Original subtitles

Don't you speak English.

Exercise video for people who have strokes.

No, no, no. Not stroke victims.

Victims are helpless.

You can shoot at one of my gym.

Just find me a director.

Tell him, please.

Yes, Mr. Berger.

Now, who do you think is going to be the star?

Me.

Is that him?

Uh -huh.

Ross Berger.

Entrepreneur, stroke survivor.

He's one of those men that thinks he's done it all by himself.

Self -made man.

The grand delusion.

All

right,

say hi to Grandpa for me.

Hey, you come in and say hi?

No, I got a lot of stuff I have to do. Maybe next time. All right, and don't

forget to do your Torah portion.

Never leave home without it.

Bye.

Hey, kiddo. I've been practicing.

You look better all the time.

Come here.

Good day.

Good day.

Could be tough without this.

Thanks, Dad.

Hello, Alan.

Hi, Dad.

You're looking pale.

You need a workout with me. Come on. Yeah, I don't have the time.

Dad, you have an RSVP for Aaron's bar mitzvah.

I'll be there for the party.

But you'll miss the service. You won't be there when he's called up for the

Torah. I told you, that's for you, not for me.

No, no, it's for everybody.

A bar mitzvah. The day a boy becomes a man.

According to Jewish law.

Ross seems like the type who would want his grandson to become a man.

Oh, he wants him to become a man, all right.

It's just that he and Alan have different ideas as to what becoming a

about.

And Aaron is caught in the middle.

Yeah, but it's more complicated than that, baby.

Everything's about to change for this family.

And when it does, there'll be no middle ground left.

When you walk down...

Every burden, every load I

will rise and I will walk with you I'll

walk with you Till the sun don't even shine Walk with

you Every time I tell you I'll walk with you

Believe me, I'll walk with you What kind of example does it set for Aaron if his

own grandfather won't accept his own fate, Dad?

Is hypocrite a better example?

Come on, take your work up.

Hello.

Can I help you?

I'm here to help you. You want to make an exercise video? I'm Monica, the

director. Then what's that?

I don't want a home video.

No, no, I understand. I just wanted to get a feel for the location, Mr. Berger.

Call me Ross.

Rhymes with boss.

Don't let my father scare you. He's tough, but he's usually fair.

Sounds a wee bit like someone else I work with.

You got a job, Monica?

Let me tell you how I work.

It's very simple.

Alan's face.

Alan. Alan.

Are you all right?

What's the matter?

No, I'm fine. I'm all right. I'm all right. I just have to mind a professor.

just didn't eat my lunch today.

Well, they can tell me how the juice was.

You know, I'm all right. I'm all right.

Let's just, let's make sure Aaron gets home by six.

Okay? Nice to meet you.

Okay.

All right, I'll see you later.

Okay. Cora, Cora, Cora.

Don't worry about him.

I used to own 20 of them. Sold all but five.

After my stroke.

You don't seem like the kind of man to cut back.

Who's cutting back?

Hey, hey.

You want to run me out of business?

I was just going to practice my Torah portion while we worked out, but you

just tell Mom and Dad that I practiced. I'm not going to lie.

Practice. The first line?

My stroke messed up my

English. But my Hebrew... Come on. Let's see what you got.

Hey, come on. Harder.

Hey, Grandpa.

Mom says I need a Hebrew tutor.

You can do it.

No way.

When I was a kid...

I used to read the Torah every Saturday, but not anymore. Come on.

So you must be excited about your bar mitzvah, Aaron.

Eh, not really.

Why not?

Because saying a bunch of stupid words wouldn't make me a man.

Right, Grandpa?

Right. What does it take to become a man?

You have to be a fighter.

That's right.

You put the guards down.

Protect yourself.

Never depend on anybody else. Come on.

Hey, hey, hey, hey.

Oh. You put that much energy into your studies.

Sound like Dad.

Good.

I found you a tutor.

I found one, too.

Grandpa. Very funny.

I'm not kidding.

He knows the Hebrew better than I do. Really?

I'm surprised he remembers any of it. Why?

Well, when Grandpa was a little boy, his father taught him Hebrew every day.

By the time your dad was turning 13, Grandpa had turned away from God and

refused to teach him.

How'd Dad learn it? From his grandfather.

Well, then why do I have to have a tutor, Mom?

Why can't I just learn it from my grandfather?

Because a tutor can give you the final polishing that you need. Your grandpa

can't do that, and neither can your father.

What can I do?

