The Kabbalist (6)
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. 1937-1938.
HITLER'S PARADES.
MESSERSCHMITT FACTORIES WORKING DAY AND NIGHT.
HITLER AND HIS OFFICERS DISCUSS THE CONQUEST OF EUROPE. THE INVASION OF AUSTRIA, OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC.
POGROMS [69] AGAINST JEWS.
CONSTRUCTION OF CONCENTRATION CAMPS.
USSR, STALIN'S ETHNIC CLEANSING.
SHOWCASE TRIALS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE.
FIRING SQUADS EXECUTING THE MILITARY’S TOP BRASS.
DEMONSTRATIONS OF WORKERS DEMANDING DEATH TO TRAITORS.
***
MOSCOW. KREMLIN.
RAV ASHLAG IS WALKING A LENGTHY KREMLIN CORRIDOR LINED WITH RED CARPET AND DOTTED WITH GUARDS.
HE PASSES ALL OF THEM UNINTERRUPTED.
BUREAUCRATS CARRYING PILES OF DOCUMENTS ARE GOING PAST HIM WITHOUT NOTICING HIM.
RAV ASHLAG OPENS A DOOR AND ENTERS STALIN'S OFFICE.
STALIN RAISES HIS EYES FROM HIS BOOK.
Stalin (without a hint of surprise): Ashlag? I received your letter. Please have a seat.
RAV ASHLAG SITS DOWN.
- So, you are writing here… (Stalin scans the page and points his finger to a line) here it is: "Russia has sinned gravely and the Creator won't forgive it." (He raises his eyes to Rav Ashlag) You also write that we have taken the spiritual laws of equality, love, and brotherhood, torn them away from some spiritual root, and conspired to implement them on the earth, and that we did it not for the sake of some Creator, but for our own sake.
STALIN GIVES RAV ASHLAG A STARE THAT WOULD HAVE RENDERED MOST OF HIS MINISTERS UNCONSCIOUS.
RAV ASHLAG REMAINS CALM.
- You are writing that we will suffer – says Stalin. – Is this true?
Rav Ashlag (calmly): Yes.
Stalin: You write well, but you are wrong. We think that we can correct our people, a little bit at a time, and come to communism on our own, without your Creator. (He doesn’t let Rav Ashlag object) We will mend them, you will see! I understand that Man is a lying, corrupt, and jealous egoist, as you call him. My best people exemplify it.
STALIN STANDS UP AND STARTS TO PACE ABOUT THE ROOM.
- I remember when they were common workers and peasants; they wanted justice.
STALIN PACKS HIS SMOKING PIPE WITH TOBACCO AND LIGHTS IT.
- As soon as they came to power they started stealing. They want nothing to do with the collective farms. Every nobody wants to be a big shot, and their women want to dress like Parisians. (He fumes, his face turns red) They don't give a damn about all your brotherhood and equality. If it were up to them, the rest of the people could starve to death tomorrow.
SUDDENLY HE STOPS OPPOSITE RAV ASHLAG.
- You know what? Let's take a walk.
THEY GO OUT TO THE KREMLIN YARD.
Stalin: Perhaps it’s true that man is a born egoist, as you are saying, but we will make an altruist out of him, redesign him. Just wait and see, Ashlag, how enlightened our happy communist future is going to be.
THE GATES OPEN BEFORE THEM AND THEY LEAVE THE KREMLIN AND WALK ACROSS THE RED SQUARE TOGETHER.
SECURITY GUARDS ESCORT THEM SILENTLY.
UNEXPECTEDLY, STALIN PATS RAV ASHLAG ON THE BACK.
- Don’t worry, we will correct those who don't want to live in equality.
Rav Ashlag: You won’t be able to correct them.
Stalin: Why not?
Rav Ashlag: First, you have to correct yourselves.
Stalin (with a smirk): And what’s wrong with me?! Tell me, don't be afraid!
Rav Ashlag: You don’t realize that you are evil.
STALIN STOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RED SQUARE.
RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING OPPOSITE HIM.
Stalin: I am evil?
Rav Ashlag: Yes.
Stalin: Evil?!
Rav Ashlag: There is an ideal, Stalin, and you don’t recognize it.
Stalin: And you do?
Rav Ashlag: I do.
Stalin: So, what is this ideal then, in your opinion?
Rav Ashlag: The law of absolute and infinite love.
Stalin: That’s your ideal?
Rav Ashlag: When you have attained absolute love, you will have attained the Creator. He is that law.
Stalin: Is that so? And I thought He was a bearded grandfather type who spits at us from above.
Rav Ashlag (without answering him): Only then, Stalin, will you be able to bring the world to correction. Only after you make this your ideal, only when He becomes your goal.
Stalin: But you have to wait a long time before arriving at such an ideal, don’t you?
Rav Ashlag: You simply have to want it.
STALIN STUDIES RAV ASHLAG FROM HEAD TO TOE.
- You are an interesting man, he says all of a sudden. – You know that I won’t listen to you, and yet you are telling me all this. What do you expect? Are you naïve or just an idiot? Do you really think that we would sit and wait for that animal called Man to aspire to absolute love? No, we can’t wait, we’ll correct him ourselves, differently, using persuasion, force, and fear.
STALIN TURNS AROUND AND SLOWLY, WITH HIS ARMS FOLDED BEHIND HIS BACK, STARTS TOWARDS THE MAUSOLEUM.
RAV ASHLAG FOLLOWS HIM.
Stalin: You shouldn’t underestimate fear. It’s a potent weapon in the war against egoism.
Rav Ashlag: This is another grave mistake of yours, Stalin. You cannot correct error through terror.
STALIN SHOOTS A SHARP GLANCE AT RAV ASHLAG FROM THE CORNER OF HIS EYE.
Rav Ashlag: You can't coerce people into adopting the law of love; you simply can't. It will result in dreadful bloodshed. A lot of blood has already been spilled everywhere. Just look at who you are killing - your best and brightest generals, scientists. It defies common sense, and this is on the eve of the worst war in human history.
Stalin (sullenly): They are traitors.
Rav Ashlag: They threaten you, nothing more. Your ego cries out: “Don't let them get away alive!” They are robbing you of your glory!
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE.
FREIGHT TRAINS CARRYING PRISONERS ROLLING BY.
PUBLIC EXECUTIONS OF ”ENEMIES OF THE STATE.”
EXHAUSTED WORKERS CUTTING WOOD IN THE FROZEN FORESTS OF SIBERIA.
PRISONERS BURYING THEIR FRIENDS IN PERMAFROST.
***
RED SQUARE.
Rav Ashlag: Try to imagine that you are as one body, that you are brothers, and that in killing them you are slowly killing yourself. What would happen then?
Stalin (stops short): Enough! You can stop now, I've understood everything. I’m a practical realist, and you are an idealist and an obscure person. Let me tell it to you straight: You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs. I agree, a lot of innocent blood will be spilled, but a new generation will rise…
Rav Ashlag: Of empty people that believe in nothing, people that will grow up on destruction, blood, and injustice.
STALIN IS SILENT.
HIS SECURITY MEN FEEL HIS TENSION AND BEGIN TO MOVE IN.
STALIN WAVES THEM OFF WITH A SLIGHT MOVEMENT OF HIS FINGER.
Stalin (harshly): I listened to you, now you listen to me. And listen well . (He looks into Rav Ashlag's eyes unblinkingly) We don't believe in any laws of some God. Your God is just a Jewish invention. Where is He? I’ve never seen Him. (Stalin sneers) And even if He does exist, your God is bringing us closer to Him by force, isn't He? Your absolute love, just look at the kind of world it has created for us – a world of endless suffering. How much blood has already been spilled, how much more is yet to be spilled? Answer me! It's an interesting question, isn't it?
RAV ASHLAG TRIES TO ANSWER, BUT STALIN STOPS HIM ABRUPTLY.
Stalin: Silence! Don't answer. You've said enough and I understood everything.
HE TURNS AND HEADS BACK TO THE KREMLIN.
RAV ASHLAG FOLLOWS HIM.
THE GUARDS STEP ASIDE TO LET THEM IN.
THEY STOP AT THE ENTRANCE TO STALIN’S OFFICE.
Stalin: So, you can't correct people with force?
Rav Ashlag: It is a terrible mistake to even try.
Stalin: It’s an upper law you say?
Rav Ashlag: Only He can do it.
Stalin (sighs): We will try our method anyway. (He smiles directly at Rav Ashlag's face) I don't believe a word of what you said. Any other day, I would’ve ordered you shot as an instigator. But for now, you may live.
HE EXTENDS A HAND TO RAV ASHLAG.
Stalin: Farewell, Ashlag.
Rav Ashlag: You will spill a lot of blood. (He is looking into Stalin’s eyes, but seems to be talking to himself) How much more blood must be spilled for people to listen?
RAV ASHLAG TURNS AROUND AND WALKS BACK TOWARD THE EXIT FROM THE KREMLIN.
STALIN FOLLOWS HIM WITH HIS EYES.
HE SUMMONS THE CAPTAIN OF THE GUARDS WITH A QUICK GESTURE.
- Vladimir, take him to the exit, – Stalin says to his bodyguard and disappears behind the door.
RAV ASHLAG TURNS THE CORNER.
HE IS CROSSING THE KREMLIN COURTYARD.
CAPTAIN VLADIMIR RUNS TO THE TELEPHONE.
- Hello, Sergei! – he shouts.
THE GUARD AT THE KREMLIN ENTRANCE PICKS UP THE PHONE AND REPORTS:
- Right away, Comrade General!
HE GETS IN POSITION AND OPENS THE GUN HOLSTER IN ANTICIPATION OF RAV ASHLAG.
BUT RAV ASHLAG DOESN'T COME OUT.
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE OF 1939.
THE NAZIS INVADE POLAND.
THE WARSAW GHETTO IS FORMED.
JEWS BEARING THE YELLOW STAR OF DAVID WALK THE STREETS WITH A SENSE OF GLOOM AND FATAL RESIGNATION.
A TROOP OF NAZIS IS LEADING A GROUP OF OLD JEWS.
THEY CAN HARDLY WALK, AND EVERY TIME THEY STOP, SOLDIERS GOAD THEM WITH THE BUTTS OF THEIR RIFLES.
AMONG THE JEWS ARE RABBI FELDMAN, RABBI ZILBER, RABBI EPSTEIN, SHMUEL THE TEACHER, AND THE REDHEADED COACHMAN.
THEY ARE SHUFFLING, EXHAUSTED AND DEPRESSED, DEEP IN THOUGHT.
RABBI ZILBER COLLAPSES. THE REST OF THEM TRY TO LIFT HIM, BUT HE CAN'T WALK ANYMORE. TWO SOLDIERS DRAG HIM AROUND THE CORNER. THE SOUND OF GUNSHOTS.
SOLOMON'S BOOKSTORE IS BURNING.
SOLOMON HIMSELF, OLD AND DISHEVELED, IS STANDING NEARBY, PRESSING TO HIS CHEST THE ONLY BOOK HE MANAGED TO SALVAGE – THE BOOK OF ZOHAR.
THE NAZI TROOP GATHERS HIM INTO THE GROUP OF JEWS THEY ARE LEADING.
RABBI FELDMAN NOTICES THE BOOK IN SOLOMON'S HANDS.
Solomon (whispers excitedly): This book contains comments by Rav Yehuda Ashlag himself. (He opens it) Here, you see? It's his handwriting. He was only seven then.
RABBI FELDMAN NODS HIS HEAD IN TORMENT.
Solomon: What a great man! Oh, how great he is, Yehuda. No one has ever attained his greatness.
The coachman (walking behind Rabbi Feldman): My Moshe saw it clearly. Right away he recognized that a great sage had visited our house. (To Rabbi Feldman) He gave my son a book, just like this one, and he managed to read it before he passed away. Rav Ashlag extended his short life. (With tears in his eyes) He asked me to come with him. But how could I leave my Moshe behind? His grave is right here, and I thought I would lie right next to him when the time came. (To Rabbi Feldman) Tell me, honorable Rabbi, do you think they will let me see my son’s grave?
A MAN IS THROWN OUT OF A NEARBY HOUSE.
HE ROLLS ON THE GROUND AND IMMEDIATELY STANDS UP AND YELLS:
- I'm not a Jew!
THE OFFICER LAUGHS AND WHIPS HIM ACROSS THE FACE WITH HIS CLUB.
BLOOD IS RUNNING DOWN THE MAN’S CHEEK. IT'S YAN.
- Tell them! Why don’t you tell them who I am! – he is screaming to his comrades and to the cute-looking Polish woman he once rescued who is standing among them.
EVERYONE IS SILENT.
Yan: You can't let them take me away. They are sending us to certain death. Wanda?!
THE GIRL LOOKS DOWN.
One of his friends: You are not Yan, you are Yankel. You are a Jew, not Polish, and there’s nothing we can do about it.
TWO GERMANS PICK UP YAN AND THROW HIM INTO THE CROWD OF ELDERLY JEWS, ALONG WITH THE RABBIS, SOLOMON, THE COACHMAN, AND THE TEACHER.
THEY ARE ALL MISERABLE AND SILENT.
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE OF THE WARSAW GHETTO.
MORE CONCENTRATION CAMPS ARE BEING BUILT.
TRAINS PACKED WITH PRISONERS ARE RUNNING NONSTOP.
NONE OF THEM KNOWS WHAT LIES AHEAD. SOME ARE STILL SMILING.
SCENES OF BURNING AND PILLAGING OF JEWISH TOWNS.
NAZIS CELEBRATING NEW YEAR’S EVE OF 1940 IN WARSAW.
***
JAFFA. OUTSIDE RAV ASHLAG'S HOME.
RAV ASHLAG TRUDGES TOWARD HIS HOUSE.
A FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD BOY IS WAITING FOR HIM AT THE DOOR.
The boy: Are you Rav Ashlag?
Rav Ashlag: Yes.
