Moshe Ben-Chaim
The Torah teaches that Hashem
punishes the wicked, and rewards the righteous. It does not say that challah
baking or any other activity will help address our needs, as those practicing “segula”
suggest.
When the matriarchs were barren,
they did not resort to segulas, but introspected and prayed. On Devarim 10:17 “Hashem
does not take bribes”, Sforno wrote the following commentary:
“The punishment of a sin will not be removed at all
due to the reward of a mitzvah that this sinner performed. As the Rabbis
taught, ‘A mitzvah does not extinguish a sin’. And all this teaches that one
should not be confident that if he sins, that his sin is removed at
all...except by complete repentance.”
Sforno was a great thinker,
Rabbi, and a true Torah commentator. He remained loyal to Hashem’s Torah words,
and did not follow practices that violated Hashem, unlike proponents of
Segulas. And it matters none how popular segulas have become, if they are in
direct opposition to Torah and our Rabbis. Sforno taught that our mitzvahs
cannot remove our personality flaws, which may deserve a punishment. The only
way we are forgiven for our sins and remove Hashem’s wrath, is when we identify
the cause of our sins, recognize the error, and abandon our poor behavior
forever. But, ignoring our flaws, even by occupying ourselves with many great
mitzvahs, in no way removes our flaws. “Let us search and examine our ways and
return to Hashem”. (Megillas Eicha, 3:40) Eicha teaches what we must do, and it
does not say segulas are the Torah’s approach. No pasuk says so.
Nothing in Torah supports this
concept of segula; Torah sources reject the idea of a segula. If we deserve a
punishment, and we don’t address our shortcomings, baking challas with brachos
cannot help. And if we have no sin, then the correct approach to infertility is
medical treatment. In either case, segulas are useless, and violate the Torah
prohibition of Nichush. Nichush in common day terms, are good luck charms. It
does not matter if the charm is a rabbit’s foot, a horseshoe, a challah, key or
a red bendel. The practice assumes that forces exist, which do not, and it is
idolatrous. Tosefta Shabbos chapter 7 prohibits red bendels openly. It refers
to bendels as “Emorite practices” which are idolatrous. This applies to all
practices where we assume a causal relationship, which does not exist.
Separating challa so that we remove infertility, find a shidduch, etc., assumes
a causal relationship that does not exist. Hashem gave us sechel --
intelligence -- precisely because He desires we use it in all areas, especially
in our Torah lives. Hashem prohibited many idolatrous rites since they were not
supported by natural law. That is why He wiped out so many people, since they
worshiped stone gods, or believed in demons, spirits, and other forces that
defy natural laws. Hashem wants us to follow what our minds tell us is true,
and not what our emotions “wish” to be so. I understand your good intent, but
our actions must be based on Torah and reality.
Please help to remove false
practices from Jewish culture, and instead of supporting segula, we should
spread these Torah sources to our friends, for whom we desire to help. We must
adhere meticulously to Hashem’s Torah...the Torah He said, “not to add to or
subtract from”. (Devarim, 4:2)
It is time to use our minds and
realign our path of life with Torah sources, not blind faith practices.