A report on 20/20 the other night made me realize that I know very little about the modern Kabbalah movement. As is my typical modus operandi when I find something that I know little about, I investigate. This new Kabbalah movement appears to be much different than the traditional study.

Kabbalah has been studied for thousands of years by learned Jewish elders – but this latest movement takes it out of the back rooms of the synagogues and shares the “wisdom of Kabbalah” with women, gentiles and people of all ages. Movie stars, rock stars, and other high profile folks are spotted all the time with the signature red string tied around their wrists… what the heck does it all mean?

The 20/20 piece implied that the Berg family brought Kabbalah to the people in the incarnation of a money-making scheme. It comes across as a path to fame, fortune, and endless wealth – for the followers and the Bergs. Followers are given prayers geared toward whatever their hearts desire (often in Hebrew) and whether or not they can even read the prayers, they are told that simply studying the page will make those dreams come true. One thing for sure is that the Berg’s dreams are coming true.

So where is all this babble headed? I am going to the Kabbalah center tonight to investigate… there is an introduction to Kabbalah seminar every Tuesday – I’ll let you know how it goes!