How Is This Segulah Different Than Other Segulos? Thinking About Zera Shimshon

One of the 'newer' segulos in the segulah marketplace (there are various segulos - alleged and actual - competing for people's attention and patronage) seeking the attention of the masses is connected with the sefer זרע שמשון.

People are being implored to learn the sefer, and told great stories about how it has helped people.

Even Artscroll was running an advertising campaign for it a while ago, connected with its publication of related works by a well known storyteller, R. Nachman Seltzer (volume one and volume two).

That surprised me, as I didn't recall that publishing house hawking segulos in such a manner in the past. In my mind, Artscroll was run, generally, broadly speaking, in a Litvishe way, especially under its founder, R. Meir Zlotowitz z"l, in which tradition such things are not stressed.

Keep in mind as well that זרע שמשון is just one of a number of works that are considered segulos. There are other seforim of which it is reported that their authors promised benefits to those who learned and/or printed them too.

Now let's be clear about something. Zera Shimshon is a precious sefer. That is not disputed.

However, there is a danger that people will concentrate on a segulah, as a type of magic, placing excessive faith in it. And that is religiously problematic.

And, perhaps more importantly, learning any type of Torah is a great thing and a segulah.

If people feel connected to a certain part of Torah, that is where they should learn, as discussed here in the past.

Lest a reader say that I do not know from what I speak, let me share that I have looked into and learned some זרע שמשון. It made a favorable impression on me. However, to encourage every person to drop what they are doing, e.g. other לימודים קדושים, and start learning דווקא that work, strikes me as lacking in responsibility.

As Rav Yaakov Moshe Hillel shlit"a was once heard stating to someone who was asking him for a סגולה - why do you need a  "segulah", we are the עם סגולה?

Have a great Shabbos and a freilichen chodesh.