The boy: My name is Zyama. Rav Baruch sent me. He ordered me to find you and tell you everything.
RAV ASHLAG LEANS DOWN TO LOOK AT THE BOY.
Rav Ashlag: Is he dead?
Zyama: No.
Rav Ashlag (sighs with relief): Come inside, Zyama.
***
POLAND. JEWISH VILLAGE.
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE OF A POGROM.
BURNING HOUSES.
FASCIST RIOTERS DRAG A YOUNG WOMAN BY THE HAIR INTO THE STREET. ANOTHER GROUP IS SHOOTING A CROWD OF JEWS IN A YARD.
PEOPLE ARE RUNNING THROUGH THE STREET IN PANIC.
GERMANS, ROARING WITH LAUGHTER, ARE CHASING THEM DOWN ON MOTORCYCLES.
Zyama’s voice: We knew that only old Baruch could save us.
A GROUP OF JEWS – ELDERLY, YOUNG, AND WOMEN WITH CHILDREN – IS RUNNING TOWARD BARUCH'S HOUSE. OLD BARUCH, HIS BUSHY HAIR COMPLETELY WHITE BY NOW, IS STANDING ON THE DOORSTEP.
Voices: Save us, Baruch! They are burning down our houses!
Baruch (harshly): Stop howling! Get inside, all of you!
THE SMALL CROWD IS PUSHING AND SHOVING IN AN EFFORT TO ENTER BARUCH’S HOUSE.
BARUCH REMAINS BY THE DOOR. HE IS LOOKING INTO THE SKIES AT A CLUSTER OF FAST – APPROACHING CLOUDS.
HE CAN SEE A GHOSTLY IMAGE OF GERMAN SOLDIERS, THEIR SLEEVES ROLLED UP, WALKING THROUGH THE BURNING FIELDS, DRIVING THEIR MOTORCYCLES.
BARUCH OPENS HIS MOUTH IN A WIDE GRIMACE, FULL OF ROTTEN TEETH, AND SHAKES HIS FIST AT THE SKY.
Baruch: And still, I love You!
HE SLAMS THE DOOR SHUT.
THE FRIGHTENED JEWS HUDDLE TOGETHER, BARELY FITTING INSIDE BARUCH’S SMALL HOUSE.
THEY ALL LOOK AT BARUCH WITH HOPE.
WOMEN ARE HOLDING THEIR BABIES TIGHTLY TO THEIR CHESTS.
EVERYONE IS SILENT.
NO ONE IS CRYING.
Baruch: So, cursing the Creator, aren't you?! Silence! I have talked to Him just now. Everything is going to be fine.
***
JAFFA. RAV ASHLAG'S HOUSE.
RAV ASHLAG AND RIVKA ARE LISTENING ATTENTIVELY TO ZYAMA.
Zyama: We were all sitting very quietly. Everyone knew that he was talking to the Creator. And if the Creator had promised something, then... (looks at Rivka and Rav Ashlag back and forth and says shyly) Do you have a little something to eat?
RIVKA IS RUMMAGING IN HER POCKETS AND TAKES OUT A PIECE OF DRY BREAD.
Rivka (to Rav Ashlag): I was saving it for Rachel, but I forgot to give it to her.
ZYAMA BITES EAGERLY INTO THE DRY BREAD.
Zyama: I came to you as soon as I could. First I went to Jerusalem, and they told me there that you were in Jaffa. They didn't give us any food on the ship. And speaking of the journey, you wouldn’t believe all the miracles that happened to me.
Where was I? Oh, yes, suddenly I see that Baruch is looking straight at me. He walked up to me and told me in a low voice, so that no one could hear…
***
POLAND. JEWISH VILLAGE.
BARUCH'S HOUSE.
Baruch: You are going to Jerusalem.
Zyama (frightened): Which Jerusalem?!
Baruch: The capital of the world.
Zyama: To the Land of Israel?! How will I get there?
Baruch (whispering quickly): You will get to Jerusalem. The road will be smooth. You will find Rav Ashlag and tell him everything.
Zyama: But I can't, I have a mother and sisters here.
Baruch: Silence! I told you to go and that’s that. I will take care of your mother and sisters.
WE CAN HEAR MOTORCYCLES STOPPING OUTSIDE THE HOUSE.
THE NAZIS ARE DRUNK.
THEY LOOK INSIDE THE HOUSE THROUGH THE CRACKS BETWEEN THE BOARDS.
THEY SEE THE GROUP OF JEWS CROWDED THERE.
THEY LAUGH AND TRY TO BREAK DOWN THE DOOR.
***
INSIDE BARUCH'S HOUSE.
Baruch (to Zyama): If you only knew, you little Jew, with whom you are going to meet! (Suddenly he squints, his eyes are full of tears) Don't look at me! Don't tell him! No, tell him, tell him Baruch was crying with happiness!
WE CAN HEAR THE GERMANS TALKING OUTSIDE.
THROUGH THE CRACKS, WE CAN SEE THEM RUNNING TOWARD THE HOUSE HOLDING JUGS OF GASOLINE.
***
JAFFA. RAV ASHLAG'S HOUSE.
Zyama: He said to me – I was repeating these words all the time to memorize them – He said…
***
JEWISH VILLAGE. BARUCH'S HOUSE.
PEOPLE ARE HOWLING WITH FEAR.
THE NAZIS ARE DOUSING THE HOUSE WITH GASOLINE.
Baruch (oblivious to the situation, whispers to Zyama): Tell him, the High Priest [70], the greatest of the great, that I, Baruch – a funny bird, a drunkard and a zero – ask for his forgiveness on everything. I leave in happiness for I had the privilege of connecting to a great soul, whom the Creator loves so much. And furthermore, tell him that nothing should stop him. The Book of Zohar must reach all those miserable people.
***
JAFFA. RAV ASHLAG'S HOUSE.
EVERYONE IS SILENT.
RIVKA IS CRYING SOFTLY.
Zyama: And then there was a miracle. Baruch pushed me up through the chimney onto the roof. I managed to hide in the bushes and I saw everything.
JEWISH VILLAGE.
BARUCH'S HOUSE IS BURNING.
Zyama’s voice: They set the house on fire. Oh, how it burned!
***
JAFFA.
Zyama (suddenly in a low voice): And no one inside was screaming.
RAV ASHLAG SITS UP IN HIS CHAIR.
***
JEWISH VILLAGE. THE HOUSE IS ABLAZE.
THE NAZIS SURROUND IT NERVOUSLY.
WE CAN HEAR THEM SPEAKING IN GERMAN:
- Are they in there?
- Well, you saw them with your own eyes!
- Why aren't they squealing?!
- To hell with them!
- I don't like this one bit!
Zyama’s voice: Neither the women, nor the children, nobody was screaming. The house burned to the ground.
ZYAMA’S FACE, LOOKING THROUGH THE BUSHES, HIS EYES REFLECTING THE GLOW OF THE FLAMES.
Zyama’s voice: I saw how those Nazis looked at the house.
***
JAFFA. RAV ASHLAG'S HOUSE.
Zyama (in triumph): They shit their pants!
***
JEWISH VILLAGE. BARUCH'S HOUSE IS ENGULFED IN FLAMES.
A WALL COLLAPSES, THEN ANOTHER ONE, FINALLY THE ROOF CAVES IN.
Zyama’s voice: I wanted so much to run away, I could barely stand the fear. But I stayed. My mother and five sisters were in there.
BARUCH’S HOUSE IS GONE.
Zyama’s voice: When the fire died out, I saw the Nazis rummaging through the ashes.
***
JAFFA. RAV ASHLAG'S HOUSE.
THE EYES OF ZYAMA.
THE EYES OF RAV ASHLAG.
Zyama (whispering): There was no one there, I swear. When they were gone, I checked it myself. The Nazis left everything and ran away from that house. (In a barely audible voice) But there was something else. (Turns silent)
Rav Ashlag: What? What did you see?
Zyama (sighing): I saw Rav Baruch and all our Jews, and my mother, and my little sisters. I saw all of them.
Rav Ashlag: Where?
Zyama (triumphantly): I swear, I could see… a flock of white birds rising up above the forest. They were flying here, to the Land of Israel, to the south.
RAV ASHLAG'S EYES WIDEN WITH SURPRISE.
Zyama’s voice: Why do you seem so surprised? Everyone knew old Baruch is a Kabbalist and that he could perform miracles. He saved them.
RAV ASHLAG STANDS UP AND STARTS WALKING ALONG THE WALL.
Rivka’s voice: Do you have a place to stay, Zyama?
Zyama: When my mother and sisters come, we will rent a place.
Rivka: Until then, stay with us.
Zyama: Thank you.
RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING BY THE WALL LOOKING AT RIVKA AND ZYAMA.
Rivka (raising her eyes at him):
Let him stay with us. We managed to feed nine souls, we will manage with ten. Why are you looking at me like this?
Rav Ashlag: We are going back to Jerusalem. I have to be there. Thank you, my beloved wife.
***
JERUSALEM, 1940.
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE.
BEN-GURION IS CARRIED ON THE ARMS OF SUPPORTERS AT A DEMONSTRATION IN TEL AVIV. JABOTINSKY SHAKES A FIST AT A GATHERING IN NEW YORK.
***
MORE FOOTAGE.
THE WARSAW GHETTO. CORPSES ARE BEING TOSSED INTO A MASS GRAVE.
***
TEL AVIV.
A FEW PAGES FROM THE LABOR PARTY NEWSPAPER, THEN PAGES FROM THE REVISIONIST PARTY NEWSPAPER.
THE DISPUTE BETWEEN THE PARTIES SPILLS ONTO THE STREETS. DEMONSTRATORS FIGHT IN THE STREETS OF TEL AVIV.
***
FOOTAGE FROM THE WARSAW GHETTO.
A TERRIBLE FAMINE, EMACIATED FACES OF CHILDREN DYING IN THE STREETS.
***
JERUSALEM. NIGHT. CLASSROOM.
RAV ASHLAG SLAMS HIS FIST ON THE TABLE IN DESPAIR.
HIS STUDENTS HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM LIKE THAT BEFORE.
Rav Ashlag: The time it takes me to finish my books, prepare them for print, get them published… it takes too long! Meanwhile, every minute is priceless.
Chaim: Maybe we should give out leaflets on the streets?
Shimon: There has to be something better, substantial yet accessible.
Baruch: I’ve got it! (Looks around at everybody) A newspaper!
RAV ASHLAG’S HAND FREEZES IN MID AIR.
HE LOOKS AT BARUCH SWIFTLY.
Rav Ashlag: A newspaper?! Of course! A newspaper! I can write and publish immediately! Why didn't I think about it earlier?! The question is, where will we get the money?
Chaim (confidently): We will find money, don't worry about that!
***
NIGHT. RAV ASHLAG'S HOUSE.
HE IS WRITING VIGOROUSLY.
CIGARETTE AFTER CIGARETTE IS DYING IN THE ASHTRAY AS NEW LINES APPEAR ON THE PAPER.
"The future of our starving brothers in Europe depends on our unity."
***
NIGHT. THE RAILWAY STATION.
ARAB WORKERS ARE LOADING BAGS OF CEMENT ONTO A TRAIN CAR.
RAV ASHLAG'S STUDENTS ARE SLOWLY MOVING WITH THEM, LABORING UNDER THE HEAVY BAGS.
***
MORNING.
RAV ASHLAG IS WRITING.
HIS HEAD BEGINS TO DROP TOWARD THE TABLE.
THE THIN ARM OF HIS DAUGHTER, BAT SHEVA, WHO IS SITTING BEHIND HIM, TOUCHES HIS SHOULDER.
HE WAKES UP AND CONTINUES TO WRITE.
***
A JEWELRY STORE.
THE OWNER, A TURK, IS WEIGHING ON THE SCALES A GOLD NECKLACE WITH A STAR OF DAVID PENDANT.
SHIMON IS STANDING IN FRONT OF HIM, SHIFTING HIS WEIGHT FROM ONE FOOT TO ANOTHER.
THE TURK COUNTS THE MONEY.
SHIMON LEAVES THE STORE.
CHAIM AND BARUCH ARE WAITING FOR HIM OUTSIDE.
***
DAY. RAV ASHLAG IS WRITING.
HIS HEAD FALLS ON THE TABLE WITH A THUD.
THE DOOR TO THE ROOM IS SLIGHTLY OPEN.
RIVKA IS STANDING OVER HIM.
SHE TRIES TO PRY THE QUILL FROM HIS FINGERS, BUT SHE CAN’T DO IT ON HER OWN.
BAT SHEVA IS HELPING HER OPEN ONE FINGER AT A TIME.
RIVKA KNEELS DOWN AND TAKES RAV ASHLAG'S FEET OUT OF THE BASIN WITH THE COLD WATER.
HE DOESN'T WAKE UP.
***
ROAD CONSTRUCTION.
ALONG WITH ARAB LABORERS, BARUCH IS LAYING LONG IRON RODS ON THE ROAD.
***
RAV ASHLAG IS WRITING.
***
LOS ANGELES. HOLLYWOOD.
THE FILM SET OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN’S “THE GREAT DICTATOR.”
AARON IS STANDING ASIDE WITH THE TELEPHONE IN HIS HAND.
Aaron: You’re short how much? I am wiring the money over right away! Why didn’t you call me earlier? Chaim, tell the Rav that we have a group here in Los Angeles. Tell him… (Shakes a book in his hand) that I've published the book in America!… Yes, I have! Tell him that I love him more than life! Tell him that I am well! Tell him that tonight, Chaplin is bringing together all the producers to his house and I will give them the book as a present. I will tell them about the wisdom! Tell him that there is no greater joy than that! (Aaron hangs up, his eyes are shining.)
***
JERUSALEM.
A COLD PRINTING HOUSE WITH BROKEN WINDOWS.
THE PRESSES MAKE SUCH A TERRIBLE NOISE THAT IT BLANKETS EVERYTHING.
RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING IN FRONT OF THE PRINTING PRESS.
BARUCH IS STANDING NEXT TO HIM.
AT A DISTANCE, CHAIM IS WARMING HIS HANDS OVER A BARREL FIRE.
SHIMON PREPARES THE MOVABLE TYPE AND HANDS IT OVER TO RAV ASHLAG, WHO LOADS IT INTO A COMPOSING STICK.
THE FIRST PAGE IS PRINTED.
ZYAMA PICKS IT UP AND BRINGS IT OVER TO RAV ASHLAG, WHO EXAMINES IT METICULOUSLY.
HE TEARS THE PAGE UP AND BEGINS TO REARRANGE THE TYPE.
RIVKA PICKS UP THE TORN PIECES OF PAPER OFF THE FLOOR, PUTS THEM ON THE TABLE, AND LAYS OUT BREAD, ONIONS, AND OLIVE OIL FROM HER BASKET.
RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING BY ONE OF THE SHATTERED WINDOWS AND PROOFS THE TEXT OF A FRESHLY PRINTED PAGE.
Rav Ashlag’s voice: “This paper, The Nation, is a creation that was born in pain, through hard and dreadful labor-pangs, from amidst the venom of hatred that had struck the nations… "
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE OF THE WARSAW GHETTO.
AN OLD JEW IS STRIPPED TO HIS UNDERWEAR.
CHILDREN ARE LED INTO FREIGHT TRAIN CARS.
Rav Ashlag: “Even the most advanced nations have locked their doors before us."
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE.
TRANSPORT TRAINS DELIVER JEWS TO THE DEATH CAMPS.
***
JERUSALEM.
PAGES ARE COMING OUT OF THE PRINTING PRESS.
THE TITLE OF THE PAPER IS THE NATION.
Rav Ashlag’s voice: "No miracle will happen unless we unite…"
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE.
REPEATED CONFLICTS BETWEEN RIVAL PARTIES IN ISRAEL.
SWITZERLAND IN ALL ITS GLORY. PEOPLE SKIING IN FANCY RESORTS.
A BANQUET AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE.
ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT CONTESTS IN TEXAS.
CHILDREN STARVING TO DEATH IN THE STREETS OF A GHETTO.
Rav Ashlag: “We need unity, firm and unbreakable as steel.”
***
PRINTING PRESS.
HANDS ARE PUTTING NEWSPAPER PAGES TOGETHER.
PILES OF NEWSPAPERS STACK UP AGAINST THE WALL.
RAV ASHLAG IS HOLDING A STACK OF PAPERS IN HIS HANDS, HIS FACE IS GLOWING.
HE LOSES HIS BALANCE, BUT BARUCH MANAGES TO CATCH HIM AND PUT HIM DOWN IN A CHAIR.
SUDDENLY SHIMON BREAKS OUT IN A YEMENITE DANCE.
CHAIM JOINS IN A HASSIDIC DANCE, AND EVERYONE STARTS DANCING.
THEIR WEARY FACES LIGHT UP WITH JOY.
***
LOS ANGELES. NIGHT
A FORD SEDAN IS ZOOMING THROUGH A NIGHT STREET.
IT TURNS ONTO A HIGHWAY BY THE SEA.
WIND RUSHES IN THROUGH THE OPEN WINDOW.
AARON IS SMILING BROADLY AS HE DRIVES.
HIS FACE IS LIT UP BY THE HEADLIGHTS OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC.
***
CHAPLIN'S VILLA. NIGHT.
CHARLIE CHAPLIN IS GREETING GUESTS.
A ROW OF LUXURIOUS CARS IS PULLING UP IN HIS DRIVEWAY.
***
A HIGHWAY ALONG THE SEASHORE.
GEORGE GERSHWIN IS PLAYING ON THE RADIO.
AARON EXITS TOWARD THE VILLAS.
THE LIGHTS OF AN ONCOMING CAR BLIND HIM MOMENTARILY.
THE SOUND OF SCREECHING BRAKES, FOLLOWED BY THE SOUND OF CRASHING METAL.
AARON'S SEDAN FLIPS OVER AND STARTS TO ROLL DOWN IN SLOW MOTION TOWARD THE SEA.
BOOKS SCATTER OUT FROM ITS BACK.
LIKE BIRDS, THEY FLY UP, FLAPPING THEIR WHITE WINGS, AND THEN DIVE DOWN AFTER THE ROLLING CAR, UNTIL THEY DISAPPEAR INTO THE NIGHT.
***
JERUSALEM. RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION.
PEOPLE, HORSE-DRAWN WAGONS, BUSES, AND CARS ARE MOVING PAST HIM.
PEOPLE ARE WATCHING IN SURPRISE MIXED WITH CURIOSITY AT THE ORTHODOX JEW HANDING OUT NEWSPAPERS ON THE STREET.
THEY TAKE THE PAPER AND IMMEDIATELY START READING.
Voices of the people reading (uniting into one): “Oh, if each of us felt this peril personally, no one would think about one's factional belonging, for the trouble would mold us all into one dough…”
***
JERUSALEM.
RAV ASHLAG IS WALKING DOWN THE BUSY STREET PERSONALLY HANDING OUT THE NEWSPAPER TO PASSERSBY.
HE SEEMINGLY BOWS TO EVERYONE IN A PLEA.
PEOPLE TAKE THE PAPER AND OPEN IT RIGHT AWAY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT.
RAV ASHLAG IS LOOKING AT THEM WITH GRATITUDE.
Voices of the reading people: “…we are like a pile of nuts, united into a single body by the sack that envelops and squeezes them. However, such fusion does not make them a single body. The only thing they lack is the natural unity from within…”
A RED-HAIRED ORTHODOX JEW SNEERS IN SHIMON’S FACE AS HE SLOWLY TEARS THE PAPER INTO SMALL BITS.
SHIMON GRABS HIM BY HIS LAPEL, BUT CHAIM AND BARUCH ARE QUICK TO INTERVENE AND DRAG HIM AWAY.
ANOTHER JEW, THIS ONE SECULAR, TAKES A PAPER FROM ZYAMA.
HE TAKES A FEW STEPS, THEN CRUMPLES IT, ANNOYED, AND THROWS IT IN THE GARBAGE.
ZYAMA RUSHES TO REMOVE IT FROM THE TRASH AND DELICATELY STRAIGHTENS THE PAPER ON HIS KNEES.
ON EVERY CORNER, PEOPLE ARE READING THE PAPER.
An elderly voice: "…to discover and to rekindle the natural love that has dimmed within us… We must understand that people’s lives depend on this…"
A young voice: "…on sensing this danger… The eyes of our children are watching us…"
RAV ASHLAG IS WALKING ALONG A NARROW STREET.
HE STOPS TO CATCH HIS BREATH.
CHAIM WALKS UP TO HIM.
Chaim: Rav, I have some bad news.
RAV ASHLAG LOOKS AT HIM WEARILY.
Chaim: Aaron… he died in a car crash in Los Angeles.
RAV ASHLAG IS SILENT. HE SEES A YOUNG MAN READING THE PAPER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET. HE SEES AN ELDERLY ORTHODOX JEW LEAFING THROUGH THE PAPER. HE SEES A WAGON DRIVER READING PORTIONS ALOUD, FOLLOWING THE LINES SLOWLY WITH HIS FOREFINGER.
HE PICKS UP ANOTHER PILE OF NEWSPAPERS AND WALKS DOWN THE STREET.
SHAKING WITH EXHAUSTION, HE CONTINUES TO HAND OUT PAPERS TO EVERY PERSON HE SEES.
***
LATE AT NIGHT RAV ASHLAG WALKS BACK TO HIS HOME.
HE OPENS THE DOOR AND SEES RIVKA’S FRIGHTENED FACE.
- Yehuda!
IMMEDIATELY TWO BRITISH OFFICERS GRAB HIM ON EACH SIDE.
RIVKA TRIES TO REACH FOR HIM, BUT TWO OTHER SOLDIERS STOP HER.
A BRITISH OFFICER GETS UP FROM A CHAIR IN THE LIVING ROOM.
Officer: Mr. Ashlag, you are charged with communist propaganda, forbidden in the territory of Palestine. You are under arrest.
***
RAV ASHLAG IS BEING LED DOWN THE STREET AND SHOVED INTO A CAR. THE DOOR SLAMS IN HIS FACE.
HE IS LOOKING AT RIVKA WHO IS STANDING AT THE DOORSTEP.
SHE IS NOT CRYING. SHE WAVES TO HIM.
***
POLICE STATION. A WHITEWASHED ROOM.
A SEATED BRITISH OFFICER IS BRISKLY WRITING SOMETHING.
A FEW COPIES OF THE NATION ARE ON HIS TABLE.
RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING IN FRONT OF HIM.
THE OFFICER RAISES HIS HEAD.
The officer: Sign here.
RAV ASHLAG SIGNS.
The officer: Do you know what you are signing?
Rav Ashlag: It's not important.
The officer: Do you care to know who insisted on your arrest?
Rav Ashlag: No.
The officer: Very well, you are forbidden to publish your newspaper. Furthermore, you are banned from any political activity. You are free to go… for now.
RAV ASHLAG TURNS AROUND AND WALKS TO THE DOOR.
FROM BEHIND COMES THE OFFICER’S VOICE:
- By the way, I really liked your paper, Mr. Ashlag.
RAV ASHLAG STOPS.
The officer: You wrote here … (finds the right place in the text and reads out loud) "…the ties of love that bring together the nation… have atrophied and detached from our hearts; they are long gone. If we do not restore them, we shall perish and bring disaster upon the entire world."
RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING AT THE DOOR LOOKING AT THE OFFICER.
The officer: Here in Palestine I can feel very strongly how all of us are tied together by a thread. You were betrayed by your own brothers.
RAV ASHLAG LEAVES.
***
THE PRINTING HOUSE.
RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING IN THE DOORWAY NEXT TO THE OPEN GATE.
THE MACHINES ARE SILENT.
MOVABLE TYPE IS SCATTERED ON THE FLOOR IN DISARRAY.
THE LAST RUN OF NEWSPRINT IS BURNING IN THE YARD.
PIECES OF CHARRED PAPER FLUTTER ALL AROUND RAV ASHLAG.
HE PICKS UP ONE OF THE PIECES ON WHICH HE CAN STILL MAKE OUT THE BEGINNING OF A PHRASE: “BUT SHOULD WE MISS THE CALLING OF THE HOUR…”
***
RAV ASHLAG'S HOUSE.
THE BRANCHES OF AN OLD TREE CAST THEIR SHADOWS ON THE WHITE CEILING.
THE SILENCE IS DEAFENING.
RAV ASHLAG, PALE AND STILL, IS LYING IN BED.
HIS HAND IS RESTING ON A BOOK.
A VOICE COMES FROM BEHIND THE CLOSED DOOR:
- It is a heart attack – no doubt about it. And quite serious at that. I will give you another prescription. It calms down the brain. The thing is, my dear, that while his body is paralyzed, his brain is working with amazing intensity.
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. JUNE 22nd, 1941.
THE NAZIS INVADE THE SOVIET UNION.
THE FIRST BOMBINGS. ROWS OF HOUSES ON FIRE.
CROWDS OF REFUGEES ON THE ROADS.
SNAPSHOTS OF TRIUMPHANT GERMANS.
***
JERUSALEM. RAV ASHLAG'S HOUSE.
A SIMPLE DINNER AT THE ASHLAG FAMILY.
EVERYBODY IS EATING IN SILENCE.
RAV ASHLAG TOWERS ABOVE EVERYONE IN HIS TALL CHAIR.
A KNOCK ON THE DOOR DISTURBS THE QUIET MEAL.
RIVKA GETS UP TO ANSWER IT.
THE BRITISH OFFICER WHO RELEASED RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING AT THE DOOR.
RIVKA BLOCKS HIS WAY DEFIANTLY.
- He is very sick. – she says tensely. He had a heart attack; he is just beginning to recover. You have no right to arrest a sick person.
- Don't worry, I’m here on a different matter.
RAV ASHLAG APPROACHES SLOWLY AND STANDS BEHIND RIVKA.
THE OFFICER HANDS HIM A LETTER.
- I have a letter for you, Mr. Ashlag. My cousin is a first mate on a British ship. A German sailor had given this to him. He, in turn, received it from an officer in Warsaw. It seems to have been sent six months ago. It was lying in my cousin's place until I recently noticed your name on it.
RAV ASHLAG OPENS THE LETTER IMMEDIATELY. HIS EYES SCAN QUICKLY THROUGH THE FIRST LINES:
- "Dear honorable Rav, whose greatness we failed to acknowledge. We are writing to you from the depths of pain and the void of despair."
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE OF THE WARSAW GHETTO APPEARS SLOWLY.
HUMAN SKELETONS ARE HOBBLING IN THE STREETS.
- “And not that it’s hard for us – it’s difficult for everyone now – but we stand guilty before you and before our people. You pleaded with us to hear you, but we were deaf and full of hatred and pride.”
THE TORMENTED EYES OF THE EMACIATED RABBIS ARE NOW LOOKING STRAIGHT AT US.
- “We chased you away, cursed you. We were blind with rage. And here we are, locked up in the Ghetto, homeless and robbed of our human dignity. All our loved ones are here: our children, our relatives, all the Jews of Poland. And all this is happening because of this group of proud criminals… us. You were right. The responsibility for what will surely befall our people lies squarely on us. It is a feeling that's impossible to bear.”
RAV ASHLAG IS STILL STANDING IN THE DOORWAY.
ACROSS FROM HIM, THE BRITISH OFFICER IS SILENT.
RAV ASHLAG IS ABSORBED IN THE LETTER, OBLIVIOUS TO EVERYTHING AROUND HIM.
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE APPEARS AGAIN.
