Shalom and thank you for turning to us. You would like to understand, if I understood you correctly, the relevance of Kabbalistic customs to the daily life of a practicing Jew, and you would like to know if there’s no conflict with Halacha, Jewish law, in keeping a Kabbalistic custom of singing ‘Ana b’koach’ on a daily basis specifically, and with keeping Kabbalistic customs in general.
Taking the latter question first, not only is there no problem in singing it every day, but it appears in the daily prayers towards of the end of the section of korbanot. Singing parts of prayer can be a very positive thing. We are advised in Psalms 100:2 to “worship G-d with joy, come towards Him with song…” Many religious schools developed a custom of singing parts of the prayer service daily for this reason. Prayer services in synagogues incorporate many well-known and/or holy tunes in their services, also for the above-mentioned reason. We tend to feel more motivated when singing a happy or moving tune.
Regarding Kabbalistic customs in general, it should not be problematic if it really is a Kabbalistic custom, and performing it is not affecting something of basic importance and priority in your life like marital or family harmony. The question is really – who or what is the source of these customs, and whether or not they are genuine.
In Pirkei Avot 1:6 it says (translated literally) “Make for yourself a Rabbi and acquire for yourself a friend.” This teaching is important advice for our lives. Together with the Written Torah and the Oral Torah that were handed down to Moses by G-d, there were the Thirteen Principles by which the Torah is interpreted. True Torah knowledge must come from a reliable source that studies according to these principles and receives from reliable scholars. It is interesting that the quote is literally “make for yourself a Rabbi” as opposed to “take for yourself.” There is much we can learn from this phrase.
In today’s world, perhaps more than ever, there is an emphasis on being independent and carving out one’s own lifestyle. We want to do it better than our parents, teachers, or authority figures and we want to do it differently. Sometimes we may just want to be left alone to our own devices. There is a Talmudic saying in Tractate Brachot 1:36 “a prisoner cannot free himself from prison.” We are all ‘prisoners’ in a certain sense. Inside all of us there are conflicting forces of spiritual and material desires. It takes someone outside of ourselves sometimes to help us be objective. There is always something to learn from the next person. So when it says ‘make for yourself’ and not ‘take for yourself’ it may be connected to the idea that we must overcome a certain resistance to accepting guidance from someone outside of ourselves. We thus ‘make’ an effort to do so.
“Acquire a friend…” – this phrase continued from our Pirkei Avot quote also requires explanation. To acquire a friend, means to lay out some sort of effort, financial and/or other, to have a positive relationship with another person whose goals we identify with. Such a friendship can also help keep us on the track of where we ultimately truly wish to go. ‘Acquire’ also indicates taking a positive step in the right direction, which also may involve overcoming some natural resistance. In fact the more the merrier. The more friends we have who are oriented towards similar positive goals, the more likely we are to grow and develop in the desired direction.
On a personal level, I find that the methodology of the Chabad movement incorporates a balanced system of Torah true knowledge and principles with Kabbalistic traditions that were chosen and handed down by the Chabad Rebbes, the first of whom was a student of the Maggid of Mezeritch. The Maggid was the successor of the holy Baal Shem Tov. Much Chassidic tradition in general and of course Chabad tradition, is based on the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings. The Lubavitcher Rebbe set up a practical system of Chabad emissaries which has grown exponentially, so that whether you live in New York, Japan, or Melbourne, you can usually find a Chabad representative not too far away who can either help you himself/herself or refer you to someone who can. This is true whether you need spiritual guidance or help getting your Mezuzot checked, or finding a kosher meal.
The most important thing is to have a relationship of receiving knowledge and guidance from people who really know and care about what is important in leading a Torah lifestyle.
Wishing you all the best!
