After mentioning that someone has been benefited by God in some way — say, with longevity or good looks or wealth — people often add the Hebrew "בלי עין הרע" ("without the evil eye") or the Yiddish "קיין עין־הרע" ("no evil eye").
What does this mean, and what is it meant to accomplish? I seek sourced answers for the original or correct meaning, not how it's popularly understood.
- Does it indicate that the speaker is (or claims to be) looking at the subject without an evil eye (i.e. an eye of jealousy)?
- Does it (or is it meant to) effect that the speaker is looking at the subject without an evil eye (jealousy)? I.e., does it mean roughly "I hereby annul any evil eye I may otherwise be casting upon the subject"?
- Does it indicate the speaker's desire/prayer that his evil eye (jealousy) not adversely affect the subject, irrespective of whether the jealousy is there?
- Does it indicate the speaker's desire/prayer that the listener's evil eye (jealousy), if any, not adversely affect the subject?
- Or what?