Kabbalah Centre at 1062 S Robertson Blvd in Los Angeles, California

The Kabbalah Centre is a non-profit organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California, that provides courses on the Kabbalah online, and through its local centres and study groups. The modern-day presentation of Kabbalah was developed by its current leader, Philip Berg (a traditionally trained orthodox rabbi who had left the religious clergy and became an insurance salesman before learning Kabbalah) and his wife, Karen Berg.^[1] The Kabbalah Centre includes Jewish and non-Jewish teachers and students.^[2]

Kabbalistic tradition has long held that Kabbalah is so complicated and so easily misunderstood that students may only begin to approach it with a strong background in Jewish law and only after age 40, the age of wisdom according to the Mishnah.^[3] Some see the Centre as a perversion of Judaism's ancient and secretive mystic tradition.^[4]

As a religious not-for-profit organization, it is exempt from federal income taxes under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.^[5]

History[link]

Kabbalah Centre in New York City in 2008

The Kabbalah Centre was founded in the United States in 1965 as The National Research Institute of Kabbalah by Philip Berg (born Feivel Gruberger) and Rav Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein.^[6] Brandwein in turn was the Dean of Yeshivah Kol Yehuda in Israel (a precursor of the US Kabbalah Centres) which was founded in 1922. After Brandwein's death, and after several years in Israel, Philip Berg and his wife Karen Berg, re-established the U.S. Kabbalah Centre in New York.

The current headquarters of the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angeles was opened in 1984. Karen and their sons Yehuda and Michael act as directors and spiritual leaders of the organization. The organization is a registered non-profit^[5] with over fifty branches worldwide, including major ones in Los Angeles, New York City, London and Toronto.

Teachings[link]

Approach[link]

The Kabbalah Centre's approach to teaching is to start students with practical methods that do not make previous knowledge of Hebrew and Jewish texts a prerequisite for understanding.

The Kabbalah Centre often cites Kabbalah as the inspiration for recent scientific discoveries, including The Big Bang, String Theory, atomic structure, and Newton's Third Law.

Relation to religion[link]

According to its views, all widely-held spiritual or religious belief systems are merely specific branches of a universal wisdom. The effect of this is a resemblance of religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Buddhism, as well as new-age teachings, to Kabbalah. In accordance with this belief, the Kabbalah Centre does not present itself as an alternative to any religion in particular, but rather, as a supplement to it.

The Bible[link]

The Hebrew Bible is not to be taken literally, as it is wholly a code, and can only be truly understood in this context.^{[citation needed]} The Kabbalah Centre claims that its teachings, based largely on the text and understanding of the Zohar, provide the conventions to unlock and understand this code. This includes the true meaning of the days of creation and the story of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis.

Some biblical passages, such as the Passage of the Red Sea, are spoken of as actual historical events.

The Light[link]

One should primarily be concerned with their relationship with the essence of God, rather than God himself, as he is beyond comprehension. The essence of God is referred to in its teachings as Light.^[7] In the beginning, there was only Light, but its nature was to share and it had no recipient for this natural desire. Therefore the Light created a vessel to be the recipient of the Light. Upon receiving this Light, the vessel came to inherit some of its properties, just as a glass, when filled with cold water, becomes cold itself. Chiefly, the vessel inherited the desire to share. To accomplish this, the vessel refused the Light, an act called Restriction, and thus broke into two parts so that it could share with itself. It is from these two parts that the souls of all males and females are derived, respectively. The breaking of the vessel created ten unique sefirot, all of which have a particular relationship to humans and the perceivable universe.^{[citation needed]}

99%[link]

The five senses provide access to a mere 1% of reality, which is the byproduct of a 99% reality that cannot be accessed by the senses.^[8] Since the circumstances of the unperceivable 99% of reality dictate those of the 1% normally perceived, one must use kabbalistic wisdom to access the 99%, thereby providing context to the 1%. No occurrence in life, in the 1%, is accidental or random; rather it is completely the calculated result of the 99%. All confusion and appearance of chaos is an illusion created by the absence of such context. The 99% is characteristic of pure joy, understanding, and truth.^{[citation needed]}

Restriction[link]

