Pidyon Nefesh at Rebbe Nachman's Grave in Uman

Pidyon Nefesh (redemption of the soul) is a spiritual action according to Kabbalah and it is capable of freeing and redeeming a person from all .troubles and diseases, fears and anxieties and other spiritual problems. The word pidyon is usually translated as “redemption,” referring to an exchange, whereby one exchanges money for something else. Through the giving of a pidyon to an appropriate person, it is possible to exchange one’s suffering on to the redemption money. This segula protects you and your family and brings blessings from HaShem.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev says that Pidyon Nefesh is the "sweetening", or mitigation of harsh decrees and serves as a salvation from any trouble, for the main cure and solution of sickness is the pidyon (see Likutei Moharan II:3).

One of the greatest ways to nullify harsh decrees and gain greater “mazal” (fortune) for health, livelihood and general success is to conduct a “pidyon nefesh.”  The advantage of this method of healing is that it does not target a specific difficulty necessarily but encompasses one’s entire body from head to toe. There were people who conducted a “pideyon nefesh” and later reported that it corrected other even more difficult situations.