Is It Permissible to Consult Mystics?

In the last decade, there has been a flourishing among service providers in the field of mysticism - mediums, coffee readers, palm readers, tarot card experts, astrologers, and more. Do any of these hold something real, or is it an illusion? And anyway, why is it forbidden to go to mystics? We set out to find out.

"There is a basic rule in Judaism that states, 'This versus this Hashem has made,'" says Rabbi Aharon Levy. "That is, almost any piece of information that can be obtained in a way of holiness can also be obtained in a way of impurity."

So why not obtain information through impurity?
"First of all, when information comes through holiness - it has no side effects and is solely beneficial. In the way of impurity, however, there are effects that can harm the person who uses these forces. For this reason, the Torah forbade the use of negative forces. The second difference, according to our sages, is the quality of accuracy. Information obtained through impurity is not accurate and sometimes even erroneous because the negative forces in creation mislead the inquirer."

Why do the negative forces mislead?

"They want to harm the person. Our sages strongly warned us against engaging in séances and things of this sort because the séance uses forces that do not belong to the side of holiness, harm the inquiring person, and cause terrible suffering to the answering soul. Because of this suffering, the soul gives incorrect information. In general, the Torah prohibits engaging in futurism, except for cases where Hashem chooses to reveal the future to prophets."

What about coffee reading, tarot cards, etc.?
"Until now, we've assumed that these people are indeed able to connect with the negative forces of creation. But most mystics are charlatans, fraudsters, who have no connection to holiness or impurity. Therefore, there is no reason to turn to them."

Rabbi Yitzchak Gabai adds another reason for opposition: "The Torah forbade engagement in futurism because of very deep Kabbalistic secrets. Therefore, creation was designed so that those who follow the instruction will only benefit. Engaging in communication, in fact, connects with demons, which are a form of destructive angels. They may indeed bring us the soul or alternatively answer in its name."

Why does naïve faith clash with future inquiry?
"It is said in the Torah, 'You shall be wholehearted with Hashem your G-d' - it is forbidden to inquire about futures because investigating the future may disrupt faith. Part of faith is to constantly anticipate divine providence. The moment I know in advance what will happen, or want to know what will happen, it is heresy in part of the essence of faith. There is also a Torah prohibition called 'You shall not divine,' meaning it is forbidden to guess and cling to things that supposedly predict the future. A person who sees a black cat must not say, 'That's it, now I'll have a bad day.' There is also the prohibition of astrology. And there is the prohibition of sorcery. In summary, it is not advisable to investigate the future because it can only confuse and impair pure faith. We should simply trust Hashem to do the best for us."