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I keep running into a problem repeatedly. I am Jewish but I study kabbalah in an organization with non-Jews and Jews alike. People I study with who are not Jews keep insisting they are Jews because they feel that if they study Kabbalah they are Jews. I try to accept it but sooner or later I find myself upset by it. I feel like somehow it is insulting my grandparents and ancestors for all they went through and through it all, continued Torah and mitzvot. But there is something more than that inside me that I don't understand. It makes me angry and even more like I want to cry. It goes away for a while and then it comes back up. Is this just a personal issue or could there be some reason from our history that I can't shake this disturbing feeling.

S K
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  • Jews believe that they have a special relationship with God and you can only become a Jew through birth or through a tribunal of higher ranking Jews. When a non-Jew sneaks in without going through that, he is insulting us by demonstrating that our relationship is open. Christians, in particular, are very big on how everyone is able to have the same level of relationship with God. As Syndrome from the Incredibles said, "When everybody is holy, nobody is" – Clint Eastwood Aug 30 '23 at 18:28
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    Mystical traditions often are presented as "shortcuts" to salvation/enlightenment/reward etc. They often appeal to people who are not in sync with their own traditions. People studying only the mystical teachings may feel a connection with the larger, non-mystical, population.

    But, while Sufism is studied by non-Muslims, they are unlikely to adopt life as a Muslim.

    Likewise, (assumed) Christians studying Kabbalah may feel connected to Jews but won't be observing the mitzvot. Or converting. This may be the cognitive dissonance you feel when they call themselves Jews.

     –  Aug 30 '23 at 18:35
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    I've heard of organizations that teach Kabbalah to non-Jews. I'm afraid I've never understood how they justify it. – Harel13 Aug 30 '23 at 19:49
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    I think it is disturbing because when a non-Jew claims that he is Jewish, others who don't know the truth might use what that person does or says as some sort of genuine expression of Judaism even if it is completely wrong. – rosends Aug 30 '23 at 20:36
  • Welcome to MiYodeya, @S K! This is quite a first question! It's great to have you here learning with us. – יהושע ק Aug 30 '23 at 22:37
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    You feelings are absolutely correct. It's also worth noting that no legitimate rabbi will teach Zohar, Kitvei Ari, or any other real kabbalah to non-Jews. Disassociating yourself from this place is likely your first step. – יהושע ק Aug 30 '23 at 22:39
  • @Harel13 is it that their argument doesn't convince you, or that you don't know the pshat of their argument? – יהושע ק Aug 30 '23 at 22:40
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    @Harel13 The justification is simple: money. Why work for a living when you can convince some self-obsessed celebrity to give you money for flattering them? – N.T. Aug 31 '23 at 07:25
  • @N.T. By justification I meant in the eyes of Torah, halacha, etc. – Harel13 Aug 31 '23 at 08:17
  • Hi S K and welcome to Mi Yodeya. This question has also affected me (and clearly many of us here), and I would like to write a good answer. It would help if you could give a little bit more information, such as what is your Jewish background (grew up in a secular or religious home? Orthodox or reform etc? What brought you to join a mysticism class?) as well as this Kabbalah center - what is it about, who runs it, etc? You don't have to, we can try to write more general answers, but by providing this information we are more likely to provide you with the answer you need – Rabbi Kaii Aug 31 '23 at 11:17
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    I’ve never heard of anything like that. Meaning you’re a Jew because you study Kabbalah. – Raul Valdez Jr. Aug 31 '23 at 14:33
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    @Harel13 There isn't one. It's against a clear mishna in Chagigah. – N.T. Aug 31 '23 at 16:38
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    We study Kabbalah in Judaism but we defiantly know there’s a difference between Jew and non Jew. – Raul Valdez Jr. Sep 01 '23 at 11:08

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Two things:

  1. Jews are a family. Imagine if some stranger walked into your house and claimed that if you don't adopt them, you're a bigoted supremacist. It's insane. Similarly, if a non-Jew claims to be a Jew, feeling like they're wrong is not only normal but correct. It would be fully rational to get angry, not just displeased.
  2. The only people who understand Kabbalah also know that Kabbalah is a secret for not humans, not Jews, not Rabbis, but the most naturally genius and good-willed as well as trustworthy Jewish experienced adult Rabbis. Therefore, you are ABSOLUTELY NOT learning Kabbalah.

Don't fall into the trap of non-Jewish appropriation of not just Jewish culture, but Jewish status itself. We have enough crazies in the world already. You have enough critical thought to ask this question. Don't lose that.

QwertyCTRL.
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