Original subtitles

Are you waiting for the bus?

I've never been on a bus.

I was thinking of trying it. Of course, I can't actually get on the bus without

Monica here.

I'm an angel, and I'm new to the angel business, so I have to stay right here

until they tell me what to do and where to go.

Did I say something wrong?

Gloria?

Andrew! Oh, my goodness! How did you know I was here?

I didn't. I didn't. I was on my way to, uh... What are you doing here alone?

Telling people that you're an angel.

Where's Monica?

She told me to stay right here until she got back.

From?

Oh,

Tess is not gonna like this. Well, that's the truth.

You mean Monica just let you and that mouth of yours loose on humanity?

Yes.

Andrew, you stay here with her. I'm going to go find her.

I can't. I have an appointment.

Now... You.

You stay right here.

You don't move.

You don't speak to anyone unless you're spoken to directly.

And don't tell anybody you're an angel. Have you got that?

Yes, ma 'am.

I'll be right back.

Are you speaking to me directly?

Yeah. Oh, okay then. Hey.

Hello!

Hello!

Hello!

Who do you think you're talking to?

And what are you doing here?

I like to come here when I need to think.

Well, you better think about getting your little angel patootie back to

business. You left Gloria alone.

Just for a moment.

It only takes a moment.

I'm sorry.

Where is she? She's back at the bus stop.

Alone.

That's about it.

Gotta go. Take it easy.

I will. Thank you. Thank you very much. This has been very illuminating.

Hey, hey, hey!

I can't believe it. Missed it again.

Happens every time.

I'm late.

The bus is early.

When I'm early, it's late. You suppose it knows what it's doing to me?

Well, the bus is a mechanical device. It has no soul.

What do you know about souls?

I know that a soul is the intangible yet very present essence of an individual

that seeks its reason for existence and ultimately its creator.

Ah, smart girl.

What are you, some kind of student?

No, I'm an... Uh... I'm in real

estate.

Or at least I'm thinking about it.

Then you're not so smart after all.

What do you do?

I'm a sofa.

You're a couch?

I'm a sofa, a Torah scribe. I handwrite the Hebrew words of the Torah onto the

parchment. That sounds so interesting.

What's a Torah?

It's the scrolls of the books of Moses.

The sacred knowledge of the Jewish faith.

Jewish?

about that really yes yes oh it's here oh this is such a coincidence of course

tests would say there are no coincidences i was just speaking to some

right here jews are pigs they are only interested in money and they try to

manipulate society by perpetuating the myth of the holocaust but the truth is

the holocaust never happened

when

you walk

down the road heavy burden heavy

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.

I better stop this.

No, whatever's just got started has got to be finished.

I think I know what it is.

Yes. You better get going.

Did I say something wrong?

I say wrong things sometimes because I'm trying to learn a lot about people, but

don't ask me why because I'm not supposed to tell you.

Let me see that, please.

Who told you this?

About Jews?

Those young men with no hair that got on the bus.

Skinheads? You were talking with skinheads and you believed them?

Their information was inaccurate?

What planet are you from, smart girl?

Well, actually... Gloria, is that you?

Imagine seeing you here, talking to strangers.

Can I give you a lift?

Of course I can give you a lift.

Get in this car.

I have to go.

But it was very nice to have met you. You seem like a nice girl.

Misinformed, but nice.

You know, my wife wants to sell our house.

You got a card?

A card?

It's in your left pocket.

Tess and Gloria, your real estate specialists.

Thanks. I'm Sam Silverstein.

Well, I hope you call me, Sam.

On the phone.

That was a very nice man.

Here's a good rule to live by, Gloria.

God did not send angels to earth to insult strangers on bus benches. Have

got that?

Yes. And here's another thing.

Don't start an assignment until someone actually gives you one.

That's my assignment?

Well, it is now. Start reading.

And never forget that today's child is tomorrow's voter.

Choices they learn to make for themselves today will be the decisions

for all of us tomorrow.

It's not bad.

Her name's Monica. She's new in town. I like her writing, and we could use an

objective voice around here.

Yeah, I've been telling you that for months, Jack.

Monica, come on over.

Monica, this is Rachel Silver.

She draws a cartoon strip for us.

Hello, how do you do?

Nice to meet you.