CORPSES ARE SHOVELED EN MASSE OFF THE STREETS OF THE GHETTO AND ONTO WOODEN CARTS.
- "We know all too well that we are not leaving this place alive. If only we’d have listened to you then! If only…”
SUDDENLY, THE FACE OF RABBI FELDMAN APPEARS.
HE IS CALM, BUT LOOKS EXTREMELY TIRED.
- “Rabbi Feldman died yesterday. He asked to give you his great love and admiration.”
RABBI FELDMAN SMILES.
- Shmuel, the teacher, was killed for trying to protect a ten- year-old boy who was being beaten in front of everyone.”
SHMUEL, THE TEACHER, BEAMS AT RAV ASHLAG.
HIS ETERNAL NEMESIS IS NOW SMILING AT HIM.
- “Rabbi Zilber died of exhaustion.”
RABBI ZILBER HARDLY LIFTS HIS HEAD.
- “The redheaded coachman had told us about the time you met. He was shot trying to escape the Ghetto on his way to visit his son's grave.”
THE COACHMAN IS WAVING TO RAV ASHLAG.
- “Grief is embracing everything. It appears that the Ghetto is going to be annihilated soon.”
***
RAV ASHLAG REMAINS MOTIONLESS.
RIVKA APPROACHES HIM AND TAKES A QUICK PEEK AT THE LETTER.
HER EYES WELL UP WITH TEARS.
HER GLANCE STOPS ON THE LAST FEW LINES:
- “Don't stop your attempts to open our eyes, great Rav Ashlag. Bring us to unity, make us love one another. Maybe then the Creator will embrace us, your brothers, who didn't heed your warning.”
***
POLAND. DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE WARSAW GHETTO.
TRANSPORT TRAIN CARS PULL UP CLOSE TO THE GHETTO WALL.
NAZI SOLDIERS SHOVE PEOPLE UP THE RAMPS.
***
RAV ASHLAG’S HAND HOLDING THE LETTER DROPS DOWN.
- Are they all gone? – Rivka asks.
- No, – she hears Rav Ashlag’s voice in response.
- Did you know it would come to that?
SUDDENLY SHE SEES THAT HIS HAND IS TREMBLING.
- You did all you could, – she says hastily.
SHE LOOKS INTO HER HUSBAND’S EYES AND SEES THE ANGUISH GROWING IN THEM.
SHE QUICKLY CONTINUES:
- I remember how you demanded they leave. I remember! You warned them!
- Yes, – he says quietly.
- You explained everything to them!
- Not everything. I failed to explain it to them. You see, they stayed.
- You cannot blame yourself for that, Yehuda! (She is trying to look into his eyes, but he avoids her.) You had a heart attack! You have me, your family, your students, and the rest of the world! The world that will hear you still… Yehuda?!
HE IS SILENT.
ALL THIS TIME, THE BRITISH OFFICER IS STANDING THERE.
HE DOESN’T SPEAK A WORD OF YIDDISH [71]. BUT HE IS WAITING PATIENTLY.
THE CHILDREN QUIETLY LOOK OUT FROM THE DINING ROOM.
RIVKA STROKES HER HUSBAND’S HAND.
- Calm down, Yehuda, calm down, – she whispers.
HIS HAND STOPS TREMBLING.
- Excuse me, Mr. Ashlag, – the officer finally breaks the silence. – I have to go, but before I leave could I purchase some of your books and articles on Kabbalah?
RAV ASHLAG LIFTS HIS EYES TO HIM, BUT DOESN’T QUITE HEAR HIM.
- But of course! – Rivka exclaims. She turns to her husband: You see! – Please come in, - she leads the officer to the bookshelves. – You have everything here – books, articles. They’re very cheap!
THE OFFICER PICKS UP THE BOOK THAT AARON PUBLISHED AND LEAFS THROUGH IT FOR A FEW MINUTES BEFORE SAYING:
- I’ll take everything! Everything you have.
***
JERUSALEM. NIGHT. CLASSROOM.
RAV ASHLAG IS WRAPPED IN A WOOL BLANKET.
HE IS STILL WEAK, BUT NONETHELESS LEADING THE LESSON.
Rav Ashlag: There is a parable about a group of friends wandering through the desert, hungry and thirsty.
***
NAZI FOOTAGE.
PEOPLE ARE BEING THROWN INTO THE STREETS, SHOVED AND BEATEN.
THEY ARE FORCED ONTO TRANSPORT TRAINS.
Rav Ashlag’s voice: And behold, one of them has found a settlement full of food and water. He remembers his unfortunate brothers and begins to call on them and blow the horn, hoping that his desperate, hungry friends will hear his voice and come to that bountiful place.
RAV ASHLAG WINCES IN PAIN.
HE WRAPS THE BLANKET TIGHTER AND TURNS HIS HEAD TO THE WINDOW.
HE IS MET BY THE HOLLOWED EYES OF THE GHETTO CHILDREN.
Rav Ashlag’s voice: …We were lost in a terrible desert along with the whole of humanity, and now we have found a great treasure trove.
RAV ASHLAG'S HAND GLIDES ALONG THE OPEN BOOK.
Rav Ashlag’s voice: This book is a treasure the world is yet to discover. The Book of Zohar will satisfy our souls with a life-giving nectar and peace.
RAV ASHLAG CLOSES HIS EYES.
Zyama’s voice: Our kin are being slaughtered out there, and we are talking about books. Nobody will ever understand us.
THE STUDENTS ALL TURN TO LOOK AT HIM.
RAV ASHLAG IS LOOKING AT HIM, TOO.
Rav Ashlag: This book holds the salvation of the entire human race, Zyama (Speaking slowly and calmly). The solution lies neither in political decisions nor in stronger armies or heroic feats. It is here in this book. (His hand is resting on the Book) In it is the Light of love. You open it and if your intentions are pure, you draw this love into this world. And it begins to flow outward through you and change everything.
Zyama (crying): I believe you, but it’s difficult… because I know I will never see my mother and sisters again.
Rav Ashlag: Your body feels the hardship. I understand you, Zyama. It can’t feel the bodies of your loved ones and it hurts. But try to break through to the soul and then you will feel a different world. The souls are immortal. They are happy because they are inseparable from each other and from the Creator. The Book of Zohar writes about it. The time has come to reveal this to everyone.
Zyama: I know you will do it; old Baruch told me that.
***
RAV ASHLAG'S ROOM.
HE IS WRITING.
ROWS OF MEDICATIONS LINE THE TABLE.
THE BOOK OF ZOHAR LIES OPEN IN FRONT OF HIM.
A RAY OF LIGHT SHOOTS UP FROM THE PAGES OF THE BOOK, MEETS THE CEILING, AND DRAWS BRIGHT CONCENTRIC CIRCLES ON IT.
Rav Ashlag’s voice: Know this, our flesh and blood brothers, that the essence of the wisdom of Kabbalah is the knowledge of how love descends from the heavenly heights down to our lowly existence.
RAV ASHLAG FOLLOWS THE RAY OF LIGHT UP TO THE CEILING.
HE SEES HIMSELF WALKING THE EMPTY STREETS OF WARSAW.
HE IS LOOKING THROUGH BROKEN WINDOWS AT SNOWSTORMS MADE OF FEATHERS FROM TORN PILLOWS.
A CHILD'S BOOT IS RESTING SIDEWAYS ON A DOORSTEP.
A PRAYER BOOK LYING TORN IN THE MUD.
HE CAN FEEL EVERYTHING THAT’S HAPPENING THERE.
Rav Ashlag’s voice: And we shall seek every means to save ourselves. And we will find only one.
RAV ASHLAG IS WALKING THROUGH THE DREADFUL WAR FOOTAGE.
HE SEES IT ALL.
Rav Ashlag’s voice: The Book of Zohar contains all of life’s laws, all the happiness destined for this world.
***
JERUSALEM. ROOM.
RAV ASHLAG WRITES AND THEN READS ALOUD WHAT HE WROTE:
- “I can restrain myself no more. I have decided to open before you The Book of Zohar, to remove the locks that have guarded it for centuries so that by studying it you may draw the Light into this world… The centuries-old mystery of The Zohar has now been unlocked.”
THE DOOR OPENS AND RIVKA COMES INTO THE ROOM.
SHE IS ANXIOUS.
Rivka: The Nazis are bombing Jaffa.
Rav Ashlag: We are going to Jaffa.
Rivka: Didn't you hear what I said? The Nazis are bombing Jaffa and Tel Aviv.
Rav Ashlag: No, it is you who didn't hear what I said – pack our things, we are going to Jaffa.
***
JAFFA. EXPLOSIONS CAN BE HEARD.
A FEW OF THE HOUSES ARE BURNING.
BOMBS ARE GOING OFF AT SEA, RAISING HIGH COLUMNS OF WATER.
WHEN THE WATER SETTLES, WE SEE RAV ASHLAG WADING IN THE SHALLOW WATER AND THEN BEGINNING TO SWIM.
HIS STROKES ARE POWERFUL AND WITHIN MOMENTS HE'S ALREADY IN THE OPEN SEA.
RIVKA IS STANDING ON THE SHORE, SHELTERING HER EYES FROM THE GLARE OF THE SUN, LOOKING INTENTLY AT HER HUSBAND.
SUDDENLY SHE SEES A BLACK DOT ON THE HORIZON.
THE DOT GROWS BIGGER UNTIL IT BECOMES A PLANE.
RIVKA STARTS SCREAMING, SHE IS RUNNING UP AND DOWN THE BEACH, WAVING HER HANDS.
RAV ASHLAG IS GAINING SPEED.
HE IS SLICING THROUGH THE WAVES LIKE A TORPEDO.
LOOKING UP, HE SEES A WAR PLANE AT THE TOP POINT OF A WINGOVER, ITS WINGS ADORNED WITH BLACK CROSSES.
THE PLANE IS PREPARING TO ATTACK THE LONELY MAN IN THE WATER.
Rivka (screams): Yehuda-a-a!
RAV ASHLAG ROLLS ON HIS BACK.
HE IS FLOATING IN THE WATER, HIS ARMS OUTSTRETCHED.
THE MESSERSCHMITT IS ABOUT TO DIVE.
Rivka (screams): Yehuda-a! No-o-o-o!
RAV ASHLAG CALMLY LOOKS UP AT THE APPROACHING PLANE.
HE CAN SEE THE PILOT.
THE PILOT IS TIGHTENING HIS GRIP ON THE STICK.
HE TAKES AIM.
RAV ASHLAG'S HEAD IS IN THE CROSSHAIRS.
RAV ASHLAG'S EYES ARE LOOKING DIRECTLY AT HIM.
THE PILOT’S EYES.
THE EYES OF RAV ASHLAG.
THE PILOT’S EYES AGAIN…
SUDDENLY THE PLANE MAKES A SHARP TURN AND BEGINS TO CLIMB, ITS ENGINE ROARING. IT GRADUALLY RETREATS INTO THE HORIZON.
RAV ASHLAG IS FLOATING IN THE WATER, HIS ARMS WIDE OPEN.
RIVKA IS SITTING ON THE SAND, EXHAUSTED FROM SCREAMING.
THE PLANE DISAPPEARS.
SILENCE FALLS.
WE CAN HEAR ONLY THE WAVES CRASHING ON THE SHORE, THEN FALLING BACK INTO THE SEA.
RAV ASHLAG IS SWIMMING BACK WITH STEADY STROKES.
HE EMERGES FROM THE WATER ONTO THE SANDY BEACH.
RIVKA COVERS HIM WITH A TOWEL AND LOOKS INTO HIS EYES.
HE QUICKLY DRESSES AND WALKS AWAY, AS IF SHE'S NOT THERE.
SHE HURRIES AFTER HIM.
Rav Ashlag: We can go back home. They won't come back.
***
JERUSALEM. NIGHT. RAV ASHLAG'S HOUSE.
LIGHT COMES OUT OF THE WINDOW IN RAV ASHLAG’S ROOM.
WE CAN SEE RAV ASHLAG’S PROFILE, WRITING.
RIVKA IS STANDING OUTSIDE HIS ROOM HOLDING A TRAY WITH A CUP OF COFFEE AND A PIECE OF RYE BREAD.
SHE KNOCKS ON THE DOOR GENTLY.
NO REPLY.
SHE LISTENS AND HEARS WHAT SOUNDS LIKE A MUFFLED ROCKET EXPLOSION.
SHE QUICKLY PUTS THE TRAY ON THE FLOOR AND RUNS OUT OF THE HOUSE.
SHE IS STANDING IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE AND LOOKS AT THE LIT WINDOW.
THE LIGHT THAT EMANATES FROM IT RISES UPWARD, TRACING A RADIANT PATH INTO THE NIGHT SKY.
INSIDE THE ROOM WE CAN SEE RAV ASHLAG PACING.
***
ROOM. RAV ASHLAG LEANS OVER THE BOOK.
HE READS A FEW LINES FROM THE ZOHAR.
THEN HE STRAIGHTENS UP AND APPROACHES THE WINDOW.
FROM THE WINDOW HE DARTS TOWARD THE WALL.
FROM THE WALL BACK TO THE WINDOW, AND AGAIN HE SITS DOWN.
ONCE MORE, HE READS A LINE OR TWO.
GETS UP AND THEN REPEATS A PECULIAR PATTERN OVER AND OVER THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT…
***
CLASSROOM. RAV ASHLAG’S STUDENTS ARE SITTING OPPOSITE HIM AS HE READS:
- “You have chosen me to bring the Light into this empty world and You have placed guards on the path to You.”
***
A FLASH OF LIGHT.
A MOUNTAIN SIDE WITH A DEEP RAVINE RUNNING THROUGH IT.
RAV ASHLAG ENTERS THE DARK CREVICE.
FAINT LIGHT SHINES IN THE DISTANCE.
HE TAKES JUST A FEW STEPS WHEN A BLACK SILHOUETTE CROSSES HIS PATH.
