Question:
 
Modern Kabbalists-There are many stories of "Kabbalists" today who can foretell events, like predicting when a couple will have a baby, or tell people about themselves things that only they could have known, such as previous experiences, or give blessings that only after the blessing, come to fruition. What is the true perspective on these Kabbalists? Do they really contain the true Kabbalah? Is the Zohar a source for them to claim their connection to mysticism on? Or is it like avodah zora ?(but, then, how does one explain the true stories?)
 

Response:

 
I have heard of people going to kabbalists, and are told that they will get married in the coming year. One such person who went to a kabbalist was told this, and did not get married as he was "foretold". It is amusing that only the favorable stories get circulated. There are twice as many unfavorable ones.
 
Know one thing clearly, Kabbalists are human. They have no more power than anyone else. People go to them against Jewish law (b'issur) to satisfy their insecurities. They want to know what gender their child is, or what business to go into, or who to marry. This is against halacha, and against the chumash. It only serves to satisfy the insecurity emotion. Nothing more.
 
As for the so called "true" stories, I never heard of anyone claiming that a kabbalist did a miracle in front of him. Its always second hand knowledge. Viz, "I HEARD that he does ....."
For the rest of their stories, many times a kabbalist will say a general statement about a person, seeing that a person's personality is, for example, hot tempered. The kabbalist will note this and say, "you lost a job not too long ago". The kabbalist is merely putting 2 and 2 together. The person is hot tempered, loses control, probably has conflicts with others (his employer is a likely candidate), and the rest is simple logic. Now, have a kabbalist say this to a needy and insecure person, and he will think the kabbalist is a teller of secret things, a holy man, a spiritual leader. It doesn't take much for some people to go off excited, thinking they have found a special person. Finding someone like this satisfies very basic desires, but it's all in the person's head, not in reality.
 
The Rambam, Yad Hachazaka, Hilchos Avoda Zarah, Chapter 11, clearly outlines all that kabbalists do today, and Rambam subsumes these acts under idolatry.
See also Deuteronomy, 18:13, 14, "You should be perfect with Hashem your G-d. For these nations which you inherit, to fortune tellers and enchanters do they listen, and you (the Jews) not so (has) Hashem your G-d given." G-d admonishes us from following enchanters and fortune tellers. Regardless if they are Jewish. Being Jewish, and having a title of Rabbi does not entitle one carte blanch to act against the Torah.
 
Know from all this that mysticism has never been, and will never be part of the system which G-d gave, regardless of the number of people performing such prohibited acts. We must follow the Torah, not what the masses sinfully choose.
 
G-d never validated enchanters or fortune tellers. Therefore, we must abhor them as G-d does.


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