Barrie Dolnick - Enlighten Up: The Keys to Kabbalah

Whats all this youve been hearing about the Kabbalah? If youre wondering what Madonna and Britney and all those other celebrities are up to with their little red bracelets and parties in a Kabbalah center, this book is for you. Is it a secret society? A Jewish mystical cult? Can anyone learn about it? Youre not alone if youre curious. For any questions you have about Kabbalah, read on. You can learn about Kabbalah without leaving your house and you dont have to join anything.

Kabbalah is a mystical pathway open to anyone who cares to explore and expand herself.

Enlighten Up: The Keys to Kabbalah might sound like a fun, easy fling with some cool, faddish new hobby, but its more than that. Sure, mystical teachings can be fun, but Kabbalah has been around too long to qualify as a fad. Kabbalah is an ancient body of knowledge, a very complex model of what/who God is, who you are, and most important, who you can be.

I have studied metaphysics and spiritual topics for over twenty years, so writing about the Kabbalah seemed a natural undertaking. Besides, I was brought up Jewish, and Kabbalah is a Jewish mystical practice, after all. True, I hadnt been observant in years and never felt a spiritual kinship with my ancestral religion. But here was the chance to find it.

Luckily, Kabbalah doesnt demand that you know much about Judaism. I remembered a bit of the Hebrew alphabet and a few Bible stories, but thats all.

Studying the Kabbalah, or at least reading many books about the Kabbalah in order to write about it, I realized its not about religious observation. They dont teach Kabbalah in Sunday school!

Reading the various authors and scholars who are entrenched in Kabbalah is like sitting in the middle of an ancient library listening to men arguing and shushing each other. I dont know if its cultural or just human nature, but no one agrees on who is qualified to learn Kabbalah and who is qualified to teach it. Some authors on Kabbalah go so far as to put down the views of others. Experts on Kabbalah are a high-spirited group who do not give way to one view or one leader. So in that spirit, Im throwing in my two shekels and offering you a look at Kabbalah from an outsiders perspective. Granted, Im an outsider who has a head start in interpreting metaphysical and spiritual beliefs.

There are many scholars, teachers, and critics of Kabbalah, and I quickly learned that they will tell you conflicting truths at every step of the process. This is almost the first lesson of Kabbalah. Many Kabbalists promise that youll learn exactly why you are here and the exact number of steps it will take you to get to God. Others will tell you that you have to simply open yourself to the energy of the Zohar (the central text of the Kabbalah) and it will come to you. All too often they promise to reveal the indisputable truth, a promise impossible to deliver.

The one thing everyone agrees on is that studying the Kabbalah can improve your life and make you a better person.

Having written this book, I can tell you that Kabbalah has definitely challenged me, inspired me, and made me more aware of my actions and motivations. Lessons from the Kabbalah have permeated my daily life.

As you read through these basic lessons in Kabbalah, remember to pause, question, and digest. Kabbalah is a process, not a recipe book that outlines exact rules. Some of the basic tenets of Kabbalah may not seem relevant or even make sense to you right away. Take time, revisit, let the wisdom penetrate, then illuminate.

Kabbalah has many layers. As you peel each one away, you open further and further to Divine light, and to sharing with others. Sharing light brings you closer to the spirit of the Creator. So read on, open to the knowledge, and enlighten up.