Segulot Involving Mishnayot

Segulot Involving Mishnayot

1. Tikkun Karet Rabbeinu Chida teaches that the segula for rectifying Karet (the severing of the soul)—Tikkun Karet—is to study Mishnayot corresponding to the letters of the word חיים “chaim” (life). These can be the following tractates: ח — Chullin י — Yoma י — Yevamot מ — Moed Katan, Megillah 2. Mishnah for Parnassah It is well known that the word משנה (Mishnah) has the same numerical value as the word פרנסה (parnassah)—395. Citing this fact, many Sages say that studying Mishnah is a segula for financial success (Mishnah Berurah 1:9). Rabbi Chaim Palaggi taught that parnassah diminishes in generations that do not study Mishnah diligently, and advised studying it as a segula for parnassah. For more information, see the link: The Segulah of Rabbi Haim Palagi — Studying Mishnah for Parnassah   3. Ten Chapters of Mishnayot as Spiritual Protection The Bluzhever Rebbe (Tzvi Le-Tzadik) once entered the study of his father, Rav David of Dinov, and found him reviewing Mishnayot by heart like a schoolboy. Realizing that his son was surprised by this practice, Rav David revealed something remarkable to him. He said that when a person ascends to Heaven, he is shown a sight that fills him with terror: countless mazikim and other spiritual beings. But if a person knows ten chapters of Mishnayot by heart, he has nothing to fear. 4. Mishnayot for Protection from Insanity There is a well-known segula from Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov involving 18 Mishnayot for protection from insanity. For more information, see the link: Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov – Studying Mishnayot as a Remedy for Madness   5. Mishnayot for Protection from the Torments of Gehinnom Rav Sheftel Horowitz of Vienna (the son of the Shelah ha-Kadosh) writes that there is a tradition that one who is well versed in Mishnayot will not see Gehinnom. Rabbeinu Chida adds (Shem HaGedolim 2, letter ת, no. 55), in the name of the Arizal (may his merit protect us), that when a person dies, if he is sent to Gehinnom, he calls upon each of the twelve tribes to come and save him. None answers him except Asher ben Yaakov. Asher asks the person whether he studied Mishnayot during his lifetime. If the answer is yes, he takes the person out of Gehinnom. Rabbeinu Chida also writes in Moreh be-Etzba (42) that Mishnayot should be studied aloud. 5. Purification of the Neshamah There is a well-known tradition that Maran Rav Yosef Karo merited having a Magid (a messenger from Heaven) visit him precisely because of his intense study of Mishnah. He had purified his neshamah to such an extent that he merited learning from an angel. The explanation is that the words משנה (Mishnah) and נשמה (neshamah) consist of the same letters. The book Magid Mesharim was written by Rav Yosef Karo based precisely on his lessons with the heavenly Magid. 6. A Segula for Healing and Yeshuot Rebbetzin Batsheva Kanievsky would often distribute copies of Kain Mefureshet, the commentary of Rav Tzvi Gutmacher on the Mishnah of tractate Kinim (Birds’ Nests). Rabbi Tzvi Gutmacher, author of Kain Mefureshet and Nachlat Tzvi, was the son of the renowned Rabbi Eliyahu Gutmacher, a student of the great Rabbi Akiva Eiger. A Kabbalist and miracle-worker, Rabbi Eliyahu of Greiditz received a thousand Jews who came to him for blessings and healing from illness. After outliving his son, Rav Eliyahu published his work Kain Mefureshet with the following words in the introduction, which became the source of a segula for the Kanievsky family: “When someone is in particular need of salvation and the help of the Almighty, he should study the Mishnah of Kinim together with the commentaries of Rabbi Ovadiah of Bartenura, Tosafot Yom Tov, and my son.” For more information, see the link: Mishnayot Kinnim — Rabbanit Kanievsky’s Segula for Salvation   7. Mishnah for Departed Parents There is a well-known tradition from Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzhin that during the twelve months following the passing of one’s father or mother, as well as on their yahrzeit, it is beneficial to study the Mishnah in the section Tohorot: chapter 24 of tractate Keilim, which contains 17 Mishnayot, each ending with the words “completely pure” or “completely pure.” The chapter concludes similarly: “Whether on the outside or on the inside—it is pure.”   Mishnah Tractate Keilim, Chapter 24 1. There are three types of shields, differing in their ability to contract ritual impurity: a curved shield, which protects a warrior on three sides and on which he often sleeps during wartime, contracts midras impurity; a shield used in contests contracts corpse impurity; while a small Arab shield is completely pure. 2. There are three types of carriages, [differing in their ability to contract ritual impurity]: one resembling a platform—[that is, short and enclosed by raised sides on only three sides]—contracts [midras] impurity; one resembling a bed contracts corpse impurity; while one intended for transporting stones is completely pure. 3. There are three types of troughs [in which dough is kneaded]: a trough [holding] from two logs to nine kav, if it cracked [and thus became unfit for kneading dough in it], contracts [midras] impurity; an intact one contracts corpse impurity; while a very large one [holding 40 seah of liquid or] two kor [of dry measure] is completely pure. 4. There are three types of chests: a chest open on the side contracts [midras] impurity; one [open] on top contracts corpse impurity; while a very large one is completely pure. 5. There are three types of leather bags: a barber’s bag contracts [midras] impurity; one on which people [customarily] eat contracts corpse impurity; while one intended for squeezing olives is completely pure. 6. There are