Kabbalah, the Mystical Religion of Some Stars

What do Demi Moore, Madonna and Cher have in common? A belief in the Kabbalah faith. The base roots are Judaism with an aspect of mysticism. The study is nature of divinity, the creation, the origin and fate of the soul, and the role of human beings.

There are many spellings for "Kabbalah" but this one is the most common. The tradition of the Torah was created before the world was formed. Torah advised God on matters such as the creation of human kind. After Moses was handed down the written laws of God the books of law were written into the Bible. The oral Torah was considered divine. That is the basis of Kabbalah, the divinity of the oral Torah. After the written word a secret oral tradition was formed believing its hidden meanings, and the divine power concealed within it. The Kabbalah faith has existed for so long no one knows when it started. While the Kabbalah in integrated within the Jewish faith not all that study it consider themselves Jewish. Indeed within the Jewish faith a woman would have a hard time being able to find a Rabbi to instruct her in the faith, while members not of the faith find it rather easy to find a leader to teach them. There was rumours that one had to be forty to study the teachings. That is not true.

Greg Burton has supplied this (mildly amusing) post from America OnLine, from a Rabbi Ariel Bar-Zadok:

" One thing I assure you, I am not a "new ager", nor am I sympathetic to anything that is not pure, authoritative Kabbalah. Remember, Kabbalah means "to receive". I am an Orthodox Sephardic Rabbi, ordained in Jerusalem. I teach only from the true texts, many of which most Rabbis for whatever reasons have never read. I document all my sources so as to verify to you that these teachings are authentic. (I must also admit that I have studied other religious and meditative systems, in this way I feel comfortable and confident to discuss them). My classes are open to all, Jew and Benei Noah alike, men and women, (in accordance to Tana D'vei Eliyahu, Eliyahu Raba, Chapter 9). By the way, according to the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabi Ovadiah Yosef (Yehaveh Da'at 4,47) quoting Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, one only has to be 20 years old to study Kabbala, and not 40. THIS IS THE HALAKHA!!"

While one does not have to know Hebrew it does make the faith easier to study. Much of the text is written in Hebrew and not easily translated to another language. The non-Jewish membership started about 500 years ago. It was difficult to give a name for these followers as the faith takes on the believes of not only Judaism but also Christianity, Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, Kabbalah and Renaissance humanism. The Hermetic Kabbalah are what non Jewish believers are referred as.

"Do not pray for your own needs, for your prayer will not then be accepted. But when you want to pray, do so for the heaviness of the Head. For whatever you lack, the Divine Presence also lacks."

"This is because man is a "portion of God from on high." Whatever any part lacks, also exists in the Whole, and the Whole feels the lack of the part, You should therefore pray for the needs of the Whole."

Those are some of the beliefs that are held. If you would like to study the religion this site has some great information.