Sound therapy using Tibetan bowls

Dear Rabbi Szmerla,
I am writing to you in hopes that you can answer my question.
I reached out to someone who is a Metapelet in Sound. A month later, I began working at a Trauma Centre in Israel where groups of people come for a day of relaxation, trauma therapy etc. [using sound therapy] While my instrument of choice would not have been the gong and Tibetan bowls, the people that I work with all use the bowls. I knew enough to ask Avraham (the head of the Sound unit) if any of the bowls were used in temple service or idol worship. He told me that all of his bowls are bought from a manufacturer that he has there. Avraham imports them himself and sells them in Israel and trains people. He told me that the manufacturer is not a religious figure but a young business man who manufactures the bowls. Then he told me that when the bowls arrive, he washes them to clean any energetic impurity from manufacturing and shipping. The other day I got a call from a friend of mine who rarely calls me. She had heard about what I am doing, and she told me that her husband who is a rabbi said that I cannot work with the bowls. She said it was Assur, and she told me that I was going against Halacha. I obviously felt completely awful, but I had asked around some people who work in the more alternative worlds before I took this job, and I heard that instruments that are not involved in temple service are O.K.
Recently I met Dr. B. K. who uses bowls (bought from a factory) and Gongs. He referred me to you.
I told my friend that I would personally find a posek who understands these things. I love my job and I really don’t want to have to leave it.
I am hoping you can shed some light and help me through this.
Thank you so much
S.L.E

Dear Mrs. E. לאי"ט

It's hard to respond to a claim that has neither source nor explanation. What I can tell you is that, to my knowledge, working with Tibetan bowl is 100% permitted.

There are two types of bowls. 1) singing bowls that have been manufactured for marketing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them. 2) ancient Tibetan bowls. Those are much more expensive because they can be quite rare, and also because the metal tension improves with age, producing a quality of sound that cannot be obtained with a new bowl. In these bowls, I can understand someone may be concerned that these bowls may have been used in the past in Tibetan temples or privately for avodah zarah, which would render them אסור בהנאה - forbidden to derive any benefit from them. However, to my knowledge singing bowls are not used for idol worship, rather they are used for meditation or healing. Even if a bowl was used in a Tibetan temple, it is important to understand that Buddhism is originally a philosophy focusing on meditation, not a religion. And although Buddhism did become some type of religion over the years, worshipping Buddha etc., that is not their main focus and when they use singing bowls in a temple it is for their meditation ceremonies, not for worship. And meditation is NOT a forbidden practice at all, but a practice that's very holy and cherished in Judaism, as I explain in Chapter 10 (p. 136) of my sefer Alternative Medicine in Halachah. Therefore, I do not see any problem using Tibetan singing bowls.

However, many singing bowls have symbols carved in them. If these bowls are not new, and the symbols represent a deity, the bowl is forbidden because we have to assume it has been worshipped (see Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah  141;3). It can be difficult for us who don't read Sanskrit etc. to know if these symbols represent a deity and are problematic, or if they are just the name of a chakra, a color, the manufacturing company, etc., and are not a problem. Therefore, one should stay away from bowls decorated with symbols. Another reason for avoiding them is that even if the practitioner has done her research and knows the inscription is not problematic, her clients don't know that and might think the symbol is problematic, creating an halachic problem (יו"ד סי' קמ"א: אסור להשהותו מפני החשד). Additionally, if a client thinks there is an Halachic problem, she can't relax, and the healing cannot take place properly. Therefore, for this reason as well one should avoid using any tool, instrument, etc., with carved Tibetan, Sanskrit, or Chinese symbol.

I hope that these lines will be helpful to you. Sound healing and 'Sound baths' are very helpful in healing PTSD and all types of traumas. May Hashem help you bring healthy healing to all your clients and to Klal Yisrael.

בברכת הצלחה רבה וכל טוב

Rephoel Szmerla.

Hi, does the Rav know if Qi Gong therapy, holistic alternative healing is okay? (S. B. is the teacher).

Tizku Lemitzvos,
M.

Thank you so much for all you do! May Hashem bentch you!

There is nothing to qi-gong except that it aims at enhancing the flow of chi through the body. So, all those who believe that chi is a worshipped entity and that any healing practice that has to do with chi is forbidden will be quick at prohibiting qi-gong. However, I have explained in my sefer Alternative Medicine in Halachah that chi is NOT worshipped, and also that even if it was/is worshipped it is still permitted to work on/with it.

