JEWISH MYSTICISM FASCINATES ALL FAITHS.(RELIGION)

Byline: HOLLIS L. ENGLEY Gannett News Service

Madonna is studying the Kabbala.

So are Rod Steiger, Elizabeth Taylor, Sandra Bernhard, Barbra Streisand.

So are thousands of lesser-known people who read what they can find of the 13th-century Jewish mystical writings which, among many other things, propose both male and female identities for God. Enthusiasts debate the Kabbala's meaning on the Internet, in their own minds and in study groups from California to Jerusalem.

``The whole idea of cause and effect, and for every action there's reaction,'' Madonna told MTV recently, explaining the Kabbala's appeal to this rock star who was raised a …