The entire subject of segulos is to the frum Yid what technology is to the goy. It is the instant gratification disease. Tell someone that warming food will take a half hour instead of a few minutes in the microwave, you become archaic and prudish. Tell someone that being a recipient of Hashem’s shefa requires earning it with zechusim, mitzvos and maasim tovim, the refraining from issurim, and you are similarly archaic. It sounds like the story of the quite ignorant chossid who was single who believed that going to a particular tzaddik for a brocho was all that was needed to have children.
The inyan of segulah is mentioned countless times throughout Torah, and it is found all over Shas. But it was never intended to supplant the rigorous tasks of the Taryag Mitzvos.
It s also noteworthy that the trend to visit kevarim is astronomically greater than it ever was in our history. Yes, Kalev went to Me’oras Hamachpeilah. Yes, Yosef Hatzaddik visited Kever Rochel. But the excursions of masses would be unrecognizable to the earlier generations. Among most chassidim, the graveside visits were limited to close family going for a yahrtzeit or to invite to an upcoming wedding. Kivrei tzaddikim were not ignored, but were not a source of marketing for funds or expressions of publicity.
Has anyone heard the troves of stories of Chassidishe Rebbes of Europe going to kevarim of the Baal Shem Tov and the Magid of Mezrich? How about the Litvishe Gedolim of Europe visiting the kevarim of the Vilna Gaon, the Chofetz Chaim, or Rav Chaim Brisker? I believe that occasional visits happened. I bet that more visit all of the kevarim now than when there were thriving communities in proximity. Again, kivrei tzaddikim are places where tefilos can be special. But we downplay the role of tefiloh with a tzibbur in the local beis hamedrash, as if this is mundane and less meaningful. I suspect that the tzaddikim we speak of, would be displeased by such an attitude.
Actually, the true meaning in our lives is found between the pages of the seforim written that contain the Divrei Torah spoken by these tzaddikim. Would the Chofetz Chaim prefer that one learned his precious seforim, rather than spend the time and money to visit his kever? One should wonder. Rav Nachum of Chernobyl specifically asked that his seforim be studied rather than going to the kever.
But the belief that one can accomplish at the kever instead of the the Avodas Hashem of daily life of Torah and Mitzvos is plainly ignorant. But trends toward ignorance are not uncommon these days.