I would greatly recommend that you get my sefer and read chapters 1 and 2.

בברכת כל טוב

Rephoel Szmerla.

A guten,

Thank you for your [previous] reply regarding osteopath!

Actually, it is a female (goiyo) osteopath, however I am not quite sure the metsius of the work of an osteopath, is it using any type of energy etc. or just physical work?

My wife has mentioned that in the past whilst the osteopath was at work, she dimmed the lights and put on some electric candle like light... this as well makes us wonder whether there are any type of koichos she uses?

Thank you for your time and kol tuv!

PS: I have actually bought the book of the rov and am very much appreciating this masterpiece!

I have always wondered about the various forms of energy release lemineihem, whether they are allowed al pi toiro, and am very much enjoying the clarity, bein in the metsius and bein in the halocho!!  This work is mamesh a light of guidance for ganz klal yisroel! Ashrei chelkechem!

As well I was very happy to find out about the rov's exceptional organisation of ARAPOH, this is mamesh hatsolas haklal!! i wonder whether ARAPOH has yet spread any shaiches to the kehillois in England?

Regarding myself, I live in Manchester (England) and am a talmid of Rav Falk ztl as well, I learn in the koilel of dayan R' Chaim Krausz shlita (son of dayan R' Gavriel).

Wishing the Rov much hatslocho and siyate dishmayo veiter!!!

M.Z.

Thank you for your appreciative comments regarding my sefer.

Regarding your question. Officially, osteopathy treats patients mainly through manipulative treatments, believing that the structure of the body is intimately related to its function. However, it’s very possible that some osteopaths also use energetic techniques in order to align not only the physical structures but also the energetic flows (for energy work, it is always beneficial to create a harmonious and relaxed atmosphere, through dimming the light and having soft music in the background, for example). This is very common in the alternative field that a practitioner will complement his main practice with other techniques. However, whether an osteopath practices solely physical manipulations or energetic techniques as well does not have halachic importance, since energetic practices are perfectly permitted, as I explained in my sefer.

When it comes to preparing a mother and baby for labor and delivery, there is little doubt that osteopaths are far more capable than conventional obstetricians. Therefore, it would be permitted for a woman to go to a male osteopath, if an equivalent woman practitioner is not available.

Wishing you brachah vehatzlacha,

Rephoel Szmerla.

Hi,

Is it mutar for a practitioner ( I am looking to go to one) to do her work remotely- that I am not there? Is that using too much spiritual work, supernatural?

Tizku Lemitzvos,

M.

Dear M.

Yes, it is permitted to use a practitioner who does work remotely. It is not supernatural at all (although science cannot explain it) but using the ability of the nefesh to connect through the power of thought. I do discuss this a bit in my sefer Alternative Medicine in Halachah, in chapter 2 and chapter 4, in the subchapters called Remote Healing and Remote Testing.

Wishing you Hatzlacha vechol tuv,

Rephoel Szmerla.

Hi, I recently purchased and read Rabbi Szmerla's sefer on alternative medicine. And have a couple of questions.

Firstly, is there any problem using the homeopathic remedy Lachesis (which derives from snake poison), either halachically or in hashkafah? The remedy source is diluted far beyond sixty parts. However, I didn't know if there is any problem of mevatel lechatchilah (although the remedies are produced by non Jewish companies).

My second question is regarding the remedy pellets. There are some producers that use sucrose pills, which I assume are ok? Boiron (one of the major manufacturers in the USA) also uses lactose from cows’ milk, which I assume could be an issue of Cholov Akum. However, I generally don't administer remedies in pill form, but dilute them in water (more than 60 parts) if that helps.

I am currently taking a homeopathic course and hoping to become a practitioner at some point in the future iy"H, so any answers would be helpful, thanks.

S.C.

Sorry for not responding right away, but it’s sometimes hard for me to find the time to respond.

In homeopathic remedies, the active ingredient is always Batel, so it is not an halachic issue. It is not an Hashkafic issues either, since snake poison is only assur be’achila, not behana’ah (incidentally, we find many segulos in Chazal using parts or extracts of non-kosher animals). And there is no issue of mevatlin issur lechatchila because of many reasons, the main one being that this is an issue only when the dilution is done for a Jew, but here they do it for the general population, which is not Jewish.