Naturally, an event occurs, which triggers an emotional response, which one then acts on. To truly control a situation, one must consider one's emotional reactions themselves as the enemy, and not one's cause. If one is able to restrict himself from acting on his primary emotional reactions, the best possible course of action will come to him naturally. Only by restricting one's emotional reflexes to negative situations can one consciously remove the impact of his ego.^{[citation needed]} One's instinct to egotistically react to a situation is referred to as the Opponent, or "The Satan". For example, when one is standing in line at the automated teller machine for twenty minutes, it is not the person in front of him, but his frustration that is the enemy. If one does not practice restriction, his existence becomes the automatic outcome of our circumstances, rather than a proactive experience of his creation.^{[citation needed]}

Klippot[link]

Kabbalah Centre teaches the Kabbalistic concept of Klippot. The idea is that everyone has a direct and clear connection to the upper metaphysical-spiritual world of the Light (Ein Sof, unbounded God), but that this channel is blocked by Klippot, restricting the spiritual energy from entering the physical body. It is through meditation and practice of Kabbalah teachings and Jewish law (which the Kabbalah Centre says is early Rabbinistic construction to aid in practicing Kabbalah without revealing its secrets) that one removes Klippot, and it is by violence and negative behaviour that one adds Klippot.^[9]

Astrology[link]

Zodiac in a 6th century synagogue at Beit Alpha, Israel

The Kabbalah Centre has a strong belief in astrology and asserts that astrology has been part of Judaism since its inception. The Centre claims astrology was lost in Jewish tradition as part of the suppression of Kabbalah by rabbis nearly 2000 years ago (evidence of this includes ancient synagogues with zodiac rings). This claim is historically inaccurate, as astrology was studied by Jewish scholars throughout the Middle Ages, though it was opposed by more philosophically inclined thinkers such as Maimonides.^{[citation needed]}

There is a strong belief in the Kabbalah tradition that cosmic forces affect everything, and knowing how to understand them can prove to be valuable to the aspiring Kabbalist. Philip Berg, the founder of the Kabbalah Centre, is himself an astrologer and has written numerous books on astrology during his career.^{[citation needed]}

Sex[link]

It is not recommended that men masturbate, as the sperm are abandoned souls that become demons. When a woman's insides come into contact with a man's sperm, they are coming into contact with the essence of their energy and are affected by this for several years.^[9] The man should not orgasm before the woman, as it injects selfishness into the act of love making.^[9] A couple should not engage in sex with the woman positioned above the man, as she is then drawing energies into herself from below, instead of above.^[9] The most Light is derived from sex that occurs early Saturday morning.^[9]

Celebrity followers[link]

Madonna studies regularly with a personal Kabbalah Centre rabbi, no longer gives concerts on Friday night (which is the onset of Shabbat), wears the red string around her left wrist for protection and to ward off the "Evil Eye" (Ayin Hara), has introduced Jewish ritual objects such as tefilin ("phylacteries") into her videos and tithes regularly to the Kabbalah Centre.^[10] In July, 2006 the media reported an unfounded rumour that Madonna was leaving the Kabbalah Centre^[11] and one media columnist speculated that one reason was alleged financial irregularities of donations to the centre.^[10] Despite the uncorroborated allegations of financial irregularities, the rumour turned out to be false, and Madonna continues to attend Kabbalah Centre events. In fact, Madonna has collaborated with the Kabbalah Centre on a new project called Raising Malawi, which will provide relief aid to the African nation of Malawi.^[12] When Madonna tried to partner Raising Malawi with UNICEF, UNICEF demurred due to this project's close association with the Kabbalah Centre.^[13]

Lindsay Lohan has also had some involvement with the organization, and has been seen wearing the associated red string on her wrist.^[14] Other celebrities that have been associated with the Centre include Roseanne Barr, Sandra Bernhard, Anthony Kiedis, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Mick Jagger, Jerry Hall, Lucy Liu, Pierre Lewis, Alex Rodriguez, Rosie O'Donnell, Naomi Campbell, Donna Karan, Elizabeth Taylor, Mischa Barton, Britney Spears, Paris Hilton,^[15] Nicole Richie, James Van Der Beek, and Heather McComb.

