The Rainbow Swastika (PDF book) - Scattered Seed Ministries

The Rainbow Swastika - New Age Missionizing Among Jews
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prayer; useful resources to get us there are suggested, none of them from mainstream Judaism. As for the Jewish G-d (unmistakably
identified by the Tetragrammaton), we are instructed to relate to Him as "the omnipresent possibility of possibility" or "the Force of Healing
and Transformation." Again, learning resources are offered: among them _Awakening the Buddha Within_ and other Buddhist/Hindu
publications, but not a single Jewish title. In fact, the only Jewish models cited in this 5-page sample as worth incorporating into _Tikkun's_
brand of "spirituality" are philanthropy (honored with a single reference) and hospitality (the only value which Lerner attaches to his Shabbat
experiences).
Compare this approach with Lerner's "Founding Editorial Statement" in the Fall 1986 issue, and we can see how far _Tikkun_ has drifted
from its initial commitment: "The pressure to be 'universalist' and to reject a particularistic identity 'in order to be taken seriously' is the major
way that Jews were oppressed in the United States.... America offered a seductive deal: 'give up those elements in your identity that make
you stand out and be different and we will let you fit into the society...' It is no longer clear why we should accept this offer." Editor Lerner
promises here that for those Jews who are "uncomfortable in the presence of another Jew who is 'too Jewish'... Tikkun's Jewish articles will
be a source of embarrassment." [Apparently the value of Jewish particularism could not compete with the subsequent "seductive deal" of
prominence in NA circles. Now _Tikkun_ is an embarrassment to the same Jews Lerner once pledged to represent.]
4. Kabbalah as a NA Tool
The mystical side of orthodox Judaism is too complex for a complete analysis here. Suffice to say that Jewish Kabbalah has become a salad
of gems mixed with impurities. This is the assessment of both the Torah and NA. From a Torah standpoint, what real insight there is to be
found in Kabbalah is invariably based firmly on Tenach passages. They stand in contrast to questionable ideas which clash with basic Torah;
these are not found in Tenach but are found in pagan religions. From the NA viewpoint, Jewish Kabbalah gets similarly mixed reviews, but
for the opposite reason: its only value is found in teachings which are not Torah-based but are NA beliefs: reincarnation; soliciting help from
angels, demons and departed human spirits; light and darkness, good and evil, uniting in balance to make "God"; self-induced trances
resulting in visions or astral (out-of-body) travels; and harnessing of supernatural powers by pronouncing sacred names. [It is noteworthy that
none of these can be supported by a clear (pashat or darash) Torah passage, while some are expressly forbidden; yet these are the bestknown
elements of Kabbalah among Jews today. The fact that these are accepted by so many otherwise knowledgeable Torah-keeping Jews,
in spite of their dubious links to Torah, only weakens Jewish resistance to NA missionaries introducing other doctrines progressively farther
from Torah.]
4a. There is an attitude among Kabbalists that a mekubal (Kabbalistic master) has spiritually advanced beyond the need to obey the above
prohibitions in Torah, which are meant for the "average" Jew. [I confirmed this in dialog with an Israeli student from a family with a long
line of respected mekubalim.] With the perceived freedom to explore the occult world, it is no wonder that anti-Torah concepts became
integrated into Kabbalah. Helena Blavatsky had no difficulty locating quotes from Jews in the Kabbalistic tradition to show that they also
admire Lucifer, aka Satan. For example, she repeats the "glowing" praises of "Kabalist" Eliphas Levi: "It (Satan) is that Angel who was
proud enough to believe himself God; brave enough to buy his independence at the price of eternal suffering and torture; beautiful enough to
have adored himself in full divine light; strong enough to still reign in darkness amidst agony, and to have made himself a throne out of this
inextinguishable pyre." (Blavatsky quoting from Eliphas Levi, _Historie de la Magie, p.16-17, _The Secret Doctrine_ II, p.506)
The same admiration for this "Dragon of Wisdom" was celebrated in the destructive heresies of Sabbetai Zevi and the Frankists, which are
thriving today in the form of the "Donmeh" whose well-educated members effortlessly connect nihilism (the benefits of destruction),
Luciferian elements ("the Holy Serpent" and "The Treatise on the Dragons") and Gnostic teaching with Sabbatean and Lurianic Kabbalah.