IT BLOCKS HIS WAY, A MERE HUNDRED STEPS FROM RAV ASHLAG.
WE CANNOT SEE THE FACE OF THE FIGURE.
- “And You said, – (we hear the voice of Rav Ashlag) – "Go!" And I went.”
THE MAN IN BLACK [72] STARTS TO RUN TOWARD RAV ASHLAG.
- “And You said: ‘If you can endure them, you will reveal the Light to the world. And if you fail, a raven's wing shall obscure the world.’"
RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING STILL.
THE BLACK MAN IS QUICKLY CLOSING IN.
***
CLASSROOM.
THE STUDENTS ARE LOOKING AT RAV ASHLAG.
HE IS SILENT, BUT WE CAN HEAR THE SOUND OF HIS VOICE:
- It's all within you. The black man is your thoughts about yourself. The white man is your thoughts about others. They have to collide.
THE DARK CREVICE.
THE BLACK MAN CRASHES INTO RAV ASHLAG.
- Hold on to the white!
RAV ASHLAG'S BODY SHUDDERS FROM THE BLOW.
- And you shall pass through!
HE SCREAMS.
***
JERUSALEM. CLASSROOM.
EVERYBODY IS LOOKING AT RAV ASHLAG.
- Hold o-o-o-o-on t-i-gh-t! – he screams.
OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THE BLACK LUMP THRUSTS ITSELF INTO RAV ASHLAG.
RAV ASHLAG'S VOICE:
- Hold o-o-o-o-on!
THE CLASSROOM.
- Hold o-o-o-o-on!- everybody echoes him.
***
THE BLACK FIGURE KNOCKS RAV ASHLAG OFF HIS FEET.
BUT HE JUMPS TO HIS FEET AT ONCE.
THE BLACK SHAPE BOUNCES BACK AND RETREATS.
HE STOPS. HE LOWERS HIS HEAD AND THE HEAD TURNS INTO A DARK SHELL.
RAV ASHLAG’S SCREAM:
- Hold o-o-on tight!
***
JERUSALEM. CLASSROOM.
Rav Ashlag: Don’t let go!
All together: Don’t let go!
RAV ASHLAG’S HANDS ARE FIERCELY CLUTCHING THE TABLE.
HIS KNUCKLES ARE WHITE.
***
INSIDE THE CREVICE.
THE BLACK SHELL IS HURTLING TOWARD RAV ASHLAG, A TRAIL OF FIRE AT ITS TAIL.
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THEM RAPIDLY DIMINISHES.
***
JERUSALEM. CLASSROOM.
RAV ASHLAG SPEAKS UP SUDDENLY IN A SERENE VOICE:
- To attack means to attack oneself. If we can come right now to a single unified intention - to one single thought to love as He loves, to give as He gives, fully, leaving nothing to ourselves – we will prevail. We must engage in one simple act – to hold this thought within us. Hold it!
***
THE BLACK SHELL EXPLODES INTO RAV ASHLAG, KNOCKING HIM UP INTO THE AIR, AND HE FLIES BACK.
HE LANDS ON HIS FEET.
HE IS SHAKEN, BUT HE DOESN’T FALL.
THE BLACK MAN RICOCHETS AGAINST THE WALL AND DISINTEGRATES INTO TEN BLACK SHADOWS.
A MOMENT LATER, THEY DISSOLVE IN THE AIR.
THE LIGHT APPEARS ONCE AGAIN IN RAV ASHLAG’S EYES AND HE IS WALKING TOWARD IT.
***
JERUSALEM.
RAV ASHLAG'S HOUSE.
A LONG TABLE LOADED WITH FOOD AND A LARGE BOTTLE OF VODKA STANDS DIAGONALLY ACROSS THE LIVING ROOM.
RAV ASHLAG IS SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TABLE.
HIS STUDENTS SURROUND HIM.
THE ROOM IS FULL OF GUESTS.
We can hear somebody’s whisper: Where did they get so much food?
Someone else’s whisper comes in response: I heard they sold everything they had.
Whisper (mockingly): What did they have?
In reply: They had a 17th century Book of Zohar.
Whisper (surprised): And he sold it?!
Rav Ashlag: Tonight, I have finished the first volume of the commentary on The Book of Zohar. (Looking around) The Creator has allowed me to do it. And it could mean only one thing – that the Light is finally beginning to descend into this world, for the first time in many centuries.
RAV ASHLAG STANDS UP AND RAISES HIS GLASS FILLED WITH WINE TO THE RIM.
Rav Ashlag: Before us are one hundred and twenty five degrees of the great book of Light, which we can only ascend together! Lechaim! [73]
All: Lechaim!
Rav Ashlag: Today we celebrate the great holiday of victory! Purim! [74]
SOMEBODY COUGHS FROM THE FAR END OF THE TABLE.
Rav Ashlag: You wish to point out that I am wrong, and that today is not Purim?
The voice: Honorable Rav Ashlag, Purim is on the fourteenth of Adar, and today is the twenty-seventh of Shvat. [75]
Rav Ashlag: We are starting it early, honorable Rabbi Druker. Lechaim!
RAV ASHLAG SIPS FROM HIS GLASS.
Rav Druker’s voice: Honorable Rav Ashlag, tonight you have completed the first volume. (He clears his throat) Hmm… and tonight the Nazis surrendered in Stalingrad. Is this a coincidence?
Rav Ashlag: Only a coincidence, Rabbi Druker. Lechaim!
All: Lechaim! Lechaim to Baal HaSulam [76].
Shimon: Can we call you Baal HaSulam from now on?
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE.
MILITARY CAMPAIGNS IN EUROPE.
SUCCESSIVE GERMAN RETREATS.
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS ON HITLER.
THE AMERICANS OPEN A SECOND FRONT.
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE.
THE SMOKING CREMATORIUMS AT AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU.
EXHAUSTED, PALLID-LOOKING JEWS BEHIND BARBED WIRE WITH NEITHER HOPE NOR LIFE IN THEIR EYES.
DIM LIGHT FALLING ON LONG ROWS OF BLACK BARRACKS.
SOLDIERS IN WATCHTOWERS; GUARDS ON PATROL.
THE SHADOW OF A MAN IN A HIGH FUR HAT MOVING ALONG THE BARBED WIRE FENCE.
BAAL HASULAM IS WALKING INSIDE THE CAMP.
TWO PATROL GUARDS WITH A DOG ARE WALKING TOWARD HIM.
THE DOG STARTS TO GROWL, THEN BARK VIOLENTLY.
THE GUARDS, HOWEVER, NOTICE NOTHING.
***
JERUSALEM. CLASSROOM.
Baal HaSulam: Rabbi Yochanan said, "When you see a generation upon which troubles come down like raging rivers, expect the Messiah."
Zyama: Where is he? If that's true, surely he must be here already!
Baal HaSulam: How do you imagine the Messiah, Zyama?
Zyama: He is the one man that can unite us all, otherwise, what kind of Messiah is he?
Baal HaSulam: Do you think the Messiah is a human being?
Zyama: How can it be otherwise?
Baal HaSulam: Perhaps it's some kind of force?
Zyama: A force?
Baal HaSulam: Yes, a force. A force that pulls you out of this egoistic world.
Zyama: So it’s not a human being?
Baal HaSulam: And what if it’s a state of justice that will be established after all this suffering? Can’t a country be the Messiah?
Zyama: But there is no such country.
Baal HaSulam: Such a state will be formed. It will rise eventually… But is it worth so many victims?
Zyama: No.
Baal HaSulam: No?
Zyama: I'm thinking about my mother and my sisters, about all those who were killed. I can't help it.
Baal HaSulam: Do you hate the Creator?
Zyama (after a pause): Honestly? Sometimes I do.
Shimon (jumping from his chair): You miserable fool!
Baal HaSulam (interrupting him): No, it's alright.
Shimon: What's alright?! How can your student, our friend, say that he hates the Creator?!
Rav Ashlag: Anything toward the Creator is better than indifference.
Zyama: Even if I hate Him?
Baal HaSulam: You are already in a dialogue with Him. You are blaming Him, which means you understand that everything comes from Him, both happiness and troubles. The Messiah is the force that can reveal to you the one and only truth - that what we call trouble cannot come from the Creator. All that comes from Him is love and benevolence, and all the rest comes from you, from your petty ego. And you have to deal with it, as do all of us.
***
SUDDENLY, THE CLASSROOM DISAPPEARS.
THE END OF THE RAVINE APPROACHES.
THE LIGHT IS FINALLY HERE.
SUDDENLY A BLACK SHADOW [77] SCUTTLES IN FRONT OF THE LIGHT, THEN ANOTHER ONE, AND ANOTHER, AND MANY MORE. THE SHADOWS CONVERGE ON BAAL HASULAM.
***
JERUSALEM. CLASSROOM.
Baal HaSulam (screams hoarsely): Hold o-o-o-on!
All: Hold o-o-o-on!
Baal HaSulam: Hold o-o-o-on!
All: Hold o-o-o-on!
***
INSIDE THE CREVICE.
A STRIKE TO HIS FACE BRINGS RAV ASHLAG DOWN TO THE GROUND.
HE PUTS UP HIS HAND TO BLOCK A BARRAGE OF BLOWS, BUT IS THEN HIT AGAIN.
THE SHADOWS DESCEND ON HIM.
THE WHITE SPOT AHEAD BECOMES BLURRED.
- Hold o-o-o-n! – his voice gets weaker
SUDDENLY ONE OF THE SHADOWS IS YANKED BACK, THEN ANOTHER, AND ANOTHER.
A CERTAIN FORCE LIFTS BAAL HASULAM FROM THE GROUND AND HE FINDS HIMSELF EMBRACED BY BARUCH AND CHAIM.
SHIMON AND ZYAMA ARE ALSO RUNNING TOWARD THEM.
SUDDENLY A HUGE STONE TEARS OFF THE TOP OF THE HILL AND LANDS IN THEIR WAY.
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE.
BATTLES IN BERLIN.
THE LAST DAYS OF THE WAR.
***
JERUSALEM. RAV ASHLAG’S HOME.
A LOUD FESTIVE MEAL.
RAV ASHLAG’S STUDENTS FROLIC IN A HASSIDIC DANCE.
Rav Druker (Clears his throat over the din of music and singing): Ehmm-hmm… Could I ask you something, honorable Rav Ashlag?
Rav Ashlag: Please, Rabbi Druker.
Rav Druker: You have finished another volume tonight, honorable Rav Ashlag. (The noise subsides, everyone is listening) And tonight, they say this terrible war is over .(Pause) Is it a coincidence?
Rav Ashlag: You’ve asked me that before, Rabbi Druker, and I've answered.
Rav Druker: I waited for the exact moment you finished writing, the instant you have placed the last period. I even asked your daughter Bat Sheva to mark the exact time. It happened to be the exact same time that Nazi Germany signed the Protocol of Capitulation. Ehmm… coincidence?
ALL EYES ARE FIXED ON RAV ASHLAG.
EVERYONE IS WAITING.
RAV ASHLAG LOOKS AROUND.
Rav Ashlag: Coincidence, Rabbi Druker, merely a coincidence. But let us drink to the conclusion of another volume… and to the end of the war, And let's always remember that there is none else besides Him. Lechaim!
All: Lechaim!
***
BERLIN. HITLER'S BUNKER. CHAOS.
OFFICERS ARE RUNNING IN THE CORRIDORS.
SOME ARE BURNING DOCUMENTS RIGHT ON THE FLOOR.
ONE OFFICER IS LYING FACE DOWN IN A POOL OF BLOOD.
A DRUNK SS OFFICER IS SHOUTING OBSCENITIES WHILE PRESSING HIMSELF AGAINST THE WALL.
BAAL HASULAM IS WALKING ALONG THE CORRIDOR.
NOBODY PAYS ATTENTION TO HIM.
HE WALKS PAST THE SECURITY GUARDS, OPENS A HEAVY DOOR, AND ENTERS A BIG HALL.
FROM BEHIND, WE SEE A MAN SLUMPED ON A CHAIR.
ONLY HIS PALE HAND IS CLEARLY VISIBLE, HANGING FEEBLY ABOVE THE CARPET.
BAAL HASULAM APPROACHES THE MAN.
IT'S HITLER.
BAAL HASULAM LOOKS DOWN AT HIM.
HITLER RAISES HIS HAND.
HIS LIPS WHISPER SOMETHING, BUT NO SOUND IS COMING OUT.
HIS EYES ARE WEARY, LIFELESS.
SUDDENLY HE STARTS SCREAMING SOUNDLESSLY AT BAAL HASULAM, FOAM SHOOTING OUT OF HIS MOUTH.
STILL, NO SOUND.
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. THE WAR IS OVER.
A VICTORY PARADE IN THE RED SQUARE.
SOLDIERS AND OFFICERS ARE MARCHING IN TOE IN FRONT OF THE TRIBUNE WHERE STALIN AND HIS GOVERNMENT WATCH ON.
PEOPLE DROPPING NAZI FLAGS ON THE WET PAVEMENT.
AMERICANS WELCOME THEIR HEROES.
THE FRENCH HUG THEIRS.
LITTLE CHILDREN WEARING THE INFAMOUS STRIPED PRISONERS’ UNIFORM COME OUT OF AUSCHWITZ.
THEY SHOW OFF THEIR NUMBERS, TATTOOED ON THEIR LITTLE FOREARMS.
MILITARY DELEGATIONS ARE TOURING THE CAMP.
ISRAEL.
BAAL HASULAM WALKS ALONG A LENGTHY CORRIDOR.
HE OPENS A DOOR AND ENTERS AN OFFICE CONTAINING A SINGLE TABLE AND THREE CHAIRS.
BEN-GURION RISES FROM HIS TABLE TO GREET HIM.
HE IS SHORT AND AS LIVELY AS ALWAYS.
Ben-Gurion: Rav Ashlag, have no doubt, I still remember our conversation, I often think about it.
