Rabbi Yohanan was the most beautiful man in Israel. The Talmud describes his appearance in terms usually reserved for angels — radiant skin, luminous eyes, a face that literally seemed to glow. And he used this beauty for a purpose that surprised everyone.
He would sit near the entrance to the women's bathhouse. When women emerged, they would see his extraordinary face. And Rabbi Yohanan explained his purpose: "Let them look at me, and they will bear beautiful children." In the Talmudic understanding of conception, what a woman sees at certain moments can influence the appearance of her offspring. Rabbi Yohanan offered his beauty as a public service.
His colleagues asked the obvious question: "Are you not afraid of the Evil Eye?" The Evil Eye — ayin hara — was considered a real spiritual danger. A person who displayed their beauty or good fortune too openly invited jealousy, and jealousy could manifest as a curse.
Rabbi Yohanan was unafraid. "I am a descendant of Joseph," he declared, "and Joseph's descendants are not subject to the Evil Eye." The proof was in Jacob's blessing of Joseph's sons: "May they multiply like fish in the midst of the earth" (Genesis 48:16). Just as fish in the sea are hidden from the Evil Eye by the water above them, so are Joseph's descendants protected.
The story is remarkable for its unselfconsciousness. Rabbi Yohanan treated his beauty not as a personal asset but as a communal resource — something to be shared for the benefit of the next generation. He sat where women could see him not out of vanity but out of generosity. His face was, in his understanding, a gift from God — and gifts are meant to be given away.