Can Sephardic women study Kabbalah?Kabbalah is Jewish mysticsm and covers a wide variety of subjects. Since it deals in the mystic and esoteric, it is very easy to take what it teaches out of context. One of the reasons that tradition requires a firm grounding in the knowledge of the Torah, Prophets, etc.
Btw, it is only the Ashenaizi Jews that instituted the 40 and over requirement. The Sephardic Jews do not put a specific age requirement on learning kabalah.
I’m not sure if the main Church has made any sort of statement about it one way or the other tbh. I know that some of the schismatic Catholic groups like the Liberal Catholic Church International are OK with it.The Christian Kabbalah- is it considered okay for Catholics to study? I have heard of other esoteric subjects merging with Catholicism, but they were also dangerous. Ex, Catholic Wicca. Please tell me more!
I don’t think there is a prohibtion against women. And you can find many rabbis, especially from Chabbad, who are happy to teach kabalah to any jew who is interested. Their feeling being, that if there are jews who are only interested in the mysticism aspect of Judaism, this should be strengthened, rather than ignored.Can Sephardic women study Kabbalah?
What about Catholics who want to study Kabbalah from a rabbi? Would that be encouraged?I don’t think there is a prohibtion against women. And you can find many rabbis, especially from Chabbad, who are happy to teach kabalah to any jew who is interested. Their feeling being, that if there are jews who are only interested in the mysticism aspect of Judaism, this should be strengthened, rather than ignored.
Dont know how true that was but they seems pretty good in there evidance and knowledge.:)In general, no. But i’m sure you could find a willing rabbi who would be willing to teach the more spiritual and less judeo centered aspects of kaballah.What about Catholics who want to study Kabbalah from a rabbi? Would that be encouraged?
Do all rabbis study or practice kaballah? Do some frown upon it and consider it witchdraft? Are there religious ceremonies involved with the practice of kaballah? If so are they secret? Are practitioners of kaballah who are publicly lacivious and lead impious lives such as Madonna taken seriously by other practitoners?In general, no. But i’m sure you could find a willing rabbi who would be willing to teach the more spiritual and less judeo centered aspects of kaballah.
Not all rabbis study Kabalah. I don’t know if any consider it witchcraft, but I’m sure there are some who consider it outside normative judaism. Most of Kabalah that is studied today does not involve what could be considered “magic” or ritual. Those aspects that do focus on this are unfamiliar tome and I don’t know of anyone who practices them. In general I believe that it is taught to engage in such practices is forbidden.Do all rabbis study or practice kaballah? Do some frown upon it and consider it witchdraft? Are there religious ceremonies involved with the practice of kaballah? If so are they secret? Are practitioners of kaballah who are publicly lacivious and lead impious lives such as Madonna taken seriously by other practitoners?
Do the majority or does a significant minority study or practice kaballa? Is it a study or a practice? Are those who consider it ouside the norm the majority, if you know? Are there ceremonies involved like initiation ceremonies, marriage ceremonies, vows, special prayers, etc.?Not all rabbis study Kabalah. I don’t know if any consider it witchcraft, but I’m sure there are some who consider it outside normative judaism. Most of Kabalah that is studied today does not involve what could be considered “magic” or ritual. Those aspects that do focus on this are unfamiliar tome and I don’t know of anyone who practices them. In general I believe that it is taught to engage in such practices is forbidden.
Kabalah centers such as the one Madonna is assocaited with are not viewed seriously withing the religious community for the most part. But that doesn’t mean Madonna has not found spiritual well being in her studies.
The great majority that do study Kabalah do not study what has been termed “practical Kabalah” which is essentially invoking God’s name for the purpose of manipulating reality through the power of God. There are plenty of stories and warnings against such actions, so it would surprise me to find any rabbi who practices this today. Certainly he would be in minority. Kabalah is mostly (if not entirely) a study as opposed to a practice and I don’t know of any cermonies assocaited with it, other than the traditional blessings we say before we study.Do the majority or does a significant minority study or practice kaballa? Is it a study or a practice? Are those who consider it ouside the norm the majority, if you know? Are there ceremonies involved like initiation ceremonies, marriage ceremonies, vows, special prayers, etc.?
I mean both. Because these Kabalah centers are not really teaching Kaballah. They tend to ignore, for example, the many prohibitions/warnings against greed, lust, hedonism, etc. In short, they are more concerned with giving the people what they want (for a price) than in teaching aspects of Kabalah that are more closely tied to judaism and an understanding of jewish texts.But when you say that the center with which she is associated is not taken seriously by the religious community, do you mean the Jewish religious community or the Jewish kaballah religious community? Is it the norm within rabbinical Judaism to study or practice kaballah, or is it an offshoot that most Jews disregard as outside the norm?
The great majority that do study Kabalah do not study what has been termed “practical Kabalah” which is essentially invoking God’s name for the purpose of manipulating reality through the power of God. There are plenty of stories and warnings against such actions, so it would surprise me to find any rabbi who practices this today. Certainly he would be in minority. Kabalah is mostly (if not entirely) a study as opposed to a practice and I don’t know of any cermonies assocaited with it, other than the traditional blessings we say before we study.