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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Oct. 13, 2004
/ 29 Tishrei, 5765
Madonna's Challenge to Jewry
By
Gary Rosenblatt
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http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
Are we supposed to laugh or cry when we read about Madonna and her celebrity pals embracing Kabbalah?
There's an element of admiration I have for a (former?) sex symbol who refuses to perform at Madison Square Garden on Friday night or Shabbat. After all, she isn't even Jewish and she's more respectful of Sabbath rituals and restrictions than most Jews. And she traveled to Israel several weeks ago despite her fears about the violence there, something many American Jews have not brought themselves to do since the outbreak of violence four years ago. What's more, she spent Rosh HaShanah in prayer — however inauthentic we may believe such worship to be — and made a pilgrimage to the grave of a rabbinic mystic, an act of great respect.
The truth is that Kabbalah, that most secret of Jewish disciplines, is everywhere these days and we don't quite know what to make of it all. We pick up a style magazine and here's Britney wearing a red bendel (or string, to ward off the Evil Eye) and we watch TV and there's Madonna calling herself Esther and covering her hair as she prays.
What's heartening is that Judaism, or at least elements of it, appears deeply appealing to pop culture stars and other non-Jews, and we feel a tug of pride and wonderment that so many "outsiders" have found comfort, healing and spirituality in our traditions.
What's distressing, though, is that those traditions have been bastardized by the purveyors of New Age Kabbalah who are selling an easy-to-digest form of Jewish mysticism that not only doesn't represent authentic Judaism but contradicts it.
In establishing the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles, New York, 10 other U.S. cities and a dozen countries, Philip Berg and his sons, Yehuda and Michael, who call themselves rabbis, have dispensed with the deeply serious study long associated with Kabbalah. (Because of the complexities of the Zohar, the 13th century mystical text central to the discipline, scholars were warned not to delve into its pages before the age of 40 and only after having mastered the Talmud.) Instead, the Bergs offer a simplistic blend of pop psychobabble and mysticism, promising adherents happiness, fulfillment and success through the power of Hebrew letters that one need not be able to read to benefit from. Just looking at the Hebrew alphabet, devotees are told, is enough to gain wisdom.
Sadly, the Kabbalah Centre has gained a wide following and made a fortune by banking on the strong spiritual yearnings within so many seekers who are willing to pay thousands of dollars for texts and classes geared to improve their lives, and who feel empowered by buying red strings for their wrists and bottles of waters blessed by the center's leaders, at outrageous prices. (Curiously, a catalogue of a dozen courses offered at the center in New York never mentions the words "Jewish" or "Judaism," describing Kabbalah as "a 4,000 year old wisdom of life.") What the center is selling is superstition, not religion, and ultimately the belief that adherents can achieve control over life itself.
That such nonsense is so popular, seemingly unquestioned, and reflects on what others may think of Judaism is what grates at many of us. We may harbor jealousy at the Bergs' success in taking a mystic Jewish discipline and making it so well known worldwide. We may feel frustrated that the leaders of the movement have misrepresented our religion, ignoring Judaism's emphasis on mitzvos, Torah study, helping others and improving the world rather than just focusing on our own desires.
Further, though, the zealousness and seeming happiness of the Kabbalah Centre's followers may evoke pangs of doubt in those of us who wish we could feel such utter contentment with our own spiritual lives.
What are we missing? we may ask ourselves during this High Holy Days season, reading of Madonna's declarations of bliss. What does she know that we don't?
But the issue isn't what the Kabbalah Centre's followers know, it's what they don't know. In choosing to trust that the Bergs' bromides and instructions will bring "the light" and unending fulfillment through "the secret" of life, according to the center's teachings, these people are underscoring the enormous search for meaning in our postmodern society and the deep emotional power of belief itself.
That's the challenge to us as Jews, to be able to provide meaning and faith within the boundaries of our religion, recognizing that while we can't offer — or achieve — heaven on earth, we can be part of a faith that nurtures the soul and helps repair the world.
One positive outcome of the Kabbalah craze is that some disaffected Jews may now be willing to reconsider a religion that spawned such avid interest in Mick Jagger, Demi Moore and other stars. But we have to be prepared to provide a response that speaks not only to timeless questions about why we are alive and what our purpose is on earth, but how authentic Judaism is relevant (at least for Jews) in the 21st century to a high-speed society not known for self-reflection.
Ironically, as millions show interest in the Bergs' form of Kabbalah to find happiness for themselves, the fact is that mysticism has always been the most secret path in Jewish life, and one based on man's partnership with God. A central theme of the Zohar is that the world is flawed and we can help bring perfection by freeing up divine sparks, through the observance of the commandments.
While the "Material Girl" praises the Kabbalah Centre for focusing her life, surely if we can infuse a bit more holiness into ours through the genuine practice of our religion, we — and the world — will benefit.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWRcontributor Gary Rosenblatt is Editor and Publisher of the New York Jewish Week.
To comment on this column, please click here.
© 2004, NY Jewish Week
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