An excerpt from Tzohar (issue no. IV), a
recently published Torah compilation
Because of the many illnesses and terrible tragedies that
have recently occurred, Rachmono litzlan, we are
publishing several segulos for refu'ah taken
from the teachings of the gedolei hadoros zt'l.
Naturally, these segulos should be seen as only a
supplement to carrying out our main obligations according to
the Torah: doing teshuvah, exerting ourselves in
tefilla, and strengthening ourselves in the full and
internalized emunah that only HaKodosh Boruch
Hu heals the sick and causes salvation to sprout forth,
since there is none besides Him (Devorim 4:35).
1) The Kadmonim advise to say chapters 6, 30, and 142
of Tehillim after the daily tefilla.
2) Likutei Tzvi (pg. 22) writes that when someone is
sick or finds himself in a crisis, he should say, with tears,
the tefilla that Chizkiyohu Hamelech davened
when he was sick, since he was eventually cured
(Melochim II 20). In this way he will be both healed
and saved from all harsh Divine judgments. See Sefer
Ta'amei HaMinhogim (pg. 319), who mentions this
segulah too. The Vovei HoAmudim writes that
even if someone is not aroused to cry during this
tefilla he should nonetheless say the tefilla
"in a crying tone," and that will be considered somewhat as
if he were crying. Likewise, if he says the tefilla
for a long time he will be accorded the merit as if he had
said it with tears. Others claim that if the sick person
himself cannot say this tefilla he should ask his
relatives and friends who are distressed by his condition to
say it for him.
3) Maran HaRav Yechezkel Levenstein zt'l, the
mashgiach of Ponevezh Yeshiva, was accustomed to tell
others that a wonderful segulah for refu'ah is
saying the brocho of asher yotzar word by word,
out loud, with full kavono and concentration.
This brocho was instituted to thank Hashem for our
health, and when someone truly realizes that everything is
from HaKodosh Boruch Hu and thanks Him for this, he is
zoche to the continuation of Divine kindness and a
complete recovery. This is likewise the explanation given in
the Chinuch (mitzvah 430), who writes, "I have
a tradition from my mentors, may Hashem protect them, that
anyone who is careful about saying bircas hamozone
properly will be given sufficient food to eat his whole life,
and in a respectable way." By saying bircas hamozone
with true devotion, reading it from a printed bencher,
and fully realizing that his entire livelihood is only from
Hashem, a person is zoche to abundance from Heaven.
4) The Chida zy'a writes (Avodas Hakodesh,
Sinsen LeYo'ir, ch. 11 and 12:2) that anyone who has
suffered the effects of middas hadin, Rachmono
litzlan, should immediately gather ten upright people to
ask pity for him. First of all they should read all of the
scattered pesukim in Tehillim that start with a
letter of his name. For example, if they are praying for
someone called Moshe they should recite all the
pesukim starting with the letter mem,
afterwards the pesukim starting with shin, and
later all the letters starting with hei. Furthermore
they should say pesukim that start with the letters of
the names of his father and mother. [Recently a Tehillim
HaChida was published, in which all the pesukim of
Tehillim are arranged according to the alef-
beis.]
In case of any calamity, may Hashem save us from them, when
rachamim is especially needed, a person should say in
the same way the letters of the name of the city in which
this unfavorable condition is prevailing, Rachmono
litzlan. This is a wonderful segulah to be saved
from any misfortune, as is written at the end of the
Kitzur HaShloh in the name of "geonei olom."
Others say that when someone is gravely sick, Rachmono
litzlan, the pesukim of his name and of his
father's and mother's names should be divided among the
family members. They should say all the pesukim of the
Tehillim with these letters for forty consecutive
days. They should not divulge to the sick person himself what
they are doing. It should remain a secret.
5) The Kadmonim write, "Saying Shir HaShirim is
a segulah for refu'ah. If said for forty
consecutive days it is a segulah for refu'ah
and yeshu'ah in all matters. However, for every
particular matter and request it must be said all over again
for forty days."
6) It is cited in the name of the Kadmonim that before
taking a medicine one should say, "May it be for a refu'ah
sheleimah by the zechus of Avrohom, Yitzchok,
Yaakov, Soroh, Rivka, Rochel, and Leah." He should have the
kavono that refu'ah comes only from Hashem and
that he is taking the medicine solely to fulfill his
obligation to do some hishtadlus.
7) The sefer Tzaddik Yesod Olom of HaRav Shlomo of
Zhevihl zy'a (II, pg. 39) mentions that the Rav
zy'a would customarily advise people who were in a
predicament or sick, Rachmono litzlan, to pray for
forty consecutive days at the Kosel Hama'arovi. The
sefer also writes that people living far from the
Kosel can do this through a shaliach, to
request of people living nearby to pray for them. See also
(pg. 86) what he writes about this.
8) It is cited in the name of gedolei olom zt'l that a
segulah to be saved from the terrible disease of
cancer, Rachmono litzlan, is to study each day a
section of Sefer Tomer Devorah of the Ramak
zy'a.
