Originally published 2/4/11, 10:03 am.
There has been a debate about the propriety of using "S'gulot" - whether it's a good thing or if it smacks too much of superstition and Darkei Emory
Kitzur SA 75:2 says that a woman who has trouble in raising children, or who has no children at all, should read, after lighting the candles, the haftorah of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, I Samuel 1-2:10.
The question is -
A. Is this kind of S'gulah mystical bordering on superstition?
B. Is this a recitation bordering on T'fillah and hence quite a "rational" S'g'ulah?
The KSA adds -
«It is best that she should understand the meaning of the words so that she may say it with feeling»
If it were Choice A - a purely mystical ritual - then who cares?
However, if it's Choice B, then she is merely beseeching HKBH and also "psyching herself up" - thus making this ritual quite grounded in prayer and "self-affirmation."
Shalom,
RRW
1 comment:
I would argue that more than derekh emori, giving segulos too much attention is downright pagan.
וחסד לאומים חטאת — כל צדקה וחסד שעכו"ם עושין אינן אלא להתייהר כו׳
Paganism is all about getting your needs addressesd by placating the gods. Reducing religion from avodas H' to a means to get the divine to serve them.
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