International superstar, Madonna is apparently observing Tisha B’Av, the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, on which a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both the First Temple by the Babylonians and the Second Temple by the Romans in Jerusalem. Earlier today Madonna wrote to her over 10 million followers, “9th of Av. This is a Day to stay inside. lay low. Keep Quiet”.
While Madonna is not Jewish, she has been dedicated to Kabbalah since 1997.
Rabbi Berg with his Kabbalah student Madonna (Photo: Peter Halmagyi)
In 2004 she adopted the Jewish name Esther. She has reportedly donated millions of dollars to New York and London schools teaching Kabbalah. The influence of the Kabbalah was subsequently observed in Madonna’s music. Madonna and her dancers wore Kabbalah T-shirts during her world tour concert.
She recently told, The Independent: “I don’t affiliate myself with any specific religious group. I connect to different ritualistic aspects of different belief systems, and I see the connecting thread between all religious beliefs. I have not converted to Judaism. I’ve studied Kabbalah, as you know, for many years, so there are a lot of things I do that one would associate with practicing Judaism. I hear the Torah every Saturday. I observe Shabbat. I say certain prayers. My son was bar mitzvahed. So this appears like I’m Jewish, but these rituals are connected to what I describe as the Tree of Life consciousness and have more to do with the idea of being an Israelite, not Jewish.”
Madonna, who often wishes her followers a Shabbat Shalom also posted a picture of the inside of this synagogue on July 21, with the caption, “Know in front of whom you stand. Shabbat shalom!”
In 2015 Madonna was rumored to be in negotiations to buy a $20 million penthouse under construction on Tel Aviv’s trendy Rothschild Boulevard, according to Hollywood celebrity gossip website TMZ. Madonna is known to visit Israel regularly to make pilgrimages on behalf of the Kabbalah Center.