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Madonna Pisses Off Rabbis
Madonna is making waves among the Jewish rabbinical set with a song called Isaac on her upcoming album, Confessions on a Dancefloor. The song is about 16th century Jewish mystic and Kabbalah scholar Yitzhak Luria, who some believe(d) secretly to be the Messiah.
A little on Luria from Wikipedia:
About the age of twenty-two years old, he became engrossed in the study of the Zohar, a second-century work of Kabbalah which had recently been printed for the first time, and adopted the life of a recluse. He retreated to the banks of the Nile, and for seven years secluded himself in an isolated cottage, giving himself up entirely to meditation. He visited his family only on the Shabbat, speaking very seldom, and always in Hebrew. Such a mode of life could not fail to produce its effect on a man endowed by nature with a lively imagination. Luria became a visionary. Through this ascetic life he was able to have frequent interviews with the prophet Elijah, by whom he was initiated into sublime doctrines. He asserted that while asleep his soul ascended to heaven and conversed with the great teachers of the past.
Several Jewish rabbis are less than amused by Madonna’s use of Luria’s name on her album:
“Jewish law forbids the use of the name of the holy rabbi for profit. Her act is just simply unacceptable and I can only sympathize for her because of the punishment that she is going to receive from the heavens,” Cohen told the newspaper.
Another rabbi called for Madonna to be thrown out of the community.
“Such a woman brings great sin on kabbalah,” Rabbi Israel Deri told Maariv. “I hope that we will have the strength to prevent her from bringing sin upon the holiness of the rabbi (Yitzhak Luria).”
What do you think? Is Madonna merely continuing a long tradition of Western cultural imperialism, pillaging authentic culture for profit? Or do these rabbis simply have their panties on too tight? Certainly with a stage name like Madonna (although her official Jewish name is Esther), she’s probably accustomed to accusations like these. But does that necessarily make it okay?
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October 10th, 2005 at 11:45 am
Yah! Cultural imperialism!
Look. I’ve maintained for a long time: We take the wealth left to us by the past, and use it in ways that suit our current needs and requirements. The founding fathers are quoted out of context all the time. The Bible. Aleister Crowley. you name it, someone is using it as it was not intended. That’s the risk of putting things out in the world: Someone’s going to twist it to their own needs. And their needs are not yours.
Madonna Ester is just continuing this trend. If she wants to remain part of the community, she should either abide by its rules, or change the rules. If she doesn’t care, then she can do what she likes.
History has proved she doesn’t care.
Personally, I won’t buy her album anyway, so she’ll get no profit from me.
Just my part to help her soul avoid the wrath of the heavens.
October 10th, 2005 at 11:52 am
Followers of the secret doctrine have reason to believe that Madonna’s recent tumble from a horse was intended as a warning to one who should have eyes to see not to use the name of the holy rabbi for profit.
October 10th, 2005 at 12:47 pm
The fact that there’s room in the spiritual marketplace for both scientology & celebrity kaballah only confirms for me that I need to start a religion too and target it at that same pool of idiots.
WHo knows, maybe i can make a name for myself by resolving the hilary duff/lindsay lohan fued.
October 10th, 2005 at 4:21 pm
madonna has a history of running icons a little too hot for the comfort of some. all the power to her for it. i didn`t know that rabbis wore panties actually, i thought that was the sole domain of catholic priests and the odd judge.
madonna is an artist first. it is the field of art that synthesises and presents new perspectives. without art we would be blind and half dumb too.
it sounds like sour grapes from the rabbi`s standpoint that they haven`t got a tune in them to properly tell thier story. i have always been wary of artlessness. it is a form of sociopathology, in my opinion.
October 11th, 2005 at 7:25 am
yeah, but what if there are some things that are just sacred? that’s the great modern allure of religions like Judaeism and Islam, I think. there are still some things which are sacred, untouchable, and ineffable. it’s that sort of reverance thing that gives a religion true mystic power, isn’t it?
it’s that kind of sensitivity which seems to make a person truly religious.
October 11th, 2005 at 10:08 pm
sacred is sacred. that`s what makes madonna`s art so provocative. great legs too. the truly sacred religions are the occult ones. the ones that idiots can`t find. and just because madonna rattles a few old kikes doesn`t take away from the sacred. if the sacred was that fragile we wouldn`t have much sacred left. like a virgin….doo doo doo,doodoo.