To be honest, as a New Zealander, and someone who believes that Obama has been quite good for Israel, and Romney wouldn’t be any different, I don’t really care who wins the US Presidential election (though I do think it is a hard choice for Americans, because neither of the candidates is particularly good). However, it seems that some people in Israel really care A LOT! To the point that they are using kabbalistic prayers to force the outcome. Ynet reports:
A quorum of kabbalists on Tuesday staged a secret prayer meant to land Mitt Romney win the White House.
The 10 ultra-religious men convened at Jerusalem’s Ish Chayil yeshiva to open the Torah ark – a ritual saved for special occasions – and chant a series of invocations calling for divine intervention to “bring down” incumbent President Barack Obama.
For the sake of the exclusive ceremony, the Republican challenger, a Mormon, was dubbed “Moses Romney” with the suffix “Shlita,” an honor usually granted to the most venerable of rabbis.
“This kind of prayer can turn worlds upside down,” said Shmuel Ben-Atar, a haredi radio presenter who took part in the service. “We ask the people of Israel to pray that Obama – who doesn’t like Israel – is brought down.”
According to Ben-Attar, the formula that is certain to get Romney to win the presidency includes the repeated recitation of certain Psalms, a prayer for victory said over the open Torah ark – and giving a shekel to the needy.
“People called us from America and asked us to bring about heavenly mercy,” he said. “People around the world will pray tonight for Moses Mitt Romney.”
Just in case Tuesday’s session isn’t enough, a delegation of worshippers from the yeshiva is scheduled to travel to the Western Wall at midnight, where they will continue to read Psalms.
“Tonight we will pray profusely for an American leader who will hear our plight,” Ben-Attar said.
In my opinion their kabbalah learning has given them a false picture of the reality of the Israel/USA reality. I’m not sure where it says in the Zohar that Obama does not like Israel (though I’m certain that someone can show me where it does say exactly that).
But more importantly, if this is a prayer which is certain to give victory to Romney – does that mean that I can stop believing in the power of kabbalistic prayers if Obama wins? Surely they are setting up a case which is testable, and falsifiable. Let’s see whether kaballah works or not.
This seems to me to be similar to a recent study done in London to see whether mediums (media?) could really know something about people under proper scientific test conditions. Of course, they failed the test. Which won’t stop people believing in mediums and other superstitions. But does seem strong evidence against their efficacy.
An Aspiring Mekubal is proving the validity of the kabbalah by showing an unbroken tradition of kabbalah. He claims that Rambam is the only person in history who doubted the truth of kabbalah. Furthermore, he has somehow managed to turn things upside down, and claims that it is the anti-kabbalists who are unable to show any kind of mesorah. It seems to me to be a rather unique approach.
Personally, I am happy to believe in the authenticity of the kabbalah, but I am certainly skeptical of many of the things that are done and/or said in the name of kabbalah. The outcome of the US Presidential elections won’t disprove the mesorah of kabbalah, but will show (again) that there are many unscrupulous people out there (or perhaps we can judge them favourably and say that they are just very misguided in their Torah learning).