Processing the Procession
I once had the privilege of meeting the Chief Rabbi of Toulouse, Rabbi Amram Castiel, shlita, a former disciple of my father, zy”a. Rabbi Amram told me a fascinating story, which he had heard from his father.
Many years ago, when my grandfather, the tzaddik, Rabbi Chaim Pinto, zy”a, lived in Essaouira, a camel caravan came into the city, carrying merchandise. In those days, a strong, brawny camel would be chosen to lead the procession. If anything were to happen to the lead camel, the entire convoy would erupt in mayhem. Therefore, the men in charge ensured to take especially good care of this camel.
As soon as this particular caravan arrived in Essaouira, the lead camel fell dead. All of the other camels began running amok, to the bitter cries of the leader, who realized that he was in for a tremendous loss.
The tzaddik, Rabbi Chaim Pinto, heard the man’s anguished cries and the snorting of the animals. Upon hearing the cause of the pandemonium, he requested a knife. Rabbi Chaim cut open the dead animal in the area of its liver. The onlookers were aghast to discover the form of an eye inside the camel. Rabbi Chaim explained that the animal died as a result of someone casting an ayin hara. He declared that the way to revive the camel was only by having that person pass by.
- The Tzaddik, Rabbi Chaim Pinto Hakatan, zy”a
Silence descended upon everyone gathered there. Not a soul stirred. The tzaddik called out once again for the perpetrator to step forward. But this time, he added a caveat. He said that if the person did not take responsibility for his evil eye, he would pay the price by losing his own eyesight. But even this dire admonition did not produce results. Since he could not accomplish anything on behalf of the leader of the caravan, Rabbi Chaim turned to leave.
Suddenly, a scream was heard from among the crowd. A man shrieked that he had unexpectedly turned blind. He finally took responsibility for his act and admitted to casting an evil eye on the camel caravan. He begged the tzaddik to pray for his eyesight to be restored.
I did not merit hearing the ending of this riveting tale. But what I did hear was enough to impress me with the holiness and virtue which exemplified my grandfather.
Likewise, I was stunned by his dedication to prevent a fellow Jew from financial suffering. He went to great lengths to remove the ayin hara from the camel caravan.
Every morning, we ask Hashem to save us from an evil eye, a bad friend, etc. How much damage can be caused by casting an evil eye upon a fellow Jew!