Sucrose pills are not a problem. Lactose is more complicated. It may be derived from milk, with an issue of cholov akum, or it may come from cheese production, in which case there is an issue of gvinas akum (issur derabanan). There is no way to know where the lactose comes from. It is definitely better to use homeopathic remedies without lactose, but if there is no alternative, we can rely that the lactose may not have come from cheese (safek derabanan) but from milk, and rely on the opinion of Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l that cholov stam is permitted (due to governmental oversight). Diluting the pills in water first is definitely a plus, from an halachic point of view.

I used to recommend using homeopathic remedies from Celletech company, which is certified kosher by the chof K and parve, but because they use a magnetic process to produce the remedies and not the regular dilution and succussion process, it seems that their remedies may be good for physical issues but not so much for emotional ones.

I hope that this will be helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Wishing you bracha vehatzlacha vechol tuv,

Rephoel Szmerla.

[Addendum: one should wait after meat before taking homeopathic remedies since the pill is made of lactose, but for a choleh it would be enough to wait just one hour, if needed.]

One of my students in the Natural Bioenergetics [NB} class wanted to know if she is allowed to practice NB on Shabbos.  

Thank you,

MW

I address this question in my sefer, but only in the Hebrew section. So, I will write here in English my conclusions:

If the patient is choleh kol haguf one may treat him/her with NB or any other alternative method, just as one may take regular medication in such situation.

If the patient is not choleh kol haguf but suffers substantial discomfort, one may treat him/her through alternative methods (that do not involve the  use of substances) only if there is no medication available for his condition.

If the patient is not choleh kol haguf and neither suffers substantial discomfort, one may not treat him/her until after Shabbos. However, just doing testing for him/her would still be permitted.

Choleh Kol haguf doesn’t only include someone who is sick in bed with fever, but also someone who suffers from any condition that causes his whole body to be incapacitated, such as someone with a migraine headache who is not up to doing anything, someone who suffers from anxiety and cannot function because of her anxiety, someone who suffers from hay fever, etc. Additionally, the Rambam writes that if someone is well but in danger of becoming choleh kol haguf, he/she has the same heteirim as someone who is already choleh kol haguf.

Bebirkas kol tuv, 

Rephoel Szmerla.

I took a 1-day class on Access Bars recommended by my teacher Rebbetzin Orit Esther Riter with another woman that needs emotional healing. I have a few questions about it.

1. It is like a quick CranioSacral release while saying at each point to let go....Right Wrong Good Bad POD POC…. Some of these words are abbreviations, for example POD points of destruction=Clearing the stuckness of when it began at all levels. I just want to make sure it's ok to say it....
2. They have one of the classes about entities. Do we believe in it? Are we allowed to deal in removing it? I think the answer is not but am just making sure. The other classes are amazing....
   https://www.accessconsciousness.com/en

Thank You

A Gite Voch

A Gite Choidesh

Mrs. S.

Yes, saying these abbreviations is ok, there is nothing wrong about it. it is well-known that when dispensing Brachos to people, Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l would use the abbreviation BU’A instead of a full BRACHA VE’HATZLACHA. In one of his Responsa, Rav Eliyahu Gutmacher writes that an abbreviation is just an easy way to express a full sentence in one word. It carries the same message and the same energy.

Yes, we do believe in entities: mal'achim, ruchos, shedim, dibbukim, ayin hara, etc. Yes, we are allowed to remove them, but it's important to do so with a technique that is permitted. Using kabbalah for this is not my cup of tea, unless you are a seasoned kabbalist. And doing it by praying to other gods or powers is obviously forbidden. So, the method has to be ok.

I worked on a baby that was suffering terrible pain from a burning diaper rash. I did 1 session before Yom Tov and the other 2 on Yom Tov. BH the baby is healed now. The mother wants to pay me. Am I allowed to take money for work done on Yom Tov? 

I remember when I was a Bnos leader on Shabbos afternoon for girls (as a teenager) I got paid for the job together with my paycheck for teaching. At that time the psak was that if I also work for the school on the weekdays and I get paid with one check then I can get paid for my Shabbos job.

Is that the same here?

thank you

Mrs. F.

