Has Segulah Culture Superseded Halachah?

In the past twenty or so years, there has been a gradual shift towards the use of segulas and other “quick fixes” among the Jewish people, in the hopes that those acts will help us achieve what we want. 

Despite it bordering on the halachic concern of superstition, which falls under the Biblical prohibition of ניחוש, is this a value that should be pushed?

Some of these questionable practices in our times include wearing a red string, baking shlissel challah, and the new glorification of Reb Shayala, who is hailed as a figure who was instrumental in warding off mice.

When Balaam tried to curse the Jews in the desert, he instead praised the Jewish people and exclaimed, “There is no superstition in Yaakov and no sorcery in Israel.” (Numbers 23:23) 

While not all of the above may be prohibited according to all, the overall attitude and reverence given to such new minhagim do seem to have negative consequences for our society, and negate the values that the Torah has given to us.

Many times, these minhagim come at the expense of actual halacha and lead to many biblical prohibitions. A timely example is the pilgrimage of tens of thousands of Jews to Mount Meron for Lag Be’Omer. In many years, Lag Be’Omer falls on Sunday, which causes Chilul Shabbos for security personnel on a mass scale. Despite knowing that Chilul Shabbos would occur, the pilgrimage to Mount Meron continues as usual.  

This year, as Lag Beomer falls out on Thursday night, difficulties will arise with people getting home in time before Shabbos, as has been the case in other years. Is this what Hashem wants? 

We also understand too well the dangers of ascending Mount Meron en masse, as the Mount Meron tragedy happened several years ago. Despite all of these halachic and safety concerns, there is encouragement to attend yearly to honor Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. I do wonder what Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai would be thinking about this.

Following the massive fires in Israel that we experienced two weeks ago, bonfires across the country will be lit en masse. Is this not at least a question of safek pikuach nefesh?

On a similar note, the largest segulah that is being misused is the Torah itself, using limud Torah as a tool, devoid of the responsibilities that it places on its learners, to take an active part in society. I discuss in depth here: https://mosheklausner.substack.com/p/the-truth-will-be-absent what Chazal actually say about the power and place for limud haTorah, which is very different than the segulah worldview that permeates our communities.

There are ways in which the Torah and limud haTorah can be used and perverted into ways that go against the Torah itself. 

In Shmuel 1 4:3, the Jewish people went to fight against the Phlishtim.  After losing 3,000 men in battle, the elders decided to go out again to fight, this time with the Aron Kodesh. The Aron Kodesh would be there to protect them, and they would be successful in battle. 

The Malbim explains that this was a foolish assumption, as the Aron Kodesh was not an end in and of itself, and it would not be able to save the Jewish people. The Aron Kodesh is helpful to the extent that one observes what is represented by the Aron Kodesh.

The Jewish elders were looking at the Aron Kodesh as a segulah.  What happened next was that the Jews were defeated in battle and the Aron taken captive by the Plishtim.

The leaders took the Aron Kodesh, the representation of the Torah itself, and said, “This will save us”. However, they were mistaken. The Torah, the Aron, and limud haTorah will not save us if not channelled properly.

Micha 6:7 chastised the Jewish people by asking them, “Does Hashem desire thousands of rams, and tens of thousands of flowing rivers of oil?”

Micha understood that not only regarding segulas, but even fulfilling certain mitzvos, when performed without a change in perspective, is almost meaningless.

Similarly, Yeshayahu 58:3 told the Jewish people that fasting on Yom Kippur without tending to the needs of orphans and widows would not bring Hashem’s forgiveness.

It is much easier to focus on segulas than to put in the hard work. It is much easier to stay in the Beis Medrash and avoid the discomforts and dangers of war.

The central question that we need to be asking ourselves is, “Does Hashem want us to turn the Torah into yet another segulah”?