Madonna does not and has never claimed to be Jewish. In this poorly-written article, she is labelled as Jewish only because she studies the Kabballah-esque teachings of Yehuda Berg.
As far as Madonna is concerned, the teachings of The Kabballah Centre are not a religion at all. She says (and Berg teaches) that his brand of Kabballah is “spiritual technology.” Apparently, whatever The Kabballah Centre is selling is more akin to philosophy and metaphysics. It does not at all involve discussion of the G-d of the Torah.
Madonna does not believe in any religion anymore, and since Judaism is a religion, then she cannot be Jewish.
Also: IMHO, whatever beef reputable Jewish scholars have about Berg’s co-opting of legitimate Kabballah, should be taken up with Berg. Madonna did not invent TKC’s “Spiritual Technology.” She has found it to be a useful tool in strengthening her marriage and answering The Big Questions about life, but it is not her brainchild and not her responsibility.
huh. I thought she converted sometime before changing her name to Esther. If she claims no affiliation to Judaism, it just makes her following of the psuedo Kabballah that much more demeaning and annoying.
Madonna was named after her mother, Madonna Louise Fortin, who died when Madonna was five. Madonna felt the loss of her mother very keenly and it fucked her up pretty bad for more than thirty years.
The Special K yahoos suggested that by taking another name, she could “associate herself with new energy”, freeing herself from the negativity of the loss of her mother. So within the walls of TKC, when she is trying to connect with “The Light”, she calls herself Esther so that her grief over her mother’s death can’t get to her.
Demeaning to who and what, exactly? As far as she and Berg are concerned, Special K (TKC’s teachings) has exactly zero to do with Judaism, so why can’t they just be written off as nutbars?
Madonna doesn’t have any responsibility towards the Jewish faith, since she has never been part of it.
If you want to call Berg an irresponsible a-hole, go ahead and join the chorus. He took a well-respected area of Jewish scholarship and mysticism and made it into pop-psychology goobledygook.
I fail to see how Madonna demeans Judaism (if that is in fact what you’re implying) because she’s fallen into the clutches of a greedy cultist.
Doc had a point. While Madonna (~snickers~) certainly isn’t Jewish, she is helping to popularize the bastardization of a centuries old Jewish mystic tradition. Perhaps Doc, like me, is rather pissed off that those fucks are perverting the Holy Living Kaballah into a cheap money making tactic while they sell bits of colored string for megabucks.
Someone should explain the concept of pathworking to Madonna. Maybe tell her
“Kether is in Malkuth as Malkuth is in Kether, meditate on that until it becomes clear to you.”
Dude, she didn’t invent it. She’s not “popularizing” it, she’s talking about how it helped her to be a better person (which it probably did) . She’s not making infomercials.
Madonna didn’t pervert legitimate Kabballah any more than Polycarp wrote the Bible. She’s not responsible for the Kabballah Centre and its snake oil. The Bergs are; specifically Yehuda and Michael.
Those of us who’re serious about the tradition and/or the Tree of Life.
They can be written off as nutbars, but it’s dishonest for them to claim it has zero to do with Judaism. If someone took, and deliberatly perverted, the teachings of Jesus in order to make a buck, do you think some Christians might have a problem with it?
Would someone using the teachings of Jesus to make money have a responsibility to the Christian faith?
She sees zero connection between the teachings of a rabbi, who conducts services in Hebrew, and sold her a bunch of books in Hebrew, and Judaism?
I disagree. I’ve never been a Muslim, Buddhist, or Roman Catholic. I still feel, rather strongly, that I have a duty to treat those religions with the same respect I would have other people treat Judaism.
By idiotically publicizing Berg. By spreading ignorance and misconceptions about Judaism. By getting a chai tattoo.
Sure she is. She’s given them a celebrity endorsement.
Having her name attatched to it in public is enough.
Not directly, no.
How many members have they gotten because someone heard about Madonna on the news? I don’t have a cite, but I’d wager it might be one or two. Even if they didn’t act because madonna was a member, she at least gave them some exposure and free publicity.
Tomorrow you should inform them that you are currently resident in Tipareth and refuse to be dragged back down into Malkuth before you are ready. Then hang up.
Listen, you guys are both smarter (and probably more Jewish) than I am, and maybe it just comes down to a difference of opinion. But I don’t think that Madonna should have to censor herself or… awkward phrase alert abstain from things that help her, just because some people might get the wrong impression.
I have no respect for Berg’s Special K. I think it’s dangerous, money-sucking, ignorant crap, and I wish he was exposed to be the cultist that he is. If people go to The Kabballah Centre just because of Madonna, then they are morons. If Special K doesn’t speak to them, they’ll balk at paying for classes and drift away. If it does feel right to them, they will stick with it. Neither you nor I nor Madonna has any control over this. I think it’s unfair to hold her responsible for the dumb actions of some of her misguided fans. I’m reminded of that mother who sued the heavy-metal band because her son shot his lower jaw off.
Yes and no. She has the right to believe in whatever she wants. But I can mock her and Travolta in the same breath for giving cults a celebrity spokescritter.
But, I think she should be aware of who and what she lends support to. A little research would have shown that the Bergs are nuts, conmen, or both.
But she does. Even ignoring the large donations she’s made, Madonna has given a lot of publicity to TKC. If she hasn’t researched TKC before giving it money and airtime, she has been irresponsible.
If I ever get to use this, it will be doubly funny, since I am fond of 'tang!
Agreed.
I just take umbrage at Madonna being accused of besmirching Judaism when she probably doesn’t even know enough about REAL Kabballah to besmirch it in the first place.
I also have a thing about not forcing celebrities to be role models: I’d rather people find their own path than be allowed to emulate others, and if they are going to have a hero, why not a politician or a scientist or someone who has contributed more than just throwing a ball or looking pretty?
But she liked what she saw at TKC. She doesn’t see what’s bad about it; the way she was introduced to it was by a friend in LA inviting her to a KC lecture back in 1996. Which means that the Bergs got to her first.
The Bergs insist that Special K “is not a religion”, and that’s how she’s been indoctrinated. When more learned people than she start going on about how Special K is a perversion of genuine Jewish mysticism, she says the party line, which is; “Kabballah is older than religion. It transcends religion. It’s not a threat to Judaism any more than electricity is a threat to Judaism.” I’m convinced that she really believes this. So she’s a dumbass in this respect, but can you see how she can’t understand our position?
It happens all the time. Televangelists, the whole “values” and “Moral” Majority, yada yada yada. They are all doing it. What does the usual “religious" TV show do?
“Y’all’s goin’ ta hell lessn y’all do what I says. Send me money”
