The Rebbe said, “You may expound the Torah and innovate in any area you wish. The only condition is that you may not use your interpretations to innovate or change any law. This is particularly true of innovations based on drush (expository construction) and sod (esoteric resolution).”
From what the Rebbe said, we understood that you may expound and innovate according to your intellectual attainment, even when studying Kabbalistic works such as those of the holy Ari. The only stipulation is that you may not derive any religious practice or law in this manner.
אָמַר: מִי שֶׁרוֹצֶה לְחַדֵּשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה, מֻתָּר לוֹ לְחַדֵּשׁ וְלִדְרֹשׁ כָּל מַה שֶּׁיִּרְצֶה, כָּל מַה שֶּׁיִּזְכֶּה לְחַדֵּשׁ בְּשִׂכְלוֹ, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יוֹצִיא אֵיזֶה דִּין חָדָשׁ עַל פִּי דְּרוּשָׁיו שֶׁדּוֹרֵשׁ בְּדֶרֶךְ דְּרוּשׁ וָסוֹד.
The Rebbe said, “You may expound the Torah and innovate in any area you wish. The only condition is that you may not use your interpretations to innovate or change any law. This is particularly true of innovations based on drush (expository construction) and sod (esoteric resolution).”
וְהַמּוּבָן מִדְּבָרָיו הָיָה שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ בְּכַוָּנוֹת הָאֲרִ"י ז"ל, וְדַרְכֵי הַקַּבָּלָה מֻתָּר לְחַדֵּשׁ בָּהֶם, כַּאֲשֶׁר יַשִּׂיג שִׂכְלוֹ, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יוֹצִיא מֵהֶם שׁוּם דִּין ח"ו.
From what the Rebbe said, we understood that you may expound and innovate according to your intellectual attainment, even when studying Kabbalistic works such as those of the holy Ari. The only stipulation is that you may not derive any religious practice or law in this manner.