Two weeks ago this blog posted the Zohar that saying the ketoret helps to cancel out מגפות. Due to the current times, the Alumni Association of the Mir (apparently there is such a thing,) has been sending out via email shiurim and shmuzzen from some of the rebbeim in the yeshiva. In the shmuz of the Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Lezer Yudel, he says that he asked Rav Chayim if it is worthy these days to say the ketores and Rav Chayim responded "לא יועיל ולא יזיק." Which seems quite outstanding because there are sources for this idea of reciting the ketores? Rav Lezer Yudel said that he believes his source is from the Zohar Vayerah 100b-101a (in Sefaria its on pg. 102a see from letters יב -טז.) The Sulam translation and explanation can be found here if you download it. [Unless I'm blind the edition of wikisource (מדרש הנעלם at the end of pg. 101a) is missing the end of the story, which is the main point here.)] The story there goes that Rav Acha and the scholars of the city abolished the מגפה through ketores. However, at night he realized this was the wrong approach for the point of the plague is for people to repent! The plague, the symptoms are gone, but the virus still exists! Without teshuva, yes, ketores will temporarily remove the plague, but is the cure, teshuva isn't implemented, then something else will come back later.
Segulot are great and may offer protection but that isn't the cure! G-d is telling us to repent and that is what Rav Chayim was saying ketores may avert the disease but its not the cure.
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