Britney Spears and Jerry Hall left the movement in 2006 and 2005. Jerry Hall, ex-wife of Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, left the Kabbalah Centre after she was asked to tithe ten percent of her revenues. Paris Hilton also left, and has gone back to the Roman Catholic faith.^[16]

Controversy and criticism[link]

The Kabbalah Centre has been described as an "opportunistic offshoot of the faith, with charismatic leaders who try to attract the rich and the vulnerable with the promise of health, wealth, and happiness." ^[17] Some Jewish organizations distinguish it as non-Jewish and consider its patronage by Jews problematic.^[18] The Centre's self-help teachings and its sale of Kabbalah-themed merchandise has been criticized as a perversion of Judaism's ancient and secretive mystic tradition.^[4]

There was media controversy in 2005 related to a recorded comment by a Kabbalah Centre leader regarding the Holocaust. According to a BBC news article, Eliyahu Yardeni, a senior figure in the London Kabbalah Centre has been quoted as saying, "Just to tell you another thing about the six million Jews that were killed in the Holocaust: the question was that the Light was blocked. They didn't use Kabbalah." This claim caused international outrage, with one scholar saying, "To me this is one of the most obscene statements anybody could possibly make."^[17]

A probe by an undercover journalist working for the BBC revealed that the Kabbalah Centre had made claims that spring water sold by the group had among its effects a curative effect on cancer. Reportedly, 10 bottles were sold to cancer sufferers for £400.^[17]

In Israel, authorities have refused to give the organization a certificate of proper management for three years running (as of 2005) because of accounting inadequacies. ^[17]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Kabbalah Centre Official website
• Yehuda Berg's Blog
• Michael Berg's Blog
• Kabbalah Centre Israel
• In Search of the Skeptical, Hopeful, Mystical Jew That Could Be Me
• Kabbalah books

Karen Berg is the co-founder of the modern Kabbalah Centre, along with her husband, Philip Berg.^[1] She is the mother of Yehuda Berg and Michael Berg.

References[link]

• Article by Daphne Merkin- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/magazine/13kabbalah-t.html

This biography of a United States religious figure is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Michael Berg (born June 29, 1973) is Co-Director of the Kabbalah Centre alongside his mother Karen Berg and older brother Yehuda Berg. He is the son of Philip Berg, the founder of the Kabbalah Centre. Michael edited an unabridged English translation of the Zohar. He is also a cofounder of Raising Malawi.

Michael Berg is the author of several books on Kabbalah. Included among them are Secrets of The Zohar, Becoming Like God, The Way, The Secret, Well of Life, What God Meant, and Days of Connection.

In 2010, Michael launched UKabbalah http://www.ukabbalah.com/home, an online learning platform aimed at making the study of Kabbalah more accessible to the wider public. Offering interactive lectures and live events, UKabbalah has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as a webinar phenomenon http://magazine.wsj.com/features/phenomenon/live-aid/2/.

References[link]

• 1. Ask the Kabbalist Rabbi, About.com
• 2. A-Rod: Kabbalah, Table for Two!, TMZ.com
• 3. What's Behind Hollywood's Fascination with Kabbalah?, ABC News
• 3. Madonna Finds A Cause, TIME Magazine
• 4. Madonna and friends raise awareness for Malawi, USA Today
• 5. Daphne Merkin's http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/magazine/13kabbalah-t.html
• 6. [1], Wall Street Journal

External Links[link]

• 1. Kabbalah Worldwide Site, Kabbalah.com
• 2. Kabbalah Center Israel, Kabbalah.co.il

Michael Berg

Michael Berg (born March 3, 1945) is an American activist and politician who was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in the state of Delaware on the Green Party ticket in the 2006 midterm elections. He is most well known as the father of Nick Berg, one of the first American civilians to be abducted and beheaded by individuals claiming to be insurgents in Iraq.

Early life[link]

Michael Berg was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Berg accepted a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and a teaching certificate at Bucknell University in 1967, and a master’s degree in education from Temple University in 1969.

Berg, a longtime antiwar activist, was involved in the protests against the Vietnam War beginning in 1965. According to his website, "In 1991, when the United States invaded Iraq in the Gulf War, Berg intensified his protest activities despite reprimands from his school's administrator. He has protested the Bush administration's invasion of Iraq as well, organizing local marches, protests, and vigils and traveling to Washington, D.C."^[1]

Son's death[link]

Berg's son Nick, a telecommunications contractor, was detained in Iraq for 13 days in March 2004 by U.S. military and the Federal Bureau of Investigation^{[citation needed]}. After his release and after refusals to return back to the States with help from U.S. government and in the aftermath of the Abu Ghraib revelations^{[citation needed]}, Nick was abducted and murdered by individuals claiming to be Islamic militants on May 7, 2004. A video of his decapitation was posted on the internet, leading to international media coverage of Michael Berg, his family, and his antiwar stance.