I will start with the situation of a Bnos leader. You are correct. One is not allowed to make money for Shabbos, but only if paid for Shabbos alone. But it’s not enough that one gets paid in one lump sum, it needs to be that the job itself includes both the weekdays and Shabbos: then it’s ok. But if you are paid by the hour, then every hour is a job by itself, so even if you get paid at the end of the week for all the hours of Shabbos and weekdays, it’s not ok (see Shulchan Aruch 306; 4 and M”B). Likewise for the NB treatments. Since each treatment is billed by itself you cannot receive payment for Shabbos or Yom Tov, even if you get the payment in a lump sum.

There is room for leniency when one is performing a mitzvah (this is why chazanim, baalei toke’a, etc would accept payment for Shabbos). But even if this is mutar, it says that אינו רואה סימן ברכה מאותן מעות, so it’s not too much of a solution. Aside of this, if we will rely on this and get payment for treatments given on Shabbos, we will be enticed to accept patients on Shabbos and destroy our מנוחת שבת. If, on the other hand, we do not accept any payment for Shabbos, then we will for sure not spend our Shabbos treating people but only the emergency cases. I must add that it says in Shulchan aruch (yorei de’ah) that since healing people is a mitzvah one is not allowed to charge for it, except for the loss of income incurred (the money one could have earned during that time). But since one is not allowed to earn money on Shabbos, there is no way to justify asking payment for healing done on Shabbos.

One acceptable option is not to demand any payment for the work done on Shabbos, and if the person still wants to pay it is considered as a gift (you have to tell the person, I am not charging for Shabbos or Yom Tov, and if the person still wants to give, you could then take).

I hope this will be helpful.

Rephoel Szmerla.

Hi

I'm not sure if this is an active organization still but I came across Arapoh online and hope you can be helpful.

I have a therapist that keeps recommending a (frum) energy healing / blockage removal person.

Additionally, she wants me to speak to an alternative Dr. (Not Jewish) that deals with healing pains in the body through bio- energy healing. I would ask a shaila but I find that many Rabbanim are not knowledgeable about alternate healing and I know some that knock many of this stuff off as Avodah Zara.

I saw that you have a Rav associated with the org with Haskama of Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky specifically on this topic.

Is there someone I can speak with to know what is halachically acceptable and what is not ok.

It's interesting because one week I was going to ask my husband about it, and that week was the parsha of "Tamim Tihyeh"... and we were at a simcha and my husband spoke about how we aren't supposed to go to quack sources to find our salvations... 

But once again my therapist feels that I should seek energy healing.

Not sure where to turn for halachik guidance.

Thank you.

Mrs D. W.

Dear Mrs. W.

Kinesiology and bioenergetics are absolutely permitted. They are the topic of the Chapter Four of my sefer Alternative Medicine in Halachah. I greatly recommend that you take the time to read that chapter, as well as chapter one and two, which deal with energy and energy healing.

Regarding quackery and Tamim Tihyeh, quackery itself is not assur according to the Torah, it is just a waste of time and money. Quackery stemming from idolatrous sources is forbidden, not due to Tamim Tihyeh but due to the prohibition of ובחוקותיהם לא תלכו, (Do not go in the ways and customs of the goyim). Tamim Tihyeh is a commandment to have bitachon in Hashem and not try to divinate what the future holds. All this and more are explained at length in my sefer. 

Wishing you a pleasant reading,

Rephoel Szmerla.

Thank you so much for being there to ask Shailos. I would love to help people as much as possible but only in a way where it is allowed Al Pi Torah. Here are 2 of the healing sound tracks. They only are sounds; however, I did see someone comment that it sounds like her Churches chimes. People did write about effective results.

 Also, as a gemstone practitioner, I would like to know if programing gemstones is surely allowed by Halacha and if they can be used on Pesach if worn or soaked all year.

 With Much Appreciation,

Mrs. S.

 Dear Mrs S. לאי"ט

They do sound like churches chimes. However, this is in no way a reason to forbid it. Actually, I know of another therapy that uses modified church’s music. We looked into it and paskened that this too is permitted.

I talk about programming stones in my sefer, at the end of the chapter on gem therapy, and I wrote there that it is 100% permitted. And one can use them on pesach even if they are worn and soaked all year.

Wishing you great hatzlacha in your healing practice,

בברכת הצלחה רבה בכל ענינים

Rabbi Szmerla

Hi

Sorry, we missed each other today. I am currently training with many hands-on healing modalities like Raindrop Technique, NB, Craniosacral etc. In order to legally be able to practice these modalities I need a hands-on license which can be obtained in massage school or taking a 1 day class to get certified with an organization affiliated with a Church. However, they issue this license to any person, with any religion. My certification will be as a Holistic Certified Practitioner. I just want to get your approval that I can get this certification through them.

