Practical Kabbalah (Heb: Kabbalah Ma'asit) in historical Judaism, is a

branch of the Jewish mystical tradition that concerns the use of magic. It was considered
permitted white magic[citation needed] by its practitioners, reserved for the elite, who
could separate its spiritual source from Qliphoth realms of evil[citation needed] if
performed under circumstances that were holy (Q-D-) and pure ( , tvmh
vthrh[1]). The concern of overstepping Judaism's strong prohibitions of impure magic
ensured it remained a minor tradition in Jewish history. Its teachings include the use of
Divine and angelic names for amulets and incantations.[2]

Kabbalah Ma'asit is mentioned in historical texts, but most Kabbalists have taught that
the use of it is forbidden.[3] It is contrasted with the mainstream tradition in Kabbalah of
Kabbalah Iyunit (contemplative Kabbalah), that seeks to explain the nature of God and
the nature of existence through theological study and Jewish meditative techniques.

According to Gershom Scholem, many of the teachings of practical Kabbalah predate

and are independent of the theoretical Kabbalah which is usually associated with the
term:

Historically speaking, a large part of the contents of practical Kabbalah predate those of
the speculative Kabbalah and are not dependent on them. In effect, what came to be
considered practical Kabbalah constituted an agglomeration of all the magical practices
that developed in Judaism from the Talmudic period down through the Middle Ages. The
doctrine of the Sefirot hardly ever played a decisive role in these practices.