I'll leave you two. I've got a meeting upstairs with the suits.

Okay.

Are these your cartoons?

You're really talented.

Oh, thanks. No, this is my private collection.

See, I can't afford therapy, so I draw the source of my frustration.

My dad.

He looks like an interesting fellow.

Yeah, well, you might find other words to describe him if you ever actually met

the man.

Drop your little pencil.

Here's your chance.

I come with a gift. A brisket sandwich, still warm. I wrapped it in foil.

Hello.

How are you and who are you?

Fine. Monica, editorial writer.

Sam Silverstein, delivery man slash father.

I hate to keep you, Dad, so thanks for the sandwich.

You should eat it now.

No, I'm busy.

It's warm now.

I'm busy now.

Fine, give me the sandwich back. I'm on my way to synagogue. I'm sure that

someone there will appreciate it. I don't want the sandwich. I was making a

point, which I suppose will earn me another picture on your wailing wall

Hmm. Are you coming to dinner tonight?

If it's Wednesday, then I'm coming, right?

So, I'll see you later. I have a lot of work to do.

Bye. Bye -bye.

What are you doing for dinner?

Nothing? Oh, good. You're coming with me. Jack came once, won't go back, so

you're elected to be my human shield for the night.

I think it's really nice that you have dinner with your family every week.

Well, it's my compromise for not going to Shabbat on Fridays.

You don't go for Sabbath dinner?

Nope. Not my thing.

Are you in?

I'm in.

Oh, good.

It's not just really about the brisket. Oh, Sam, it's not about the brisket at

all. Have you seen those little cartoons she draws of me? She has no respect.

Well, she still comes to dinner every week. But on Wednesdays. Oh, Sam, that's

more than most parents get.

I'm going to see who's at the door.

Mrs. Silverstein?

Yes? I'm Tess, and this is Gloria.

We're from the real estate company.

Oh, hi. Come on in. Sam, they're here.

Oh, you have a very beautiful house.

Well, thanks.

We hate to sell, but it's time to downsize.

Well, whatever size you want it to be, we're here to do it.

Gloria has been a whimsical addition to our staff.

Is Mr.

Silverstein in? I'm coming. I'm here.

Ah, it's the smart girl and her friend.

Hi. We were so pleased to get your call.

And a bit surprised, too.

You mean after what smart girl here said to me about the Jews? You think I

haven't heard it before?

She's a good kid who hasn't been taught the truth.

Better she should learn it from me.

You know, maybe you're right.

Well,

let me show you around.

So what are you saying? I'm out?

Not necessarily.

You've just got to change your angle a little.

A lot. What can I tell you, Rachel?

I don't get it. They hire Monica to come in and write these good news

editorials, then they come down on the comic strip for being too soft?

Who's reading the editorials?

Management just wants to shake things up where it matters.

They want that biting social commentary in the cartoons.

They want that kind of cutting -edge stuff without people talking around the

water cooler.

It's not the kids that are reading the funny pages anymore, Rachel. What?

Nobody's hanging around the water cooler either, Jack.

Don't shoot the messenger.

Hello.

This is delicious, Mrs. Silverstein.

It's Sam's mother's recipe.

It's one of the few things she was able to hold on to during the war.

My parents survived the Holocaust, came to America.

only to be killed by a drunk driver.

I'm so sorry.

They were good people.

So, uh, what's with selling the house?

It's your mother's idea.

Oh, it's, um, it's not too much for us to keep up with anymore.

That's a nice way of saying I'm a slob.

32 years, and I've never lived up to her expectations.

Gee, I wonder what that's like.

Please, we have a guest.

Father knows best. It's like with the brisket for lunch, here's when to eat it

and here's how to eat it. Those were suggestions.

Oh, you mean like, why don't you get married, have children, settle down?

wrong with the family?

Nothing. What's wrong with the career?

Nothing. You can have both.

Well, or in my case, neither. They're thinking of canceling my strip.

Why? It's a very cute little cartoon.

Well, that's the problem.

Jack says the management's looking for something grittier, you know, cartoons

with an attitude. Right, Monica?

Well, it does look like they want to go in a new direction.

I'm not sure I agree with their philosophy.

