Question: What has gotten so big that it's in music videos, movie theaters, television and celebrity magazines all at once? No, the answer isn't Lindsay Lohan - it's Kabbalah, and it's come to Tufts.
For the first time, the Experimental College is offering a course titled, "Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism: From Safed to Madonna," which discusses the history of Kabbalah and its ever-expanding audience. Taught by Boston University Ph.D. student Eliana Jacobowitz, the course counts for credit in the Judaic Studies major.
Kabbalah is a Jewish mysticism-based faith that focuses on oral law and the esoteric teachings of Judaism through various forms of meditation. Translated literally, "Kabbalah" means "to receive."
Interestingly enough, Jacobowitz said that none of the course's 12 enrolled students are Judaic Studies majors, and only about half the students are Jewish. The diverse breakdown of the course displays the allure of Kabbalah to a variety of groups.
"Kabbalah doesn't consist of some ultimate one thing. I believe the attraction is there ... Kabbalah itself has a lot of appeal. It's a community-inclined religion," Jacobowitz said.
An native Israeli, Jacobowitz described Kabbalah and its appeal as "interesting and weird, but also very familiar." She noted that mystical sects of monotheistic religions like Christianity and Islam are sometimes more similar to one another than to their respective parent beliefs.
According to the ExCollege's Kabbalah course description, the belief was traditionally restricted to men over age 40 due to its complexity and danger but has gained more widespread appeal in recent years. This appeal includes a large celebrity base, which the course will discuss.
"I don't think people shouldn't touch [Kabbalah]," Jacobowitz said. "But it must be approached with a lot of respect."
According to Jacobowitz, many celebrities who have taken up Kabbalah may lack that respect.
One example, she said, is a red yarn bracelet worn by outspoken Kabbalah advocate Madonna and several of her Kabbalah comrades. The bracelet is a symbol of protection. "I'm not sure they really know what it means or where it comes from," Jacobowitz said.
According to the official Kabbalah Web site, "Kabbalah teaches that colors have specific frequencies and energies." The color red is associated with danger; thus, "by binding a Red String to ourselves in a very specific manner, we shield ourselves against the dangerous negativity that might be directed our way - a spiritual vaccine against the destructive forces of the Evil Eye."
The Web site explains that all Kabbalah Red String bracelets come from Israel, where they have been "wound around the tomb of Rachel, the matriarch of the Bible."
Now that it has attracted highly publicized celebrity followers, Kabbalah is subject to plenty of opportunities for misinterpretation.
Madonna and other celebrities have completely disassociated Kabbalah from Judaism, according to Jacobowitz. "It can almost be compared to yoga," Jacobowitz said. "You can use Kabbalah to enhance your life no matter who you are, but you must consider its origin."
Reform Jew and freshman Becky Baumwoll doubts celebrities' understanding of the religion. "The youth education leader at my temple felt that celebrities identify themselves with Kabbalah when they don't know much about it," she said.
Amelia Freedman, who holds a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible studies and teaches an Experimental College course titled, "Women in Western Religions," shared Baumwoll's sentiments, noting significant discrepancies between original and "celebrity" Kabbalah. "I think that there is a vast difference between how some modern people understand [Kabbalah's] teachings and how it has been understood by Jews since its emergence in the Middle Ages," Freedman said. "Modern, popular understandings seem to me to lack an appreciation of Kabbalah's original, historical context and of its theological nuances."
Freedman said that, "at best," celebrity versions of Kabbalah are "modern reinterpretations of a centuries-old religious tradition.
"Followers of modern Kabbalah may find their understanding of its teachings personally meaningful, but I think how they understand it would be quite foreign to the Jews who have studied it from the Middle Ages on," Freedman said.
Despite celebrity re-interpretations, Baumwoll said that "the texts are obviously inspiring, because they're the basis of a respected religious sect, so anyone has the right to use them for whatever they want.
"What I don't agree with is using that spiritual material as a marketing device," Baumwoll added.
A visit to the official Kabbalah Web site illustrates Baumwoll's point: The site has a store where the Red String bracelets are available in a special package that costs $26. One can also purchase Kabbalah CDs, a Kabbalah energy drink, and Kabbalah clothing online.
Despite its recent popularity, there still remain plenty of Jews who do not associate with the mystic religion, such as freshman Laura Hoguet. "I graduated from Hebrew school and was never taught one thing about Kabbalah," she said.
