Bava Batra 118B

אמרו ליה: אנן מזרעא דיוסף, דלא שלטא ביה עינא בישא ⁠– דכתיב: ״בן פרת יוסף, בן פרת עלי עין״, ואמר רבי אבהו: אל תקרי ״עלי עין״, אלא ״עולי עין״.

Joseph’s descendants said to him: We are of the descendants of Joseph, upon whom the evil eye had no dominion, as it is written: “Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine by a fountain [alei ayin]” (Genesis 49:22), and R' Abbahu states a homiletic interpretation: Do not read it as “alei ayin,” rather read it as olei ayin, above the eye, i.e., he transcended the influence of the evil eye. Joseph’s descendants were saying that they also do not need to be wary.

רבי יוסי ברבי חנינא אמר מהכא: ״וידגו לרוב בקרב הארץ״; מה דגים שבים ⁠– מים מכסים עליהם ואין העין שולטת בהם, אף זרעו של יוסף ⁠– אין העין שולטת בהם.

R' Yosei, son of R' Ḥanina, said that a proof for the notion that the evil eye holds no sway over Joseph and his descendants, is from here, Jacob’s blessing of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh: “The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude [veyidgu] in the midst of the earth” (Genesis 48:16). Veyidgu is related etymologically to the word for fish [dag]. Just as with regard to the fish in the sea, water covers them and the evil eye has no dominion over them, so too, the seed of Joseph, the evil eye has no dominion over them.

מרגלים ⁠– יהושע וכלב נטלו חלקם. מנהני מילי? אמר עולא, דאמר קרא: ״ויהושע בן נון וכלב בן יפנה חיו מן האנשים ההם״⁠ – מאי ״חיו״? אילימא חיו ממש, והא כתיב קרא אחרינא: ״ולא נותר מהם איש, כי אם כלב בן יפנה ויהושע בן נון״! אלא מאי ״חיו״⁠ – שחיו בחלקם.

§ The Talmud analyzes the next section of the baraita, which states: With regard to the 12 spies sent to survey Eretz Yisrael prior to the Jewish people’s entry into the land, Joshua and Caleb took all of the spies’ portions of the land. The Talmud asks: From where is this matter derived? Ulla said: It is as the verse states: “But Joshua, son of Nun, and Caleb, son of Jephunneh, lived of those men that went to spy out the land” (Numbers 14:38). What does the term “lived” mean? If we say that it means literally that they lived, but there is another verse that states: “And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and Joshua, son of Nun” (Numbers 26:65), so why would the Torah state it twice? Rather, what does the term “lived” mean? That Joshua and Caleb lived in the other spies’ portion of the land.