If they want anger and a bad attitude in the funny pages, they should see those

hateful cartoons on the walls of your little pretend office.

Finally had an idea I can live with, Daddy.

I said a rich doctor, not a witch doctor.

That's the first time I've heard you laugh, Rachel.

Yes, well, I've never had anything to laugh about before, and now I have fans.

Yes, but they're not all fans.

You know what? Love it or hate it, they're reading it, and that's what

Don't you care that you're offending people?

You know what? The publishers wanted edgy. It's not edgy if you don't make a

people squirm, right?

Like your father.

Exactly like my father.

Hello?

That you, smart girl?

Yes, it's me. And I brought Andrew.

Mr. Silverstein, hi.

I'm here to help out Gloria.

Yes, we need to get some repairs done before you can sell your house. I

understand that you have a leak.

I like that leak. It's been keeping me company for years.

Well, I don't see how that's possible.

The drip could have no way of knowing or acknowledging your existence.

Yes, theoretically, you're correct.

But it's constant. It doesn't change.

How many things in life can you say that about?

1 ,672.

Uh, Gloria, that's a rhetorical question. It doesn't really require an

Oh. Though I am fascinated that you actually came up with a number, someday

like to hear the list.

In the meantime, the drip stays.

So, um, Gloria tells me that you're a sofa.

How long have you been making tours?

Since I was a young man.

Like my father before me and his father before him.

This Silverstein Torah was started by my father.

He managed to hide it before he was taken away to the concentration camp.

And when I was old enough, he recovered it and passed it on to me.

Let me show you something.

These are my parents.

My father was sent to Auschwitz during the war.

My mother was sent to Dachau.

I want you to write those two names down.

Auschwitz, A -U -S -C -H -W -I -T -Z, and Dachau, D

-A -C -H -A -U.

I want you to go to the library and look them up.

Find the truth for yourself.

Don't just believe what you're told.

Not by me or the boys at the bus stop.

I'm not allowed to go anywhere by myself for a while.

What are you, on some kind of crazy person parole?

You know, it would go a lot faster if you just typed this out on a computer.

It's not about faster.

This is the word of God.

It's still duplicated.

One letter at a time.

exactly as it appeared thousands of years ago.

This is about reverence and respect.

It's a sacred obligation.

You know, Moses brought the word of God down to the people, and the Jews have

gone to great lengths to protect those words ever since.

Tzidik, Tzidik, Tirdof.

Justice, justice thou shalt pursue.

You speak Hebrew?

When you told me about the Torah, I went and I learned.

You learned Hebrew?

Yesterday? Yes.

She is a smart girl.

Quick mind.

Which is why I don't think I could take the time to sit and make this beautiful

Torah. If it were up to me, you wouldn't do it anyway.

There are some who accept the notion of a woman's sofa, but in my book, that's

just not right. It's not tradition.

Oh, okay.

That doesn't bother you?

Because it sure bothers my daughter.

Excuse me.

I'm coming, I'm coming.

Rabbi, come in.

Hi, Sam.

Look, about this cartoon.

I heard your shop burned down last night. It's tonight?

The first few were tolerable, but it's getting worse.

I know.

At first, people were calling me with questions. Is this okay, Rabbi?

Should I just smile and show others we can laugh at ourselves?

But it's become degrading and mean -spirited.

I know.

It gives fodder to those who already hate us.

It's got to stop.

Don't speak to her, Rabbi.

Monica, did you?

Did you write this?

Yes. Yeah?

Some may defend the degrading stereotypes as social humor, but it is

to ignore the influence that such derogatory characterizations have on an

already fragmented society.

I thought we were friends.

We are.

But even friends can disagree, and I disagree with what you're doing.

Oh. Hey, Rachel. Looks like lunch is here, and maybe tomorrow's cartoon.

Hi, Dad. Don't tell me you brought a brisket again.

No, I brought you tongue.

Oh, I hate tongue.

I know. I didn't bring it for you to eat. I brought it for the symbolism.

Oh. Oh, well, in that case, thanks.

I want you to think about the words you're spewing out into the world, not

your tongue, but with your pen.

They're insults to me I can live with.

But this must stop.

It must.

Because I can't live with you insulting our people and our faith.

Your faith, Dad. I don't believe what you believe. This isn't about what you

believe. You're doing this to save your job and to hurt me. I am not.

