I’m always tickled when I read stories like In Israel, Madonna Finds Little Solitude. This type of story is so easy to parody: big celebrity seeks spiritual truth; big celebrity embraces some equally big guru or spiritual system; big celebrity announces he/she has achieved spiritual enlightenment and life is now good. But you’ve heard this story so many times before. The big celebrity has an ego the size of the Grand Canyon. The big celebrity’s infatuation with the spiritual system du jour lasts only as long as it stays “hot.” When some other form of enlightenment becomes hotter, the celebrity goes elsewhere fast.
Madonna dons a “modest” head covering on tour of Kabbalist tomb (credit: Reuters)
I know there are a tons of Madonna fans out there who will rise to her defense. But her recent trip to Israel leaves her open for merciless parody. The poor woman on a spiritual quest couldn’t even get out of her car to worship at Judaism’s holiest site, the Western Wall because of peripatetic papparazzi trailing her every move.
Back at her hotel, where she had a bit more control over her environment, she participated in spiritual exercises in the conference rooms. But the killer is that the hotel room that was turned into a synagogue observed the Orthodox tradition of strict gender segregation (mechitza). Don’t you find it laughable that the ardently feminist “material girl” would subject herself to the repressive strictures of Orthodox Judaism? I know I do. And I’ve got news for Ms. Madonna. You don’t have to be Orthodox to study Kabbalah. I find it deeply objectionable that she should fall prey to an Orthodox Jewish interpretation of Kabblah and Jewish tradition in general.
Poor Madonna added insult to injury by making a truly lame statement about how safe Israel is (and how would she know having spent at most a few days there??):
“I was a bit hesitant to come here after seeing so many news reports about terrorist attacks,” said Madonna, wearing a low-cut dress with a black and white leopard print. “I realize now that it is no more dangerous to be here than it is to be in New York.”
What an idiotic statement! It shows her to be no different than all the other empty-headed, airbrained celebrities who make the mistake of trying to exercise true mental function in a public setting. The results are all too commonly embarassing to both the celebrity and the human race. Madonna is no exception. Israel certainly IS a more dangerous place to live than New York, especially if you choose to live beyond the Green Line.
And don’t you just love her outfit (“a low-cut dress with a black and white leopard print”)? I didn’t know that her Kabbalist friends had sanctioned her wearing such unchaste outfits. A definite violation of that sacrosanct Orthodox stricture which calls upon women to dress chastely (in Yiddish, zeniusdik).
At the risk of appearing to kick a girl when she’s down, I’ve got to quote another precious passage from her stock of wonderful Israeli pronoucements:
“I’m here as a student of cabala,” she said. “A cabalist sees the world as a unified whole. A cabalist asks why. A cabalist believes that he or she has the responsibility to make the world a better place.”
I guess I should feel slightly honored since her allusion to making the world a better place comes from the Kabbalistic term, tikun olam (also the name of this weblog). But if her seven years of Kabbalah study has only taught her that Kabbalah “sees the world as a unified whole” and that the Kabbalist “asks why,” why then she hasn’t learned terribly much.
I’m truly touched that the great one ventured forth to “pray, chant and place candles” at the tomb of Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag, the Kabbalist sage. But I have to draw the line when the writer says “shortly before leaving [she] wiped tears from her eyes.” This is too much. She’s appropriated all the exterior trappings of Kabbalah (including the “red thread on her wrist, a cabala trademark intended to ward off the evil eye”) and now she would have me believe that she’s shedding tears for one of Kabbalah’s great sages?! Gimme a break!
Bethlehem protestor reminds material girl that real people suffer all around her as she pursues spiritual perfection (credit: CBSNews.com)
I’m so sorry to hear that M’s planned visit to the Tomb of Rachel, located in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, didn’t pan out. I guess she has better relations with Israelis than Palestinians. After all, the broad-minded spiritual seeker is probably wondering what kind of spiritual traditions can they have that would possibly compare with Kabbalah? Right, material girl?
Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not attacking Kabbalah. I personally studied Kabbalah as an undergraduate and graduate student at the Hebrew University and the Graduate Theological Union. It is one of the great traditions in Judaism and takes its honored place among the mystical traditions of world religions. But I detest spiritual fads that turn traditions with a thousand years of history into grist for Hollywood seekers.
Israeli government officials were no fools. They jumped right on the Madonna bandwagon hoping to turn her visit into a propaganda coup in the fight for international legitimacy. They asked her to stirke of pose with Prime Minister Sharon. The New York Times article doesn’t make clear whether Madonna stopped short of allowing herself to be shamefully exploited for political advantage.
Should anyone wish to pursue real, serious study of the Kabbalah, I highly recommend my former Zohar teacher, Danny Matt’s new translation of the Book of Zohar, the literary basis of the Kabbalah.
