וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלֶ֤יהָ אֱלִישָׁע֙ מָ֣ה אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֔ךְ הַגִּ֣ידִי לִ֔י מַה־יֶּשׁ־לכי [לָ֖ךְ] בַּבָּ֑יִת וַתֹּ֗אמֶר אֵ֣ין לְשִׁפְחָתְךָ֥ כֹל֙ בַּבַּ֔יִת כִּ֖י אִם־אָס֥וּךְ שָֽׁמֶן׃
At sinabi ni Eliseo sa kanya: “Ano ang gagawin ko para sa iyo? Sabihin mo sa akin, ano ang mayroon ka sa bahay?” At sinabi niya: “Walang anumang bagay ang iyong alipin sa bahay, maliban sa isang banga ng langis.”
Kav HaYashar
I refer to the Zohar’s warning that if any man or woman wishes to set out on a journey or to call on the authorities to tend to some matter and on the way out of the house he encounters an empty vessel, he should not go that day. The Zohar (1:88a; 2:87b, 157b) cites as proof a passage from II Melachim (4:2) in which the prophet Eliyahu asked the woman of Shunam if she had anything in the house. She replied that she had only a small jug of oil. This prompted the prophet to comment [according to the Sages], “That is surely something upon which a blessing can take effect, as it is written, ‘Like fine oil upon the head…like the dew of Chermon descending upon the mountains of Tziyon. For there Hashem has commanded the blessing, life for eternity’ (Tehillim 133:2-3).” Concerning an empty vessels, by contrast, it is said that blessing cannot settle upon it. Therefore one must remove the empty vessels from the table when the Grace is recited. This should be enough of a warning.