Lessons for the soul

Kabbalah, the ancient Jewish mystical tradition that has captivated Madonna and Britney Spears and spawned accoutrements such as red bracelets that ward off evil, is coming to St. Petersburg.

But don’t expect the faddish Kabbalah of the stars. This version of the ancient teaching is rooted in the Orthodox Chabad Lubavitch movement and is being brought to St. Petersburg by Australian author and lecturer Rabbi Laibl Wolf. Wolf, who lectures on the topic around the world and travels to about 80 cities a year, will speak at a St. Petersburg synagogue on Nov. 14.

Some Jews believe it is wrong to share the knowledge of the Kabbalah with non-Jews, but Wolf believes otherwise. It is “essentially a Jewish teaching,” Wolf agreed. But said Kabbalah is a reservoir of universal truths that “address every circumstance and situation in the world.” Its lessons are relevant to non-Jews and those of no religion at all, he said.

Rabbi Alter Korf of the Chabad Jewish Center in St. Petersburg, where Wolf will speak, said the Kabbalah is part of the oral tradition of Judaism.

“Kabbalah is not something new,” he said. “It was received knowledge with the rest of the Torah. It has been around since the time of Moses.”

It was only in the past 200 years or so that it has been taught publicly, he said.

“It’s mystical. It’s very profound,” Korf said.

During a telephone interview from Australia, Wolf downplayed its mystery. The author of the book Practical Kabbalah, he doesn’t believe that Kabbalah is “esoteric, weird or even mystical.”

For instance, he said, “We are told that anger is absolutely forbidden in Jewish life. … One doesn’t have to go to the Himalayas and sit at the feet of some guru for 20 years in order to achieve such equanimity. I have taught people to eliminate anger from their profile in three one-hour sessions, coupled with three hours of homework between the sessions.”

A lawyer and educational psychologist, Wolf uses the Kabbalah to teach personal growth and emotional mastery. He has addressed such diverse groups as the American Psychological Association, the Fortune 500 convention and Buddhist monks.

He doesn’t ridicule Madonna and Britney Spears for studying Kabbalah, though he disapproves of the context in which they are doing so.

“I think that Madonna and Britney Spears epitomize people’s quest for depth and meaning in their lives,” he said. “I have no doubt of their good intentions and their personal intentions. More significantly, they symbolize a dissatisfaction with life amongst many people around the world and, as a consequence, recognize that there’s more to life than meets the eye.”

However, he said, Madonna and Spears are being fed “a less appropriate product to facilitate their individual growth. … For Jewish people, the diet consists of Jewish spiritual practices. For others, there are approaches that are truer to their inner soul.”

Kabbalah belongs in today’s world, he said.

“One of the things we’re discovering is though we’re very good at evolving new technologies and creating the new playthings of life, we’re becoming less and less expert at finding fulfillment and happiness,” he said.

“While our educational institutions are producing very clever students, this still doesn’t prevent the emergence of Enron. It hasn’t prevented the emergence of terrorism, and it hasn’t promoted the cause of the true purpose of life. That’s why I strongly advocate that the study of ancient wisdom has a place in the so-called progressive world.”