It's well known by now that Madonna and Guy Ritchie are divorcing. And it's also well known that the divorce promises to be ugly, featuring the work of "pit bull" attorneys working for both sides. It's a shame that with so much time, emotion, and money invested in Kabbalah, it seems to have failed Madonna in her time of greatest need.
I take no glee in reporting this seeming failure as I have many good things to say about the brand of spirituality which Madonna practices and the center with which she is affiliated. In fact, I have been strongly criticized for describing some of those good things right here on Windows and Doors. But this time, Kabbalah has failed Madonna.
The failure lies not in the mystical tradition's inability to hold her marriage together. The failure lies in its inability to shape how the divorce will unfold. I appreciate that Madonna and her soon to be ex-husband tried to save their marriage and that they used Kabbalah to help. But the real test of a tradition is not that it delivers everything you expect when you expect it, like some cosmic vending machine. The real test of a tradition is how it helps you live more ethically, gently and lovingly when things are going wrong.
Kabbalah's failure in this case is the seeming silence of its teachers to address the reality of a marriage gone bad, instead of promising that they can simply make everything right. Where is the wisdom that would help these two people, or any two people, leave each other with some of the same sacredness that they used to come together? Where is the teaching or practice that would help them to keep the "pit bulls" at bay?
The truth is that many traditions are paralyzed by divorce. They labor under the notion that for something to be sacred, it must be eternally perfect. But Jewish tradition has known that need not be the case for thousands of years. It accepts that the test of the sacred is not in its immutability, but of its ability to mutate in ways that are as good as possible for as many people as possible. And what's true for the sacred, is true for relationships.
The Hebrew Bible includes a provision for divorce alongside the one for marriage. And Rabbinic tradition developed that law into a complete system whose goal was to help people end a relationship with as much sacredness as they created it. Rather than tell people that they have failed because their marriage has failed, the tradition challenges people to confront even this painful moment as successfully as possible and provides guidance that reminds them that they still have that power within them.
Contrary to what many followers of Kabbalah and other popular spiritualities believe, no system is capable of serving up the perfect life on a silver platter. And the more any teacher tells you that he or she can, the faster you should run away. But any rich tradition, including Kabbalah when practiced at its best, can create a sense of wholeness when all seems most broken. In fact, that is a cornerstone belief of the Jewish mystical tradition, one which I hope that this couple and all other divorcing couples can tap into, through whatever teachings work best for them.
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Author, radio and TV talk show host, and President of CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, Brad Hirschfield is the author of 
Kaballah didn't fail Madonna. Madonna failed Kaballah. As Rabbi Hirschfield said, Kaballah is not a cosmic vending machine. You can't place an order and expect delivery according to instructions. G-d does not follow instructions; G-d gives them. Kaballah is a road to spirituality. Those who step off the road should not be blaming the road when they step on a rock and fall on their faces.
Gavriella
Just because one engages in legal council it does not suggest that a divorce is going to be "ugly". Everyone in the media is speculating that this divorce is going to be ugly and public, when in fact both Madonna and Guy Ritchie have yet to say a word about the divorce (with the exception of the statement), and both of them have handled themeselves with grace to date. The media are the ones doing a disservice to the children, by suggesting that one had an affair, and the other was abusive and etc....Both Madonna and Guy have done their best to keep this matter private...neither of them have spoken a word to the press to date, and chances are they both will continue to keep this divorce private. Again, engaging in legal council does not negate compassion in a divorce...it merely suggests that issues need to be resolved by Madonna and Guy and executed legally by council.
Hmmm...
We all face struggles and the lessons of life are difficult. Anyone who has reached the age of 50 has had ample opportunity to learn this, and still we fall. That is part of being human. Fortunately, the fury of our wounded self subsides and in the silence of the desert of our hearts, we have a place to see clearly.
One of the major failures of the practice of mysticisms in the West is that being gifted with awareness of the Divine Presence, does not always or even often translate into changes in our daily lives. That is a terrible observation. Perhaps in these times of economic collapse, we can learn to drop one of the major idols that impede our progress, materialism. Is is too much to hope that the "material" girl will move beyond this? Is it too much to hope that you and i can? Time to ditch the idol and embrace the Presence of God, abandoning and surrendering anything that stands between us.
