[Avodah] Avodah] segulah of reciting Parshas Va'yishlach

[SBA]

From: "Moshe Feldman" < >
Someone told me that the Maharil cites a custom that a Jew who anticipates
an encounter with heathen authorities recites as a precautionary segulah
measure Parashas Vayishlach (up to and not including the episode with
Shechem and Dinah) on the Motzaei Shabbos beforehand.
>>

I have long ago heard about the segula of reciting Vayishlach on Motzoei
Shabbos before traveling - a segula quite widespread amongst both Chassidim
and Litvaks. But this was the first I heard about its use against
'heathens'.

I did a Hebrew Google search and found an amazing 'Segula' website
http://tinyurl.com/3d2cx7 which indeed mentions this beshem Minhagei Maharil
and the Midrash Talpios.
--

From: "kennethgmiller at juno.com" < >
..a Jew who anticipates an encounter with heathen authorities recites as a 
> precautionary segulah measure Parashas Vayishlach (up to and not 
> including the episode with Shechem and Dinah) on the Motzaei Shabbos 
> beforehand.

If one merely "recites" it, and this recitation is done at some particular
time on the calendar, then it seems to give the word "segulah" a connotation
of "magical incantation", which bothers me to the point of suspecting it
might be assur.
>>

Look up that site and you'll see plenty of such segulos.

Discussing this with a TC today, he told me that this 'segula' section of
Vayishlach is known to give us Yidden instructions on how to deal with Akum.

And then I noticed an interesting Baal Haturim (Vayishlach 32:17) explaining
a mesoreh with "...Remez ledoros haboim sheyitnu shochad lesareihem !!".

Over to the PC-isten here - to explain this...

SBA