Kabbalah Centre

Last updated
Kabbalah Centre International
Formation1984;40 years ago (1984)
FounderRabbi Philip Berg
Type Non-profit organization
Headquarters Los Angeles, California,
United States
Website www.kabbalah.com

The Kabbalah Centre International is a non-profit organization [1] located in Los Angeles, California that provides courses on the Zohar and Kabbalistic teachings online as well as through its regional and city-based centers and study groups worldwide. The Kabbalah Centre's presentation of Kabbalah was developed by its director, Philip Berg, along with his wife, Karen Berg. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Kabbalah Centre in New York City in 2008 Kaballah-center.jpg
Kabbalah Centre in New York City in 2008

The Kabbalah Centre was founded in the United States in July 1965 initially as a publishing house called "The National Institute for the Research in Kabbalah" by Philip Berg (born Feivel Gruberger) and Rabbi Levi Isaac Krakovsky. It is likely that Berg was encouraged by his Rebbe and former wife's uncle Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein to establish the publishing house to aid the funding of Brandwein's Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Brandwein was the dean of Yeshivah Kol Yehuda, his son Rabbi Abraham Bradwein succeeded him as the head of the Yeshivah. Kol Yehuda was founded in 1922 and continues to this day. The uniqueness of Kol Yehuda is that students focus on kabbalistic study. The students would receive a salary to cover their living expenses so they can devote themselves to full-time learning, however Brandwein faced difficulty in finding funds for the yeshiva and publishing. After Brandwein's death, and after several years in Israel, Philip Berg and his wife Karen Berg, re-established the independent U.S. Kabbalah Centre in New York City. [4]

The Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles was opened in 1984. After the death of Berg, Karen and Michael Berg acted as directors and spiritual teachers of the organization. The organization is a registered non-profit [1] with over fifty branches worldwide, including major ones in Los Angeles, New York City, London and Toronto.

"Kol Yehuda" Yeshiva of Rabbi Yehuda Tvi Brandwein in the Old City (Jerusalem) Kol Yehuda Yeshiva.jpg
"Kol Yehuda" Yeshiva of Rabbi Yehuda Tvi Brandwein in the Old City (Jerusalem)

Philanthropy

The Kabbalah Centre donates to non-profit organizations and engages in volunteer work through its Charitable Causes initiative. Charitable Causes has worked with or donated to Habitat for Humanity, [5] Partners in Health, [6] American Red Cross, [7] and Sunrise Day Camp. [8]

Teachings

Approach

The Kabbalah Centre's approach to teaching is to start students with teachings of Kabbalah that do not require knowledge of Hebrew and Jewish texts. [9]

Relation to religion

According to its views, all widely held spiritual or religious belief systems are merely specific branches of universal wisdom. The effect of this is a resemblance of religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism, as well as new-age teachings, to Kabbalah. In accordance with this belief, the Kabbalah Centre does not present itself as an alternative to any religion in particular, but rather, as a supplement to it.

The Bible

Some biblical passages, such as the Passage of the Red Sea, are understood to be codes to life and unseen universal laws which the Zohar and writings of the Kabbalists throughout history unravel. [10] According to Berg "The Zohar reveals the dynamic interplay and interconnectedness of our universe and man's relationship to it." [11] The Kabbalah Centre has produced a series of the Books of the Bible with Kabbalistic commentaries to each of the Weekly portion of the Torah. [12]

The Light

One should primarily be concerned with their relationship with the essence of God, rather than God itself, as it is beyond comprehension. The essence of God is referred to in its teachings as Light. [13]

99%

The five senses supposedly provide access to a mere 1% of reality, which is the byproduct of a 99% reality that cannot be accessed by the senses. [14]

Klippot

Kabbalah Centre teaches the Kabbalistic concept of Klippot. The idea is that everyone has a direct and clear connection to the upper metaphysical-spiritual world of the Light (Ein Sof, unbounded God), but that this channel is blocked by Klippot, restricting the spiritual energy from entering the physical body. It is through study and practice of Kabbalah teachings and Jewish law (which the Kabbalah Centre says is early rabbinistic construction to aid in practicing Kabbalah without revealing its secrets) that one removes Klippot, and it is by violence and negative behavior that one adds Klippot. [15]

