We were sitting around the table at NMF #16’s wedding when the inevitable segula lady came around with the challah. “Who wants some?” She asked. “Whatever you need, it’s good for it.”
“Like… carbs?” I muttered under my breath. Being somewhat stuffed at the time, I politely turned down the challah. “I’m not hungry.”
“Oh you don’t need to eat the whole slice!” she laughed. “Just take a bite.”
“No thank you.”
My co-table-ists looked impressed, like I’d just made some kind of statement. Truthfully, I just wasn’t hungry.
After she bustled onward, my neighbor turned to me (after finishing a bite of the challah) and asked: “Relative to other religions, do you think Jews are more or less supersititous?”
If we just look at just the segulos related to shidduchim, I’d have to say “Yes.”
In fact, there were enough of them to fill three posts on the subject:
Segulos part 3
Bad for Shidduchim 
My pals and I always joke about Segulah Man: An average Joe who, upon witnessing the usual Havdalah segulot, learned about segulot and their many powers and took it a little too seriously.
Queue montage of segulah scenes: man charging in after havdalah, grabbing cup and dousing himself completely while bellowing “Segulah!”; busts into wedding, gobbles challah, “SEGULAH!”, etc.
Indeed a remarkable reaction.
I remember giving out to everyone, not singling out the singles (no pun intended).
I don’t know if that’s any better though.
“Relative to other religions, are Jews more or less superstitous?” “Yes” doesn’t answer the question, bad4.
Don’t forget holding up the havdolah candle high enough. I hold it at elbow height, and every once in a while some guest grabs my arm and shoves the alarmingly strong flame higher. “You’ll have a short husband!” I’ll take the risk, along with my intact eyebrows.
Ugh. What has the Jewish people come to?
I have never heard of any of these segulas you mentioned. Maybe it’s because guys don’t do it as often as women do.
The only segulah I heard was davening at the kotel for 40 days. I heard you can daven for anything, but it seems most people said for shidduchim. I don’t believe in segulahs, but I did this one anyway just for the fun of doing it with my pal.
But I davened for parnasah and I now make more money than any of my friends my age. So maybe it did work? Eh, I still don’t believe in it 🙂
and I dream of coming up with a segula of my own…. Preferably one that will make me rich.
peacock – I sit corrected. But now that you point it out, I kind of like “yes” as an answer.
http://serandez.blogspot.com/search?q=segula
I just got a random email from Yad Ephraim titled, “The perfect place to shop for Zchusim!”
Anyone who wants the email forwarded to them please let me know.