Yes, you are.

And I don't know why.

What did I ever do to you to deserve this treatment? Tell me, what?

You know something? If you don't know, forget it.

Really, just forget it, Dad.

You're not just hurting me now, you know.

Bye, Monica.

Well, guess he's not a real big fan either.

Please show me what I need to see.

I'm almost finished with the third book. I've adjusted the crowns as you

suggested. I think you'll be pleased.

Daddy, Daddy!

Don't interrupt, Rachel. I'm busy now.

But I have a surprise for you now.

What is it? It's a Torah. A Rachel Silverstein Torah.

Ooh, it's very pretty.

I made it all by myself.

But it's really not a Torah.

Yes, it is. I copy it exactly like yours.

Rachel, it takes a long time to learn to do it perfectly, honey.

And it must be perfect because it's the word of God that we're preserving here.

And this is not perfect.

There are pictures in here.

I know. I made them for you.

But there are no pictures in a Torah besides you're a girl.

And I don't believe girls are supposed to make Torahs here, darling.

The pen is mightier than the tongue.

What is it? What do you want?

Oh, well, Tess and Eva are downstairs going over some papers, so I thought

you'd like to go to the library with me.

No, I'm busy. Goodbye.

Bye.

Did I say something wrong again? I'm sorry.

No, smart girl.

It's not you.

It's my daughter. She refuses to listen to me.

Is it true?

What? Is the pen mightier than the tongue?

Sometimes I can't tell if you're really smart or really not.

But you may be on to something.

Good morning.

Yes, it is a good morning, Monica.

See that? Friends can agree with each other. Although, you know, where's the

story if there's no conflict, huh?

Is that why you refused to work things out with your father? Anti -Semite!

Dad, are you crazy? Anti -Semitism is wrong. How can I be an anti -Semite? I

a Semite. It's even worse when the anti -Semite is a Jew.

It's just a comic strip. You might have said the Star of David was just a star

until it marked a Jew for death.

It's a joke!

The Jewish faith is not a joke.

Maybe it is to me.

You know something, Dad? If you screw this up for me, I swear I'll never

you.

Rabbi. Rabbi. I'm not a rabbi. I'm a sofer. Is Rachel Silver your daughter?

It's Silverstein.

And I have no daughter.

How could you say such a thing?

What do you mean, I have no daughter? Of course you have a daughter, and you're

her father, and you don't desert your family, and in front of all those

I was angry.

I still am.

You see what she's doing.

Yes, I see what she's doing.

And I see what you're doing. I see what you've both been doing for years. And

you're growing further and further apart, and I don't know why.

And I don't know what I'm supposed to do.

You're supposed to do nothing.

Time for dinner.

It's in the oven. Serve yourself. I'm not hungry.

Where are you going?

She's still my daughter and I'm going to talk to her.

Gloria, you really have to be careful about what you say.

We leave you alone for only two minutes and suddenly Sam's walking the picket

line and disowning his daughter on the six o 'clock news.

Angel business is very tricky.

Well, you're learning.

But remember that humans hear only what they want to hear.

So you must listen to their hearts before you speak.

Makes you wonder why God created me at all.

I'm sure he had his reasons.

Rachel. Hi, Mom.

I saw the news. I am so sorry for what your father did.

It was wrong of him. I know he hurt you.

But can't you see what you're doing?

You've got to stop it, Rachel. No, Mom, this is my career. I am finally

successful. I can't just stop.

You know, you wouldn't understand.

Because I never had a job outside of the home. Suddenly, I don't know anything.

I didn't say that.

That's the problem, Rachel. All the things you don't say, but they come out

your attitude anyway.

Now, you listen to me.

Women like you have a choice to work because of women like me.

That's what women's liberation was about.

What is so liberating about being a housewife?

The fact that I chose to be a housewife.

We fought to choose the lives we wanted to lead.

Right. And I chose this one. So what is the problem?

And since when is what I think such a big deal to him? And why should I care?

Because he's your father.

You're on your way to becoming a famous cartoonist.

But one day you are going to be the woman who used to be the famous

And what will you have left?

You've had other jobs before, Rachel. You can get other jobs again.

You will only ever have one father.

Well, thank God.

