Kabbalah: Spiritual Enlightenment?

With all of the press coverage surrounding the high profile divorce of Madonna and Guy Richie, the religion of Kabbalah has been called into question and at times, ridiculed. But exactly what is Kabbalah? Many of us have never heard of it.

According to Kabbalah.com, Kabbalah is spiritual wisdom that shows us how to remove chaos, suffering, pain and even death from our lives. Kabbalah was meant to be more than merely learned. It was meant to be used in daily life and if one does so, it is said that you will achieve clarity of mind and spirit.

The main learning tool of Kabbalah is called the Zohar. This book teaches that a thought from God created the universe much like the Christian Bible teaches. The Zohar teaches followers to replace negative thoughts with light. That light being the pure energy of God. The Zohar is a commentary on the Bible, written by Kabbahlists, scholars and Kabbahlist spiritual masters.

Zohar is a Hebrew word meaning 'splendor'. The Zohar is read with the intention of bringing fulfillment to the life of the reader. Though the Zohar has been translated into many languages it was originally written in Aramaic. Kabbahlists believe that the Aramaic alphabet opens a channel to the light of God whether you can actually read Aramaic or not. The rythym of the Aramaic alphabet is said to bring special powers into a persons life just by allowing the eye to travel over the letters.

The Zohar is not the only book that Kabbahlists rely upon. They believe that the Bible is a coded document in which the true meaning of the universe is hidden. Each new generation of sages work on the task of decoding what they believe are hidden meanings in the seventy-two names of God. It is believed that the names of God, once fully understood, will help humanity to throw off ego and ultimately control physical nature just as Christ did in the Bible.

The contradictions between the Zohar and the Bible are numerous. Kabbahlists do not believe in the commandments given in the Bible. Nor is it believed that Eve is the mother of the world as in the Bible. Rather, in Kabbahla, Rachal is considered to be the mother of the world. Rachal, in Kabbalah is tied in with what some may view as mysticism or superstition. Kabbahlists believe that Rachal was a fierce protector of her children during ancient days and remains so even today.

Many Kabbahlists wear a red string tied around the left wrist. In Kabbahlah colors have meaning. Red, for example, is a protection color. To this end, red string is taken to the tomb of Rachal and blessed. It is then tied around the left wrist in a very careful sequence of seven knots by someone who loves the person that is to wear the string. The color red, worn on the left side of the body is said to protect the wearer from any negativity that may try to enter the vulnerable left side as Kabbahlists believe that energy enters the left side of the body and exits from the right side. The protection of Rachal along with the color red is thought to be very powerful protection.

The purpose of life for a Kabbahlist is to transform onesself to someday literally become like God. It is believed that this can be accomplished through spiritual discipline, study and by applying the knowledge taught in Kabbalah to everyday life.

But, according to Jewish America and Kabala.com, Kabbalah's teachings have been suppressed through the centuries out of fear that Kabbalah's knowledge could be dangerous should it fall into the wrong hands. To this end, Ashkenazic Torah scholars refuse too teach Kabbalah classes and will intentionally discourage all but the most learned of their' students as it is believed that the teachings were received from spiritual sources.

Kabbahlists claim that Kabbalah is not an organized religion though it has been reported to have recordings as far back as the Bible. Rather, they claim that Kabbalah is nothing more than science, morals, ethics and finding one's way into the energy of the universe.