Celebs Wearing Their Religion
Kabbalah is an ancient form of Jewish mysticism, custom-fit for today's spirituality-seekers. You've probably seen people wearing the red string bracelets otherwise known as "bendel" bracelets. But that is only a very small part of a deeply rooted religion.
In her Hib Report, The Early Show's Laurie Hibberd looks into the religion that has become a pop culture trend
From Madonna to Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, to Paris Hilton and even Brittany Spears, Hollywood's hottest are embracing the ancient practice of Jewish Bible study known as Kabbalah.
You can spot the followers by the small piece of red string around their left wrists, worn as a subtle declaration of faith and to ward off evil spirits. Madonna even wears hers on stage.
Sara Schwimmer of Chosen Couture says, "They really have become a phenomenon, and the interesting thing about them is that they make both a spiritual statement and a fashion statement."
Bracelets aside, Madonna seems to have single-handedly brought Kabbalah to mainstream America. Her children's book incorporates Kabbalistic teachings. And she even talked about her newfound faith on "Larry King Live."
She said, "I would say the most important aspect of the Kaballah is recognizing that we are all one and that there's no such thing as fragmentation."
Yehuda Berg of the Los Angeles Kabbalah Center notes, "The one good thing about high-profile people studying, is that people realize that it is for everyone."
Berg is co-director of one of 50 centers worldwide that collectively boast 500,000 active members.
"The Kabbalah that is here is a 4,000-year-old tradition," Berg says, "Kaballah is about breaking the walls that we have. If it's in relationship, in business, with our children. It's about internalizing wisdom and breaking patterns and breaking the things that separate us."
The Kabbalah Center offers self-help spirituality, and accessories like water, candles and the bracelets, which cost $26.00 each. But is Kabbalah really for everyone and are its new followers reaping the benefits intended? To find out, Hibberd asked one of the leading scholars of Kabbalah, professor Elliot Wolfson.
He says, "In its purest form and most simplest form, the Kabbalah is the term that refers to the secretive tradition that has been cultivated by Jews for thousands of years - and secrets about the nature of God, the human being and the cosmos. And the nature of those secrets, obviously, is very complex and intricate."
It would take more than a day to learn, Wolfson says, "Unless that day is a thousand years long. In my apartment, I have 6,000 books just dedicated to Kabbalah."
With its newfound popularity, there is also criticism. Some rabbinical scholars fear the Kabbalah Center has created a new brand of Kabbalah: "Kabbalah lite," an image the center disputes.
Berg says, "If they actually went through our course and actually followed the steps, they'd find it a lot harder than the Kabbalah lite. Its not fast-food spirituality, it is deep study."
While some fads come and go, this trend just keeps growing. In fact, just last week, teen sensation Lindsay Lohan was spotted wearing her red string.
So will it have staying power?
"I see us just growing bigger and bigger," Berg says. " I don't see us fading away at all. I see millions of people studying Kabbalah in five, ten years."
Copyright 2007 CBS. All rights reserved. In her Hib Report, The Early Show's Laurie Hibberd looks into the religion that has become a pop culture trend
From Madonna to Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, to Paris Hilton and even Brittany Spears, Hollywood's hottest are embracing the ancient practice of Jewish Bible study known as Kabbalah.
You can spot the followers by the small piece of red string around their left wrists, worn as a subtle declaration of faith and to ward off evil spirits. Madonna even wears hers on stage.
Sara Schwimmer of Chosen Couture says, "They really have become a phenomenon, and the interesting thing about them is that they make both a spiritual statement and a fashion statement."
Bracelets aside, Madonna seems to have single-handedly brought Kabbalah to mainstream America. Her children's book incorporates Kabbalistic teachings. And she even talked about her newfound faith on "Larry King Live."
She said, "I would say the most important aspect of the Kaballah is recognizing that we are all one and that there's no such thing as fragmentation."
Yehuda Berg of the Los Angeles Kabbalah Center notes, "The one good thing about high-profile people studying, is that people realize that it is for everyone."
Berg is co-director of one of 50 centers worldwide that collectively boast 500,000 active members.
"The Kabbalah that is here is a 4,000-year-old tradition," Berg says, "Kaballah is about breaking the walls that we have. If it's in relationship, in business, with our children. It's about internalizing wisdom and breaking patterns and breaking the things that separate us."
The Kabbalah Center offers self-help spirituality, and accessories like water, candles and the bracelets, which cost $26.00 each. But is Kabbalah really for everyone and are its new followers reaping the benefits intended? To find out, Hibberd asked one of the leading scholars of Kabbalah, professor Elliot Wolfson.
He says, "In its purest form and most simplest form, the Kabbalah is the term that refers to the secretive tradition that has been cultivated by Jews for thousands of years - and secrets about the nature of God, the human being and the cosmos. And the nature of those secrets, obviously, is very complex and intricate."
It would take more than a day to learn, Wolfson says, "Unless that day is a thousand years long. In my apartment, I have 6,000 books just dedicated to Kabbalah."
With its newfound popularity, there is also criticism. Some rabbinical scholars fear the Kabbalah Center has created a new brand of Kabbalah: "Kabbalah lite," an image the center disputes.
Berg says, "If they actually went through our course and actually followed the steps, they'd find it a lot harder than the Kabbalah lite. Its not fast-food spirituality, it is deep study."
While some fads come and go, this trend just keeps growing. In fact, just last week, teen sensation Lindsay Lohan was spotted wearing her red string.
So will it have staying power?
"I see us just growing bigger and bigger," Berg says. " I don't see us fading away at all. I see millions of people studying Kabbalah in five, ten years."
