Each of us has experienced the joys and struggles of life. Obi Wan Kenobi’s life has been just like all of ours. He is a great leader and has lived his life with struggle and battle, overcoming some and losing others. Obi Wan Kenobi, too, has much to share with others. But looks can be deceiving: he is the Jedi Master par excellence. At first glance, Yoda doesn’t seems like much to behold: he is small, wrinkled, shriveled. Third, Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi represent wise, revered elders, who have much to teach those who are leading the way. And just like in Star Wars, we are taught that the honor of one’s “fellow is as precious to us as our own.” (Pirke Avot 2:10) The power of friendships and the power of community can be uplifting indeed. We cannot celebrate the passage of time or the cycle of life alone. As a people, we believe that it is important to live in community, surrounded by others. People are meant to live in relationships: with partners, with friends, with community.Īs a Jewish community, this notion is reinforced by the fact that we need a minyan – a quorum of 10 people – in order to recite certain prayers. I will make a fitting help-mate for him.” God then creates Eve. In the beginning of the Torah, as part of the creation story, God says: “It is not good for man to be alone. Our Jewish tradition teaches us ( Avot d’Rabbi Natan 8) that we should “Acquire for yourself a friend.” What is the meaning of this text? The commentators say that this text teaches us that we should acquire a friend with whom to eat and drink, read and study, sleep and share secrets of Torah and personal secrets. So much so, that he assisted Joseph in reuniting with his family and gave Joseph’s family excellent land on which to live when they came to Egypt. He greatly valued all of Joseph’s special gifts and acknowledged Joseph’s talent, wisdom and abilities. In our Joseph story, Pharaoh was a true friend to Joseph. When faced with challenges or obstacles, friends are there to help you overcome those obstacles or to save you if you need help. This is a celebration of diversity at its best – an acknowledgement that “all life forms matter.” We see in these stories how true friends value each other’s special gifts, and remain loyal when adversity strikes. Next, In all the Star Wars movies, we see deep and significant friendships developing between Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, R2D2, C3P0, Chewbacca, Wookie and so many other creatures of all shapes, sizes, levels of hairiness and colors. Just as the Force is what gives a Jedi his/her powers, God is what gives meaning to our very existence. We too, can find strength and sustenance with God’s presence in our lives. With God by his side, Joseph and his family are able to reconcile and move forward as a united family. In this week’s Torah portion, God has inspired Joseph and enabled him to forgive his brothers for selling him into slavery so long ago. Yet, Joseph’s power doesn’t come from Pharaoh – it comes from his connection with the Divine, his belief and his faith in God. The only one who is more powerful than him is Pharaoh. In our Torah portion this week, Vayigash, (from the book of Genesis) we see the ultimate Jewish Jedi: Joseph. The Force surrounds us and penetrates us, he explains. So I thought that this evening would be a good time to spend a few moments sharing some thoughts about “Star Wars –The Jewish View.” The movies have much to teach us and share common themes with our ancient Jewish texts.įirst, Obi Wan Kenobi – the legendary Jedi master, explains that the Force is what gives Jedis their powers. They can describe in great detail all of the intricacies involving the characters and the plot-lines, they love making up their own Star Wars stories and they’re excited to see the new movie. My young six-year old nephews, and so many other young children love everything about Star Wars: collecting Star Wars Lego sets, books and paraphernalia. Yet, the Star Wars phenomenon and appeal have never gone away, even after all these years. The first Star Wars movies came out when I was in university – over 30 years ago.
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