May 17, 2004
JUDAISM MAKES ITS MOVE:
Why do stars put their faith in Kabbalah? (Jane Simon, Daily Mirror, May 17th, 2004)
It is the trendiest faith around, endorsed by superstars like Madonna, Demi Moore and Britney Spears. As I take my first lesson in Kabbalah, I begin to understand why."By the fourth class you will learn to see into the future," my teacher announces confidently.
I'm in a meeting room in a smart square off Oxford Street for an introductory session in the ancient branch of Jewish mysticism which is enjoying a star-struck resurgence.
From the offset it is easy to see why so many celebrities are attracted to Kabbalah, as I'm promised money, sexual energy, passion and beauty - all for £180.
Madonna is Kabbalah's most famous devotee; other celebrity students include Elizabeth Taylor, Jerry Hall, Winona Ryder, Jeff Goldblum, Courtney Love and Roseanne Barr.[...]
As well as being able to see the future, other perks of becoming a believer are "money, good relationships, love and happiness," claims my teacher, Rabbi Chaim Solomon.
As if more reasons were needed, Kabbalists say the "positive flow of energy" can stop the ageing process. More bizarrely, they believe negative energy can be absorbed by swinging a chicken above the head.
The 10-week course will, claims Rabbi Solomon, teach me to tune myself like a TV set to become a better receiver of "rays of light", the infinite joy for which we're all searching for and, by no coincidence, the name of Madonna's 1998 album. [...]
Even the understanding of the Zohar, the 12th-century manuscript on which modern Kabbalah teaching is based, is surprisingly user-friendly. Rabbis at the Kabbalah Centre insist the Zohar - said to be too complicated for the most eminent scholars - can be "read" merely by running your hands over the text.
Which probably explains why its "unfathomable complexities" have become fully accessible to the likes of Britney Spears, who has also been seen sporting a Kabbalistic red-string wrist band.
"It's a bigger picture even than the Bible," she explained. "It's so interesting to me because I've never read stuff like this before."
I was going to call up Hollywood and try to invite some stars to this swinging rock/folk Mass, but I think I just might forget it.
Posted by Peter Burnet at May 17, 2004 8:09 PMYou know, I used to think the interest in New Age spirituality reflected a religious impulse, but I wonder if it isn't an anti-religious impulse.
Nice try PJ, but these people belong on the "religion" side of the scorecard. Too bad for the hit to your collective IQ.
I thought A., the stars have money, and B. they're not supposed to want more than what other people have.
Posted by: Sandy P at May 17, 2004 9:06 PMRobert:
Micah responded to this nonsense quite well back around 700 B.C. - "If a liar and deceiver comes and says, 'I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer', he would be just the prophet for this people!"
Kind of like when Paul warns Timothy that people love those who will tickle their ears.
These fools may be religious, but it is self-referential, not transcendent (or even historical).
Posted by: jim hamlen at May 17, 2004 9:32 PMThey're stars! They're important! They don't want a religion that's the same as all the other people around them. Richard Gere goes off to visit the Dali Lama, John Travolta gets into Scientology, and Madonna goes off an tries out Kabbalah ... and the Beatles got into TM 35 years ago. Nothing new here.
The important thing to them is the vast majority of "you" out there in the general public aren't doing it, so that makes it both interesting and better, because if "you" knew what you were doing, you'd be richer and more famous than they are. The fact that some of the paths they follow promise eternal youth, continued riches, the ability to levitate, better gas milage and the guaranteed winning picks for next weekend's NBA conference finals openers is just added frosting on the cake.
Posted by: John at May 17, 2004 10:18 PMAh well, at least it will do less harm than the hollywood fad for Scientology.
Still, it would be better if they would follow Gladys Knight's lead and convert to Mormonism.
Posted by: Jason Johnson at May 17, 2004 10:37 PMBoth Scientology and TM can make one a better person, since both involve becoming disciplined...
Scientology is only a "religion" due to the quirks of the US Tax Code.
L. Ron Hubbard was a notorious tax protester.
The greatest Kabbalist of all was R. Issac Luria of Tzfat (in Israel), a Sephardic (i.e. spanish) exile (d. 1572). One of his colleauges was R. Joseph Caro (1488-1575) a mystic who belived that he was guided by a maggid (a spiritual guide, in his case the soul of the Mishnah, the 2nd cent. C.E. complilation of Jewish Law and Lore,).
Caro wrote the Shulkan Ahrukh -- The Set Table -- The Code of Jewish Law (i.e. Ha'lakah). This community of mystics and scholars saw no contradiction between Kabbalah and Ha'lakah. Between mysticism and scholarship. Indeed they saw a profound connection.
They were afflicted with a profound sense of loss and exile. But it was not the physical exile from Spain that they sought to end, but the exile of the divine presence, the Shekinah, from Israel. And the way that they sough to end it was by tikkun olam, healing the world; By repentance, prayer and charity, by performing the mitzvot, deeds of loving kindness and studying Torah (including Talmud and Zohar) and by family, community and teaching.
This is the true Kabbalah. Madonna, Demi Moore and Britney Spears should ask for their money back and then give it to charity.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at May 18, 2004 1:14 AMHollywood stars always obsess about the future because it only takes one bomb of a movie to ruin their careers. Thus there will always be a fringe of astrologers, tarot readers, psychic friends networks, and other bunko artists to scam off that.
OJ shouldn't be too surprised. Baseball is probably even more superstitious, but they get by sacrificing chickens to Joobu.
Posted by: Chris Durnell at May 18, 2004 2:42 AMI'm not sure if I'd call the Kabbalah sect Madonna belongs to as being part of Judaism.
The Chief Rabbi in the UK (Dr Jonathan Sacks) has condemned it as being some weirdo cult and (as far as I can tell from the Daily Mail article I read in the gym) their mainreligious activity centres around touching up members for hefty donations.
Posted by: M Ali Choudhury at May 18, 2004 7:34 AMLest anyone think there was the slightest serious side to the post, the article makes clear that this is condemned by all Rabbinical authorities.
Posted by: Peter B at May 18, 2004 7:58 AMHow about editing the headline to put quote marks around "Judaism"?
Posted by: M Ali Choudhury at May 18, 2004 9:16 AMYou British just don't understand irony.
Posted by: Peter B at May 18, 2004 9:47 AMHeh.
Posted by: M Ali Choudhury at May 18, 2004 1:13 PMThe Kabbalah is gnostic gibberish, on a par with astrology, numerology, palm- and tealeaf-reading. In fairness, the holy rollers are no better, what with their credulity for Hal Lindsey's and Tim LeHaye's ridiculous attempts to forecast the Rapture and the Apocolypse.
Posted by: Derek Copold at May 18, 2004 1:19 PM