That's been laid again.

You okay?

Yeah.

How about a little one -on -one after dinner?

Hmm, well, let's see.

Let's see.

I'm in!

See you in a minute.

I'm okay with television also.

Because they want you to be a great student.

Every year, you know.

Hell no, Ralph and Alon.

Do you have to say a prayer every time a sound goes by?

Well, if someone you loved were in that ambulance, wouldn't you feel better if

people were praying for them along the way?

Grandpa doesn't pray.

Says he has better things to do with his time.

What could be more important than praying for someone in need?

I guess I forgot to wipe the butter off my fingers. Can you give me a towel or

something?

You're getting worse.

No, I had a bad day, that's all.

Right, and you might jump shot with the fruit?

Nothing but trash cans.

We can't keep this from Aaron very much longer.

I'm going to be Dr. Frankel Thursday after class. We'll see what he says, all

right? You should come back on your class schedule and spend more time with

Aaron. He's with your father way too much these days. Well, he idolizes him.

It's just the problem.

Well, why shouldn't he?

He's everything I'm not.

Yeah.

vain, selfish, contemptuous of God.

Yeah, and focused and ambitious and financially crude.

Aaron can learn a lot from them. Hey, I want Aaron to be like you, not Ross.

So hang around another 50 or so years out of doing it, okay?

I'll try.

So what do we do next?

Uh, well, you'll be in this first piece of equipment.

And then four extras, two men, two women, all senior citizens will be in a

behind you. Doing what? Following your lead.

This is Tess.

Is this an extra?

I'm the producer of this video.

I didn't ask for a producer.

And I'm not paying for one.

I'm... The producer.

Then I'll be the executive producer. Do you have a problem with that?

Yeah, I do.

Have you ever made an instructional video before?

Not yet.

Have you ever had a stroke?

Not yet. It sounds to me like you both have something to contribute to this

project.

We'll see.

Blaise Pascal, 1623 to 16...

1962.

Probably the greatest mathematician of his day.

But about three years before he died, he gave it all up.

Anybody know why?

Yes.

He woke up and realized he was a nerd?

I'm sorry, you fail.

No, no. He found a bigger problem. He found something that he obsessed on more

than any math problem he'd ever tackled.

And that was, does God exist?

Because Pascal reasoned that if God exists, it changes everything.

And if he doesn't, nothing matters. So he crafted something that we call

Pascal's Wager.

See, he reasoned that we wager our place in the afterlife for what we do in this

life right here.

And what we do depends on whether or not we believe that God exists.

So if you behave morally as if God exists, and he does, then you win

everything. Yeah?

And if you behave morally and God doesn't exist, then you lose nothing

you've got nothing to lose. Either way, you win.

But if you behave immorally as if God doesn't exist and you're right, you win

nothing.

But if you're wrong, if you're wrong, you lose everything.

Professor Berger?

Yeah.

Homework. So why don't you all, let's go to the racetrack and put $5 on sweet

luthien. We'll call that burger's wager. All right.

Are you okay?

Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you.

Who are you?

My name's Andrew.

I'm going to help Aaron with his Hebrew.

Your wife suggested that I come talk to you. Oh, great. Yeah, hi.

Nice to meet you.

What is this?

I call it power.

I call it awful.

Where's your grandson today?

He'll be here later.

Why?

I saw him on Monica's tape.

I'd like to use him on the video.

Nah, he's too young.

He'd give you a broader audience.

And he already knows how to follow your lead.

Ross, we're ready for you.

Tess thinks we should put Aaron in some shots.

Aaron? But he's studying for his bar mitzvah.

Bar mitzvah. He'd be better off in the video.

Have you got something against God?

Yes.

Religion makes people weak.

Oh, really?

You know what I did after my bar mitzvah? I ate a ham sandwich. It was

delicious.

And I never said a prayer again.

You think that's a good thing?

Look at me.

I survived with two wives.

A stroke that should have killed me.

What do you think?

I think it's a good thing we're here.

Well, let's go.

Time is money.

And what are you smiling at?

And, you know, kids, I...

I try to help him. He thinks I'm criticizing him. So Connie and I just

it would be a better idea to bring someone from outside the family.

I understand.

And Aaron is a great boy. He's a smart boy.

Oh, you know what? I have an appointment. I'd love to keep talking

but I've really got to go.

Can I give you a ride? No, that's fine. No problem. No, it's fine.

I'll talk to you soon.

All right.

You're lucky you ran into that dumpster.

