Pidyon Nefesh [Soul Restoration]
For millennium Kabbalists have been practicing Pidyon Nefesh with special Kavanot. Kabbalistic compilations tell that it is one of the greatest Tikunim that can be done to purge a person from difficult decrees on him and open up his mazal [luck flow] of Health, Healing, & Success. The advantage of this Tikun is that it is not set for specific things, rather it affects the whole person from head to toe. There have been people who did Pidyon Nefesh for something
specific and came and told that it worked to help even other more serious things.
What is Pidyon Nefesh?
Pidyon Nefesh is a Tikun designed to absolve harsh decrees and open a person’s mazal to Blessing, Success, Livelihood, Fertility, Domestic Peace – all human needs. It is known of certain Masters that people from the whole country come to with all sorts of problems and actually see amazing miracles & wonders.
How is the Pidyon made? Take 160 silver coins. Not the coins which are colored gold. Why silver? Because the Zohar tells that the color silver is like white and embodies mercy, whereas gold expresses din.
By the way, this is something that is good to observe even in worldly matters. One who wants to buy a car – it is best to buy silver, or white, green, yellow. But not red or black, which are the colors of din.
The coins are taken and counted with holy Kavanot of Divine Names, special prayers, Psalms. This is done specifically in the morning, the time of mercy. And then either by dawn or right after Shacharit [Morning Service] when great mercy is aroused – the best time for Pidyon Nefesh.
Why precisely 160 shekel? It is written, “Man was made in the Divine צלם-160/Tzelem [Image]” (Bereishit 9:6) = ‘כסף-160/kesef [money]’. By means of money, we annul the decree and restore the Divine Image to the person that he lost by his mistakes, which caused the decree in the first place.
This is the general idea behind Pidyon. But if one knew how deep it goes and the details of how many Kavanot are involved he would be flabbergasted.