Astrology

Zodiac in a 6th-century synagogue at Beit Alpha, Israel Beit Alpha.jpg
Zodiac in a 6th-century synagogue at Beit Alpha, Israel

The Kabbalah Centre has a strong belief in astrology [16] and asserts that astrology has always been part of Judaism. Astrology was studied by Jewish scholars throughout the Middle Ages, though it was opposed by more philosophically inclined thinkers such as Maimonides.[ citation needed ]

There is a strong belief in the Kabbalah tradition that cosmic forces affect everything, and knowing how to understand them can prove to be valuable to the aspiring Kabbalist. Berg, the founder of the Kabbalah Centre, wrote numerous books on astrology during his career. [17]

Sex

In a book written by Yehuda Berg, a former teacher at the center, he recommended that men not masturbate as semen generated without loving, shared intention does not serve its purpose. He also wrote that a man should not orgasm before the woman, as it injects selfishness into the act of love making. [15] Other thoughts on sex include that a man should not orgasm with the woman positioned above him, as she is then drawing energies into herself from below, instead of above. [15] The most Light is derived from sex that occurs just after midnight on Saturday morning. [15]

Celebrity followers

Painting of Madonna Practicing Kabbalah called Madonna and God in Mystical Oneness by Peter Reynosa Madonna and God in Mystical Oneness.jpg
Painting of Madonna Practicing Kabbalah called Madonna and God in Mystical Oneness by Peter Reynosa

Madonna studies regularly with a personal Kabbalah Centre rabbi, no longer gives concerts on Friday night (which is the onset of Shabbat), wears the red string around her left wrist for protection and to ward off the "evil eye" (Ayin Hara), has introduced Jewish ritual objects such as tefillin ("phylacteries") into her videos and tithes regularly to the Kabbalah Centre. [18] In July 2006, it was reported that Madonna was leaving the Kabbalah Centre [19] and one media columnist speculated that one reason was alleged financial irregularities of donations to the centre. [18] Despite uncorroborated allegations of financial irregularities, the rumour turned out to be false, and Madonna continued to attend Kabbalah Centre events. In August 2006, Madonna collaborated with the Kabbalah Centre on a project called Raising Malawi, which provided relief aid to the African nation of Malawi. [20]

Celebrity followers include Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Demi Moore, James Van Der Beek, Marla Maples, Madonna, Ariana Grande, Frankie Grande, and more, according to social media, etc. [21]

Celebrities that have been associated with the Centre include Britney Spears, Diane Keaton, Roseanne Barr, Sandra Bernhard, Anthony Kiedis, Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall, Lucy Liu, Alex Rodriguez, Rosie O'Donnell, Naomi Campbell, Donna Karan, Elizabeth Taylor, Paris Hilton, [22] Nicole Richie, Kyle Richards, [23] Heather McComb and Lindsay Lohan. [24]

Controversy and criticism

According to a BBC news article, Eliyahu Yardeni, a senior figure in the London Kabbalah Centre, made controversial comments regarding the Holocaust. [25] The Kabbalah Centre also made claims that spring water sold by the group had among its effects a curative effect on cancer. [25]

Other media criticisms have alleged that The Kabbalah Centre is an "opportunistic offshoot of the faith, with charismatic leaders who try to attract the rich and the vulnerable with the promise of health, wealth, and happiness." [25]

Beginning in 2011 the centre was put under investigation by the IRS and FBI for financial malfeasance, following the abandonment of the Raising Malawi school project with millions of donors' dollars unaccounted for. [26] In 2012, a Kabbalah Centre charity, Spirituality for Kids, accepted a $600,000 donation from an 87-year-old woman who some claim had dementia. [27] In November 2013, two lawsuits were filed by former donors alleging that their gifts were misused. [28]

In November 2015, the centre was ordered to pay $42,500 damages to one of its former students after it was found to have been negligent in the supervision of one of its co-directors, Yehuda Berg, who had caused emotional distress to the student. [29]

Locations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kabbalah</span> Type of Jewish mysticism

Kabbalah or Qabalah is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal. The definition of Kabbalah varies according to the tradition and aims of those following it, from its origin in medieval Judaism to its later adaptations in Western esotericism. Jewish Kabbalah is a set of esoteric teachings meant to explain the relationship between the unchanging, eternal God—the mysterious Ein Sof —and the mortal, finite universe. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism.