Berg has blamed former U.S. President George W. Bush and former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld for his son's death.^{[2] [3] [4][5]}

Political career[link]

In August 2004 Michael Berg was presented with the Courageous Resister Award at New York University.^[6] A year later he received the Adele Dwyer St. Thomas of Villanova Peace Award.^[7]

In 2005 Berg moved from Chester County, Pennsylvania, to Wilmington, Delaware, where he registered as a member of the Green Party. According to Democracy Now!, he said he was approached by representatives of the Democratic Party but would run with the Green Party because: "the Democrats have the money to get the message out, but they have the wrong message."^[8]

In the 2006 race for Delaware's at-large congressional district seat in the United States House of Representatives, Berg ran as the Green Party candidate. He challenged incumbent Michael N. Castle of the Republican Party, along with Dennis Spivack of the Democratic Party, and Karen M. Hartley-Nagle of the Independent Party. Castle was reelected with 57 percent of the total vote. According to his campaign website, Berg received 4,463 votes or 1.8 percent of the total vote.

A documentary was filmed focusing on Berg's campaign titled Keeping the Peace. It premiered at the Philadelphia Independent Film Festival in 2009 and won the Audience Award.

See also[link]

• Delaware congressional election, 2006

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Al-Zarqawi's Death is No Cause for Rejoicing, by Michael Berg, Minnesota Star Tribune, June 9, 2006. "...every time we kill anyone, we are creating a large number of people who are going to want vengeance. And, you know, when are we ever going to learn that that doesn't work?"
• Berg for Congress
• Michael Berg MySpace page

James Van Der Beek
Born	James William Van Der Beek, Jr. (1977-03-08) March 8, 1977 (age 35) Cheshire, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–present
Spouse	Heather McComb (2003–2010) Kimberly Van Der Beek (2010–present) 2 children
Website
Official website

James William Van Der Beek, Jr. (born March 8, 1977) is an American television, film, and stage actor, known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in The WB series Dawson's Creek. He is also famous for his website, which includes Van Der Beek himself acting out famous internet memes. Currently, he is playing a fictionalized version of himself on the ABC sitcom Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23.

Early life and stage career[link]

Van Der Beek was born in Cheshire, Connecticut, the son of Melinda (née Weber), a former dancer and gymnastics studio manager, and James William Van Der Beek, Sr., a cellular phone company executive and former professional baseball pitcher.^[1][2] He has a brother, Jared (born 1979) and a sister, Juliana (born 1981). He attended Norton Elementary School, Dodd Junior High School, and the Cheshire Academy.

At the age of 15, he asked his mother to take him into New York City to get an agent and try his hand in professional acting. He made his professional debut in the New York premiere of Edward Albee's play Finding the Sun at the Signature Theatre Company in which he played the role of "Fergus". Both he and the production, which was also directed by Albee, received good reviews.^[3][4] Aged 17, while still in high school, he performed in the musical Shenandoah at the Goodspeed Opera House, and made his feature film debut with a bit part as a bully in the teen-oriented 1995 film Angus. The following year, he shot a small role on the independent film I Love You, I Love You Not.

He attended Drew University, where he participated in an all-male a cappella group,^[5] but dropped out to pursue acting. He performed at the Vineyard Theater in New York in Nicky Silver's play, My Marriage to Ernest Borgnine, and he played a supporting role in the independent film Cash Crop, which was originally shot in spring of 1997 and originally titled Harvest until released in 2001.

Television and film career[link]

In early 1997, Van Der Beek auditioned for three television pilots. One of them was for the fledgling WB Network show Dawson's Creek. Van Der Beek won the title role of "Dawson Leery," and the show's 1998 debut was a success that helped to establish the network and its cast, which included Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson. The series, shot in Wilmington, North Carolina, ran for six seasons and was syndicated worldwide.

In 1999, he starred in the teen football drama/sports film Varsity Blues, which held the number 1 spot at the US Box Office for its first two weeks.^[6] He won an MTV Movie Award for his role. Around this time he was selected one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World," and he appeared in several other films, including Texas Rangers, Scary Movie, and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, playing himself playing Jay in the movie within the movie opposite Jason Biggs as Silent Bob.