three types of stands: one [placed] before a bed [and one on which] a scribe writes contract [midras] impurity; one [supporting] a small table contracts corpse impurity; while a stand for a sideboard is completely pure. 7. There are three types of writing tablets: one [covered with] ash [on which temporary notes are written] contracts [midras] impurity; one covered with wax contracts corpse impurity; while a smooth one is completely pure. 8. There are three types of couches: one intended for lying contracts [midras] impurity; one [on which] glassblowers [place their wares] contracts corpse impurity; while one used by net weavers is completely pure. 9. There are three types of baskets: one [used to carry] manure [to the field] contracts [midras] impurity; one [in which] hay is placed contracts corpse impurity; while one [tied to the back] of a camel is completely pure. 10. There are three types of mats: one intended for sitting contracts [midras] impurity; one [on which] dyers [place garments they are dyeing] contracts corpse impurity; while one [used to cover] a millstone [for crushing grapes or olives] is completely pure. 11. There are three types of leather wineskins and three types of leather sacks: those of standard size—[wineskins holding seven kav and sacks holding five kav]—contract [midras] impurity; those smaller than standard size contract corpse impurity; while those made of fish skin are completely pure. 12. There are three types of hides: one used as a carpet [for sitting on] contracts [midras] impurity; one [in which] objects are wrapped contracts corpse impurity; while one [used to make] straps is completely pure. 13. There are three types of sheets: one on which people lie contracts [midras] impurity; one used as a curtain contracts corpse impurity; while one [on which designs are woven and which is hung on a wall for decoration] is completely pure. 14. There are three types of cloths: one [used as a towel] for the hands contracts [midras] impurity; one [used as a cover] for books contracts corpse impurity; while those used as a shroud and [as covers] for the musical instruments of the Levites are completely pure. 15. There are three types of leather gloves: [those used by] animal and bird trappers contract [midras] impurity; [those used by] grasshopper trappers contract corpse impurity; while those used for drying figs are completely pure. 16. There are three types of women’s hairnets: one [worn by] a young girl contracts [midras] impurity; one [worn by] an old woman contracts corpse impurity; while one [worn by a woman to] go out into the street is completely pure. 17. There are three types of sacks: [if] an intact [sack] is placed inside a torn one [to cover the holes in the latter, in determining the laws of ritual impurity] we consider the intact one; [if] a large [sack] is placed inside a small one [for the same purpose], we consider the large one; [if] they are equal [in size], we consider the one inside. Rabbi Shimon says: [If a ritually impure] weighing cup was used to patch a boiler, if it was [placed] inside, [the entire boiler becomes] impure; if it was [placed] outside, [the boiler remains] pure; but if the boiler was patched on the side, whether from the outside or the inside, it is pure.   One should also read chapters of Mishnah beginning with the letters that spell the name of the deceased, as well as Mishnayot beginning with the letters that form the word “neshamah” (soul)—chapter 7 of tractate Mikvaot. This is similar to reading Tehillim 119 according to the letters of the person’s name.

  Tractate Mikvaot, Chapter 7 1. There are [liquid and solid substances] which, when entering a mikveh, can make up the missing [quantity of water required for ritual purification]. Some, [when entering a mikveh], do not render [its water] unfit for ritual purification, while others, when entering a mikveh, render its [water] unfit for ritual purification. There are also substances that do not make up [the missing quantity of water], but do not render [the mikveh’s water] unfit. These are the substances that make up the deficiency and [do not render] the mikveh’s water unfit: snow, hail, frost, ice, salt, and mud. Rabbi Akiva said: “Rabbi Yishmael argued with me, saying: ‘Snow cannot make up [the missing quantity of water] in a mikveh.’ But the residents of Meidva testified that he told them: ‘Go and bring snow and fill it with snow from the outset [the empty depression in the ground or pool designated as] a mikveh.” Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri says: “Hail has the same law as water,” [that is, if it was lifted from the ground by hand or in a vessel and poured into the mikveh, it renders it unfit for ritual purification]. When can [the substances listed above] make up the deficiency and [at the same time] not render [the mikveh’s water] unfit? [When] the mikveh contained [water equal to] forty less one seah, and one seah [of these substances] entered it and made up [the missing seah of water]. In this manner, they make up [a full seah of water] and do not render [the mikveh] unfit [as other substances do if eight logs of them enter the mikveh’s water]. 