One who is seeking health should remember not to place his faith in doctors, but rather in Hashem, who grants the doctors their ability to effect a cure. There is a famous story told of a man suffering from a terrible illness who traveled to the tzadik Rav Yitzchak of Neshchiz and begged him for a promise that he would be cured from his illness. Rav Yitzchak refused to grant such a guarantee, but the man continued to beg him. Finally, Rav Yitzchak told him, “It is possible that you will be healed, but I cannot promise with certainty that this will happen. The problem is that you have forgotten to place your trust in Hashem, Who alone can save you, since you heard that ‘there is a man from Neshchiz who is a wonder worker,’ and you placed your faith in him! When you again place your faith in Hashem Yisbarach, then you will merit your salvation!”
There are numerous s’gulos for health and long life that our greatest rabbis and sources have constantly urged us to utilize and practice. One of the most well-known s’gulos for a long life is what the verse in T’hilim tells us: “Who is the man that desires life and loves days of seeing good? Let him guard his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking evil.” (T’hilim 34:13-14). Below is a list of more s’gulos compiled by www.betterthanasegulah.org.
Learning mishnayos is a s’gulah for long life (Rabbi Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin, Sefer Takanas HaShavim, end of siman 6).
The Tanna Rabbi Meir told of two people who were equally ill. One was cured, while the other was not. What was the difference between the two? The one who was cured davened a complete t’filah, with kavanah, and was thus answered, while the other did not daven with kavanah and was therefore not answered (Rosh HaShanah 18a).
If one is undergoing some kind of suffering or has an ill person in his household, he should observe a chacham and learn from him how to daven properly and beg for rachamim (Meiri, Bava Basra 116a).
One’s main intent when davening for health is that he should thus have the ability to learn Torah and do the mitzvos properly, as when one is ill, he is not able to fulfill the mitzvos properly (Seder HaYom).
Reciting the Asher Yatzar blessing with great concentration is a tried-and-tested s’gulah to be healed (Rabbi Meir of Premishlan).
Saying T’hilim is a very great merit, as when David HaMelech said the words of T’hilim, he said them with ruach ha’kodesh. This inspiration is now imbedded within the words of T’hilim so that when one says T’hilim, the ruach ha’kodesh is aroused, and it is as if David HaMelech himself is reciting the words. Thus, reciting T’hilim with bitachon is a very great s’gulah to be healed (Yalkut Mei’am Lo’eiz, T’hilim, introduction to section 2).
One who has an ill person in his household should go to a chacham and ask him to intercede for mercy on behalf of the ill person (Bava Basra 116a).
One can go to a wise and holy person to ask him to pray on his behalf for healing, but he must remember to ultimately place his trust in Hashem, the One Who truly brings the cure.
List of People Who Need a R’fuah Sh’leimah
(a complete recovery)
Please recite Psalms 20, 30, 88, 121, and 130.
Yeshayahu Yosef ben Zari
Rachamim ben Sa’eda Mazal
Alter Shmuel ben Chavah Leah
Meir Yaakov ben Esther
Yehudah ben Dinah
Chaim Avraham ben Shifrah Zisel
Yosef ben Basya
Yehudah Yudel ben Miriam Gittel
Shraga Feivel ben Chayah Daba
Yisachar Dov ben Chayah Brachah
Refael Aharon ben Devorah
Meshulam David ben Alta Hendel
Moshe ben Chasiya
Rafael Avraham ben Ivonne
Tinok ben Tzivia
Gideon ben Ludmilla
Yishai ben Moriasha Tovah
Yosef ben Miriam
Rafael Moshe Yehudah ben Feiga Necha
Yerachmiel Daniel ben Tovah Basha
Chaim Meir Binyamin ben Chanah Sarah
Pinchas ben Feiga Dinah
Yitzchak Mordechai ben Rose Nizha
Chaim Menachem ben Leah
Yechiel HaLevi ben Rachel
Yehudah Aryeh ben Yitta
Moshe Shmuel ben Freida
Rivkah Fruma bas Leah Baila
Irina Ester Chayah bas Yafah
Yafah bas Basanda
Chayah Sheva bas Sheina Reizel
Hadassah bas Hennah Rivkah
Ruchamah Perel Malkah Leah bas Chanah Serel
Hinda Zalma bas Sarah
Esther Hadasah bas Devorah
Sarah bas Ilanah
Rechamah bas Feiga Rivkah
Tinokes bas Efrat Tehilah
Efrat Tehila bas Nina
Chayah Esther Yirat bas Feiga Dinah
Tziporah Yeta bas Yehudis
Rachel bas Hinda Reizel
Efrat bas Sonia