the emanations of Ein Sof

Music: Sarah McLachlan: Mirrorball The kabbalah, a much discussed "religion" in the popular press these past few years, is a contemplative belief system better characterized as the way of the mystic than as a coherent "religion." Certainly it has a long history and it symbolism is inseparable from Jewish traditions, but as this "way" has evolved in the past two centuries it has generated a number of "off shoots," many of which claim to participate in "the" kabbalah. Among Jewish mystics, there is some disagreement about what constitutes "the" kabbalah: some die hards insist only the morally pure, married, post-forty year old male set could properly study its teachings (married? You may ask? Yes, married: heterosexual union is one of the many divine reflections of Ein Sof, the godhead). Others believe anyone can access the truth and learn to avoid dividing divinity and have opened pricey "centers" where, for a fee, you participate in becoming increasingly aware of the emanations and the negations thereof, the sefirot.

If you look in any "New Age" teaching, including that of Scientology, you will find signs of the kabbalah and Hermeticism: "As above, so below." It's all over the place in Masonic literature (and I'm always amused by the way in which the "old timers" reared on evangelical Christian beliefs completely ignore it). This is because, ultimately, the kabbalah is a technique of thought, not so much a series of rituals. I learned about the teaching via the Greek Qabalah, which is a very "white guy European" version of the Jewish practice, originating in secret societies like the Golden Dawn and the O.T.O. Based on what little I know, studying the kabbalah is akin to dialectical thought, and reminds me of Hegelian sublation. Regardless, my point is that once you get beyond the inevitable politics of inclusion and exclusion, the teaching of the kabbalah is the opposite of the teaching of property: regardless of understanding, you cannot claim to "know" the kabbalah. If you claim knowledge than, strictly speaking, you have subjected Ein Sof to dualism (e.g., that there are those who know and those who do not; the irony here is moving beyond this basic negation is one of the first rules of Ein-club).

That said, Madonna's public embrace of the Kabbalah she learns from a high-priced boutiques has amused me for years. Her recent retreat into family and children is not merely that, "oh shit, I'm getting old" biology kicking in, but also a reflection of the values at the center of the more Jewish understanding of kabbalah. The classist assumptions behind the embrace of a mystical tradition thought to be older and more "profound" than mainstream religious practice include the idea that the life of the privileged and wealthy are somehow more soulless than the lives of the rest of us (and if you go by Hollywood's recent trend, elder black Americans are closer to god because, of course, they are poor and have lived a harder life). The appeal of Scientology is that it tells you that you are special (it's uber-individualism with some Aliens). The appeal of the kabbalah, at least in terms of the stylin' of the Ein Soph, is that it claims to be the great equalizer through contemplation (in this sense, its almost interchangeable with the flashy Buddhism of California's elite>

Yesterday Madonna criticized Paris Hilton because my favorite lazy-eye nudie has been spotted purchasing kabbalah string and apparently talking about its study. "People like Paris Hilton come into a centre and buy a book or a band and that's it for them. It doesn't mean they study it," said Madonna on a BBC radio program. "It's very hard to be a believer. I'm very serious about it." Now one realizes that the emphasis on "very" is code for depth of thought, or intelligence. Madonna basically said the kabbalah is not for stupid people, and Paris Hilton is stupid. Be that as it may, Madonna betrays more about her brand of mystical contemplation here than, of course, she is willing to realize: pot, kettle, black. Apparently it's not just our political leaders who engage in spiritual warfare. Fortunately, Madonna will not be responsible for killing over 2000 troops for calling Paris Hilton "stupid." There is no substantive "evil" in the kabbalah, since Ein Soph is one. There is only distance from the Divine.

Holding a hamburger half-nude or licking the lips of a same-sex hottie is closer to God than George W. Bush will ever be. If there is a God. And I'm pretty sure that if = there is, he's all about hamburgers and Hilton and not oil and government contracts and . . .

Addendum: Post Paroxysm, or, the Aberrations of Mourning, with Regards to Larry

Neil Diamond's new album, 12 Songs came out today, and the first single, "I'm On to You," is fucking brilliant with vibes. Rick Rubin is steering this particular ship; you'll recall he worked Johnny Cash back to genius-style songcraft, even as the man was dying. This album will win much praise (and it resonnates with my week; Madaonna's new disco throwback, not so much).