Q:Doesn’t Dor Deah delegitimize those who practice Kabbalah?
A:
Others believe that the main problem is not that Dor Daim do not follow Kabbalah for themselves, but that they delegitimize those who do follow it. Rabbi Yiḥyah Qafiḥ, for instance, held that one must not use parchments written by, or eat meat slaughtered by, believers in Kabbalah because these are dedicated to Zeir Anpin (one of the partzufim of the 10 sephirot), a concept apparently distinct from the Unfathomable Almighty Creator.
Few Dor Daim take such an extreme view today with regard to invalidation of ritual practices, as most consider that the above reasoning oversimplifies the situation and makes Jewish law too uncertain in practice. Those who do take such a view would argue that it is not at all uncommon in Judaism for one group to treat as invalid the ritual acts or objects of another for technical or doctrinal reasons. But as to belief in plurality or levels within the realm of “absolute divinity,” considering such views as heretical is nothing unique to Dor Deah. This was the unequival view held by the majority of early authorities in Jewish law. Even as recent an authority as the Vilna Geon held that such views are problematic enough to make it forbidden to marry individuals who espouse such views. Indeed, the Vilna Geon officially excommunicated the 17th century Hasidim for this very reason.