Why should she quit now?
Having helped master the art of cashing in on Kabbalah, the material girl herself, Madonna—recently depicted wrapping tefillin in a music video*—is now writing Kabbalistic children’s books.
“Now I’m starting to read to my son, but I couldn’t believe how vapid and vacant and empty all the stories were,” said the singer.
That’s just what we need from the shiksa author of the Sex book—children’s tales imparting Jewish moral values. Oy.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You pretty much know your fucked when Madonna starts co-opting your culture. We need OSJ now, more than ever.
*Hell, it’s not as bad as Leonard Nimoy’s tefillin-laden nudes, but then again, he was trying to capture the essence of shekhinah. She’s just trying to look cool.
“Just what we need from the shiksa author of the Sex book…”
While I agree entirely with your sarcastic take on Madonna’s latest attempt to cash in on the Kabbalah craze, let’s can the “shiksa” moniker. It’s become widely circulated that the Yiddish word in fact comes from the word meaning “abomination.” Face it – we’re going pluralistic and many Jews today are marrying non-Jews (and *gasp* still remaining spiritually active Jews!) Calling these legitimate members of the mishbocha “abominations” needs to end.
When my friend’s father who is a Reform Rabbi (and the US Naval Chaplain to boot) approached Nimoy to inquire about his photographs, and his views on various aspects of Kabblah, Nimoy admitted that he had actually read very little Kabbalah.
I’m not sure if I should commend him for not getting into something without proper foundation in Jewish practice and texts (which is clearly what Madonna did and why I am initially opposed to her connection with the Kabbalah Centre), or to point out he should have done more homework before proclaiming the topic of his exhibit to be something he knows so little about.
See here for “Has Madonna Joined a Cult?” the first article that comes up on google when one types in “kabbalah centre” and “cult”
NOTE: I did NOT type in Madonna to find this article.
Here are some more articles: http://www.freedomofmind.com/groups/kabbalah/kabbalah.htm
michael–i appreciate your words. i would not call the non-jewish wife (let alone girlfriend) of a jew a shiksa, because i for one do know what it implies. and in the case of madonna, if the shoe fits…
Is it not forbidden to study Kabbalah before the age of forty, once one has had children?
Did not Rabbi Akivah pick up his first sacred text after the age of forty?
It is one thing to be skeptical, another to be blinded.
If we are to turn our backs on a attempted convert, we prevent our influence from reaching him/her, and leave this to the fringe who may intiate in an incorrect manner.
From what I’ve learned and heard, Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism was forbidden for quite some time for Jewish men under 40. I think one of the reasons that it has become more widely circulated and disseminated is because many of the old teachers died in the Holocaust. If the knowledge is not passed down, it withers and is gone forever.
Cynically, I know that it’s also a cool way for certain groups to attract the “young folk” (of which I am one). They bring money, visibility, and in some bizarre way, legitimacy.
Optimistically, though, I believe that there are many spiritually-hungry people who are approaching Kabbalah as a way into the Jewish world. These people would not otherwise be interested. I know many folks who found their way back to Judaism via their curiosity in Kabbalah and/or Jewish mysticism. Let’s not totally sneer at seekers who are coming with an open heart and open mind.
dude… madonna’s not interested in converting to judaism. madonna’s into the new age flavor of the month. i don’t think we should turn away anyone who has an interest in judaism. but i do think we should turn away people who seek to co-opt judaism in order to recuperate its culture.
as for the age limit on kabbalah, personally i think the reason is that, once you begin to discover the deeper metaphysical nature of the universe, you also begin to discover the meaninglessness and futility of your current existence and perhaps of the entire universe itself. thus, you should wait until you are married with children, and with a career of sorts ahead of you, so that you are less likely to throw your life away chasing cosmic comets, or perhaps moping about the the ineffible waste of it all.
haha, after she posted a bunch of phony mp3s to p2p file trading networks, madonna’s website was hacked:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/madonnasplash1.html
if madonna is not an abomination, then i don’t know what is. the word shiksah shouldn’t be taken lightly, for sure, but come on. she’s a gap toothed whore banshee making us all look bad.