2. These are the substances that, [when entering a mikveh in an amount of three logs or more], render its water unfit and do not make up [the missing quantity of water in the mikveh, even if less than three logs entered it]: drawn water, [whether ritually pure or ritually impure], liquid from soaking vegetables and fruit, broth, and a beverage made from unfermented grape residue. When do they render [the mikveh’s water] unfit, and [when] do they not make up [the missing quantity of water]? If the mikveh contained forty seah [of water] less one kortov, and one kortov of these [substances] entered it, they do not make up [the missing quantity of water]; they render the mikveh’s water unfit [when] three logs [of these substances] are poured into the mikveh. But all other liquids (wine, oil, and milk), [which belong to the seven liquids distinguished by the laws of ritual purity as a special category], as well as fruit juices, drops of fish brine, drops of fat from salted fish, and a beverage made from fermented grape residue, in some circumstances make up [the missing quantity of water in a mikveh], while in other circumstances they do not. When do they not make it up? If the mikveh contains forty less one seah [of water] and a seah of these [liquids] enters it, it does not make up [the missing quantity of water]. When do they make it up? If the mikveh contained forty seah [of water], and a seah [of these liquids] was added, and then one seah [of the mikveh’s contents] was removed, the mikveh remains valid [for ritual purification]. 3. If baskets used for olives or grapes were rinsed in the mikveh’s water and afterward the color of the mikveh’s water changed, the water nevertheless remains valid [for ritual purification]. Rabbi Yose says: “Water colored with any color renders the mikveh’s water unfit if three logs of it [mixed with the mikveh’s water], but does not render it unfit if [a smaller amount] did not change [the color of the mikveh’s water].” If wine or “moḥal” was poured into a mikveh [that did not contain forty seah], and afterward the color [of the water] in the mikveh changed, it becomes unfit [for ritual purification]. What should be done [to restore the mikveh’s fitness]? Wait until the rains come [and the mikveh fills with rainwater suitable for ritual purification] and the water in the mikveh once again returns to its natural color. If the mikveh contained forty seah [when wine or “moḥal” was poured into it and changed its color], drawn [water] is brought on the shoulder and poured into the mikveh until the water [in the mikveh] once again returns to its natural color. 4. Wine or “moḥal” was poured into a mikveh [that contained the required amount—40 seah—of water for ritual purification], changing the color of the water in part of the mikveh. If there is not a remaining area [in another part of the mikveh] containing forty seah of water that has not lost its natural color, one may not immerse in the water of such a mikveh [even in the area where the water retained its natural color]. 5. Three logs of water became mixed with one kortov of wine, and the color of the mixture became like the color of wine. The mixture then flowed into a mikveh [that was lacking three logs of the required forty seah of water]. The mixture does not render the mikveh unfit. Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri says: “Everything depends on the color [of the liquid mixture] that entered the mikveh. If its color resembles that of water, then even when the mixture contains fewer than three logs of water, the mikveh’s water becomes unfit.” 6. A mikveh contained exactly forty seah of water, and two [people] entered it and immersed one after the other. The first becomes ritually pure, while the second remains ritually impure. Rabbi Yehudah says: “If the feet of the first touched the water [while the second was immersing in the mikveh], the second also becomes ritually pure.” A coarse woolen cloak was immersed in a mikveh [containing exactly forty seah of water]. It was then lifted, but part of it still remained in contact with the water. [If a person immersed in the mikveh at that same time,] he becomes pure. Leather vessels shaped like cushions or mattresses, [which were ritually impure and immersed in a mikveh containing exactly forty seah of water, must by law fill with the mikveh’s water]. As soon as their edges are lifted above the surface of the [mikveh’s] water, the water inside them assumes the status of “drawn water” [water drawn into a vessel, which, if three logs enter a mikveh, renders it unfit]. What should be done [so that the water in these vessels, when it returns to the mikveh, will not render it unfit]? Immerse these vessels [completely in the mikveh with their openings upward, then turn them over without removing them from the mikveh’s water] and lift them with their openings facing downward. 7. A bed was immersed in the water of a mikveh [containing exactly 40 seah of water]. Although [the mikveh’s water will cover it completely only if] its legs enter the thick layer [of the mikveh’s floor], it becomes ritually pure, because the water penetrates [the cavities formed in the floor of the mikveh by the bed’s legs] beforehand; moreover, drops of moisture adhered to the legs before they entered the floor of the mikveh. If the mikveh’s waters are shallow [and a person cannot immerse in them completely], then, in order to raise the water level [in the mikveh], objects are immersed in it with the help of heavy objects [other objects made of separate parts, between which the water can flow], even such things as bundles of wood or tied bundles of reeds. One then descends [into the mikveh] and immerses in its waters. [If a ritually impure] needle lay on one of the steps leading to the cave [where the mikveh is located], and [someone] agitated the water [in the mikveh], then [the needle], covered by the wave that rose, becomes ritually pure. Rabbi Hananya ben Akashya says: “The Holy One, blessed be He, desired to increase Israel’s merit, and therefore gave them an abundance of Torah and mitzvot, as it is said: ‘The L-rd desired, for the sake of His righteousness, to make the Torah great and glorious.’”

( https://moshiach.ru/study/judaism/12842.html(https://moshiach.ru/study/judaism/12842.html)   (Based on the book Segulot and Tefillot, published by Machontk, on the teachings of Rav Yisrael Yakovov, the book Rebbetzin Kanievsky—A Legendary Mother to All, and the Moshiach.ru website)