I am a fan of segulahs. I enjpy finding out about segulahs I have not previously heard of. I am curious as to how the various segulahs develop and how they become popular.

That being said, I do not do that many segulahs. There are some of the basic ones that everyone does, such as the simanim on Rosh Hashana, Tashlich, etc.. but most segulahs, even though they interest me, I will not perform.

I just heard about two new segulahs. They are both associated with Rav Chaim Kanievsky. (both of the following are culled from the recent Mishpacha newspaper (Hebrew edition).

1. Employees of a bank recently had been suffering with various problems with their feet/legs (regel in Hebrew). One employee went to Rav Kanievsky to ask about the phenomenon.

Rav Kanievsky asked if they work during the holiday (also regel in Hebrew)?

When the employee responded that they work as usual during the holiday, Rav Kanievsky said if you will not work during the regel, you will not have pains in the regel.

The employees decided that during the upcoming holiday, while they had to work, they would only do actions that were required for the holiday, and nothing extra. They encouraged customers to do as much as possible from their homes (via internet or telephone banking). Other customers who had to come in to perform transactions were encouraged to only do those which were necessary for the duration of the holiday and anything that could be pushed off until after the holiday was.

As an aside, the report goes, most customers happily acquiesced to the request to delay any unnecessary transactions. Some did not and felt they came in to perform a transaction and even though it was not urgent, they wanted it performed. The clerks performed these transactions, as they were obligated to, but were surprised when asking the customer to sign the slips, those same customers refused claiming it was not necessary for the holiday.... (I guess sensitivity to the holiness of the holiday goes only oneway..)

2. Somebody approached Rav Kanievsky asking for his blessing for a new project. The project was suggested during the Second Lebanon War. The project was to work with the electric company to spread out the risk of a missile/rocket landing on and destroying a power station. To minimize the risk, he recommended they establish many small power stations spread out around the country, rather than just having the large stations.

He recommended the project be paid for in conjunction by the Electric Company and by the Haredi public who would also use these smaller stations as shabbos generators.

Rav Kanievsky gave him his blessings. (Rav Kanievsky is very much in favor of using generators for electricity on shabbos and not electricity from the regular power stations).

He then mentioned that if there would be a fault and one of these stations would go down on shabbos, the residents affected by it would have to be automatically switched over to the general grid.

Rav Kanievsky said that it is unacceptable and he would not agree to it.

When asked what about sick people who need medical equipment and the like? We cannot leave them with no electricity?

Rav Kanievsky responded that there would no longer be any sick people.

The fellow left astounded. he later asked a different Rav to explain what Rav Kanievsky meant.

The Rav told him the following story: A resident of the Shaarei Chesed neighborhood of Jerusalem approached Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and asked him - I see you use the generator for your electricity on shabbos. On the other hand in the street you benefit form the electricity of the city (non-generator) and in shul as well. Does that mean i can deduce from this that one could rely on the electricity from the Electric Company because they are producing electricity for sick people in the area as well, such as hospitals or people who need medical equipment?

Rav Auerbach responded that he cannot deduce that. he explained that hospitals each have their own generators. Once there is a problem with the electricity and the hospital transfers to the generator, one would no longer be able to rely on the general electricity (because the hospital no longer is).

So, the fellow continued, how does the Rav rely on the electricity in shul and in the streets?

Rav Auerbach responded that it is not because of the hospitals, but there are sick people in the neighborhood who need medical equipment;inhalers, oxygen, dialysis machines, etc. Because they require the electricity for their equipment, based on that one can be lenient and use the electricity.

The Rav concluded based on this story we can understand Rav Kanievsky's statement (above). Hashem put sick people in the various neighborhoods in order to save us from transgressing the prohibition of using electricity on shabbos. Because of them we are able to use electricity. However, once the whole problem is resolved (by creating these smaller power stations), there will no longer be a need for these sick people.

So if the problem with electricity on shabbos is solved, there will be no more sick people.