Here's an email from the Kabbalah Centre that shows what it's all about - money:
Ruthie showed a movie in class that was made by the Kabbalah Centre about the tremendous negative impact nuclear waste and Chernobyl has had on our civilization. It has caused a rise in diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and physical deformities anywhere from 30-150%, and is considered to be the root cause for the onset of AIDS. Why is the atomic bomb so destructive? Because it removes the central column. We know that life is a balanced system, necessitating a central column. Nuclear waste is what's left after central column is taken away. Most diseases and chaos today are a result of nuclear waste.
The Centre received permission from the Russian government to try to reduce the negative effects of Chernobyl by using Kabbalah water. After months of research, they found that adding the equivalent of just one drop of Kabbalah Water to 50,000 drops of contaminated water, the level of radioactivity in Chernobyl dropped as much as 32%. The Kabbalah Water didn't just "clean" the lake – it actually changed the structure of the water molecules in the lake, to bring them back to a healthy state. This says volumes about the power of water, and specifically why Kabbalah Water is so powerful.
We know through science and through Kabbalah Water studies that the structure of water can change based on human thoughts. It actually absorbs thought. That's why you should never drink water in front of an angry person, or when it's been sitting in a room with people fighting. Water is the #1 matter for absorbing thought, and it's the #1 tool for controlling mind over matter. What happened during the flood was a critical mass of negative human thought entered. The internal structure of the water got corrupted. Kabbalah Water rearranges the structure of water so it can go back to its original state of positive energy.
to all who make assumptions w/out really knowing, take a look at the roots and open your eyes. There is 1 Hebrew Bible - the Old Testament, and only the Jews who are dedicated to the study of the Torah are equipped w/the proper tools to interpret it correcly - from the Hebrew language. Anyone else who makes claims about what their bible states should think twice before stating it as fact before others, after all, we have 1 Torah, while there are thousands of versions of theirs and they fight between e/other about who is right and who is wrong - while the truth remains one and the same with the Jewish people. Better ask a Jewish Torah Scolar what the "Bible" says rather than making damaging remarks such as according to the bible one needs to commit adultery in order to divorce. If you would only look with a keen eye, you will surely see, unless you want to be in denial, that all the other versions of the "Bible" and the "Idol" who serves as an intermediary between G-d and "His" followers are for the most part made up by men. Better stick to the 7 noahide laws, that way you will not break one of the ten commandments - You shall not worship Idols - there is only 1 G-d, 1 creator and you do not need an intermediary in order to pray to him, on the contrary, G-d wants you to direct your prayers directly to him and to turn to him alone and not put an intermediary between you and Him, an intermediary is an Idol.
In regards to Madonna and Kabbala, I used to b Madonna's biggest fan.
At this point I'd like to have a chat w/her about my experience living in Tzfat for 3 years - the true essence of hidden knowledge lies in the sweetness of recognizing G-d and drawing faith/strength in/from him in the midst of struggle, fear, confusion and disappointment - which a struggling relationship/divorce can put u through such feelings. In order to get to the heart of the revealed kabbala - one needs to be humble, modest, down to earth, compassionate, gracious. The power of coming closer to the divine is more like water, it is soft but can be very strong at the same time. It is not pushy or aggresive, it is nourashing, giving, selfless not selfish. It is not pride, it is not "I'm better than you" and so forth. It is about being a servant of G-d - nullifying yourself to his will - setting a good example. We are not perfect, that's why we are here. We are here to make our mistakes and to fix them, thus polishing ourselves in the process - and what you learn - inspire others with, we are here to help one another. Madonna, there is a reason why the observant Jewish Women dress modestly. If you are truly interested in Kabbala, look into the sacredness of dressing modestly, there is a big reason behind it. If you show a man a beautiful woman who is modestly dressed and next to her equally beautiful one but with cleavage, tight jeans or mini skirt, and then ask him, if you can have either one of them tonight which one will you choose? U'll be surprized how many of the men will want the modestly dressed one over the other one. Modesty is mysterious. There is mysticism behind modesty and not behind when it's all out in the open. One needs to sacrifice in order to gain. This is some of my advice to Madonna and everyone else out there who thinks Kabbala is a "kool phad" kabbala is free and real.
ps. next time u want to go to the mikve Ari, you should better get in touch w/me. And to think I was only a few miles away . . .
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