Kabbalah, Cultural Appropriation, and the Sacred Cows of Western Esotericism
Iâm probably going to get a lot of flak for this, but it has to be said: the vast majority of âKabbalahâ (also known as Cabala, Qabbala, or whatever other weird transliterations goyim are making up these days) in texts published by and for occultists almost invariably suffer from two major flaws, namely that they
1) contain inaccurate and distorted portrayals of Jewish Kabbalah and
2) are the products of anti-Semitism and cultural appropriation.
Christian and Hermetic Kabbalah have their roots in the Renaissance, when Christians (and later other occultists) took interest in Kabbalistic texts that were formerly feared and loathed in order to prove that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, as if Jews had been intentionally concealing or ignorant of this ultimate truth. Despite the dubious historical claims all-too-common in Western esotericism, neither are particularly ancient. (Neither, for the record, is Jewish Kabbalah, which mainly emerged in the 12th and 13th centuries CE.) But the fetish of many occultists (and, admittedly, many practicing Kabbalists) for concocted histories instead of factual context can ironically frustrate efforts to find the truth about Jewish mysticism.
Actual, practicing Kabbalists still exist, carrying on old traditions, mainly in Haredi communities. These professionals have been basically eating and breathing Jewish scholarship and spirituality their entire lives. Thereâs a reason why many people say you have to be a man over 40 with kids to even begin studying Kabbalah! Although thatâs not literally true, it does reflect the fact that a comprehensive understanding of Kabbalah requires way more preparation than what even most Jews (let alone non-Jews) receive in their lifetimes. In my view, it is the height of arrogance for people - including Jews - who lack such expertise to claim the title of âKabbalistâ for themselves and to be âpracticing Kabbalah.â And no, the influence of Neoplatonism on Kabbalah is absolutely not a justification for non-Jews to use it, just as the presence of Euro-American Christian and Jewish elements in hoodoo is not a reason for considering non-Black peopleâs practice of that path acceptable. (For more information on cultural appropriation and African traditional religions, see this post (link) by @spiritrootsâ.)
Presses specializing in Kabbalistic literature, including Practical Kabbalah (i.e., the âmagicalâ material most non-Jewish occultists think of when they think of Kabbalah), also still exist. But they are intentionally secretive and cautious about to whom they sell their books. They have good motivations for being wary: 1) they believe the procedures contained in the books should not fall into the âwrong hands,â and 2) they are sick and tired of having to deal with the misconceptions and hype that non-Jews have promulgated about Kabbalah over the past centuries.
To be clear, it is perfectly okay for anyone interested in Jewish mysticism to learn about it. Information is widely available from popular, academic, and religious sources, including some very reliable ones - namely Jewish Kabbalists and the academic scholars who study their work. (No, tacking on a few letters after your name does not automatically grant truthfulness to what you say - apologies to Stephen Flowers and his ilk - but someone with focused experience studying the subject is usually far better equipped to talk about it than someone who has not had access to academic resources and primary source documents. Sadly, the distribution of information in and out of academia is not equal.) Gershom Scholem, Moshe Idel, Joseph Dan, Rachel Elior, Elliot Wolfson, and many others have made massive strides in this area. In fact, I would strongly encourage any occultist to learn about Kabbalah so that they can distinguish the original stuff from its non-Jewish derivatives, spot inaccuracies and mistakes, and take note of the influence Jewish mysticism has had on the Western esotericism of today. If you are looking for something specific, my inbox is open (for now, unless I get swamped with hate mail).
Also, Iâm not necessarily saying that people who follow paths incorporating non-Jewish derivatives of Kabbalah should completely abandon what they are doing. But at the very least, they should be critical and self-aware. Why does Kabbalah appeal to you? Are you perhaps unconsciously drawing upon stereotypes of Jewish culture and religion as exotic and mysterious? Where are you getting my information about Kabbalah? How did that information get to the source you are learning about it from? To be perfectly honest, I do not have a good answer to this conundrum, and it would be wonderful for any Jews reading this post to chime in. I am hardly the arbiter of anything Jewish - and as a popular Jewish saying goes, âTwo Jews, three opinions.â
A list of some sources and further reading is below the cut.
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