Is Kabbalah the Cause of A-Rod's Divorce?
A-Rod's Divorce and Madonna Have Nothing to Do with Kabbalah
Jul 10, 2008
Even Superstardom Doesn’t Bring Happiness
The news has been filled the last few days with stories about the problems baseball player Alex Rodriquez and pop star Madonna are having with their spouses. When Cynthia Rodriquez filed for divorce, she cited A-Rod’s involvement with Kabbalah as a key contributor to the breakdown of their marriage.
The news stories generate more questions than answers, so one can only speculate on what is really happening. A key question that comes to mind is what these two superstars are expecting to find in their pursuit of Kabbalah. Here are two people who have almost everything this world can offer – money, good looks, talent, fame and power – yet they are still searching for something to bring them happiness and fulfillment.
A Sense of Emptiness Drives the Search for Fulfillment
A-Rod and Madonna are not alone in this pursuit. More and more people are turning to various philosophies, religions and spiritual practices to try to fill the emptiness they feel inside. After some time spent following these paths, most people will be disappointed in the results – the feeling of emptiness remains. Some people will jump from one practice to another, hoping that they will eventually find one that can fulfill its promises.
The problem is that most of these approaches, including today’s pop-culture versions of Kabbalah, try to fill the emptiness by offering more or better variations of the things people already have in the material world. If you follow their practices, you can make more money, find your “soul mate,” improve your health, or ensure a better existence for yourself in a future life. Other philosophies (such as many Eastern religions) take the opposite approach – increase your happiness by reducing your desire for the things of this world. In other words, teach yourself to be satisfied with less.
Authentic Kabbalah Provides a Different Answer
Authentic Kabbalah takes an entirely different approach. It tells people that they can never be satisfied with the things of this world. The sensation of emptiness that they feel is the longing for an entirely different world and mode of existence, but one they can attain even in this life. It answers the age-old question, “What is the meaning of my life?”
The wisdom of Kabbalah tells people that there is a comprehensive reality surrounding that they do not perceive using our five traditional senses. Ancient Kabbalists learned how to attune themselves to this reality (also called the “spiritual world”) and were able to clearly perceive it. The writings of these sages are used to guide practical investigation of our inherent nature.
Man learns about himself, who he is and what he is like. This investigation shows that everything people do is solely for the purpose of experiencing pleasure. All actions are for one's own personal benefit.
The Spiritual World Operates on a Principle of Altruism
The sages also describe the spiritual world, which has qualities opposite to this one: actions are only taken if they bring pleasure to others. The purpose in life is to align oneself with the altruistic characteristic of the spiritual world. The sense of fulfillment will then come from others experiencing pleasure. When the principle of altruism becomes the force behind every action taken, one has entered the spiritual world..
Authentic Kabbalah and A-Rod
Would authentic Kabbalah resolve A-Rod’s marital problems? No, because it deals only with the spiritual world and does not “fix” anything in the material world. It would, however, enable A-Rod to see the tremendous egoism that is the source of all problems.
Related Material:
* VIDEO: Introduction to Kabbalah (8 min.) - Start finding out what Kabbalah really is, and you'll stop thinking it has anything to do with A-Rod or Madonna.