Wow. I am shocked at the rage that seems to pour out from this writers hand. Isn’t one of the principals of Kabbalah and many other religions..Do not judge anothers spiritual path?? How does this writer know what it is that Madonna is feeling when she sheds a tear or tears at a great sages grave sight?? I think that 7 years worth of study is quite a significant time. I think someone might need to check their envy bag. I wish and pray for you peace in your heart. And maybe a little…”get over yourself and let others live their lives in peace”.
E. Murray’s comment betrays absolutely no knowledge of the Kabbalah. Nor does the Kabbalah say anything like what she claims here that it does say. So why should we grant any respect to her or Madonna, whose knowledge of the original sources of this treasured Jewish mystical tradition is almost nil? The superficial and artificial “study” of Kabbalah by such dabblers does this tradition a deep disservice. I wish they’d all move on to the next spiritual fad whatever it may be.
I’m with you 100%. (I realize this is old news now, but having just found your blog I’m reading a bunch of back entries, and figured I’d weigh in.)
Also, how fantastic to have studied with Daniel Matt! I know his work but have never had the chance to learn from him one-on-one.
Richard: It’s easy to knock Madonna for latching onto a made up theology that is falsely preached as Judaism or a substitute for Judaism (the “kaballah” of the Kaballah Centre), but at least Madonna is trying to get closer to G-d, albeit in a very confused way. Your way of getting closer to G-d seems to be by bashing orthodox Judaism, bashing Israel, and supporting the Palestinian Arabs. Do you actually practice Judaism, or do you just mock people who do? Do you keep shabbos, keep kosher, study the weekly parsha (Torah portion), teach your children about Judaism daily, travel to Israel, contribute to Jewish charities (and I don’t mean anti-Israel charities)? Did you know that Tikkun Olam (“healing the world”) comes from the Aleinu prayer, wherein it says that we should “heal the world THROUGH THE SERVICE OR G-D?” That means that simply being an anti-Israel leftist (or devoting all your resources to non-Jewish charities/causes that aren’t necessarily anti-Israel) isn’t healing the world. There has to be a level of Jewish observance: service of G-d– that’s how we heal the world. By showing the nations that we follow Torah… Come to think of it, you shouldn’t knock Madonna because you and she are probably alike. You both are largely illiterate about Judaism, and you both have latched onto false substitutes for Judaism– in her case the false Kaballah of the Kaballah Centre, and you, healing the world in a non-Jewish observant, anti-Israel way.
Ah, but there’s so much of Orthodox Judaism that deserves bashing, isn’t there? Seriously, I don’t bash things. I criticize when it’s warranted. I praise when it’s warranted. That’s goes for Orthodox Judaism and Israel itself. You’re dead wrong if you think I’m against Israel. Not at all & I’ve said this many times & in many diff. ways here. Israel is on the wrong path. If you want Israel to survive & thrive, she must get on a new path. Certainly you & Israel don’t want to hear this because going down that new path will be painful and difficult. But maintaining the same failed course will only lead to further disasters.
I presume by “practice Judaism” you mean to express your doubt that I am an observant Jew (as if that’s the only type of “good Jew” there is). I’m not going to get into a litmus test with you to determine whether Judaism as I observe it is “good” Judaism or something less. Our rabbis did not force Jews, as Catholics do, to profess their faith in order to be accepted within the ranks. A Jew is a Jew whether he lays tefillin or not. Though many Orthodox Jews disagree with this, it is simply what the rabbis taught & it is you who introduce false litmus tests saying Reform Jews aren’t real Jews, etc.
How dare you give me a series of tests I have to pass to be kosher. The sheer chutzpah of it! You don’t know anything about me & you dare to ask me what I do that makes me a Jew. I’m so angry at you I could spit!
To say that tikun olam comes from the Aleinu prayer means that you have absolutely no knowledge of Kabbalah or Zohar. There tikun olam has a far broader meaning than in the Aleinu. In Kabbalistic terms, tikun olam meant doing all the things necessary to bring the world closer to the level of perfection necessary to repair the broken kaylim or vessels (hence ‘repairing the world’). Probably Kabbalists were referring to doing mitzvot. But there are many mitzvot that relate to doing good for your fellow human beings whether Jewish or not. That’s how I interpret tikun olam. It means doing everything in your power to make the world a better place. If you don’t like my interpretation you can go suck eggs. I didn’t ask you to like it or even to make a comment here.
Don’t you call me illiterate about Judaism, you twerk. I spent 5 years studying at a theological seminary, two years studying at the Hebrew University in the Hebrew language curriculum and a total of eight years studying at undergrad and grad level in various Judaica programs. What do you know about Judaism that I didn’t know 20 years ago?
Go back to your yeshiva & study some more gemorah instead of telling me I’m a bad Jew.
according to me if madoona means esther is trying to improve and start her life from a new and new thing we should not object to it but it should now happen that a same thing should ever repeat and if you are being going to be kabalist you should be 7 times far from this things according to me you are doing wonderful job but just take cair about it and you should once again irepeat you should leave and farget your past life