With Appreciation,

Mrs. S.

Yes, you can get the certification through them.

I see that in your previous email you mention about Raindrop technique. It is indeed very good, but I would like to recommend also the book “releasing emotional patterns with essential oils” from Caroline Mein. Very, very valuable approach.

בברכת הצלחה רבה בכל ענינים

Rephoel Szmerla

Can you please tell me if this system is kosher to use for myself or clients? There is a similar less intense system on the market called the Healy Machine.
https://lindaeasthouse.com/radionics/
Thank You,
Mrs. S.

I finally got access to the site. It’s all about radionics. Radionics is absolutely kosher. I speak about it in my sefer, but in the Hebrew section, not the English one. There are many sources in the Talmud for radionic healing, as I bring there. Yes, you can use it for yourself or for your clients.

I am not familiar with this machine or the Healy machine, so I cannot make comparisons or recommendations.

בברכת הצלחה מרובה וכל טוב

Rephoel Szmerla.

Shalom v’bracha. 

I’m M.S. bas Sarah Imeinu. I’m writing to you from Chicago.

I borrowed a friend’s copy of Alternative Healing and Halacha a couple of years ago. I’ve read most the Rav’s book a couple times.

I don’t recall if tuning forks were written about. A friend suggested I consider adding them to my practice. I am intrigued by the idea of sound healing. At the same time, I am selective when choosing a healing tool. 

Today, the shilah I want to ask the Rav, is to know please if tuning forks are mutter and if yes, is there a set he recommends. I saw two sets of tuning forks online and the kavanah of the sets are differentiated. One set claims they are sourced in kabbalistic tradition and one set claims they are sourced in a secular “missing notes” (oversimplifying) tradition. 

Looking forward to your reply.

All the best,

M.S.G.

Dear Ms. G. לאי"ט.

I am very familiar with tuning forks. They are very helpful in dissipating energy, balancing a person's energy system and helping the body integrate energy changes. But the tuning forks I am referring to are just plain tuning forks, coming in sets of 7, 8, or 13, each fork of a different size, vibrating at a different frequency and creating a different pitch. This is plain sound healing, nothing kabbalistic etc.

But you wrote that one set mentions they are sourced in kabbalistic tradition. It could be plain made-up stuff, or that there are sources in kabbala that different sounds have different healing properties. I don't think it's more than that, but if they meant something else, I would like to know what they meant! Anyway, you should not pay more for these claims, just get a plain set of 13 forks.

Bracha vehatzlacha vechol tuv,

Rephoel Szmerla.

Hello,

Can you please forward this to Rabbi Szmerla?  Thank you.

My midwife recommended that I take some herbal remedies to alleviate a problem that I have.

Do herbal remedies need to be kosher or have a hechsher?  The ones recommended only have the herb plus cane alcohol and vegetable glycerin from Herb Pharm.

Also, I bought Green Pasture Blue Ice Fermented Unflavored Cod Liver Oil assuming that it is kosher.  Can I take it?  Is it kosher?

Thank you very much.

R. Y.

Dear Mrs. Y.

Sorry for being so long in responding, but I had no email service for a few days.

Herbal remedies need to be kosher just like anything edible that one puts in his mouth, but if the remedy is in pill form or capsules, which are not an edible form, one can be more lenient: even if it for sure contains non-kosher ingredients one can still use it if one needs it and a kosher equivalent is not available.

If the company guarantees (for example if that’s what they wrote on the bottle, or that’s what they wrote to you in an email) that it only contains the herb, cane alcohol and vegetable glycerin, you can rely on that and use it.

If the cod liver oil you are talking about is in capsules you can use it. If it comes in liquid form it is not so simple to use it without a hechsher.

Wishing you a freiliche Purim 

Rephoel Szmerla

1.Is it possible to do cranio sacral therapy over zoom without any physical contact?

2.If it is possible to do cranio sacral therapy over zoom is it better to get craniosacral therapy done by a goy where there is a possibility that he might have involvement with spiritual beings and may not agree that all the refuah is coming from HaShem, but is doing the cranio sacral therapy physically by means of massaging the head, feet hands etc, or is it better to hire a frum lady (Note: the patient getting the therapy is a woman) who does not have any involvement with any spiritual beings and agrees and is constantly aware that all refuah is coming from HaShem, but the frum lady is  not doing the cranio sacral therapy by way of any physical means purely over zoom and potentially over the phone. 

