Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar spoke out against the phenomenon of self-proclaimed "kabbalists" and "righteous figures" gaining influence among the public.
"We often refrain from condemnation, because today there is no truth - if I speak about someone, he presents himself as a persecuted saint. But when it reaches a situation in which G-d's Name is desecrated, we respond forcefully," Rabbi Amar explained.
He warned, "We must be careful, because people are not careful. There are all kinds of appearances - one comes across as knowledgeable, another as humble and lowly, one who hasn't read two lines of Gemara. And even if he has read and remembers - is that what makes a great man? People are mistaken and mislead others, and they do not want to learn the truth."
"One is called ‘holy’ and another ‘kabbalist’; we must distance ourselves from all of them, not look at them and not come within four cubits, like idolatry - the further away you move, the better," he concluded.