The Dardaim or Dor Daim, are adherents of the Dor Deah movement in Orthodox Judaism. That movement took its name in 1912 in Yemen under Rabbi Yiḥyah Qafiḥ, and had its own network of synagogues and schools, although, in actuality, the movement existed long before that name had been coined for it. According to ethnographer and historian, Shelomo Dov Goitein, author and historiographer, Hayyim Habshush had been a member of this movement before it had been given the name Dor Deah, writing, “...He and his friends, partly under European influence, but driven mainly by developments among the Yemenite Jews themselves, formed a group who ardently opposed all those forces of mysticism, superstition and fatalism which were then so prevalent in the country and strove for exact knowledge and independent thought, and the application of both to life.” It was only some years later, when Rabbi Yihya Qafih became the headmaster of the new Jewish school in Sana'a built by the Ottoman Turks and where he wanted to introduce a new curriculum in the school whereby boys would also learn arithmetic and the rudiments of the Arabic and Turkish languages that Rabbi Yihya Yitzhak Halevi gave to Rabbi Qafih's movement the name Daradʻah, a word which is an Arabic broken plural made-up of the Hebrew words Dör Deʻoh, and which means "Generation of Knowledge."

Academic study of Jewish mysticism, especially since Gershom Scholem's Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism (1941), draws distinctions between different forms of mysticism which were practiced in different eras of Jewish history. Of these, Kabbalah, which emerged in 12th-century southwestern Europe, is the most well known, but it is not the only typological form, nor was it the first form which emerged. Among the previous forms were Merkabah mysticism, and Ashkenazi Hasidim around the time of the emergence of Kabbalah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keter</span> First emanation in Kabbalah

Keter or Kether is the first of the ten sefirot in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, symbolizing the divine will and the initial impulse towards creation from the Ein Sof, or infinite source. It represents pure consciousness and transcends human understanding, often referred to as "Nothing" or the "Hidden Light". Keter is associated with the divine name "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh", meaning "I Am that I Am", which was revealed to Moses from the burning bush, and it embodies the qualities of absolute compassion and humility. Its meaning is "crown", and it is interpreted as both the "topmost" of the Sefirot and the "regal crown" thereof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moses ben Jacob Cordovero</span> Rabbi and Kabbalist figure in Ottoman Syria

Moses ben Jacob Cordovero was a central figure in the historical development of Kabbalah, leader of a mystical school in 16th-century Safed, Ottoman Syria. He is known by the acronym the Ramak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yehuda Ashlag</span> Orthodox Jewish Rabbi and Kabbalist

Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag (1885–1954) or Yehuda Leib Ha-Levi Ashlag, also known as the Baal Ha-Sulam in reference to his magnum opus, was an orthodox rabbi and kabbalist born in Łuków, Congress Poland, Russian Empire, to a family of scholars connected to the Hasidic courts of Porisov and Belz. Rabbi Ashlag lived in the Holy Land from 1922 until his death in 1954. In addition to his Sulam commentary on the Zohar, his other primary work, Talmud Eser Sefirot is regarded as the central textbook for students of Kabbalah. Ashlag systematically interpreted the wisdom and promoted its wide dissemination. In line with his directives, many contemporary adherents of Ashlag's teachings strive to spread Kabbalah to the masses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sefirot</span> Ten emanations in Kabbalah

Sefirot, meaning emanations, are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm and the chain of higher metaphysical realms. The term is alternatively transliterated into English as sephirot/sephiroth, singular sefirah/sephirah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish views on astrology</span> Religious perspective

Astrology has been a topic of debate among Jews for over 2000 years. While not a Jewish practice or teaching as such, astrology made its way into Jewish thought, as can be seen in the many references to it in the Talmud. Astrological statements became accepted and worthy of debate and discussion by Torah scholars. Opinions varied: some rabbis rejected the validity of astrology; others accepted its validity but forbid practicing it; still others thought its practice to be meaningful and permitted. In modern times, as science has rejected the validity of astrology, many Jewish thinkers have similarly rejected it; though some continue to defend the pro-astrology views that were common among pre-modern Jews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Berg</span> American rabbi and dean of the Kabbalah Centre

Philip S. Berg was an American rabbi and dean of the worldwide Kabbalah Centre organization.

