Chabad does not encourage studying other Kabbalists

I once saw a letter from the lubavitcher Rebbe that extends this discouragement of studying other (than Chabad) approaches to Kabbala not only to Ashlagian works but to works of others as well. Unfortunately, I don't recall where it was printed; perhaps a reader can supply the citation.

Comments

[tzvi goldstein]

I have seen the rebby comment many times that every Jew has the responsibility to learn every part and bit of the tora, so I find this report hard to believe. I have seen however that any kabbala that don't follow the roles of the areza"l isn't a authentic tora study. (Being that kabbala has specific roles of how to learn itself.)

[Ploni]

Surely a bigger question is whether Chabad even encourages the study of Kabola per se? For example, Zohar or Kisvei Arizal? Many maamorim have references to Zohar or KAZ, to to my knowledge almost no Lubavitchers ever study those seforim.

[tzvi goldstein]

It is very nice that you are playing a video of the Rebbe, it isn't however a source for what you are saying. The Rebbe is saying (if you watched the video) that chabad (ie: the lubavicher Rebbes) DO support the learning of kabala, however chabad holds that it should be learned (like all learning done by a chabadnik) through the teachings of chasidus. He said that they should all be learned "together". Chasidus is a way to learn every teaching in the tora, just like midrash has it's way of learning, and "depth" has it's style of learning other then "bikiuos"/ fast learning, (for more on this topic see "on the essence of tora" from the chasidic heritage series.)
Of course Chabad thinks that it's way of doing things is the best way, that is why they do it, although they do respect other ways and practices.

[tzvi goldstein]

"to to my knowledge almost no Lubavitchers ever study those seforim." Unfortunately chadnik's are spending most of their day "saving the world" and you will rarely find to many of them learning any books. I do know of many chabadik's that do learn quoit a bit of zohr and Arizal. It does make for very hard learning however, and many don't know how to go about it.

[tzvi goldstein]

If you could edit the header to a question it would be more appropriate.

[yehupitz]

(Did you watch the video?)

He says there are different valid approaches. "Nahara Nahara Upashtei", means there are other valid streams of thought. And he then says that the Chabad derech is that one's quota of Kabbala is filled by the learning of Chabad Chassidus which cites many Kabbala concepts. He said this in response to the rov who wanted him to sign a proclamation that specifically encourages learning Kabbala by learning those other works.

[tzvi goldstein]

(Yes I did)
"And he then says that the Chabad derech is that one's quota of Kabbala is filled by the learning of Chabad Chassidus which cites many Kabbala concepts."
Do you know anyone that learned all of the chabad books? I don't think anyone lived long enough. The Rebbe is saying that the learning of chasidus has in it the learning of kabula, which is needed for our time.
So there is no need to learn it separately, b/c you will probably end up learning more kabala through chasidus.
Do you learn zohar? How far did you get?

[Simcha]

Just a suggestion for your and your readers to get another view of the importance of studying Zohar and the kisvei Ariz"l please see the sefer Sur Mi'Ra Ve'Asse Tov from the Ateres Zvi of Zidichov. The new printing has a wonderful peirush from the Benai Yisosschor.

[avakesh]

Just a suggestion for your and your readers to get another view of the importance of studying Zohar and the kisvei Ariz"l please see the sefer Sur Mi'Ra Ve'Asse Tov from the Ateres Zvi of Zidichov.

I dont know why anyone would do so (I know few books less suitable for a translation than this dense Kabbalistic classic) but Littman Library of Jewish Civilization published an English translation of it by....Louis Jacobs!

[eli]

the rebbe says here that by studying chabad chassidus one FULFILLS their responsibility to study kaballa (and talmud); thus were someone to say, "chabad chassidim don't learn properly, all they learn is Ch"Ta"T," it will be known that they do in fact learn all the required parts of Torah within the Chabad study cycle proper. However, he also says that in Epistle 25 the Alter Rebbe rules that one must study Kaballa (and in fact studied a great deal of it himself, which helped him to author "numerous discourses"), implying that while one fulfills by learning ONLY Chabad Chassidus, he does not also discourage studying additional works (or not studying chabad chassidus at all, which he may also discourage). simply put, chabad chassidus according to the Rebbe, makes kabbala accessible to those otherwise not capable of learning kabbala, and therefore the chabad derech ALREADY supports the dissemination of kabbala as petitioned by R Ashlag, and by signing the Rebbe would be purjuring chabad chassidus on this count.

[tzvi goldstein]

Are you Chabad? Why are you declaring their opinion if you see that they don't hold of what you are saying?

[YGB]

They don't study Kabbalah nor Chassidus from non-Chabad sources because it was not gegeben durch the yechida kelalis. It therefore lacks the segula of bonding the learner with Hashem. I think that in Chabad they even strive to focus their learning in Nigleh on Lubavitch sources for the same reason.

[moshe]

A bit late to this thread, but see the Rebbe's letter here in reference to Peirush Hasulam:
http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=15895&pgnum=293

He says we ONLY have the derech of our Rebbes in Kabbola i.e. only through their works.

[Yid]

The Rebbe makes a point that Zohar and Kabbalah need not be studied separately because Chabbad Chassidus includes Kabbalah. But by that logic Chummash must not be studied either because Chabbad Chassidus includes Chummash as well. Same for Mishna and Gemorah?