Spiritualitate. Kabbalah si aikido

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And with that increased profile, Kabbalah has become a subject of great interest to spiritual seekers, both Jewish and non-Jewish. Is it any surprise that an avalanche of Kabbalah-themed books followed suit ?

Two recent entries in the Kabbalah publishers’ clearinghouse are “The Kabbalah Tree” by Rachel Pollack, and “Kinesthetic Kabbalah” by Mill Valley-based rabbi Daniel Kohn.
The two authors cover similar terrain, particularly regarding fundamental kabbalistic tenets. Yet ultimately they diverge, both in approach and clarity, with Kohn producing the more satisfying volume.

With so many books on the subject, authors need a twist, and Kohn delivers one: He writes of his devotion both to Kabbalah and the Japanese martial art aikido.

A second-degree black belt, Kohn is less concerned with the physical benefits of aikido than the spiritual. The founder of aikido, O Sensei, was a militaristic-minded Japanese martial artist who underwent a dramatic transformation. After the bombing of Hiroshima, he strove to make aikido a purely defensive art and pathway to inner peace.

Not unlike the aim of Kabbalah itself.
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Though Jewish herself, Pollack has a more ecumenical view of spirituality. She is a devotee of tarot and cleaves to a de-Judaized interpretation of Kabbalah typified by Madonna and Philip Berg of the controversial Kabbalah Centre.
Pollack does a good job of unpacking the complexities of the Tree of Life and its 10 sephirot, or circles, but she has an annoying tendency to refer back constantly to Haindl’s painting for supporting data.
It’s reminiscent of that TV commercial for Jeno’s Pizza Rolls, circa 1975, in which a Jimmy Carter look-alike is peppered with questions at a press conference. The president proceeds to tie every answer to Jeno’s Pizza Rolls.
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