Saturday, June 28, 1997

Jews seeking to rekindle religious fire turning to Kabbalah

By Suzy Frisch / Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO - Leon Shender started studying Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, about 1-1/2 years ago, and he says it has brought him closer to Judaism and given him a new outlook on his religion and life.

Shender, 42, of nearby Glencoe, Ill., discovered that the ancient practices of Kabbalah have helped him find answers to life's mysteries more than the traditional Jewish study of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible.

He and many others have turned more frequently to the once-secret side of Judaism to rekindle their religious beliefs.

Observers say more and more Jews, even non-Jews, are increasingly interested in Kabbalah because of its spiritual and metaphysical, or otherworldly, outlook on Judaism and life. Kabbalah, a more meditative side of the religion, has been an integral part of Judaism since its beginning.

Kabbalah study is gaining more interest because of a spiritual resurgence occurring all over the world, according to Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok, an author and teacher of Kabbalah at his school, Yeshivat Benei N'vi'im, in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Rabbi Byron Sherwin, a professor of Jewish philosophy and mysticism at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, said people are turning to Kabbalah to find a new outlook on Judaism.

"People want spirituality and a religion that addresses existential problems, and they aren't finding that in organized religion," he said. "Mysticism provides that alternative."

Sherwin, who has taught Jewish mysticism for 26 years, recently gave a speech at Chicago's Newberry Library on the Kabbalah and kabbalists' world view. It drew 350 people.

A line he repeated like a mantra, was, "Kabbalah - it's everywhere. You can't get rid of it."

Celebrities Madonna and Roseanne Barr are studying Kabbalah, and the television program, "The X-Files," devoted a show to a kabbalistic legend called the Golem.

Kabbalah has always been an important part of Judaism. But studying Kabbalah has not always been popular.

Throughout Jewish history critics of Kabbalah tried to demean and ridicule the traditions as too metaphysical and esoteric. Others have tried to suppress Kabbalah study and practice because they feared its power and believed it dangerous for unworthy people to dabble in it, Sherwin said.

Still, Kabbalah is part of many Jewish religious prayers and practices. For instance, the Friday night service welcoming the Sabbath, called, Kabbalat Shabbat, includes a prayer called "L'Cha Dodi," or "Come My Beloved," which is an ode to the Sabbath as a bride. That idea comes from mystical traditions, Sherwin said.

"Without Judaism, Kabbalah has no body. Without Kabbalah, Judaism has no soul," Bar Tzadok wrote in his journal, Panu Derekh, or Prepare the Way.

For Bar Tzadok, Kabbalah is a way to reach a higher spiritual level through meditation, midnight prayer, daily ritual baths and a secluded, introspective lifestyle. With its deep symbolism and roots in mathematics, Kabbalah can be used to crack the code of creation and the universe, Bar Tzadok said.

A modern day comparison to what a kabbalist does is the scientist trying to unscramble the code of DNA and human life, Bar Tzadok said.

Scholars of Kabbalah aim to find the concealed wisdom interlaced in the Torah and the Mishna - written and oral versions of the first five books of the Bible - and the Talmud, Bar Tzadok said.

They also study other Kabbalistic works such as the Zohar, or the Book of Brilliance, and Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Formation. These ancient texts are said to be parts of Jewish oral traditions passed down from rabbis endowed with secret Kabbalistic knowledge.

But before students of Kabbalah reach the necessary level of knowledge to study the Zohar and Sefer Yetzirah, they must learn new ways of interpreting all religious texts. Kabbalah student Shender compares his early Kabbalah study to beginning medical students learning basic anatomy and medical terminology before they can plunge deeper into the human physiology.

Shender, who studies with Bar Tzadok, said he has found answers to questions he had about some religious practices.

"Kabbalah is a scientific approach to Judaism. It's not, 'Do it because I say so.' It's got more depth and it tries to give explanations to mysteries," Shender said. "It gives you a greater understanding of who you are."

Brian Brenner, 37, of the Chicago suburb of Buffalo Grove, Ill., who also studies with Bar Tzadok, said learning Kabbalah helps him find a more spiritual connection to God. "It's learning about who and what God is ... and understanding everyone's position in the world and why we are here.

"It's learning who we should be thanking for all the good things we have," Brenner said. "I'm trying to bring God deeper into my life, and I think that is what Kabbalah does."

Visit the Chicago Tribune on America Online (keyword: Tribune) or the Internet Tribune at http://www.chicago.tribune.com/

Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.