Appendix: Ayn Od Milvado
THE FAMOUS SEGULA FROM NEFESH HACHAIM
AYN OD MILVADO
“There is a great inyan and wondrous Segulah to remove and cancel any judgments from you and to sway the will of others so that they cannot control you and have no effect on you at all whatsoever.
When you establish this idea and make its place in your heart permanent and say to yourself that “Hashem is the only true real G-d and there is none besides Him and no other force or power in this world or any other realm at all – Ayn Od Milvado Yisborach Shemo shum koach ba’olam vekol haolamos kelal,” everything is filled only with His oneness and simple unity. If you nullify yourself in your heart completely and pay no attention at all to any other force or power or will in this world, and subjugate yourself and attach your pure thought and mind only unto the Master of the World blessed is He, then He shall grant you success and fulfill your needs and all other external forces shall be cancelled and nullified and they shall be unable to act or do anything to you at all. (Nefesh HaChaim Sha’ar 3 Chap 12)
The Nefesh HaChaim discusses a Gemara regarding a woman who wished to take the dust from the feet of Rabi Chanina to perform witchcraft and kill him. Rabi Chanina granted her permission, for he was confident that he had enough merits that she would not succeed. The Gemara asks: How could Rabi Chanina not be frightened of this power of evil?
Rabi Chanina knew: “Ein od milvado—There is none other than He.”
The forces of impurity don’t harbor power of their own. Hashem is the One Who gave them the ability to override the forces of nature, but without Hashem, they are helpless.
Thus, Rabi Chanina believed with singularity of thought that nothing other than Hashem possesses any power at all. Therefore, he was sure that the witchcraft would not overcome him.
AYN OD MILVADO