It could have been worse.

Yeah.

Thank God for that.

You know, it might not be a bad idea to go down to emergency and take a look

anyway.

I'll give you a lift.

I was on my way to the doctor.

You know what? A ride would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Thank you very

much. You're welcome.

That's good.

But, um...

Put the accent on the second syllable there.

Ketoret.

Ketoret.

They're just words from like 3 ,000 years ago.

I don't see how reading them is supposed to make me a man.

Well, just reading them doesn't.

Then why do it?

Do you know what a bar mitzvah actually is?

You know, a lot of people think that mitzvah just means a good deed.

But it actually means divine commandment.

And a commandment is like an obligation.

And being a man means that you're ready to accept those obligations, those

responsibilities. I mean, you do things, not because they're nice. You do them

because they're good, and they're right, and they honor God and your family.

And by the time you're 13, you should be ready to accept those responsibilities.

And if you're not, then you're not ready for a bar mitzvah.

Professor Berger, God promises the light will never go out.

God's light is eternal.

Sometimes we sit in the darkness, don't we?

You want to talk about it?

Three different hospitals, three different doctors, they all say the same

I've got a brain tumor, Andrew.

And it's growing really fast.

And there's nothing anybody can do.

There, I said it.

That's the first step in dealing with it.

Yeah, I suppose.

My wife already knows. I just don't know how I'm going to tell my son.

Or my father.

The Lord our God is near us.

Whenever we pray to him, pray for me.

I'm praying for you already, Alan.

Cut!

No, I'm the one who said cut.

Take five minutes.

We're taking five.

Next shot, the treadmill.

I'm the director. I'm the one who's supposed to say cut.

The only thing bigger than that man's ego is the problem that's about to walk

that door.

Oh, Aaron Chaney, you'll be out in a minute.

Well, that's okay. I came to see you, actually.

I have something important I want to talk to you about.

So, sit down.

Well...

I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to say it.

I have a brain tumor.

What?

Yeah, it's inoperable.

And they tell me I have six months or six weeks or six days.

Three different specialists, they all said the same thing.

Listen, Alan, there are other doctors, better doctors all over the world.

I'm going to make a call right now. No, no, stop, stop, stop, stop.

Stop what? Stop pretending that Ross Berger can solve every problem that

his way.

What am I supposed to do?

Stop loving my son?

Yell, cry, I don't know.

Oh, Alex.

Listen. No, no, because I know what you're going to say.

and it's too late for me to start chasing some fantasy cure. Whatever time

got left, I want to spend it with my family.

Listen to me.

When I had my stroke, the doctor said I won't walk again.

What did I do?

You got rid of the doctors and created your own rehab. You've told me this

a million times. You can do the same thing.

Don't be a quitter.

A quitter?

A quitter? You think that I want to die? You think that I want to leave my wife

and kid?

Don't give up. Fight for them.

Aaron.

Aaron, Alan, don't worry. We'll get through this.

We'll pray for all of us. God will see us through.

I'll see us through.

We don't need God.

No, that's the... Alan.

Alan. Dad, are you all right?

Dad? Alan.

Call 911.

Get me a private nurse.

There are several agencies.

Around the clock.

No problem.

And I want a private suite for my son.

Well, there's nothing available right now.

Make it available.

I don't care what it costs.

You want us to move someone out of their suite and move your son in?

Yes. I don't think that's what Alan would want.

That's what I want. Dad. Dad. The room is fine.

It's fine.

My son, even from bed, he argues.

I'll go tell the doctor he's awake.

Connie, honey, could you take Aaron and maybe go have something to eat for a few

minutes? I'm not hungry.

It's okay. I just want to talk to Grandpa, just for a few seconds.

Why can't I stay?

Because your father asked you to do something.

Come on, honey. Let's go.

Can I have some water, please?

Sure.

Thanks. You know, I talked to the battle clinic in Switzerland.

They're the best.

They're always there for me.

You're my boy.

Now, I need you to be there for Aaron.

You know, his bar mitzvah is a week from Saturday.

Let's focus on you.

Yeah, but if I... If I can't be there, I want you to be there for me.

I want you to go up with him when he reads the Torah.

I have a better idea.

You do it.

Yeah, but will you just do this for me, please, Dad?

Think positive.

Let's have the battle. Yeah, I... Get some rest.

Dad, could you bring me grandpas to fill them?

What?

Grandpas to fill them.

I don't know if I have them anymore.

Just look, okay?