The blend harmonizes nicely with Blavatsky's teachings, particularly about the Serpent as God (_Secret Doctrine_, p.215.) As a curious side
note, "Donmeh" leader Yakov Leib haKohain insists that Jewish Renewal springs directly from Sabbatean practice, and scoffs at JR leaders
for "inventing a wheel for which there is already a 300 year old patent, while loudly congratulating themselves for their brilliant
discoveries." ("Jewish Renewal, Hermetic Cabala, and Sabbatai Zevi", on the Donmeh website)
4b. The Kabbalistic doctrine of reincarnation is possibly the single most useful inroad into Judaism for NA. Consider the recent assertion
by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (a former Chief Rabbi of Israel and a haredi leader with a huge Israeli following) that the six million Jewish
Holocaust victims were reincarnated sinners sent into the Nazi death machine to pay for their past-life sins (_Jerusalem Post_, Aug.11,
2000). [The resemblance to Bailey's own pronouncement is either the coincidence of the year or impressive evidence of NA infiltration into
orthodox thought. It is interesting that several response articles in the _Post_, emphasized the lack of Torah, Mishnaic or Talmudic
foundation for the doctrine of reincarnation. I confirmed this in dialog with several Kabbalist students, who remained strangely undisturbed
by this lack of support.] However, _Post_ columnist Amotz Asa-El's denial that reincarnation ever entered mainstream Judaism is clearly
wishful thinking, considering the stature of the rabbi which prompted his commentary. And contrary to claims that only Sephardic (oriental)
Judaism is prone to accepting Eastern influences, Chabad of California publishes a well-written and attractive magazine circulated worldwide
among nonreligious Jews, and features articles which credit Kabbalah with the Hindu doctrine that "in future incarnations, we can fall to the
vegetational life of trees or even the inanimate life of stones." ("Does a Stone Have a Soul?", by Laibl Wolf, _Farbringen_, Spring 1999)
4c. Why NA Loves Kabbalah: NA spokesmen applaud Jewish teachers for recently releasing Kabbalah from the restricted access imposed on
it by past generations of Jewish sages, for making its teachings available to all (Jewish and non-Jewish alike), and especially for encouraging
free exploration without rabbinic supervision. Even orthodox Jewish teachers of Kabbalah are hailed by NA as partners who are furthering
the Plan. Whether they are deliberate or unwitting partners, it is anticipated that the results will be the same. Why? Because the freedom
surrounding Kabbalah today has created an unguarded passageway between NA and Judaism, discarding the last shreds of orthodox Jewish
discipline and Torah framework, and allowing the introduction of "new" guides who do not need Jewish community approval. Kabbalistic
teachers can now include outright NA disciples, identifiable by their lack of concern for a Jewish frame of reference; the spiritism (contact
with disembodied spirits) in Kabbalah is sufficient for achieving their goal of getting as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, into
the spirit realm where the "Ascended Masters of the Hierarchy" await. The ultimate NA goal is to gain full control of Kabbalah in the Jewish
community, taking it through successive "transformations" until it is finally severed from all links with the Torah, thus "recovering" its
"purity". The many Jews who are captivated by Kabbalah [and who, like my above-mentioned friends, are not bothered by the absence of
Torah links] will be led away from Torah with ease.
While in the past most Jews hotly contested the idea that Kabbalah had any kinship with New Age, some Jews are now promoting the idea
that Jewish Kabbalah really does affirm NA teaching [which would imply either a gross ignorance of NA teaching and/or Kabbalah, or a
knowledge of their commonality which escapes the average Jew]. This view is reflected in a book published in April 2000 by a Jewish
company; its author actually proposes that Judaism take the credit for today's NA teaching: "Many people will be surprised to find that
Judaism is fundamentally aligned with what we think of as the New Age. Many of the things we associate with the New Age are not new but
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2/26/2012