THE RAINBOW SWASTIKA - Scattered Seed Ministries

challenge and "transform" it, for which they are willing to suffer persecution.] Yet in spite of
rabbinic opposition, Berg has managed to amass a small fortune - in 1989 he registered a net
worth of $9.6 million, with net gains of $6.1 million and gross profits of $2.5 million from
sales of the 24-volume _Zohar_ ...at the New York Centre alone. New branches are
springing up every year. Besides Toronto, the KC now has branches in the U.S. (NYC -
Queens and Manhattan, Chicago, LA, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Fernando Valley,
Philadelphia, North Miami, Boca Raton) and in Mexico City, Paris, Sao Paulo (Brazil),
London, Santiago (Chile) and Buenos Aires (Argentina). Not to mention four branches in
Israel (Tel Aviv, Haifa, Tiberias, Jerusalem).
But our main interest in this report is KC's teaching about Kabbalah itself, which strongly
follows NA thought. According to the KC website, their brochures [I have one in Hebrew]
and their salespeople [I have met two at my door], studying Kabbalah brings life-changing
benefits on all levels: cures for any illness, domestic harmony, wealth, career success, relief
from emotional problems, spiritual enlightenment, answers to all life's questions, supernatural
powers, divination of the future, elimination of war and hatred. Actually, Kabbalah is just
another spiritual path which unlocks one's limitless human potential: "It is important to
understand that the spiritiual [sic] knowledge of our universe is already known within our
souls. The act of learning Kabbalah is merely the instrument that stirs and awakens this
knowledge from within us." Not only that, but the KC is not even about Kabbalah really:
"Unfortunately, division and separation does cause severe damage. Once again, the sole
purpose of The Kabbalah Center is to remove these negative and destructive barriers and to
look for ways to unite." (from the website FAQ, emphasis mine) This single-minded
determination to end "separation" [commanded by G-d for the Jews but forbidden in the NA]
comes from, of all places, Kabbalah itself: "Kabbalah teaches us that unity can only occur
through diversity."
To benefit from the KC's "unity in diversity" [a clear code phrase used by NAers
everywhere], participants need not accept Judaism. Torah and the mitzvot are optional and
need not enter the equation at all. Berg's students, Jews and non-Jews alike, may come from
any spiritual background, absorb whatever they find useful at his Centre (for a hefty fee), and
continue on the spiritual path of their choice. In every city where KC has offices, the _Zohar_
is sold door-to-door by Berg disciples, without regard for whether the buyer is a Jew or non-
Jew, monotheist or pagan (In Israel, the sales efforts range far beyond the immediate vicinity
of their offices). Berg admits that most students (and some teachers) cannot even read
Hebrew, but no matter. Not only is basic Torah study not required, or identification with
Judaism, but one doesn't even need to read and understand the _Zohar_ itself - just staring
blankly at it by day and putting it under your pillow at night will bring you spiritual
fulfillment. This is Berg's interpretation of "open study of Kabbalah," and he cites Kabbalists
such as Rabbi Abraham Azulay for support. He could have also cited Kabbalists Sabbatai
Zevi and Jakob Frank, as the Task Force article observes.
And what is Berg's personal commitment to orthodox Judaism, which he says he embraces?
"Judaism is not concerned with conforming to a strict religious way of life [involving] certain
ritual tasks. On the contrary, the goal is to connect to metaphysical forces through which we
can fulfill our Desire to Receive.... To say that a particular deed or action is 'halachically
incorrect' is not to say that one is doing wrong, is not an observant Jew or is not fitting into
the mainstream of Judaism. We are merely making the observation that the particular action in
question is not properly connecting with the energy pattern available to it." (_The Kabbalah
Connection_, p.43,44) Thus the object of Berg's "Jewish" worship moves from G-d to the
familiar NA "forces", and "Jewish" conduct becomes an issue of energy alignment rather than