The person getting the therapy seemingly is planning on going through with the therapy no matter what, if they only have the above 2 options for craniosacral therapy which one should they do?

Thank you so much     

T. F. Kol Tuv

Dear Mrs. F. לאי"ט

Doing cranio-sacral therapy over zoom is permitted.

There are 2 components to cranio-sacral therapy: there is the physical touch/pressure to align the bones of the head and spine, but there is also an energetic component that through his/her touch the practitioner adjusts the energy system of the patient. When doing CS therapy through zoom everything is accomplished through the energetic adjustment, and even if the bones do get aligned it’s obviously not from any physical manipulation but the result of balancing the energy system and removing energetic blockages.

If all things are equal, it is always preferable to go to a frum practitioner (it rules out all possible חשש, and also a frum practitioner is more likely to be the right שליח of Hashem). In this case things are not all equal because the goy would work directly on her, which gives him the advantage of being able to adjust her not only at the energetic plane but also through physical manipulation/touch/massage, and therefore if the goy would be a woman I would recommend going to her and not worry about the fact that she is a goy. As long as she does not clearly say that the energy comes from her god and as long as we are not aware that she works through the help of angels etc. and invocates them, it is ok to go to her. But in this case the goy is a man, which poses serious issues of yichud and tznius. So, unless she goes to him with her husband or in a setting that clearly eliminates all risks, my opinion is that she should go to the frum lady. In the zechus of guarding the proper guidelines of yichud and tznius she should be zocheh to refuah sheleima bekarov.

בברכת ברכה והצלחה רבה

רפאל שמערלא

Dear Rabbi Kamenetzsky

I hope you are well.

What is your ruling on Kundalini yoga, practiced without chants and dissociated from idolatry? It involves purely mechanical breathe work and stretching.

Best,

Hui

Dear Hui,

I am not familiar with Kundalini yoga in particular, but regarding yoga in general my position is that the Jewish religion permits it as long as it is practiced without chanting and without facing the sun (as is traditionally done in China). I discuss this topic in greater depth in my book Alternative Medicine in Halachah, pp. 133-138.

Best regards,

Rabbi Rephoel Szmerla

Is the following permitted?

I have used my hands to sometimes help with pain or sometimes to help heal people emotionally or physically.

I also have a list of food, things in the environment and nutrients and have told people, even not in person, what they may be sensitive to or what they may need. Also, people sometimes show me or tell me what they may be taking and ask if it is good for them. Sometimes people ask me who I think will be good for them for therapy or a shidduch. One time, someone with emotional problems wanted to know about people affecting her. When I said her father's name, my hands would tighten up near the top of her forehead and I said maybe he should get his tefillin checked - it turned out that they needed fixing.

Is all of this allowed according to halacha? I did not learn any practices for this, although I watched when a chiropractor used kinesiology or something to test me for food sensitivities once.

S.S.

Yes, all this is permitted, with one condition (see below). 

What you are describing could be divided into 2 categories:

1. You are using your hands to transfer energy and heal other people. This is permitted, as I explained in chapter 1 and 2 of my book Alternative Medicine in Halachah. 
2. You are using your intuition/psychic abilities to tune into people and  sense what’s good or bad for them. This is also permitted, on condition that you (and your clients) keep in mind that there always exists a margin of error, and on condition that you are not predicting the future, just telling people what’s good or bad for them in the present (I discuss this at greater length in my book, as well). Telling them who is a good therapist for them is also acceptable, since your intention is clearly to determine who has the right personality, skills, therapy, approach, etc. for them. However, telling them who is a good shidduch for them is questionable: if the intent is to tell them who has the right personality etc. it’s ok, but if the intent is to tell them who WILL be the right mate, with whom will it work out, then you are predicting the future and it’s forbidden. Additionally, other factors that must be taken into account when choosing a shidduch are not part of your intuition. Also, people tend to take your word as the final word and not take into consideration anything else. This is why I wrote in my book (see end of chapter 4) that one should only use this kind of testing/intuition for health matters.

I hope these few words will be helpful. I really recommend that you get my book and read chapters 1, 2 and 4. If you have any more questions, you can contact me at the above email address.

Wishing you Bracha ve’hatzlacha

Rephoel Szmerla