In 2002, he played Sean Bateman (younger brother of American Psycho protagonist Patrick Bateman) in the film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' The Rules of Attraction, written and directed by Roger Avary. The film was an initial box office failure, but found a cult following on DVD.^[7] In 2006 he also appeared on the Direct-to-DVD thriller The Plague, which was produced by Clive Barker and was panned by critics.

After Dawson's Creek ended in 2003, Van Der Beek returned to the off-Broadway stage, in Lanford Wilson's Rain Dance. He completed an unproduced screenplay titled Winning. Since then, he has made a few appearances on television, including a role on Ugly Betty

In 2007 in, Van Der Beek guest-starred in a two-part episode of the series Criminal Minds, in which he played a fanatic religious serial killer with dissociative identity disorder called Tobias Hankel who kidnaps and drugs one of the main characters Spencer Reid played by Matthew Gray Gubler. During these two episodes, Van Der Beek was credited as a Special Guest Star.

In 2008, he made a guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother. Since 2008, he has also had a recurring role on One Tree Hill. He appeared in an episode of the fifth season of Medium. In 2009, He portrayed real life kidnapper Anthony Steven "Tony Zappa" Wright in the Lifetime network television movie Taken In Broad Daylight.

In 2009, Van Der Beek won Best Actor at the 8th Annual San Diego Film Festival for his portrayal of FBI agent Jake Kelly working in the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the political thriller Formosa Betrayed, which also won Best Picture. The film was distributed theatrically in the United States starting February 26, 2010.^[8]

On January 5, 2010, TVGuide.com confirmed that Van Der Beek had been cast in a major recurring role on the television series Mercy. He plays Dr. Joe Briggs, the new womanizing ICU chief who harbors a dark secret.^[9] He stars alongside Rhona Mitra, Josh Lucas, and Jon Hamm in the Anders Anderson thriller film Stolen.^[10]

In 2011, Van Der Beek portrayed Kesha's nemesis in her music video for "Blow".^[11]

Personal life[link]

In July 2003, Van Der Beek married actress Heather McComb. Van Der Beek's representative confirmed in June 2009 that the couple had separated in April 2009,^[12] and on November 20, 2009, Van Der Beek filed for divorce.^[13] Their divorce was finalized on March 31, 2010.^[14]

On April 9, 2010, Van Der Beek announced via Twitter that he and his girlfriend, business consultant Kimberly Brook, were expecting their first child together, a girl.^[15] Van Der Beek and Brook married on August 1, 2010, in a small ceremony at the Kabbalah Center near Dizengoff Plaza in Tel Aviv, Israel.^[16] She took his last name, and the couple's daughter, Olivia Van Der Beek, was born on September 25, 2010.^[17] On October 26, 2011, Van Der Beek announced their second child was on the way.^[18][19] The Van Der Beeks welcomed a son, Joshua, on March 13, 2012.^[20][21]

In the May 2012 issue of Maxim, van der Beek was interviewed in the column "24 Hours To Live." Asked if he would be going to heaven or hell, van der Beek said that he had "always believed that each religion is a little bit right and a little bit wrong. As long as none of them are 100 percent right, I like my chances."

Filmography[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

MTV Movie Awards

Teen Choice Awards

Blockbuster Entertainment Awards

San Diego Film Festival

NewNowNext Awards

In popular culture[link]

James Van Der Beek is commonly referenced in an assortment of television shows and movies. In the movie The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard the character Jibby Newsome turns on Dawson's Creek and exclaims "James Van Der Beek! My nigga!" On the television show Tosh.0, in which Van Der Beek actually appears, the comedian Daniel Tosh makes somewhat frequent references to the Beek. In Ke$ha's music video for "Blow", she has a laser war with Van Der Beek and refers to him as "Van Der Douche". On the new television series I Just Want My Pants Back, the protagonist of the show Jason Strider says, "I was like a young James van der Beek!" after apparently playing it smooth with a girl he slept with the previous night. His best friend replies, "James van der Beek? That's your gold standard?" He is also satirically depicted in a trailer for David Firth's cartoon series Burnt Face Man. His name appears in the song "Bustin' Up a Starbucks" by Mike Doughty.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: James Van Der Beek

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: James Van Der Beek

• James Van Der Beek's Official Website
• James Van Der Beek at the Internet Movie Database