Practical Kabbalah

Shavua Tov. In today’s Parsha, after Moshe kills the Egyptian, Datan and Aviram show their lack of appreciation for Moshe’s heroic deed. They say to Moshe, הלהרגני אתה אומר, are you “saying” to kill us, too? This awkward language teaches that Moshe killed the Egyptian with his speech, by knowing how to recite Hashem’s holy name, the Tetragrammaton. This may be the first hint to the potentially powerful effects of the usage of קבלה. Rav Yitzchak Ginsburg, is an articulate English speaking Kabbalist. He once lectured on the difference between theoretical Kabbala, and practical Kabbala, known as קבלה מעשי. He stressed very emphatically that one must not get near קבלה מעשי. This is like playing with fire and can be very dangerous. Only people on the level of Moshe Rabbeinu are able to actually use Kabbala. Many people have paid a heavy price in dabbling in Practical Kabbala. One must be certain to limit his study to the purely theoretical.