵינָא בִּישָׁא שֶׁל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע.
On the days mentioned above the begrudging have the authority to inject the power of the evil eye into another person’s children or wealth. Therefore one should conceal his children when taking them through the street on those days, just as the Holy One Blessed is He did to Israel to protect them from the wicked Bilaam (Zohar 3:211b). For when Bilaam saw that he was unable to do them any harm he tried gazing at them with his evil eye, because whatever he set his gaze upon was cursed. This is the meaning of the verse, “Bilaam looked up and saw Israel dwelling according to his tribes and the spirit of God came upon him (meaning Israel!).” Explains the Zohar, “Like one who spreads a garment over the head of a child, to prevent the evil eye of the wicked Bilaam from harming them.”
וְדַע, כִּי אוֹתָן אַחַד עָשָׂר פְּסוּקִים, הַמַּתְחִילִין בָּאוֹת נוּ"ן וּמְסַיְּמִין בָּאוֹת נוּ"ן — קַבָּלָה הוּא בְּיָדִי שֶׁהֵן טוֹבִים מִפְּנֵי כְּשָׁפִים וְעַיִן הָרָע. וְעַל כֵּן טוֹב לוֹמַר אַחֲרֵי אַחַד עָשָׂר פְּסוּקִים, הַנִּזְכָּרִים בַּמַּעֲמָדוֹת, הַמַּתְחִילִין בְּנוּ"ן, תְּפִלָּה קְצָרָה זוֹ:
Know further that according to a tradition I have received from earlier generations, the eleven verses in Scripture that begin with the letter nun and end with the letter nun are efficacious in warding off sorcery and the evil eye. Therefore after one recites these verses in the Ma’amados of Sunday it is good to recite this short prayer:
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, הַצֵּל עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכָּל מִינֵי כִּשּׁוּפִים וּמִכָּל מִינֵי עַיִן הָרַע, וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁפָּרַשְׂתָּ כְּנָפֶיךָ עַל אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁבַּמִּדְבָּר, שֶׁלֹּא שָׁלַט עֲלֵיהֶם עֵינָא בִּישָׁא דְּבִלְעָם בֶּן בְּעוֹר, כֵּן תִּפְרֹס כְּנָפֶיךָ עָלֵינוּ בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים לִהְיוֹת מְכוּסִים (בְּמִכְסֶה וּבְהַנְהָגָה) בִּשְׁמוֹתֶיךָ הַקְּדוֹשִׁים מִכָּל עֵינָא בִּישָׁא — אַתָּה סֵתֶר לִי, רָנֵי פַלֵּט וְגוֹמֵר. וְכָל אִשָּׁה כְּשֶׁהִיא מְעֻבֶּרֶת — כְּשֶׁהִיא אוֹמֶרֶת הָאַחַד עָשָׂר פְּסוּקִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל — תִּהְיֶה בְּטוּחָה, דְּלֹא שָׁלְטָא עֵינָא בִּישָׁא עַל הַוָּלָד. עַל כֵּן יִזָּהֵר הָאָדָם לוֹמַר אַחַד עָשָׂר פְּסוּקִים הַנִּזְכָּרִים לְעֵיל, וְיִהְיֶה נִצּוֹל מֵעַיִן רַע. אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן!
Master of the Universe! Save Your people the House of Israel from all forms of sorcery and from all manifestations of the evil eye. And just as You spread Your wings over our ancestors in the desert so that Bilaam’s evil eye would have no dominion over them, so too spread Your wings over us in Your abundant mercy that we should be concealed with a covering and shield of Your holy names from every manifestation of the evil eye. Then recite the verse, “You are my shelter, from distress You preserve me; with glad song of rescue You envelope me, selah” (Tehillim 32:7). And when a pregnant woman recites these eleven verses she can rest assured that no evil eye will have dominion over the fetus. Therefore a person should be certain to recite these eleven verses and he will be spared from the evil eye. Amein, so may it be His will.