Yeah, those young, bald men were right about one thing.

Jews are stubborn.

Come with me.

It's beautiful.

Yes, it is.

Do you know why?

Because God spoke it into being, just as he spoke you into being, and as he

spoke the entire world into existence at the beginning of creation.

I wasn't there in the beginning.

No.

But you can still feel the power and the glory of God's word all around, now

and as it always has been.

You know, it was on a mountain just like this that God gave Moses his word.

Moses climbed up the mountainside, came into a clearing, and there was God.

Can you imagine what an extraordinary experience that must have been for a

being?

I can't. I know what it was like for me to be in his presence even for a moment.

Yes.

You don't know what it's like not to know that.

But to believe without proof, as most humans do,

that's what faith is.

Must be very difficult to believe something you've never actually seen.

Yes, it requires strength and courage and a willingness to love

Gloria, you've only known three Jewish people in your short life.

And even though you learned Hebrew, There's a big difference between

language and really understanding a people.

You don't know their history, the strength of their faith.

You weren't there for the exodus or the wandering in the desert or the centuries

of occupation and homelessness.

You weren't there for the Holocaust.

There really was a Holocaust.

There's something you need to see.

They've been in there a long time. As long as it takes.

Here they come.

Are you all right, baby?

It's so horrible.

Six million Jews were killed in less than seven years.

It was.

It was worse than horrible.

Six million.

Such an unbelievable number.

So hard to imagine.

So, I didn't think about the six million.

I thought about just one.

Like Sam.

I didn't know.

How could you have known?

You weren't there for it any more than those boys that told you lies.

Why? would they tell a lie about such a thing? Gloria, they lied to you because

once someone lied to them and this legacy of hate has continued.

But now you've been told the truth.

And once you know the truth, you become responsible for it.

Those things I said... Sam's such a kind man. He didn't return my

ignorance with anger.

And those things I said hurt him deeply.

It's not about anger.

It's about understanding.

That's what Sam wants from you, little angel.

And that's what Rachel wants from Sam.

You'd better be on your way.

Hello?

There are some things that angels have to do by themselves.

And asking for forgiveness is one of them.

Rachel Silver?

Hi. This is your biggest fan.

Oh, really?

Oh, yeah.

I love the way you nail those kicks.

Um, excuse me, but that's not what I do, sir. I appreciate your support, but

this is not about hate. It's about, you know, helping people laugh at

themselves.

Oh, God, Dad.

Mom.

Mom, yeah, listen.

Yeah, I cannot talk, okay? But you and Dad have got to get out of there.

Your life may be in danger.

Where is he?

Pentagon?

Oh, no.

Oh, my God. Okay, Mom. Mom, you guys got to go. Just, you go. Just go to Aunt

Sarah's or something. And, Mom, please, Mom, just leave and I will get Dad.

Okay? Thank you.

Yes, hi, I have an emergency.

Hi, Sam.

May I walk with you?

Of course.

How'd you know I'd be here, smart girl?

I'm really not a very smart girl, Sam.

I said some things the first day we met that were wrong.

Things people told me, and I believed them.

They were lies.

And I just didn't understand it then.

I know you didn't.

Have you learned something now?

I, uh... I went to the Holocaust Museum.

I'm so sorry.

Thank you.

I forgive you.

Thank you.

Well, you must be able to do something.

It was more than a threat.

Yes, it was.

Well, I can't wait. It's going to be too late.

Okay, forget it. Yes, forget it. Never mind.

Monica, what am I going to do? They're going after my father. Come on, we'll

find him. I'll drive.

Sometimes I like to come here at night.

Why don't you come in?

I bet you've never even been in a synagogue before.

Look who we have here.

It's party time.

You have a problem with the Jews.

Let's talk about it. You guys hear something?

Kind of a squealing sound?

Please.

There's no need for violence.

We should be talking.

These cags think they run the whole world.

Why should we?

Because I'm an angel.

I'm an angel.

Oh, please, Father, help me.

What do I do now?

What do you mean you're an angel?

I'm an angel from God. He sent me here.

He made me. He made you.

He made Sam. He made us all. He's the father of us all.

That makes this man your brother.

He's not your enemy.

Shut up.

Don't make me kill you, too.

