Evil Eye, Voodoo and Red Strings Judaism

Last week parsha made me think about some aspects of our religion , that may appear "uncomforable" for the civilised folks, living in our rational and sceptical age. Torah speaks about taking census of the Jews, and in no uncertain terms forbids us counting them directly- rather one should count half-shekel donations they are required to bring, TO ATONE FOR THEIR SOULS
What is this atonement for? No sin was commited, but Torah repeats its message twice-
"...every man shall give Hashem an atonement for his soul, when counting them, so that there not be a plague among them when counting them" (Exodus 30:12)
 "The wealthy shall not increase and the poor shall not decrease from half a shekel- to give the portion of Hashem, to atone for their souls" (Exodus 30:15).
Rashi explains as follows- an Evil Eye has influence over counted objects, and Or Ha Haim points out, that the phrase "when counting them "is repeated twice, to teach us that head count is forbidden for all times, and in fact, erring in this regard results in a terrible plague, as happenned at the time of King David, when he violated this prohibition and thus committed a sin!
BUT WHAT IS EVIL EYE EXACTLY?
Why are we so much concerned with some "witchcraft", or other forms of magic- it always bothered me, that Judaism for many people equals wearing red strings (against Evil Eye, we are been told), various "Hamsa" and other magical amulets- that in my eyes is more Voodoo, than it is Judaism!
Forget rationalism, even from purely Torah-true perspective this seems very puzzling- all forms of witchcraft and magic are strictly forbidden, and are considered outgrowths of idolatrous worldview, to which Torah and Judaism sternly opposes throughout its whole history- and RAMBA"M in his Guide makes his famous claim, that in fact this is the purpose and intention OF ALL THE MITZVOT- TO COMBAT IDOLATRY IN ALL ITS FORMS!
Here we MUST present an explanation, that will not only show the " Divine mechanism" behind this concept, but also will TEACH US how to IMPROVE OURSELVES- cause if that doesn't happen, than we are dealing with Voodoo! Pagans are afraid of some random evil forces, that can strike them for no good reason, and feel absolutely helpless and vulnerable in this world of injustice and disorder, their only hope being protection of their idols, which is not guaranteed  at all- and no amount of good deeds can ever grant personal freedom in this cruel world of an idol worshipper!
But Laws of Torah are all coming from Divine Love and Justice- certainly, we are  NOT supposed to be affected by Evil for no good reason- as EVERYTHING in this world happens for a reason- and is certainly coming from G-d! Human being, as we all know, is not just a toy in the cruel game of the forces of nature, but a Prince of G-d, created in his image!
First, let us consider the following- Evil Eye from non-magical, rational and psychological perspective, is simple jealousy- and jealousy may affect people in a bad way. Person who gets jealous goes against the Torah, and yet that negative vibe that he created, affects his friend...Why?
It seems, nothing happens randomly, and if we are to understand what can be learnt by a victim of an Evil Eye- we must conclude that something went wrong- and this wrongdoing needs to be adjusted!
Jealousy most often doesn't appear out of a blue moon- it grows on a fertile soil of arrogance, showing off and looking down at people, all of which provoke others to become jealous!
And here comes
LESSON NO. 1
Do not provoke others by being arrogant and showing off- if you were given many blessings, be grateful to G-d and do not consider yourself any better than others- thus, Torah tells us to bring EQUAL AMOUNT of half a shekel, no matter how wealthy we are- both rich and poor deserve the same respect and honour!
Unfortunately, we are all liable of violating this principle- in every society and culture, wealthy are given honour and privileges, and respect is being paid to people for their "big bucks"- in the old days, Prophets were constantly fighting this social malady, but in our age of conformism noone wishes to confront it.
But what about the unfortunate loosers in the rally of life- those who complain and are constantly jealous of their more well to do neighbours?
Here comes
LESSON NO. 2
Be a giver! Torah tells us to bring half a shekel as TRUMAH- contribution- a reminder of what our attitude should be. If you will become a giver, your whole perspective to life will shift from consumerism to altruism-
and you will NATURALLY seek more opportunites to contribute, and to be a true blessing to others- and again, we can certainly see how much  we are in need of this timely lesson! Our post-modernist  Western society is totally stuck in consumerism, which not only breeds jealousy, but also produces self-hatred and alienation, as a result of this stupid and mad rat race-who gets more things wins!
How do we break the chains of this claustrafobic world of hatred, jealosy and agression?
Only be becoming GIVERS in all possible ways- and giving brings forth Love!
Finally,
LESSON NO. 3
Everything counts! In a most revolutionary way, Torah proclaims absolute sovereignty of Man, his freedom, and responsibility-for himself and the world around him. There is NO INSIGNIFICANT PERSON- we are taught- everyone is needed for this huge campaign to build the Temple- every half a shekel counts! Symbolically- everyone is a Temple! Think about your unique talents and become excited- there is noone like you in the whole world!
Not only every person counts- everything does- every moment of your life, every little episode has its meaning and is another thread of this huge fabric of our destiny- and even if we fail to see its greatness and meaning behind it, we need to stay focused and remember- ALL THERE IS- IS JUST THIS LITTLE MOMENT! Lets give it all the energy, love and courage of our souls- that's our half a shekel contribution, that is going to build the Temple!