I got part way into Tucker's episode today and the guy mentioned Kabbalah. I had been curious about it, think I saw Charls Carrol mention it but never watched him long.
I figured it was some Jewish heresy like Christian gnosticism but GPT says its accepted in mainstream Orthodox Judaism but is only taught to like 10% of people? Is that right? It just sounds like the typical hidden knowledge type shit, but its very weird to hear that its accepted in mainline rabbinic Judaism. Anyone know about this?
I know it got big with celebrities like 20 years or so ago. From my understanding, which is really limited, it's fringe Jewish lore. I think it involves a lot of magic and stuff. I think Lilith, Adam's supposed first wife, is kinda big in it. I think she's where the split with Orthodox Judiasm occurs, but please don't quote me, I'm probably wrong about that.
I don't think it is accepted by more Conservative sects of Judiasm. But because it got big with celebrities and rich people, the more liberal sects defend it.
I knew Madonna and others did it in the early 2000's and figured it was just gnostic Judaism, so separate from mainline. I need to look it up a bit more, have only asked GPT so far.
It said that Chabadh/Hasidic is based on it and in Orthodox Judaism it is widely accepted but is only taught to advanced people and over the age of 40 only. It made it sound like pretty much all modern practicing Jews accept it, even if most aren't introduced to it formally or familiar with it, their Rabbis are. The secretive nature of it plus it being part of mainline Judaism is what I'm interested in and what inspired the thread. I'm curious how it's reflected in the Talmud and other practices in mainline Judaism and how it's seen by Rabbis, what it tells them to do etc. If it is just a fringe thing that celebrities took on for fun I'm less interested.
The Tucker guy linked it to Crowley and other occult thinkers, though I think they were more inspired by it and other esoteric stuff which end up creating new age beliefs, rather than actually practicing the Jewish religious practices
The occult stuff is directly linked to Talmudism, though.
Case in point, here's a story straight out of the Babylonian Talmud, of King Solomon summoning demons: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation:The_Story_of_King_Solomon_and_Ashmedai
I think you are right that a lot of the famous people attatched to it are interested in the magic occult stuff and not interested in the Jewish faith. From what I skimmed it seems to suggest it's about manifestations of God. That there is a deep God that is unreachable and there are his manifestations that interact with humanity.
I don't think Hasidic jews make up a large percentage of practicing jews. From what I was reading, the deep well of Google right, they encourage older, married rabbis to study it because it apparently can drive you mad. So being older and having passed on your genes, you going crazy is less tragic.