The Evil Eye and the Red String

Evil Eye Swarovski Pendant

There are two  meanings of the Evil Eye. "The most well-known one is the poisonous look of jealousy that people too often give one another. Whether or not such a look is meant to cause harm, it is still dangerous. In fact, the Talmud says that looks can kill (Bava Metzia 107b)."

Yet, there is another aspect of ayin ra (Evil Eye). "This aspect is a demise of the heart. Everyone knows the feeling of excitement and of anticipation when embarking on a new project. It happens, more than than occasionally, that those feelings get lost. One runs into obstacles, one gets distracted by competing projects or one begins to view the project in a different, more unfavorable light. One's heart stops beating for the project."

How do we combat Esav's ayin ra? By cultivating an ayin tov (good eye) of the kind that King David had. King David had "beautiful eyes and good vision"

We have to seek people  like King David. We need to avoid people like's Essau, Jacob's brother., the quintessential evil eye giver

Ayin ra'a  means stingy (this is the meaning in the Torah)
Ayin hara means evil eye

Note the slightly different spelling.The two meanings are related.
Also exist Aiyn Tov (King David had both chasidut and vision) that will detract ayin hara from happening. The analogies are:

Ayin ra'a = ayin hara

Ayin tov (or yafa) = chassidut

Torah Reference 

The Torah describes both King David and Esav as edmoni ... Wearing a roiteh bendel (Yiddish for red string) is considered a segulah (talisman) that protects against ayin ra. Perhaps the redness of the string is meant: [1] to "absorb" the redness of Esav contained in the evil glance of another; [2] to remind the wearer to emulate King David and look at others with a good eye so that God will look at him with a good eye.)

Zohar reference

A person possessed of an evil eye carries with him the eye of the destroying negative force; hence it is called "destroyer of the world," and people should be on their guard against them and not come near them so that they should not be injured by them! [Zohar I, p.68b]

This is on page 401 of Daniel Matt's Zohar, note 448

The meaning is "who ever has an Evil Eye, comes under the spell of the Destroyer's eye"

(This made me think of an analogy. Terrorists are assassinated with rockets launched from a Predator plane. The Rocket shooter is the Destroyer. The only way this could be done, is having a secret agent mole in terrorist camp, who sprays an invisible solution onto the car or the clothing of the victim. The mole-in agent is the Evil Eye)

Ayin Ra'a means "the one who is Stingy" in Biblical Hebrew. Later (when?) was the Ayin HaRa thought to exert a harmful influence. Daniel Matt note 448 refers to Zohar 3:63b, a volume not yet published.

Rabbi's sometimes say "bli ayin hara" -"without Evil eye" before any nice accomplishment they notice:

The protection against the Aiyn HaRa.

The prayer is Ben Porat, Ana Be'Coah prayer. The Red String involves winding a red string around the tomb of the Great Matriarch Rachel in Israel. The string is then cut into pieces and worn on the left hand.

There is also a superb song with the words of Ana Be'Coah prayer