A New Knife for Rosh Hashanah — A Segula for Parnassah

A New Knife for Rosh Hashanah — A Segula for Parnassah

There is a good segula for parnassah (financial sustenance): to buy a new knife for Rosh Hashanah and sharpen it. The source of this original segula is מהמהרי"א מיזדטשוב  יצחק אייזיק אייכנשטיין — (Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Eichenstein), and it is discussed in the book “Segulot Yisrael” — ר׳ אות ד׳ It is also mentioned in the book “Taamei HaMinhagim”, the final pamphlet רמו. The meaning of the segula: Sharpening a knife removes its imperfections, thereby alluding to the removal of imperfections from a person’s heart. The final letters in the verse from Tehillim 145:16, פותח את ידך: ח  ת  ך form the word חתך — “cut” — and this verse is connected with abundance. Furthermore, on Rosh Hashanah, G-d is the One Who חותך חיים לכל חי — (“Chotech chaim lechol chai,” Who determines the life of every living creature). There is another explanation: if a person is careless with bread crumbs, this can lead to poverty. When one has a sharp knife, there are fewer crumbs, and this is a segula for parnassah. Chatach חתך means “to cut” in Hebrew, and it is the name of the angel responsible for one’s livelihood: ‫נגד השם הפרנסה המרומז בס״ת של‬ ‫פותח את ידיך‬. The final letters of the words in Tehillim (145:16), “Poteiach et Yadecha” פותח את ידך — “You open Your hand” — form the word “Chatach”. The word that follows in this verse, “Umasbia” — (to satisfy) — referring to the desire of every living creature — has the gematria 428, the same as the word “Chatach” — 428. (“Nitei Gavriel” 11:1) The segula consists of buying a new knife, immersing it in a mikveh, and then sharpening it. One should not buy a knife with notches—a dull or notched knife is a symbol of Gevurah, whereas a smooth, sharp knife is a rectified instrument that does not cause pain, connecting it with the attribute of Chesed. Such a knife should not be given as a gift. As transmitted in the name of the Baal Shem Tov, a person should purchase such a knife himself.   (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, סימן קפ, ד, translated by Rabbanit Lea Hizgiyaeva, Aleksandr Tzvi Sypkov)