What are you doing in this attic?

What are you doing here?

Your housekeeper let me in. I came over to check on you and your son.

It's a strap you put around your arm and your head during daily prayers.

It's supposed to remind people of their ethical obligations.

Are you Jewish?

How do you know that?

I know all kinds of things. Has to do with being a good executive producer.

My father, he put those straps on every day. He must have been a man of great

faith. He was.

He loved God, obeyed all the commandments.

What good did it do him?

Run over.

But a milk wagon.

And you blame God for that?

No, no, no. I blame my father for thinking God made a difference.

He lived his life in terrible pain.

See that he believes.

Well, the prayers of a righteous man avail much.

Your father must have found some value in the life he had.

Yeah, go figure. And he put all that nonsense in my son Alan.

You know, faith is a very powerful thing when you wrap yourself up in it.

What do you know?

I still have them.

Now, why would you keep something all these years unless there was a part of

that believed it too?

Spare me the melodrama.

I just forgot they were here.

But wrapping himself in these helped my son.

It's okay with me.

Oh, it's okay with you, is it?

Tell me something, Ross.

What bothers you the most?

That your son is dying, or that he's looking to a greater power than you?

Hey, what happened to your roommate?

I thought you paid him off to get better, and that's why he left.

You have a fan club over there. Oh, yeah, yeah, they're good kids.

Look.

I found them in the attic.

Great, great.

With you?

Sure, sure.

If I remember, I put them on you.

No, actually, I was thinking maybe you could put them on.

Me? Yeah.

Why? I don't know. It would give me a vicarious thrill.

You know, someday you have to explain to me your...

You're fascinated with this stuff.

Maybe I should tell you now.

You remember when you had your appendix out? I was six years old.

When the ambulance took you to the hospital, I was very scared.

I thought you weren't going to come home again.

And Grandpa said the only thing that we could do is pray for you.

My father always filling your head with nonsense.

No, he was right.

I prayed my heart out for you.

And then you came home.

So you think your prayer was answered?

Yeah.

It's not the only reason I believe, but it's a start.

Hey, where's your mom?

She's parking in the car.

Pretty impressive, huh? All these people showing up to support your dad.

I guess so.

You know, I know this is hard for you.

My grandpa's going to fix it all.

Your grandpa is a very determined man, but what do you say that you and I do

part for your dad and say some prayers for him?

Grandpa says prayers for weak people.

To my Israel, I don't know their handle, I don't know their code.

Someone listening?

God?

Alan believes in you.

So how come I got over my stroke and...

He has a fatal tumor.

Show me.

If there is a God, show me. Show me something I can believe in.

Break me dead now, but let my son live.

Grandpa?

Where's the ambulance?

He went for a walk.

Walk? He's upset.

He doesn't cry. He won't talk to me about it.

He won't go in the room with his father for more than five minutes.

I don't know what to do.

Don't be upset. He's trying to be strong.

He's trying to be you.

Eleven o 'clock.

You should be in bed.

I should be right here.

How is Alan tonight?

Strong. Like his father.

I've been praying for him and his family.

And for you.

Thank you for your gesture.

But I don't believe in prayers.

It's not just a gesture.

There's power in prayer.

Barry did nothing for my father and won't do anything for my son.

So only Rothberger can help him?

I don't appreciate your sarcasm.

Listen, Monica, you can't depend on someone else to give you what you want.

God is not someone else.

Oh, skip the sermon.

It's 7 o 'clock in Switzerland.

I got to make a call.

Alan.

I've got good news.

The clinic in Switzerland agreed to take you.

Are you here for me?

Of course. The ambulance is outside.

Are you an angel?

I'm just your father.

I'm the angel of death.

Pascal's wager.

I won the bet.

You weren't betting, Alan.

You knew it was a sure thing.

What bet?

Who are you talking to?

Did you see how my father prayed for me?

I was so proud.

I've always been proud of you, Alan.

You're a good man.

A good son.

I'll miss my family.

Alan. Alan.

Don't give up. This isn't the end, Alan. There's more.

It's good.

Do I have time to say the Shema?

Alan! Shema Yisrael.

No. Danai Eloheinu.

Please.

Dad?

Danai Efrat.

Alan.

Don't give up.

Where's Aaron?

He's in his room. He doesn't want to come out.

You mad at me?

Huh?

I guess we haven't had much chance to talk the last few days.

I don't want to talk.

Hey, this is your grandpa.

We always talk.

You said you were going to save him.