Baal HaSulam: We are on the eve of founding our state, which is why I asked to meet with you.
Ben-Gurion (sits, offers him the chair across from him): The kibbutz [78] is a prototype of our future state.
Baal HaSulam: You will have to make only one adjustment.
Ben-Gurion: You talked of unity; a kibbutz is unity. You talked about equality; that is the foundation of a kibbutz. You spoke of love, and they are living according to the principle, "Love your friend as yourself."
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE OF THE FIRST KIBBUTZIM.
PEOPLE ARE BEAMING WITH ENTHUSIASM.
***
BEN-GURION'S OFFICE.
Baal HaSulam: The kibbutzim won't last! Egoists cannot build heaven on earth.
Ben-Gurion: But we suffered so much that it's only natural for us to become equal.
Baal HaSulam: Dear Mr. Ben-Gurion, you need to add just one thing to the concept of the kibbutz – the upper force. Then everything will be alright.
Ben-Gurion: After this war, you’ll never be able to get them to make such an amendment. They will send you and your upper force to hell. They've lost their loved ones, their relatives, children, parents. What are you talking about?! What upper force are you talking about?!
Baal HaSulam: I know them, I am ready to explain, to clarify… to teach the wisdom of Kabbalah. They will understand everything.
Ben-Gurion: You are naïve.
Baal HaSulam: It's not me who is naïve.
Ben-Gurion: Still, we shall build here a Jewish state.
Baal HaSulam: For the whole world.
Ben-Gurion: For Jews, whom the whole world persecutes.
Baal HaSulam: For Jews to bring the knowledge about the Supreme Law of Love to the whole world.
Ben-Gurion: That’s what you call the Creator.
Baal HaSulam: This is the Creator.
Ben-Gurion (pauses, looks at Rav Ashlag): Someone’s on his way to see me now. He is an old friend of mine who went through the hell of the Holocaust. You can't imagine what they did to him. He used to be so full of life, so fiery, but no more… Dear Rav Ashlag, please don’t burden him with your Supreme Law of Love. People who went through these horrors, they are all very angry. They will tear you to pieces, limb from limb.
Baal HaSulam: In three years time, when you become the head of the people’s council, and later the Prime Minister, you will have to bear the full responsibility.
Ben-Gurion: So, you already know when the state is going to be established?
Baal HaSulam: Try to listen – this state can exist on spiritual laws, and only on spiritual laws!
A FIRM KNOCK ON THE DOOR.
Ben-Gurion: It's him. Punctual as always. (To Rav Ashlag) I warned you. (Louder, to the door) Come in.
THE DOOR OPENS AND A FRIGHTENINGLY SKINNY MAN WALKS IN.
HE IS VERY QUIET, HUNCHED OVER, HIS EYES ARE WEARY, HIS SMILE – FORCED.
HE GREETS BEN-GURION, THEY HUG.
BEN-GURION HELPS HIM TO SIT DOWN.
THE MAN SLOWLY TURNS HIS HEAD TO BAAL HASULAM.
Ben-Gurion: Please meet Rav Ashlag, a great idealist.
THE MAN LOOKS FIXEDLY AT RAV ASHLAG AND SUDDENLY STARTS TO STAND UP.
HIS WEAK LEGS BETRAY HIM, HIS HEAD IS TREMBLING, BUT HE MANAGES TO SAY:
- Yehu-u-uda!
Baal HaSulam: Yankele…
Yankel: Yehudale…
BAAL HASULAM TAKES A STEP IN HIS DIRECTION AND YANKELE FALLS INTO HIS ARMS, HANGING ON TO HIM. HIS TEARS FLOW FREELY.
Yankele (weeping): My beloved Yehuda, if you only knew how many times I remembered you there, how many times I begged for you to come to me, to explain my life to me. If you only knew, my beloved brother!
BEN-GURION IS WATCHING THE SCENE IN DISBELIEF.
Ben-Gurion: It seems… that you two know each other…
Baal HaSulam: We’ve known each other for a very long time.
BEN-GURION'S OFFICE.
AN HOUR LATER.
YANKELE IS SITTING IN A CHAIR.
HE IS HOLDING BAAL HASULAM’S HANDS IN HIS.
BEN-GURION IS SITTING NEXT TO THEM.
Yankele: …And afterwards came the Ghetto and all that horror around it. Then there was Auschwitz, where I was loading the bodies of my brothers and sisters into the ovens, and then came my own death.
Ben-Gurion: Surely, you didn't die.
Yankele: No, I did.
Ben-Gurion: In a manner of speaking?
Yankele: You are talking to a dead person now.
Ben-Gurion: Come then, we will bring you back to life! (He pats Yankele on the shoulder) There is much to be done, my friend!
YANKELE PAYS NO ATTENTION TO HIM.
HE IS LOOKING AT BAAL HASULAM.
Yankele: Let me tell you when I knew that I was long dead. It was after my second attempt to escape. They beat me up and threw me naked into a holding cell. It had a cement floor and barely enough room to stand. I asked for death, but death didn’t come. Many times I lost and regained consciousness, every time only to come back to the same nightmare and the wish for death. I can't remember how much time had passed. I woke up in this terrible, cold death chamber when suddenly I felt warmth. It was as if someone had thrown a warm blanket over me. I will never forget this sensation. I thought I was losing my mind. You know me, I was always a logical person and never believed anything I couldn’t touch with my own hands. And here I was… I started to look around me for its cause.
BAAL HASULAM IS LOOKING AT HIM CALMLY.
YANKELE GRASPS HIS HAND FIRMLY.
Yankele: And I found it. I could feel a tiny beam of light penetrating my cell through a small opening high up.
Ben-Gurion: You said it happened at night.
Yankele: It was night. But the Light was shining from afar.
Ben-Gurion: Yankele…
Yankele (raising his hand, stopping him, talking to Rav Ashlag): But that's not important. What was important is that I felt. I felt… love. (Nods) Yes, yes, this feeling stirred waves of emotions in me. How can I explain it? How can I describe this feeling of endless love, absolute perfection, complete safety and infinite happiness? What I felt in the cell was real! I can remember each moment perfectly. I understood only one thing – that it came from that almost imperceptible illumination that shone through my window. Never, never, ever have I felt anything like it. (He searches for words) I felt that I was alive! (Hastily, fearing that he will be interrupted and won’t manage to say something) And I kept thinking that it was worth it… that it was well worth going through all the suffering in the world just to experience something like that, if only once.
SILENCE IN THE ROOM.
NO ONE WANTS TO DISTURB IT.
Ben-Gurion: And what happened then?
Yankele: Then, everything disappeared.
Ben-Gurion: And you were back in your cell, in the same life.
Yankele (to Rav Ashlag): I immediately thought of you. You were always there, but now I began to talk to you, as if you were really there, next to me.
Baal HaSulam: It's a very rare thing what you felt, but it happens. Certain people experience this after great, inhuman, suffering. In return for the suffering the Creator allows them to taste the initial degree of the spiritual world.
Ben-Gurion: And for that a person needs to go through this hell?
Baal HaSulam: No, you don't. You don’t! All you have to do is choose the path of Light instead of the path of suffering. And this is exactly what I am proposing to you now. And you won’t listen to me. You can reach a state of eternal bliss without being in torment first. It can happen now, in this lifetime. But you won’t hear me!
Ben-Gurion: I?
Baal HaSulam: You are the head of the future state of Israel. Trust me, choose the path of Light and everything will turn out differently.
Ben-Gurion: But it sounds so illusory.
Baal HaSulam: This is the only law you have to honor. You must rise above the same logic that brought the world to where it is now, rise above all the self-centered calculations the world was making before the war. Where are they now? Transcend all that seems unreal today and say, “I will build a state based on spiritual laws.” Israel cannot be like the rest of the world. We can’t merely exist here, aimlessly. Israel is the state of the Creator.
Ben-Gurion: And what’s behind these words?
Baal HaSulam: Only one thing: to live by the law, “Love your friend as yourself.” Not for the sake of having a good life, but for the purpose of revealing the Creator and for that purpose only!
Ben-Gurion: And you know how to live according to this law?
Baal HaSulam: I do.
BEN-GURION GROWS SILENT FOR A MOMENT, THEN STANDS UP AND EXTENDS A HAND TO BAAL HASULAM.
Ben-Gurion: Thank you, Rav Ashlag. I have a lot more to do today. (To Yankele) Please stay. I would like you to head the kibbutzim project.
BAAL HASULAM GETS UP AND WALKS TO THE DOOR.
Yankele (to Ben-Gurion): I’ll be right back.
HE GOES OUT AFTER BAAL HASULAM.
***
A NARROW CORRIDOR.
YANKELE IS FACING BAAL HASULAM CLOSELY.
Yankele: It won’t come back anymore, this feeling, will it?
Ball HaSulam: No. Such a feeling is given to a person only once. After that, it’s up to him to decide.
Yankele: Do you want me to come with you?
Baal HaSulam: In such cases, you don't ask, you either leave or stay.
Yankele: I think I could help you if I handle the kibbutzim. I’ll have to build up my strength first. Then I'll come.
Baal HaSulam: Very well.
Yankele: Are you angry with me?
Baal HaSulam: There is no coercion in spirituality, Yankele. A person follows his heart. Your heart is still in this world, despite all that has happened. You can't ignore it. But you have the beginning of a spiritual bud in you. You do. You will come.
Yankele: Yes, I will come.
BAAL HASULAM HUGS HIM, TURNS AROUND, AND WALKS DOWN THE CORRIDOR TOWARD THE EXIT.
YANKELE FOLLOWS HIM WITH HIS GAZE FOR A LONG TIME.
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE.
THE U.N. ASSEMBLY DEBATES THE ESTABLISHING OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL.
***
ISRAEL. TEL-AVIV.
PEOPLE LISTENING INTENTLY TO THEIR RADIOS.
THE U.N. ASSEMBLY VOTES ON THE RATIFICATION OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL.
PEOPLE ON THE STREET CONGREGATE AROUND PUBLIC RADIO SETS.
TENSE ANTICIPATION.
THE U.N. DECIDES IN FAVOR OF THE ESTABLISHING OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL.
A SURGE OF EXULTATION ON THE STREETS.
TEARS OF JOY ON PEOPLE’S FACES.
CELEBRATIONS AND FESTIVITIES BEGIN THROUGHOUT ISRAEL.
***
BAAL HASULAM IS HOLDING A LARGE SHARP NAIL.
HE PROCEEDS TO CARVE ON THE HANDLE OF HIS KIDDUSH KNIFE: “THE STATE OF ISRAEL.”
HE STRAIGHTENS AND ADMIRES THE KNIFE IN FRONT OF HIM, SHOWING IT TO HIS CHILDREN AND HIS STUDENTS, WHO ARE SITTING AT THE TABLE.
HE USES THE KNIFE TO CUT THE BREAD.
***
BEN-GURION, SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS AND BODYGUARDS, IS WALKING DOWN A CORRIDOR. BAAL HASULAM APPROACHES HIM. BEN-GURION THROWS UP HIS ARMS.
Ben-Gurion: I can’t, I can’t see you today, honorable Rav Ashlag.
BAAL HASULAM TRIES TO COME CLOSER TO HIM, BUT TWO YOUNG SECURITY GUARDS PUSH HIM AGAINST THE WALL.
SUDDENLY, AND WITH SURPRISING AGILITY, BAAL HASULAM CONFIDENTLY PUSHES THEM ASIDE AND ADVANCES TOWARD BEN-GURION.
THE GUARDS ARE STANDING PRESSED AGAINST THE WALL, UNABLE TO MOVE.
Ben-Gurion: It's utopian, can't you see it?!
Baal HaSulam: It's utopian to try to create the state of Israel without a spiritual foundation.
Ben-Gurion: We will introduce obligatory studies of the Torah in the schools and we will make the Sabbath [79] a day of rest.
Baal HaSulam: I'm not talking about that. I am talking about the purpose of the creation of the state.
Ben-Gurion: The purpose is for it to serve as a home for the Jews.
Baal HaSulam: The purpose is for it to be the house of the Creator.
Ben-Gurion: I don't have time to argue with you.
Baal HaSulam: More blood will be shed.
Ben-Gurion: Rav Ashlag, we are declaring the independence of the Jewish state on the 14th of May. Period.
BEN-GURION WALKS ON.
HIS PUZZLED GUARDS ARE RELEASED FROM THE STRANGE GRIP OF THE WALL AND HURRY AFTER HIM. THEY LOOK BACK AT BAAL HASULAM, WHO REMAINS IN THE CORRIDOR, ALONE.
***
NIGHT. CLASSROOM.
RAV ASHLAG IS SURROUNDED BY HIS STUDENTS.
Baal HaSulam: On May 14th, the sovereign state of Israel is going to be declared.
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE. MAY 14, 1948.
BEN-GURION STANDS ON A STAGE INSIDE A CROWDED HALL AT THE TEL AVIV MUSEUM. HE RAISES HIS GAVEL AND PAUSES FOR A MOMENT BEFORE BANGING IT ON THE PODIUM.
Ben-Gurion: We hereby declare the establishment of a Jewish state in the land of Israel, to be known as the State of Israel. Forever.
***
TEARS OF HAPPINESS ON PEOPLE'S FACES.
THE STREETS ARE ALIVE WITH FLAGS, DANCING, MUSIC, AND LAUGHTER.
THE YOUNG STATE IS CELEBRATING ITS BIRTH.
THE DAY TURNS INTO EVENING, EVENING INTO NIGHT.
***
BAAL HASULAM'S CLASSROOM.
Baal HaSulam: But war is going to break out that very same night.
***
THE NIGHT OF MAY 14, 1948.
SUDDENLY THE JOY IS INTERRUPTED BY ARTILLERY FIRE.
SHELLS EXPLODING. PANIC.
THE START OF ISRAEL’S WAR OF INDEPENDENCE.
CLASSROOM.
