Why I am a Student of Kabbalah: Ameinu v'yom kareinoo (Answer us the moment we call!) Nov. 2006

Kabbalah is all the rage. People are studying its teachings in droves. Madonna and other musical celebrities wear red bendles and attend Kabbalah centers. At Arden Heights, I completed a successful course on Kabbalah that averaged 37 people per session. I am a frequent visitor of Barnes and Noble, which has several shelves dedicated to this subject.

What is in Kabbalah that is so attractive to people? Why am I so enamored with it? They and I have come to realize that if you wish to interact directly with God, with the spirit of all mankind, then your mind has to be focused on this spirit. God's spirit, Kabbalah tells us, is directly accessible to us because it is evident in nature, in the vocabulary of the Torah, in the rituals of our religion, and in the values of our faith. But most of all, Kabbalah is a wisdom that we receive whenever we open ourselves to the beauty of life and practice humility and appreciation for the gifts that we have. In short, Kabbalah asks us to look at Judaism from the inside out, from the place where our mind meets our heart.

Yes, some teachings are esoteric, based on making numerical connections between Hebrew words in a field known as Gematria. So too are their teachings about creation that differ from the conventional account in Genesis. Kabbalah operates with an unfamiliar vocabulary that sees the entire world as connected within the names and attributes of God. To say that God is more within us than without may be daunting for many.

But what Kabbalah does offer are deep personal insights about our connection to a spiritual world that is more real than the physical world with which we are so preoccupied. To discipline oneself to focus on what is really important in life and not be caught up in the pressures of this fast paced world is an art. Meditating, chanting Hebrew mantras, and imagining being in an alternative universe may sound a lot like Eastern religious practices, but they have become useful techniques that Jewish mystics have been practicing from the time of Abraham onward.

While traditional Jews may end up in the same heartfelt 3/ace, they do so by strict adherence to prayer and conducting mitzvot. In their world of engagement, the self emerges as a byproduct of their actions. In Kabbalah, illuminating the self is a primary directive. Prayer and mitzvot are means to reflect on the soul and require self awareness on each prayer and on every mitzvah. I personally have benefitted greatly from slowing down my praying and from attempting to understand how my actions reflect on my character and how they influence others. I am to the point in my life where praying just for the sake of completing "x" number of prayers is not satisfying. I would rather dwell on a few prayers, focus on the quality of my concentration, and attempt to be intimate with the one to whom I owe everything—to the one that calls me to be more than I am presently.

God wants to answer us, if only we are open to listening to the signs of God's presence within us. Join me in exploring this insightful and effective method of reaching God in ways we never thought possible.

May each of you enjoy this coming year. May it be rich in blessing and prosperity. And most of all, may it provide you personal contentment and happiness.

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