THE RAINBOW SWASTIKA - Scattered Seed Ministries

2. Spiritual "Salads" - Judaism Laced with Paganism
For those who cannot be so easily divorced from Judaism, there is an attempt to wean
observant and traditional Jews away from the Torah by promoting very Jewish concepts side
by side with very un-Jewish ones. They are finding acceptance, or at least benefitting from
benevolent neglect, in the orthodox community. A prominent Kabbalist revered by thousands
in Israel, Rabbi Kadouri, performs divination by reading palms after they rest for a moment
on a Torah. [My next-door neighbor was thrilled to relate this experience to me last year.]
The followers of the late Shlomo Carlebach hold a weekly kumsitz in the cemetery, tying blue
strings to his grave to "absorb his aura" and be worn as bracelets. ("Life in the Cemetery",
_Jerusalem Post_, Sep.19, 1997) Jewish community centers, established to foster Jewish
identity, are offering classes in both Torah and yoga, the latter not even bothering about
Jewish trappings. Posters can be seen around Jerusalem advertising Torah combined with Tai
Chi. The "Elat Chayyim Jewish Spiritual Retreat Center" has a Tai Chi Reiki Master ["Chi"
is a Chinese Buddhist term for the underlying force of the universe which can be harnessed by
thought power] and a resident yoga instructor, whose training was not in Judaism but in
Eastern paganism. [I can assert without reservation that yoga is idolatrous, having practiced it
myself for 11 years before discovering Torah Judaism. While some insist that hatha yoga is
only physical exercise, I confirmed with several teachers that the physical postures themselves
are viewed as acts of worship to the deity for which they are named (the "cobra", the "lion",
the "sun dance", etc.). This fact is omitted when introducing yoga to Westerners, but like
other esoteric doctrines it is gradually revealed as the disciple advances. Moreover, worship is
understood to take place even if the lower-level practitioner is unaware of what he is doing.
This is also the attitude behind the vague NA prayer, the "Great Invocation".]
The number of practices forbidden by Torah which are cloaked in Torah garb are bewildering,
and rarely are any of them challenged by the Torah community. [It can be argued that such
people do not represent normative orthodox Judaism; however, by openly promoting such
ideas in the orthodox community without being disowned, they are successfully undermining
the authority of Torah in its own community - an essential part of the New Age Plan.] Some
of these practices which date back centuries are even hotly defended by the groups with the
strictest standards of Torah observance, such as praying to dead tzaddikim (sages considered
especially connected to G-d during their lives) for healing, spouses, ability to conceive,
hidden wisdom and other favors. [Jews who support this practice, yet who are revolted at the
idea of others relating to Jesus in the same manner because "it's idolatrous to pray to a human
being" or because "we Jews don't need a mediator between us and G-d", have a problem not
only with their Torah observance but with basic credibility.]
2a. One bestselling "salad" is worth listing separately: the Buddhism-Judaism mix.
Promoted under the brand name "Jewish Renewal", it has swelled to an international
movement in its own right and will be examined later. It has the dubious honor of fooling the
greatest number of loyal Jews, who do not object because Buddhists do not bow before an
idol (at least not while the West is watching). Buddhism is also considered non-threatening to
Jews because of its image of peaceable tolerance for all faiths. [This image has afforded the
Dalai Lama a warm welcome in Israel; however, it clashes with past Buddhist affinities for
Nazism, and Bailey expected Buddhism to revert to militancy at the proper stage of the Plan.]
As a result, "lectures [in Israel] by visiting Buddhist teachers are invariably packed." ("The
New Believers", _The Jerusalem Report_, Apr. 2, 1998)
A brief investigation of the Buddhist faith will show that the lack of statues is not a rejection
of idolatry, as in Judaism, but rather an acceptance of the Divinity in everything, as both
Pantheism and NA affirm. Using an idol would unnecessarily limit the Buddhist's concept of