Baal HaSulam: It's written in The Zohar: "At that time the sons of Ishmael will awaken the nations of the world to assemble on Jerusalem… and they will make a pact between them to destroy Israel… and they will come from seven sides… and it will be an hour of miseries for Jacob…" (He is silent)
Zyama: Is that it? It doesn't say any more?
Baal HaSulam: "However, they will not crush the house of Jacob but he will be saved from it."
Zyama: So they won’t beat us?
Baal HaSulam: Not in this war.
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE OF THE WAR.
EXPLOSIONS GO OFF IN THE NIGHT.
Radio announcer’s voice: Our young state has been viciously attacked by seven nations who made a criminal pact among them.
The voice of Ben-Gurion: Nothing will break us! (The sound is full of static) Every person capable of bearing arms…
It is overlaid with other voices: Where are your arms!?
A voice shouting from a radio transmitter: They are surrounding you, Itzik, behind you, behind you!
***
Baal HaSulam’s voice: There will be a severe shortage of weapons in the early days of the conflict. But a week later, Russia and the Czech Republic will begin shipping guns and ammunition.
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE.
SHIPS LOADED WITH ARMS ARE APPROACHING THE SHORES OF ISRAEL.
NOW THE WEAPONS ARE BEING UNLOADED INTO BOATS.
WE CAN ALREADY SEE SOLDIERS WITH RIFLES IN THEIR HANDS RUNNING ACROSS THE BATTLEFIELD.
THEY DIVE INTO TRENCHES. SOME OF THEM FALL, SHOT BY ENEMY BULLETS.
***
JERUSALEM. RAV ASHLAG'S CLASSROOM.
HIS STUDENTS SURROUND HIM LIKE BODYGUARDS, DEVOURING HIS EVERY WORD IN SILENCE.
Rav Ashlag: The turning point will come after twenty-one days of fighting. After ten days of heavy fighting, we will capture the cities of Ramla and Lod and unite them with Jerusalem.
Zyama: You are almost done writing the Book of Light that will bring redemption to the world…
Baal HaSulam: First, will come darkness. It is unavoidable. The brighter the light, the more darkness it reveals. The world will discover Pharaoh. But will people want to flee his rule?
***
DOCUMENTARY FOOTAGE OF THE END OF THE WAR.
ARMORED VEHICLES ENTER JERUSALEM.
THE ISRAELIS BREACH THE EGYPTIAN FORTIFICATIONS IN SINAI.
AN ISRAELI FLAG IS HOISTED UP A POLE.
THE PEACE AGREEMENT IS SIGNED.
Baal HaSulam’s voice: If you don’t listen to me today, 50 years from now you will have a state weary of wars, its people robbed of ideals, sharing but a single dream – to escape this place as quickly as they can.
***
A CONFERENCE HALL FULL OF PEOPLE.
RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING ON A STAGE, FACING THE AUDIENCE.
A voice from the audience: What nonsense! Who invited him here?!
Another voice from the audience: We are celebrating victory, not defeat!
Baal HaSulam: The purpose of the State's creation is not to make a country for Jews.
BOOS FROM THE AUDIENCE.
Baal HaSulam (overpowering the whistles): The purpose is to build a state that will live according to the upper spiritual law.
Voices: Where was your spiritual law when we were burning in Auschwitz?
LOUD VOICES, BOOING AND WHISTLING.
Baal HaSulam (ignoring the cacophony): The Jews have to come to this first here, in this land, and then bring the rest of humanity to it.
MORE WHISTLING AND JEERING:
- Get him off the stage!
- The world does not exist! There exists only the sovereign state of Israel!
- We will build a society of equals, a paradise for Jews, on our own, without any upper forces!
THE AUDIENCE IS APPLAUDING WILDLY.
BAAL HASULAM IS WAITING FOR THE APPLAUSE TO SUBSIDE.
THE AUDIENCE CALMS DOWN.
BAAL HASULAM IS LOOKING OVER THE AUDIENCE.
Baal HaSulam: You will not build a paradise here! Nobody needs such a state, neither you nor the world. The Creator does not dwell in it.
WHISTLES AND SHOUTS.
SUDDENLY, BAAL HASULAM STOPS SPEAKING AND EVERYBODY QUIETS DOWN.
HE LOOKS FAR INTO THE DISTANCE ABOVE THE HEADS OF THE PEOPLE.
A FEW OF THE PEOPLE IN THE FIRST ROWS TURN AROUND TRYING TO SEE WHERE HE IS LOOKING.
A surprised voice from the audience: Well, why have you stopped talking all of a sudden?
***
A FLASH OF LIGHT.
BAAL HASULAM WALKS OUT OF THE RAVINE INTO THE LIGHT.
BARUCH AND CHAIM APPEAR AFTER HIM.
Baal HaSulam whispers: Jerusalem.
BARUCH AND CHAIM ARE BEAMING.
BEHIND THEM, SHIMON AND ZYAMA APPEAR FROM THE DARKNESS OF THE RAVINE.
SUDDENLY, THEY BUMP AGAINST AN INVISIBLE WALL.
ZYAMA CRIES AND IMMEDIATELY LASHES AGAINST THE WALL. BLOOD DRIPS FROM HIS HANDS.
SHIMON HUGS HIM, RESTRAINING HIM.
THEY SILENTLY WATCH THEIR FRIENDS WALKING TOWARD THE WHITE CITY.
Shimon’s voice: Go! We will hold you in our thoughts! Just get there!
ZYAMA IS WEEPING SILENTLY, PRESSING HIMSELF AGAINST SHIMON.
Shimon: Keep your thoughts on them! On our great brothers!
BAAL HASULAM IS LEADING THE WAY TOWARD THE WIDE OPEN GATES OF THE WHITE CITY.
A voice from the audience: Hey?!
THAT YELP BRINGS BAAL HASULAM BACK INTO THE HALL.
***
THE CONFERENCE HALL.
Baal HaSulam (standing in front of the frozen audience, speaking very, very softly): Please understand me, listen to me. All you need is to wish… wish to unite with that law… that source of life! Hold this goal in front of you and you will see how the entire world wishes to see us flourish because we will be drawing the Light into this lowly of all worlds. The Light will enter the kingdom of darkness, the realm of the ego, and will change everything and everybody in an instant. And everyone will see in this Light that the world is united, that we are all one family tied in the exalted bonds of…
SILENCE. EVERYONE IS LOOKING AT BAAL HASULAM.
HE IS FOCUSED ON A POINT UP AHEAD.
…Love.
***
A FLASH OF LIGHT.
BAAL HASULAM, BARUCH, AND CHAIM ARE APPROACHING THE WIDE-OPEN GATES OF THE WHITE CITY.
SHIMON AND ZYAMA ARE LEANING AGAINST THE INVISIBLE GLASS WALL.
THEY ARE UNABLE TO MOVE FORWARD.
BAAL HASULAM ENTERS THE WHITE CITY.
HIS STUDENTS LINGER FOR MOMENT AND THEN FOLLOW HIM.
- They are inside! – Shimon’s excited voice is heard.
BAAL HASULAM, BARUCH, AND CHAIM ARE WALKING THROUGH THE CITY.
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE ARE SMILING AT THEM.
PEOPLE FROM ALL RACES, ALL NATIONALITIES.
Baruch: It is not a dream.
Baal HaSulam’s voice: This is the Jerusalem of the heart.
Chaim: Lord! How great You are! How much love You have!
SUDDENLY SHIMON NO LONGER SENSES THE BARRIER IN FRONT OF HIM.
HE CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT.
CAREFULLY, HE EXTENDS HIS HAND FORWARD.
IT “GOES THROUGH.”
- Let’s walk together, Zyama. (He struggles to remain calm and keep his intention) The main thing is – not a single thought about yourself! Come on!
THEY STEP THROUGH THE BARRIER TOGETHER.
THEY WALK TOWARD THE CITY GATES, RESTRAINING THEMSELVES FROM RUNNING.
THEY DON’T LOOK BACK, ONLY FORWARD.
SUDDENLY SHRIEKS AND HOWLS INTERRUPT THIS IDYLL.
***
THE CONFERENCE HALL, PACKED WITH PEOPLE.
BAAL HASULAM IS FACING THE RAGING CROWD.
Screams: Get off!!
SOMEONE HURLS A TOMATO AT HIM.
HE DOESN'T ATTEMPT TO DODGE IT.
THE TOMATO FLIES AN INCH FROM HIS FACE AND SPLATTERS ON THE WALL BEHIND HIM.
THE CROWD ROARS… AND DISAPPEARS.
***
A FLASH OF LIGHT.
THEY ARE WALKING THROUGH THE WHITE CITY, SMILING AND CONTENT.
BAAL HASULAM IS LEADING HIS STUDENTS.
Baruch whispers: My God, the love!
Zyama whispers: My God, the love!
SUDDENLY DARK SHADOWS DART IN FRONT OF THEM AND DISAPPEAR.
Baal HaSulam’s voice: Hold o-o-o-n!
ANOTHER DARK SILHOUETTE APPEARS.
ZYAMA’S DARK DOUBLE IS RUSHING AT HIM.
Baal HaSulam’s voice: Not one thought about yourselves!
THE DOUBLE DISSOLVES IN MID-AIR.
- And when people’s eyes open, – says Baal HaSulam. - they will discover that they’ve been living as if in a dream. And they will yearn to live according to the Law of Love.
***
CONFERENCE HALL.
BAAL HASULAM IS SAYING THESE WORDS IN FRONT OF THE RESTLESS CROWD.
THE CROWD HOWLS IN RETURN.
BAAL HASULAM RAISES HIS HAND AND THE SHOUTING SUBSIDES.
Baal HaSulam (calmly): I will speak now and you will listen.
THE CROWD QUIETS DOWN AS IF HYPNOTIZED.
EVERYONE IS LOOKING AT BAAL HASULAM.
SOMEONE TRIES TO OPEN HIS MOUTH TO SCREAM, BUT HIS JAWS JUST TWITCH UNCONTROLLABLY.
ANOTHER MAN OPENS AND CLOSES HIS MOUTH LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER.
NOT A SOUND IS COMING OUT.
Baal HaSulam: The law of the State will be the love of others because that’s the only condition for the revelation of the Creator.
PORTRAITS OF PEOPLE, FROZEN IN PLACE, LISTENING IN SILENCE TO RAV ASHLAG.
Baal HaSulam: The State of Israel will assume this law and will become the focal point of the world [80].
BEN-GURION IS LISTENING, HOLDING HIS HEAD IN HIS HANDS.
BAAL HASULAM STARTS TO PACE UP AND DOWN THE STAGE.
EVERYONE'S EYES ARE FIXED ON HIM.
Baal HaSulam: These are the principles of the future society (stops): The whole world is one family. The whole world is one people, living according to the Law of the Creator.
PORTRAITS OF PEOPLE LOOKING AT RAV ASHLAG.
Baal HaSulam: The world can't survive any other way in the nuclear age. The Creator built it this way. He has given people the technology, and they created the atomic and hydrogen bombs. If you don’t hear me now, we will face a third and a fourth world war and the bombs will do their job. And the few that will survive the carnage will have no other choice but to take upon themselves the Law of Unity.
BAAL HASULAM STOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STAGE.
HE SAYS VERY CLEARLY:
- “A person or a nation will receive according to the need. The rest will go to benefit their fellow people.” (Pause) And if all the nations of the world accept this law, wars will be a thing of the past, for they will serve no purpose. The great crisis that is upon us will be averted, and even Nature will not avenge us with floods and other disasters. Nothing but peace and harmonious balance shall be our lot – and only because each person will love his neighbor. That is all. It is all so simple. Think about it. But we have very little time.
***
BAAL HASULAM TURNS AROUND AND LEAVES THE HALL.
EVERYONE FOLLOWS HIM WITH THEIR EYES.
HE LEAVES THE BUILDING AND THE WINDOWS TO THE STREET OPEN TO LET DOZENS OF CURIOUS HEADS OUT.
ONLY WHEN HE HAS COVERED SOME DISTANCE CAN WE HEAR THE RENEWED ROAR OF INDIGNANT VOICES AND SCREAMS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HALL.
HE IS WALKING DOWN THE STREET.
WE CAN HEAR A FEW PEOPLE TRYING TO CATCH UP WITH HIM, BUT HE DOESN'T TURN AROUND.
IT’S BEN-GURION AND HIS TWO YOUNG BODYGUARDS.
Ben-Gurion: Rav Ashlag!
BAAL HASULAM STOPS.
Ben-Gurion: Do you believe in this?
Baal HaSulam: I can see it.
Ben-Gurion: As Prophet Isaiah says, “And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”
Baal HaSulam: There are neither leopards, nor lions, nor calves. The little child is not a boy at all, but your desire - David - to live in accordance with the law of love and justice, in order to make the whole world as one heart. This is the meaning of this quote.
Ben-Gurion: I can’t imagine what your life must be like; you’re an outcast, people think you are a madman.
Baal HaSulam: I am living Him. My life is much easier than yours.
BEN-GURION IS STRUGGLING TO FIND THE RIGHT WORDS.
Ben-Gurion: You know, I didn’t want to tell you before your speech, but Yankele was killed. The first battle. They told me that he just stood up and walked in the middle of the firefight. Well, farewell, Rav Ashlag. Thank you for being so… full of Light.
BEN-GURION TURNS AROUND AND LEAVES. HIS YOUNG BODYGUARDS FOLLOW HIM.
RAV ASHLAG IS STANDING SILENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET.
***
NIGHT. BAAL HASULAM IS WRITING SLOWLY.
HE IS WRAPPED IN HIS WARM BLANKET, BUT HIS HAND IS SHAKING AND HIS EYES KEEP SHUTTING IN EXHAUSTION.
Baal HaSulam: Baruch?!
BARUCH WALKS IN FROM A DARK CORNER IN THE ROOM.
Baruch: I'm here, Father.