You can't kill her.

Oh, Andrew.

And you can't kill me.

And you can't kill the truth.

Sooner or later, you will hear the truth because your creator wants you to.

So, you can wait until after you die to hear it, which is going to be too late,

by the way.

Or you can put the knife down and hear the truth now.

Oh, you want the knife?

Here.

You know, something tells me that...

You don't really want to know what the truth is.

You're just looking for an excuse to hate.

This isn't over.

Oh, yes, it is.

They're going to catch you in a few hours.

And they're going to try you and convict you and put you in prison. And then one

day, another angel will visit you.

You better listen to him.

Dad. Dad!

Papa, why?

I can't put it back together.

You're not supposed to.

That's not why we're here.

Come on, we'll do this together.

You see what you've caused?

You think this is my fault?

Yes.

Isn't that your signature?

Chutzpah?

It takes no chutzpah to be a coward in the night.

They are cowards, and they're nuts.

I never encouraged this kind of thing.

I never said that anyone should hate the Jewish people.

No. You just made us less than human, and that's all they needed.

And then... And then... Not even angels could change their minds.

Angels? Yes,

Rachel. Gloria is an angel, and so am I.

Sure you are, Monica.

Is it so hard to believe that God would send these angels?

Yeah. Yeah, kind of.

Why?

Because if you acknowledge angels, then you have to acknowledge God. And if you

acknowledge God, then you have to acknowledge the faith that you left

My daughter doesn't believe.

Oh, so now I'm your daughter.

You always were. I'm sorry. Yeah, well, that's the problem, isn't it, Dad?

You're sorry.

I don't understand.

Tell her.

What?

The problem with being a daughter is that you're not a son.

My father, he's not disappointed with who I am. He's disappointed in what I

That's ridiculous. Dad, how come you never finished the Silverstein Torah?

It wasn't possible because... Because you and Grandpa wanted to finish it in

three generations of Silverstein men.

I broke the chain, didn't I? I never said that. You didn't have to say it.

are you talking about?

One day when she was a little girl and trying to please you, Rachel gave you a

handmade childlike Torah.

Not to create an abomination to God, but to honor you.

And to let you know in her own little way that when she grew up, she wanted to

be a sofa just like you.

But you took the letter of the law as you interpreted it, Sam.

And you unwittingly crushed her spirit.

She lost her dream to become a sofa that day.

But she also lost respect for her father as well.

I wanted... I wanted him to love me. I wanted... I wanted him to be proud of

I do love you, sweetheart.

And I am proud of you.

Then show her, Sam.

What can I do? My hands.

I can help you.

I can help you if you'd let me. The Torah is a sacred obligation.

It is also a sacred obligation and a holy work to be a father.

Sam, look at your daughter.

See the child that she was, the artist that she is, and yes, even the sofa that

she always wanted to be.

God loves you both so much.

He wants this family to be whole again.

I'm so sorry, Dad.

I'm sorry for all those years of fighting and for trying to hurt you with

stupid little pictures. I did hurt you, Dad, and I'm so sorry.

I'm sorry, too.

You...

Are God's gift to me rich Beautiful talented daughter.

I love you more than life itself.

I Should have told you that

The Aleph looks like it stands on one foot, reaching its

hand up to God.

One hand in heaven, one foot on the ground. I learned that from my

father, who taught me how to be a sofa.

But when your hand cannot reach far enough, it's better to ask

God for help.

than to leave a good work undone.

My father began this Torah scroll, and after his death, I continued

it. According to his wish, I was to pass it on to my son.

And so it remained unfinished.

But when the Torah was destroyed in this synagogue, a new Torah was needed.

And I realized we're...

I once saw no way out.

God provided a way.

He has made a road in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

Gentlemen and ladies, the Silverstein Torah.

Baruch atah Adonai.

I can understand that. I know what that means. We all

know what that means, baby.

Praise God who has kept us in life and sustained us to this moment.

Amen. The synagogue has its new Torah.

Mazel tov.

Mazel tov. Mazel tov.

Mazel tov.

Mazel tov. Mazel tov. Mazel tov. It's teaming up.

Teaming up. Mazel tov. Mazel tov. It's teaming up. Teaming up. Mazel tov. Mazel

tov. It's teaming up.