"Blind your eyes because of a widowed woman, and do not covet her beauty in your heart." That's what Ben Sira says, in the proverb attached to the Hebrew letter Ayin (ע)—and it's a harsh one.
The Alphabet of Ben Sira, composed sometime between 700 and 1000 CE, doesn't pull punches. Here, the child prodigy warns his teacher against being lured by a widow's attractiveness, claiming that "her children are the children of straying." The implication is that a widow who remarries might carry complications from her previous life—loyalties, obligations, and heirs whose allegiances lie elsewhere.
It's worth noting that this advice runs against the grain of much of rabbinic literature, which generally treats caring for widows as a sacred obligation. The Torah itself repeatedly commands protection of widows and orphans. The tension is part of what makes the Alphabet of Ben Sira such a fascinating text. It deliberately courts controversy, mixing genuine folk wisdom with provocative, even offensive, claims. Scholars have long debated whether the text is sincere or satirical—a parody of overly confident wisdom literature.
The word Ayin (עין) itself means "eye," which makes the proverb's opening command to "blind your eyes" a clever wordplay. Ben Sira ties his advice directly to the letter he's reciting, a literary flourish that runs through the entire alphabetical section.