Hello!
What is your opinion on kabbalah?
Answer:
Kabbalah refers to the deepest and most profound secrets of the Torah. The teachings of the Torah are divided into four levels of interpretation: Pshat, the simple explanation of the Torah; Remez, the alluded meaning of the Torah words; Drash, the interpretive meaning of the Torah; and Sod, the mystical secrets of the Torah. Kabbalah is usually placed in the fourth category, Sod, although some write that the study of kabbalah is divided between Remez and Sod.
The weight given to the study of kabbalah varies among different communities and traditions. The rationalist school of thought (to which German and Yemmenite Jewry general subscribe) gives it little weight, whereas the more mystically-inclined traditions — today, primarily Sefardic communities — give it greater weight, and draw heavily on kabbalah even in areas of practical halachic rulings. That it not to say that Ashkenazim do not study kabbalah — many do, but it is given less practical weight, and is studied more as a means to deepen one’s perception of G-d, to strengthen one’s faith, and to infuse one’s simple physical actions with profound meaning.
Nowadays, it has become something of a trend to learn kabbalah without acquiring even a basic knowledge of Torah. This is problematic, because the deeper, mystical levels of Torah study are based on the more simple levels of Torah knowledge. Just as one cannot study nuclear science before learning basic physics, and everything in between, so kabbalah requires and assumed a basic understanding of the Torah.
Besides the required knowledge, in order to be worthy to learn kabbalah, one must purify himself and display superlative ethical qualities. The danger of learning these profound teachings when unworthy can be as great as their power for one who is worthy.