Dovber Schneuri was the second Rebbe of the Chabad Lubavitch Chasidic movement. Rabbi Dovber was the first Chabad rebbe to live in the town of Lyubavichi, the town for which this Hasidic dynasty is named. He is also known as the Mitteler Rebbe, being the second of the first three generations of Chabad leaders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yehuda Berg</span>

Yehuda Berg is an American author and former teacher of Kabbalah. Until 2014, Berg was a co-director of the Kabbalah Centre, which was founded by his parents Philip Berg and Karen Berg. However, after allegations of sexual assault and allegations of offering drugs from one of his students, he stepped away from the organization. He was later found liable in a civil suit and ordered to pay damages to his victim for inflicting malice and intentional harm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Berg</span> American author (1942–2020)

Karen Berg was an author and the founder of the Kabbalah Centre International. She is the author of five books; God Wears Lipstick: Kabbalah for Women; Simple Light, Wisdom from a Woman's Heart; To Be Continued, Reincarnation and the Purpose of our Lives; Finding the Light through the Darkness, Inspirational lessons rooted in the Bible and the Zohar.; and Two Unlikely People to Change the World, A Memoir.

Lurianic Kabbalah is a school of Kabbalah named after Isaac Luria (1534–1572), the Jewish rabbi who developed it. Lurianic Kabbalah gave a seminal new account of Kabbalistic thought that its followers synthesised with, and read into, the earlier Kabbalah of the Zohar that had disseminated in Medieval circles.

The primary texts of Kabbalah were allegedly once part of an ongoing oral tradition. The written texts are obscure and difficult for readers who are unfamiliar with Jewish spirituality which assumes extensive knowledge of the Tanakh, Midrash and halakha.

Practical Kabbalah in historical Judaism, is a branch of the Jewish mystical tradition that concerns the use of magic. It was considered permitted white magic by its practitioners, reserved for the elite, who could separate its spiritual source from qlippoth realms of evil if performed under circumstances that were holy (Q-D-Š) and pure, tumah and taharah. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boaz Huss</span>

Boaz Huss is a professor of Kabbalah at the Goldstein-Goren Department of Jewish Thought at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He is a leading scholar in contemporary Kabbalah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bnei Baruch</span>

Bnei Baruch is a universalist kabbalah association founded by Michael Laitman in the early 1990s. It is estimated to have around 50,000 students in Israel, and some 150,000 around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yehuda Liebes</span> Israeli academic and scholar (born 1947)

Yehuda Liebes is an Israeli academic and scholar. He is the Gershom Scholem Professor Emeritus of Kabbalah at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Considered a leading scholar of Kabbalah, his research interests also include Jewish myth, Sabbateanism, and the links between Judaism and ancient Greek religion, Christianity, and Islam. He is the recipient of the 1997 Bialik Prize, the 1999 Gershom Scholem Prize for Kabbalah Research, the 2006 EMET Prize for Art, Science and Culture, and the 2017 Israel Prize in Jewish thought.

The history of Jewish mysticism encompasses various forms of esoteric and spiritual practices aimed at understanding the divine and the hidden aspects of existence. This mystical tradition has evolved significantly over millennia, influencing and being influenced by different historical, cultural, and religious contexts. Among the most prominent forms of Jewish mysticism is Kabbalah, which emerged in the 12th century and has since become a central component of Jewish mystical thought. Other notable early forms include prophetic and apocalyptic mysticism, which are evident in biblical and post-biblical texts.

References

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Further reading