Madonna insults a new religion..

[RonJonSurfer]

Some Rabbis Criticize New Madonna Song

A song on Madonna's upcoming album dedicated to a Kabbalist rabbi is drawing criticism from other rabbis, the Israeli Maariv daily reported Sunday.

The album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor," is to be released on Nov. 15 and features a track entitled "Isaac" about Yitzhak Luria, a 16th century Jewish mystic and Kabbalah scholar.

Rabbis who oversee Luria's tomb and a seminary in the northern town of Safed are unimpressed with Madonna's musical tribute and see the inclusion of the song about Luria on the album as an attempt by the pop star to profit from his name.

Rabbi Rafael Cohen, head of a seminary named after Luria, suggested Madonna's actions could lead to divine retribution.

"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)."

Madonna spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment Sunday.

The singer and actress was raised a Roman Catholic but has become a follower of Kabbalah in recent years and adopted the Hebrew name Esther. She made a much publicized visit to Israel in 2004, when she visited many sites important to Kabbalah, but didn't travel to Luria's grave.

[_jr_]

Madonna certainly knows how to generate publicity. When all else fails, play the religion card. (Remember the 'Like A Prayer' video/Pepsi commercial thing?)

[Uncle Joe]

Oy vey!

[Kevin]

I think it's because we now live in an age where talent and worthiness of acclaim is secondary to the package promoted by PR people -- and we suck it up as quality . Without intending to , the forces behind phenomenoa such as Elvis and The Beatles 'conditioned' the masses and future generations to act with hysteria and misplaced adoration for things that are quite mediocre or mundane. We want to bestow the same veneration on anything new and slightly intersesting , whether deserving or not --and this debate causes further confusion.

I think the majority in this new age want to bestow the awe and wonder on Pop culture figures that belonged to religious or historical figures in the past . Therefore , quite deservingly , we are disillusioned as modern realities rarely can live up to myth and ideals .