Baal HaSulam: I have eight lines left to write. He doesn't let me finish them.
Baruch: Father, let me help you to your bed.
Baal HaSulam: No, if I lie down, there's a good chance I won't get up again.
Baruch: Then dictate them to me; I will write them down.
BARUCH TAKES THE PEN AND LOOKS AT HIS FATHER.
BAAL HASULAM CLOSES HIS EYES.
Baal HaSulam: I will come out to the people… I will blow the horn… and I will tell them… (gasps): “My beloved ones… (can hardly breathe) here it is, that great book… (his state deteriorates by the second) I received the power… to reveal it… to you… why do you not… hear me…”
SUDDENLY, BAAL HASULAM FALLS SILENT.
Baruch: Father!
BAAL HASULAM CLOSES HIS EYES AND SLIPS DOWN FROM THE CHAIR ONTO THE FLOOR.
BARUCH LEANS OVER HIM.
BAAL HASULAM CAN'T MOVE, HIS BODY IS PARALYZED.
- Father! Father! – Baruch screams. - Mother?!
***
BAAL HASULAM IS LYING IN HIS BED.
THE DOCTOR IS STANDING NEXT TO HIM.
RIVKA AND BARUCH ARE AT HIS SIDE.
Doctor: I won't sugarcoat it, Rav Ashlag, and I am telling you this on purpose so that you understand the severity of the situation. You went through two major heart attacks in a row. A normal human heart would not take it. No work for you, you hear me, absolutely nothing! No worrying, no exertion. (He turns to Rivka and Baruch) He must stay in bed and think of nothing.
Rivka: That’s impossible.
Doctor: Well, then he will die.
Baruch: He hasn't finished his commentary on The Book of Zohar.
Doctor: And what does that mean?
Baruch: It means he cannot die.
Doctor (angrily): Mark my words!
THE DOCTOR IRATELY GATHERS HIS INSTRUMENTS AND LEAVES THE ROOM.
***
JERUSALEM. OLD PRINTING HOUSE.
BARUCH IS SETTING THE TYPE.
BAAL HASULAM IS SITTING NEXT TO HIM, WRAPPED IN HIS BLANKET.
HE SPEAKS WITH HIS EYES CLOSED:
It is said in The Book of Zohar: “He who attains the Law of Love will fear neither the upper ones nor the lower ones. He will suffer neither disease nor afflictions, for he is connected to Him and learns from Him every day. He is learning the great love.”
***
THE PURIM FESTIVAL.
BAAL HASULAM IS SITTING BY THE FESTIVE TABLE.
THE HOUSE OF THE ASHLAGS HASN'T SEEN SUCH JOY FOR A LONG TIME.
A VIOLINIST STARTS PLAYING A CHEERFUL MELODY.
RAV ASHLAG’S STUDENTS CAVORT IN FUNNY MASKS.
CHILDREN IN COSTUMES ARE DANCING, GRANDCHILDREN ARE SHOUTING WITH JOY.
BARUCH IS DANCING IN FRONT OF RAV ASHLAG, CAREFULLY BALANCING VOLUMES OF THE ZOHAR WITH THE SULAM COMMENTARY ON HIS HEAD.
THE BOOKS GO FROM HAND TO HAND.
RIVKA’S FACE SUDDENLY SHOWS SOME CONCERN.
SHE SEES BAAL HASULAM SLOWLY GETTING UP FROM HIS CHAIR AND MAKING A FEW MOVES ON THE DANCE FLOOR.
IMMEDIATELY, THE VIOLIN STOPS PLAYING.
EVERYONE IS LOOKING AT HIM WITH ALARM AND ADMIRATION.
BAAL HASULAM’S EYES FIND RIVKA’S.
HE SMILES AT HER.
EVERYONE HAILS HIM WITH DELIGHT.
THE MUSIC EXPLODES AGAIN.
BAAL HASULAM SLOWLY WALKS AROUND THE ROOM.
THE FACES OF HIS STUDENTS, BARUCH, AND RIVKA ARE SPINNING AROUND.
SUDDENLY AN ORTHODOX JEW RUNS INTO THE ROOM.
HE IS OUT OF BREATH.
HE IMMEDIATELY SEES BAAL HASULAM AND WALKS UP TO HIM.
The Jew: Rav Ashlag, I just received a telegram from Russia. I don’t study Kabbalah, and my rabbi strongly objects to you, but I don’t know what to do! My relatives are there, my children are there.
***
MOSCOW. STALIN'S SUMMER HOUSE.
STALIN IS WALKING IN OUR DIRECTION ALONG A LENGTHY CORRIDOR.
The Jew’s voice: Stalin has issued a secret order – to send all the Jews to concentration camps, already built in Siberia, and execute the most prominent ones.
STALIN SHAKES HIS FINGER AT SOMEONE AND PROCEEDS TO LOCK ALL THE DOORS.
HE TURNS AROUND AND SURVEYS HIS QUARTERS.
HIS BOOT STEPS IN THE BLOOD RED CARPET.
***
JERUSALEM. THE ASHLAGS’ HOME. PURIM.
Baal HaSulam (to the Jew): And you want me to…
The Jew: Stop him! I was told that if there is one man on the face of the earth who can do it, it’s you.
Baal HaSulam: You hope for a miracle?
The Jew: I have no one else to turn to. You are my only hope.
Baal HaSulam (pause): There are no miracles in this world.
The Jew: So nothing can be done?
Baal HaSulam: Now that it touches you, now you are screaming!
The Jew: But my children are there!
Baal HaSulam: Millions were killed there, and you were silent.
The Jew: I brought you my troubles, my pain, and you…
Baal HaSulam: There is none else but the Creator. You should turn to Him. (Looks around at everyone) We are in the middle of a holiday, friends! Think about the world at large and not about your own little worlds! This is the holiday of the world liberating itself from the reign of egoism. Let’s rejoice! This is the celebration of our victory over evil! (Addressing the Jew) Join us.
THE MUSIC STARTS AGAIN.
EVERYONE RESUMES THEIR DANCING.
ONLY THE ORTHODOX JEW IS STANDING MOTIONLESS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM.
HE IS WEEPING.
HE TURNS AROUND AND LEAVES, SLAMMING THE DOOR.
***
MOSCOW. STALIN'S COUNTRY HOUSE.
STALIN, HIS EYES BULGING, IS CRAWLING ON THE CARPET.
HIS HAND EXTENDS TO GRAB THE DOORKNOB BUT IT MISSES AND DROPS DOWN FEEBLY.
***
JERUSALEM.
BAAL HASULAM IS SITTING AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE.
THE MUSIC STOPS.
EVERYONE TURNS TO HIM.
RIVKA LOOKS AT HIS FACE.
NEARBY, BARUCH IS BOWING HIS HEAD.
HIS STUDENTS COME CLOSER AND SIT AT HIS FEET.
BAAL HASULAM SMILES AT THEM.
***
A FLASH OF LIGHT.
BAAL HASULAM IS SITTING AT THE GATES OF THE WHITE CITY.
- How perfectly You have set it all up - he sighs. - Such joy to feel You, to be next to You! What great delight!
THE GATES OF THE CITY ARE WIDE OPEN.
GENTLE MUSIC IS COMING FROM INSIDE MIXED WITH LAUGHTER.
BAAL HASULAM SMILES.
- See, everything is as You wanted. People came. They are together. They are happy and free! They feel good with You!
***
THE FILM ENDS.
FADE TO BLACK.
***
SUDDENLY, THE FILM STARTS AGAIN.
MODERN DAY INTERVIEW EXCERPTS ROLL UP.
***
MOSCOW. PARK.
WE SEE A MAN WITH SHORT HAIR.
OLEG DEMIDOV.
- I had served nine years by that time in camps, in Siberia. I had a good reputation in the criminal world. I was certain that this was my life and this was my destiny. I even stopped worrying. I told myself – there is no other law. Man is but a wolf to another man. And one winter, it got so bad, I didn't know what to do with myself. Vodka didn't help, I got sick and tired of drugs – they didn't work either. And one night when they brought the new ones into the camp, I was talking to one of them next to a barrack and he was telling me: "Have you heard anything about Baal HaSulam?" No, I told him. – "Try finding his book and read it; it might help. There's a good Russian translation by Michael Laitman; find it." I asked my people and they found the book, in Novosibirsk, they brought it to me. It was a little shabby book in a simple white paper cover. I lay down to read it … and was lost. That was the first time I met the most important person in my life – Baal HaSulam, Rav Yehuda Ashlag. He revealed the Light to me. He saved me. He came into the world to help all of us and I am praying for him every minute of my life.
***
NEW YORK. MANHATTAN. BROADWAY.
SETH BOGNER IS STANDING AMIDST A BUSY STREET.
- I am a millionaire. I never had any problems with money. I had different problems that didn’t allow me to live. Seems like I have everything, but in fact I feel like I have nothing. It lasted until I discovered this great man. When I say his name, I feel my heart wrenching. He is more than a father, he is closer than the closest ones. He is everything, kindness, love, safety – everything… The Great Teacher – Baal HaSulam. You can trust him absolutely. He will guide you to happiness. You, all of us, the whole world – to bliss. Baal HaSulam. I can talk about him forever.
***
ANKARA. A BUSY STREET. PEOPLE ARE BUSTLING.
A YOUNG GUY IS SITTING ON A BENCH, HE WEARS A SHORT BEARD.
THIS IS MUTLU.
- I am a Muslim. All my family are religious Muslims. I was living in Turkey until I was 22, then two years in England, then I moved to Australia. I remember crying when I was reading Baal HaSulam’s book. This is it, the thing I was searching for all my life! The meaning of birth, of living a complete and meaningful life — every second of it, revelation of the great and bright world. It's all him, Baal HaSulam, the most precious man of all.
***
BULGARIA. SOFIA.
EMPTY ORTHODOX CHURCH. THE CANDLES BURN.
THE PRIEST IVAN MILONOV.
I graduated from the spiritual academy in Sofia, I became a priest, and I knew everything about Christianity. I also read heaps of books on other religions, faiths, and spiritual teachings, until I found a little book. It was the book of Baal HaSulam. It had everything I had been looking for. It contained so much Light that I remember myself almost losing my breath with admiration. I immediately started translating it into Bulgarian in order to bring this miracle to my people, to show them – look what a treasure I've discovered!
Baal HaSulam is the greatest, most sacred name. He told us how all of us can live in this world, all of us together, people of every religion and every nationality. All we have to do is just hear him!
***
BRUSSELS. CAFÉ.
A MIDDLE-AGED MAN IS SITTING AT ONE OF THE TABLES OUTSIDE.
HE HAS A VERY KIND FACE.
THARSI.
- I am a film producer. I am Belgian, not a Jew. One night I was browsing the Internet and came across the name, Baal HaSulam. I started to read. I lost track of time. The night passed and there was morning, daytime. I kept on reading. I read everything there was in English. Then I started listening to the lessons of Baal HaSulam's follower, Rav Laitman. He never made even a small deviation from the text. His motto was to study according to the sources. This is the source of life that I've found—the books of Baal HaSulam. It's the Light that was brought into this world. The book, The Last Generation, is the instruction for receiving this Light. What else do we and our insane world need? Just to take it for ourselves, that's it.
I personally have just one wish—to shoot a big film about Baal HaSulam so that every person in the world will know that name!
***
JERUSALEM.
A MAN IS STANDING ACROSS FROM A SMALL TWO-STOREY HOUSE.
IT’S MICHAEL LAITMAN.
- I’m a student of Rav Baruch Ashlag, who was the firstborn son of Baal HaSulam. The way he talked about his father was different from how we usually talk about our parents, respectfully, with love, remembering them all the time. No. He talked about his father as though describing a miracle that manifested in the world. The seven miracles of the world are nothing compared to this miracle. Next to us there lived a person who talked with the Creator the same way I’m talking to you now. He lived in the future world and described it to us. It’s the world of the Light, absolute love, the world of happiness that is prepared for everyone. Open his books, if only just to try them, and you will sense the Light in them.
This is the Light that cleanses us, the Light that will end all the troubles in the world.
[69] A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a particular group, whether ethnic, religious, or other, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centers.
[70] The High Priest is one who has acquired the quality of love and bestowal to the fullest, who has obtained complete faith and love for the Creator and for all creations.
[71] Yiddish – a language spoken by Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe. It is a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages, and traces of Romance languages.
[72] A man in black: Huge egoistic desires that appear a moment before the attainment of superior spiritual degrees. The struggle with them is the last test before entering the White City.
[73]Lechaim – A traditional toast in Hebrew meaning “to life.”
[74]Purim – A Jewish holiday signifying the aversion of an attempt to obliterate the Jews by Haman, the Persian advisor to king Xerxes. In spirituality, it is a sensation of complete freedom from the ego, one’s final correction.
[75]Adar is the sixth month in the Hebrew calendar. Shvat is the fifth month.
[76] Baal HaSulam (Owner of the Ladder) is Rav Yehuda Ashlag’s epithet, after his Sulam (Ladder) commentary on The Book of Zohar.
[77] Black shadows are man’s last self-centered desires. They make a final effort to move the person away from obtaining spirituality, aiming to cause one to want this revelation even more. Subsequently, it transpires that these shadows are actions of the Creator, who repels a person while simultaneously drawing the person toward Him.
[78] A kibbutz (Hebrew: “gathering,” “clustering”; plural: kibbutzim) is a collective community in Israel. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism. Today, most kibbutzim have been privatized and have given up many of the socialistic properties of their lifestyles.
[79] Sabbath (Saturday) – the seventh day of the week, counting from the beginning of the creation. In the spiritual work of a person, Sabbath is a sensation of ascent, freedom from egoism, a feeling of love.
[80] In Kabbalah, the state of Israel is a state that lives by spiritual laws. “Israel” is not a name of a physical state, but rather the goal to which all of its citizens aspire— Yashar El (straight to God).