What is Kabbalah?
The Kabbalah Centre (http://www.kabbalah.com/k/index.php/p=about/whatiskabb) :jew:
In 1922, a seed was planted when the first Kabbalah Centre opened its doors in the city of Jerusalem. This single seed blossomed and branched out around the globe. Today, Kabbalah is a worldwide movement. We share wisdom with the world through branches and information offices all over the planet.

Kabbalah predates any religion or theology. It was given to mankind by the Creator, without any prerequisites or preconditions. According to kabbalistic teachings, the universe operates according to certain supremely powerful principles. By learning to understand and act in accordance with these precepts, we will vastly improve our lives today, and ultimately we will achieve true fulfillment for ourselves and for all humanity. Just as basic physical laws such as gravity and magnetism exist independently of our will and awareness, the spiritual laws of the universe influence our lives every day and every moment. Kabbalah empowers us to understand and live in harmony with these laws -- to use them for the benefit of ourselves and the world.

Kabbalah is much more than an intellectually compelling philosophical system. It is a precise description of the interwoven nature of spiritual and physical reality -- and it is a full complement of powerful, practical methods for attaining worthy goals within that reality. Simply put, Kabbalah gives you the tools you need to achieve happiness, fulfillment, and to bring the Light of the Creator into your life. It is the way to gain the peace and joy you want and deserve at the very core of your being.

Madonna is one of many celebrities singing Kabbalah's praises
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/200...alah-main_x.htm (http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-05-25-kabbalah-main_x.htm)
And since Madonna first started singing Kabbalah's praises six years ago — literally, on her 1998 album Ray of Light— she has arguably become the practice's most prominent advocate.
http://images.usatoday.com/life/_photos/2004/2004-05/26-kaballah-madonna-inside.jpgThe 45-year-old pop priestess introduced Britney Spears to the discipline last year. This month she wrapped Red Strings around the wrists of David and Victoria Beckham. And, of course, there's Madonna's director-husband, Guy Ritchie.

Madonna also apparently has spread the word to Demi Moore, who is known to have waxed Kabbalistic on the set of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Now Moore and boyfriend Ashton Kutcher are fixtures at the movement's headquarters, the Los Angeles Kabbalah Center, as well as in celebrity magazines, often with Kutcher photographed wearing the white uniform meant to attract the positive energy, or light, that men, more than women, need to combat outsized egos. In fact, the word "kabbalah" comes from the Hebrew "to receive."

Rabbi Yzchak Bazri :
"It's forbidden for a Goy to learn Kabbalah. He has to learn and known the Jewish bible first. Kabbalah is the highest form of Judaism, and those who practice it need to be extremely spiritual, modest and wise, surrounding themselves with holiness and purity.

In the eyes of Rabbi Bazri, whose father was one of Jerusalem's most renowned Kabbalists, the material girl can't be in the club. But the real Kabbalah appears to have little to do with the new age phenomenon packaged and sold, often at a hefty price, by the Los Angeles-based Kabbalah Centre.

A piece of red string, tied around the wrist to get rid of the evil eye retails for nearly $50, and other inspirational products command similarly exorbitant price tags. But Kabbalist and artist David Friedman says the spirit of Kabbalah is there for everyone, including Esther, AKA Madonna.

DAVID FRIEDMAN: If you believe in something, even if it's a sugar pill, but if you believe it's something that's going to cure your illness, the power of faith is also something not to take lightly.

JANE HUTCHEON: Fresh from her latest tour, entitled "Reinvention", Madonna's presence in Israel is likely to cause more than a stir. Rabbi Bazri has some advice for her.

Yzchak Bazri :
"I don't think her school knows about Kabbalah. But if she comes here she'll find pure, honest people. They will not accept her with her clothes, she must come with different ones."

The mother of two is said to be funding Kabbalah schools in New York and London, and though her low-key visit is likely to raise a few eyebrows, perhaps the purists realise that new age fads are just part of life.

http://www.abc.net.au/correspondents/conte...04/s1197075.htm (http://www.abc.net.au/correspondents/content/2004/s1197075.htm)

This is a post I have recently made on the Original Dissent Forum:

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The basic shtick, the original modus operandi of Satan, that old serpent, and his minions has been, ever since the Garden of Eden, to convince people of this:

"Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Genesis 3:1

"For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:5

I have already argued on this thread:

http://www.originaldissent.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14992&highlight=kabbalah

that Talmudism is basically just self-worshipping Babylonian paganism that uses the Old Testament as a mere window-dressing.

Therefore witness the "theurgical" (god-making) ideology of Talmudic mysticism, Kabbalah, as explained by Madonna's rabbi:


http://www.jewsweek.com/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Article%5El1410&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Opinions&



Becoming like God

Madonna's rabbi on how to maximize your potential.

by Rabbi Michael Berg November 9, 2004

...

The guard, the Opponent, has convinced his prisoners that we're small and insignificant, when in truth, whatever our wildest dreams of accomplishment may be, they only scratch the surface of what is possible.

The truth is, we are destined to become like God but have been tricked into becoming inmates, posing as ants, indifferent to the ghastly spread between what we are and what we could be. We bounce back and forth between actions and reactions. We could be infinite. And until we begin to realize that potential, we will lie listless on our prison cots.

According to the Bible, "Man was created in God's image, in God's image man was created." Kabbalah teaches that there are no superfluous words in the Bible, so why the repetition? It urges the reader to pay attention. Do not miss this. You are created in God's image.

