Madonna irritates new religion

There’s a sense of déjà-vu about Madonna’s latest controversy – if you can call it that. Years ago, she was upbraided for cheapening Christian symbols. Since then, Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie have converted to the Kabbalah strain of Judaism. So she has recorded a song on her upcoming album dedicated to Yitzhak Luria, a 16th century Kabbalah scholar. This has brought the indignation of the custodian of his resting place, as it is forbidden to use the name of a rabbi for profit. It will be interesting to see how a wild card like Madonna – who used to thrive on scandal – will react to the upbraiding.