Reply To: Segula R’ Chaim Palagi and sheker

Ok maybe “bold face lie” is too harsh but is is sheker. I do like gefilte fish’s translation much better than they way the tzedakah organizations translate it. I am more bothered by falsifying the translation than by the conclusion by which they arrived. It would be a lot different if they would add something to the effect of ” We asked Rabbi So and so how to fulfill this segulah today and he said it can be fulfilled by….”

In terms of the conclusions, I also disagree.

A) R Chaim Palagi spelled out which yeshuos it works for. He didn’t say kids going OTD, shalom bayis, parnosa etc. He gave a specific list

B) A preutah has a legal definition. If you give a woman a peruta and ask her to marry you, you are married. Give her half a peruta you are not. We can speculate what R. Chaim meant but to throw around definitions with impunity and adding words to a sefer that are not there is not right.

Let’s face it. The only reason that tzedakah organization dug up this segulah which no one knew about 30 years ago is that they like the idea of asking for $104. If we translate a preuta as a quarter they would not be publicizing it.