You have the same essence and therefore the same potential as God. You are destined to become like God, so keep asking yourself, am I like God yet? Am I manifesting godly powers? Can I heal the sick and bless people? Have I resurrected the dead? The yardstick suddenly extends to infinity. I don't sust measure myself against myself. I measure myself against God.

...

"Will we become like God yet? The answer should make us rethink our efforts. As we dissolve our prison chains and merge our essence back into God's essence, we reveal our Godly nature more and more. Eventually, we may become immortal, and even resurrect the dead. It is this vision we keep before us, immovably."

...


Petr

A Spiritual Journey
It's three months since I became a student of Kabbalah, eager to find out the truth about the sect sweeping the celebrity world. Would I find enlightenment and happiness through the teachings of its leader, Rabbi Philip Berg? Or, as cynics warned, would I find the lessons of the former Brooklyn insurance salesman costly and meaningless?

It had all started with a free lecture I attended this past May in London. Afterward, I signed up for a 10-week course, the Power of Kabbalah, for $323. From day one, we were encouraged to spend money. First, we were expected to buy a red string bracelet (cost: $45) which identifies followers. The string would protect me from looks of ill-will and envious stares. A staff member at the center tied it on my left hand, chanted Hebrew and told me to envisage light.

At the classes I took, we were told we would experience miracles, find inner peace and enjoy financial prosperity. For homework, we were to study the 72 Hebrew names for God. As classes became more intense, there was little time for family, friends or even work, and some students began to drop out. Those who remained appeared to have undergone some sort of conversion: They spoke of miracles and said their lives had improved. I was having doubts.

I was pressured to buy a copy of the Zohar, the 23-volume Kabbalah bible, (cost: $502); pressured to visit London's Kabbalah center on a daily basis (even if it meant missing work); and pressured to bring in new recruits. At one point, someone suggested that I get a second credit card or sell a family heirloom to pay for a Kabbalah- themed trip to Israel.

I began to feel that I was losing a sense of identity. When I met with my teacher, he wanted to know about my job, my family and what worries I had. He asked when I was going to buy the Zohar; I told him I couldn't afford it. "Imagine it," he said, "and it will happen."

During another Kabbalah event (cost: $47), we flung our hands in the air and shouted "Chernobyl" to send good energy to the Ukrainian city in the former Soviet Union, where in 1986, the worst nuclear accident in history oc curred. We were told we could cure everything -- even cancer. After chanting for what seemed like forever, we ate a late dinner. Afterward, we had to study until 4 a.m. By 2 a.m., I was exhausted, and I left.

More Classes, More $$
As the weeks passed, I found the courses increasingly invasive and expensive. I was frequently called at home by my mentor, Sarah. "Can't you visit the center more often?" she asked. I felt like I was being pulled by an invisible string. I had just finished one course when I was phoned to ask if I would sign up for another 10- week course, Kabbalah II (cost: $269) that would deepen my knowledge. I paid the money.

I was asked to sign up for more classes that I couldn't afford, including a weekly Zohar class ($23); a 10-week Tree of Life seminar ($271); a Anti-Matter Course ($145) and even palm-reading classes ($163). Some students had taken up second jobs to fund their studies; others were starting to wonder where the money goe s. I heard of one girl who gave up her well-paid accountant job to live and work full-time at the center.

As I tried to follow the faith, I was exhausted and scared of saying no to the pleas to spend more money on courses and books. But the end came when a teacher tried to get me to go to Israel for Rosh Hashannah (cost: $1,794). I was told if I didn't go I wouldn't "get my light" for the year. I considered getting that extra credit card.

But then I woke up. Luckily, I have supportive friends and family from whom Kabbalahists subtly try to alienate you. After talking to them, I did some thinking. My days with Kabbalah were numbered. But other followers were not so strong. I watched others get drawn deeper and deeper into the sect.

As I watched Madonna and Guy at the Sukkot dinner, I wondered what the singer saw in the faith. Seated at her table, she picked at her meal and drank water (while Guy gulped wine). By 11 p.m., most people were tired. Guy stifled a yawn and mouthed to his wife, "Can we go?" They were led through the house; the rest of us left through a side gate.

It's now more than four months since I began studying Kabbalah, and I have broken free. After buying the complete works of the Zohar (running my Kabbalah bill up to $1,794), when they were delivered to my house, I couldn't touch them. Whatever wisdom is contained within them has remained unopened. A spokesperson for the London Kabbalah Center told Star: "Everybody's personal journey is different. If it didn't feel right for her, then it didn't feel right."


To see more documents/articles regarding this group/organization/subject click here: http://www.rickross.com/groups/kabbalah.html

Now available at TARGET stores. 'Enchanted' jewish string/yarn, only $25 per foot.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002KSR7Q.16._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpgProduct Description
A centuries-old spiritual tool used by Kabbalists, this red string is believed to protect against the evil eye, a negative energy source. What makes this particular piece of string so special is, in part, the fact that it has traveled to Israel, to the ancient tomb of Rachel the Matriarch, and returned, imbued with the essence of protection. The string is tied to the left wrist—the left being the body and soul's receiving side—and worn to essentially deflect the negative energy brought forth by unfriendly and envious stares, unkind glances and looks of ill will. A feeling we've all experienced, the evil eye is considered by Kabbalah to be a powerful force and an influential factor in regards to achieving goals and everyday well-being. The string draws upon the connection to and awareness of Rachel and must be tied on by a loved one and sealed with Rachel's protective energy by reciting the Ben Porat prayer (included on a card). From The Kabbalah Centre. 72L".