I did everything I could.

No, you didn't.

You gave up.

I never give up on anything.

You know that.

Then why were you praying in the hospital?

I did that for your father, for my son.

That was all just an act?

I don't know.

I don't know.

And my dad died anyway.

Your dad wanted me to go up with you when we read from the Torah on Saturday.

There isn't going to be a bar mitzvah. No, Aaron. Forget it!

All the prayers people said didn't fix anything, and you didn't fix anything

either. So what difference does it make?

What's so important about being a man anyway?

Besides, all I gotta remember is to keep my guard up, right, Grandpa?

What did you say to him, Ross?

The wrong thing, I guess.

Do you need a spotter?

What are you doing in my house?

If you're lifting that much weight, you should have a spotter.

An expert on weightlifting, eh?

No, just on human limitation.

My nigga, please go away.

You're angry.

I'm damn angry.

At whom?

Your son?

Because he died of a disease for which there is no cure?

Or because he put his faith in God instead of you?

God?

There is no God.

You ate a ham sandwich after your bar mitzvah.

Who were you rebelling against if you don't believe in God?

What do you care?

I care very much, Ross.

I'm an angel.

An angel.

What's this?

God has sent an angel to you.

Well, tell your God that I'm not interested.

Why don't you tell him yourself?

I spoke to your God.

He wasn't listening.

Yes, he was. God was listening.

He heard your prayers and he answered them. How?

By killing my son?

Cancer killed your son.

God gave Alan life.

He gave him strength and hope.

And in the end, he gave him peace.

Alan gave himself over into the hands of a loving father.

That's how he lived his life, walking humbly with his God.

And you have lived your life despising that, because you can't imagine what it

is to humble yourself before anyone or anything.

It's right.

But God loves you anyway, Roth.

He wants you to walk with him the way that Alan walked with him.

You're wasting your time.

You prayed in Alan's hospital room for God to show you a reason to believe.

I saw nothing.

Your grandson walked into the room.

Coincidence. There are no coincidences with God.

Only people who refuse to see the hand of God and the miracles that happen

day. What are you saying?

Bow your head, Roth, and your heart.

Humble yourself in the sight of your God, and he will lift you up.

Do it for yourself.

Do it for your grandson.

Aaron needs you. He needs your guidance.

What kind of legacy will you leave for him?

The peace of a loving God?

Or the anger of a stubborn man?

I don't want to hear any more.

You are used to getting the last word.

But God spoke the first word, and God will speak the last word,

whether you are listening or not.

I don't like you.

What are you doing, Aaron?

You'd be dressed by now.

I'm not going.

You never met Temple when your dad was alive.

What makes you think you can start now?

It doesn't matter anymore.

It mattered to your father.

Don't you care about that?

No.

I know you're angry and hurt.

I'm angry too.

Angry that we didn't have more time together as a family.

But you know what?

I'm grateful for what we did have.

I loved your father very much.

And I was so proud of his strength and his faith.

I'm proud of you, too.

You're the man of the house now.

And no matter what you decide to do today, that's not going to change.

Today was to be a day of celebration for the Berger family.

It was to be the day of Aaron Berger's Bar Mitzvah.

But Aaron's father, Alan, a wonderful man who is deeply loved by every member

this congregation, passed away this week.

And Aaron has told me that he doesn't feel able to go through with the

at this time.

I'm sure everybody here understands.

So there will be no Bar Mitzvah today.

Forgive me, Rabbi.

Don't. Death cannot stop something that's been a tradition

for thousands of years, that Jewish law.

Well, that's true, but under the circumstances... There will be a bad

today.

Mine.

I'm 83 years old.

The Bible teaches us that a man's lifespan is 70 years.

So when he reaches the age of 83, he has a second bar mitzvah.

I want to do this forever.

He'd be very proud of you.

I only wish he could see.

I believe he can.

Amen.

If you marry me, don't blame you.

Your father was a remarkable man.

I thought my son was weak.

He was strong.

He never lost his faith.

He loved us both so much.

He wanted us to find the same faith.

He was right.

Aaron, I was wrong.

For the first aliyah, we call it Kohen Roth Berger.

Reuven ben Yosef HaKohen

Baruch

Hu Es Adonai Ham Baruch Baruch Adonai Ham Baruch

Baruch Baruch Baruch Baruch Baruch Baruch Baruch Baruch Baruch

Baruch Baruch But that's an honest Torah. So,

oh, I don't know it. No, it's not a Torah.