Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

NBA superstar reportedly pays kabbalist Rabbi Yishayahu Yosef Pinto a six-figure to attend a business meeting.

Who would believe it? For the past 20 years we have seen Rabbi Shmuel Boteach cozy up with the Hollywood celebrities, along with the rabbis of the Kabbalah Institute in LA. Just this past week, on prime time television we see another Kabbalah-esque rabbi signing a million dollar contract with basketball superstar, LeBron James. Who is this lucky rabbi? He is none other than Rabbi Yishayahu Yosef Pinto … a man known around New York as the “Rabbi to the Business Stars.”

Adding to his mystique is the fact that Pinto is considered to be a “spiritual guide” to  all sorts of business moguls. Well, if I were LeBron, I would sooner consult the Iching or the Tarot, which would certainly cost him considerably less! Most of these celebrity rabbis, in my opinion, exploit the gullible world of superstars who are too dazzled by the light of their newly acquired stardom. Rabbis are not rock stars; nor are the Kabbalists who cater to the vanity and insecurities of their clients.

Theologian Paul Tillich defined religion as “man’s ultimate concern.” Americans are a strange but religious people who love inscribing God’s Name  even on their money! (On a comical note, “In God we trust” — all others pay cash !) On a more serious note, we need to ask ourselves, “In what kind of God are we placing our trust in? Is it the God Who created the universe and humankind, or is it the God of mammon? No hokey Kabbalistic raz-mitva-taz will prevent an objective observer from seeing what this contract with LeBron really is: the banalization of Kabbalah, and I would add–this is the kind of consumerist mentality one would expect to find in the religion of McMysticism. Beyond that, the exploitation of religion itself really fits the classical definition of idolatry–”the adoration of images,” which derives from  two Greek words, eidolon, “image,” and latreia, “adoration.” Hence, idolatry means “adoration of images.” We might just as easily add, ” the adoration of celebrities too.”

A good friend of mine wrote a parody based on Marilyn Monroe’s famous song, “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend,” entitled: “Money is a Kabbalist’s Best Friend”

Litvaks would gladly die for Torah.
But in my opinion, they delight in acting like fools.
But I prefer Hollywood celebrities, who give me
lots of money, and lavish me with their gold and jewels.
A kiss on a the hand
may seem quite sentimental,
But money is a Kabbalist’s best friend.

OOYY!!