In yeshiva, I saw that the Rabbis had a custom to put (the first) snow on their forehead.
What is the source of this custom?
This was in Jerusalem.
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What is "the first snow"? Like, does that mean the first snow of the year?– ezraNov 16, 2018 at 19:32
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@ezra yes, that is how i understood it– hazorizNov 16, 2018 at 19:32
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@ezra it is not clear to me if it needs to be the first, or the first that stuck– hazorizNov 16, 2018 at 19:34
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It’s a [Lurianic] kabbalatic segulah for remembering Torah (like wine from havdalah...) and yirat shamayim.– OliverNov 16, 2018 at 20:23
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@Oliver source please what i know about it is end of halacha 5 here chabad.org/3447087/#footnoteRef20a3447087 (where footnote says it is good for sight)– hazorizNov 16, 2018 at 20:56
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1 Answer
There is such an idea from the Arizal that if one wants a segulah for a good memory they should place snow on their forhead since the gematria for (שלג(333 is the same number value as the word( שכחה(333. Don't remember such a thing that it has to be first snow.
I just found in the Segulas Yisrael this idea of first snow from the Kanfei Yonah 
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@DoubleAA maybe first snow ("that falls on the ground" (see his edit)) means the first millimeters, and not the next ones– hazorizNov 16, 2018 at 20:59
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1How does putting forgetfulness שכחה on your head help with memory?? IMHO the head should be protected from all snow. (Not a bad idea in any case.) Nov 17, 2018 at 20:05
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@Avrohom this is the first kabbalistic segulah that you don't understand how it works? I don't know how any of it is supposed to work.– Double AA ♦Nov 17, 2018 at 22:42
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@DoubleAA You're right but I'd forgotten about the others through the summer. Nov 18, 2018 at 9:39