Segulot: Are They Real or Not?

Everyone knows we are not GenerationX or GenerationY but the Instant Generation. Fast food, rapid communication, frenetic TV, and healthy food replaced by snacks and chocolates. In Judaism, too, we see a growing interest in segulot – those relatively small actions we do that somehow help with livelihood, matchmaking, fertility, and virtually everything else.
With the growing demand for segulot, there is an increase in charlatans who advertise segulot that they invent, but on the other hand, according to Judaism, there are indeed segulot in certain things. So what's the deal with segulot? How do we know which is real and which isn't? And the ultimate question: how is it possible that a small action, seemingly unrelated, can lead to significant changes?

There is a Hidden Connection Between Different Things

"Our world is divided into levels," says Rabbi Yitzhak Gabai. "There are levels we know that operate directly – action, speech, and thought. If I want to move a chair from right to left, I simply take the chair and move it. Thus, I achieve the goal. There's also the level of speech – I tell someone to do something and he fulfills my wish. But there's an even less direct level – asking someone to ask someone else. In the realm of thought, it's even more indirect. The power of thought affects energies. Well, there are levels where one can operate using codes, meaning not directly at all. Their action is carried out by codes and hitting a point that affects here, like if I move a chair – and suddenly a chair moves in the US as well. These are like codes, things that seem unrelated but actually are."We need to understand there's a hidden connection between different things. For example, in reflexology it's like this: you press a specific point on the foot, and suddenly it solves a particular health problem or headache. Initially, it seems like a miracle, but then, when understanding that there's a hidden connection between things, through the arteries, like the Zohar says that in each organ the 613 organs and tendons are reflected – everything is clearer. Even a person who tithes their money for charity – it's a segulah for wealth. Naturally, it seems the opposite – spending money to earn more? But there are hidden connections between all levels. Another example: the Zohar says wearing red clothes is not good as it highlights the judgments. What's the connection? In the inner level, there's a code called clothing, and another code called the color red and judgment. Once I combine them, it negatively affects the person.

We need to understand there's a spiritual significance to our actions. After a person touches something impure or uses the restroom, they should wash their hands with a vessel. If it's for cleanliness, what's the difference if I wash directly from the tap or with a vessel three times alternately? Why does a mikveh affect purity and not a large bath or pool? The answer is that there are things with an inner essence that only they touch the required point."

In Judaism, the concept of reward and punishment is well-known. If, for example, someone is decreed not to have children for three years – how can a segulah, a seemingly simple act, nullify the decree and effectively neutralize the point of reward and punishment?

"The answer is quite complex. The question is generally how one can influence their reality through actions. Take the issue of prayer as an example. Sometimes Hashem gives you abundance, but with some obstacle. You just need to open the tap. Meaning, the abundance is blocked by a small piece, and to open it, you need to pray, strengthen yourself, etc. So your actions open it. They say if I had a severe decree, I wouldn’t deserve it at all. But in some things, Hashem can open the blockages even through prayers."
If a person deserves abundance, a proper match, or children, why is something blocking them?
"It could be that someone deserves abundance, but due to a past action – an accuser, an angel, is blocking that abundance from him. Once a person performs the true segulah, which has a source, they sweeten the judgments, meaning neutralize those accusers at their root. Therefore, each thing has a different segulah. However, not everything helps, of course. Some decrees depend on something specific, like strengthening in a particular matter, which a person has to do to open that specific blockage."

True Segulot Are Found Only in the Gemara

This perception opens the door to many charlatans who invent formulas with their wild imagination.
"Correct. Hence the door opened to countless people saying, ‘Oh, there are codes that don’t need to be logically defined? Then I have many more things.’ Thus, the way was opened for many charlatans who throughout the generations invented countless unfounded segulot that have no connection to reality. True segulot are those with a source in the Gemara, Hasidic books, Kabbalah. To clarify about segulot, whether they are true or not, you need to consult a serious rabbi, God-fearing, known as a realistic person and, of course, does not demand payment for assistance."
By the way, what is the root of the word segulah?
"There are three items to this. Segulah is synonymous with a jewel, a precious stone with great inner value. The people of Israel are called a *chosen* nation. Similarly, in the segulah we talk about, there's inner value and moral significance. Secondly, segulah is from the term *ovoid*. In the Talmud, an ellipse is referred to as ovoid. It’s a circle with square corners. Thus, it's both a circle and a square, covering all ends. This is also the meaning of segulah."