Segulot for Burns

Segulot for Burns

If a person suffers a burn, he should reflect on everything that awaits the soul of a sinner after death. The fire that has just burned him is merely a small fraction of the flame in which the sinful soul is burned in Gehinom seven times a day—four times at night and three more times during the day. After each burning, the soul turns to ashes and is then restored, as it is said: “Those who pass through the Valley of Tears (in Gehinom) turn it into a spring.” (Tehillim 84:7) Our Sages, of blessed memory, explained that these people weep, and streams of tears flow from their eyes. The punishments in Gehinom are so severe that, while clothed in a body, we are unable to fully imagine them. And all these punishments are nothing compared to the other forms of punishment inflicted upon the wicked. Segulot for Burns 1. The Earlobe There is a minhag for those who suffer a burn to grasp their earlobe, as it is believed that this helps the burn heal more quickly. There is a hint to this: when a person is burned, he remembers Gehinom and touches his earlobe, which will burn in Gehinom before the other organs. There is another hint: a person is, as it were, saying to his ear, “Because of you I will burn in Gehinom, for I did not act upon what you heard”—I did not heed the voice of my teachers, for one who fulfills what he hears will be rewarded, as it is said: “Listen, and your soul shall live.” (Isaiah 55:3) 2. Birkat Kohanim There is a way to heal a burn quickly: the person himself or someone else should recite Birkat Kohanim over the burned area three times, with concentration: יְבָרֶכְךָ֥ יְהוָ֖ה וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ׃ יָאֵ֨ר יְהוָ֧ה ׀ פָּנָ֛יו אֵלֶ֖יךָ וִֽיחֻנֶּֽךָּ׃ יִשָּׂ֨א יְהוָ֤ה ׀ פָּנָיו֙ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְיָשֵׂ֥ם לְךָ֖ שָׁלֽוֹם׃ “Yevarechecha Ado-nai ve-yishmerecha! Ya'er Ado-nai panav elecha vi-chuneka! Yisa Ado-nai panav elecha ve-yasem lecha shalom!”— (May G-d bless you and guard you! May G-d shine His countenance upon you and be gracious to you! May G-d lift His countenance toward you and grant you peace!) (Numbers 6:24–26). This method has been tried and is genuinely effective. (From the book “Pele Yoetz,” letter כ)