Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger warned against the unsupervised study of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in a Shabbat sermon given on Saturday in Jerusalem. Failing to obey the rules regarding Kabbalah study can lead to disaster, he said.
Rabbi Metzger mentioned the case of Elior Chen, a 29-year-old from Beitar Illit sought in the horrific abuse of two young boys from Jerusalem. Chen terms himself “rabbi,” and “King Messiah.” Acquaintances say he studied Kabbalah for several years after leaving the normative hareidi-religious community despite the fact that he does not meet the traditional criteria for beginning such studies.