All language subtitles for The Chosen (Jeremy Paul Kagan, 1981) ENG

Announcer on radio:
Ah, ah, ah, ah!
Don't touch that dial!

( Radio tuning )

Announcer 2 on radio:
This is WEAM, NBC in New York.

It's 4:30 p.m.,
Eastern War Time.

( Radio tuning )

Man: Eddie, can't
we go pretty soon?

I'm getting a little tired
of waiting.

Eddie Cantor: Just
a couple more minutes, Jack.

Jack Benny: Gee, if I'd known
it'd take this long,

I'd have had Rochester hitch up
Leona and come after me.

( Laughter )

-( Hitler shouting in German )
-( Soldiers marching )

( Crowd cheers )

Announcer on radio:
If you've always dreamed

about being a bombardier,
navigator, or pilot,

this is the time to make
your dreams come true.

Roosevelt on radio:
With confidence
in our armed forces,

with the unbounding
determination of our people,

we will gain
the inevitable triumph,

so help us God.

( Applause )

Man on radio:
Ah, Mrs. Nussbaum again.

( Applause )

Nussbaum: You were expecting,
maybe, Dinah Schneider?

( Laughter )

Announcer on radio: Yes,
the happiest band in the land

holds a spot
on the Hotel Astor roof

in the heart of Times Square
in New York city.

( Radio tuning )

( Big band music plays )

Man: Keep your eyes
on everything!

Now, hear this...

Never underestimate
the enemy!

Let's have
some defensive solidarity.

Close it up.
No holes.

What're you looking for,
paratroopers?

Stop dreaming!
The war is on the ground.

That's right.
Close it up.

Okay, now, Malter,
What're you doing?

Malter, get your tuchus
out there.

Come on, that's right.

Come on, let's go.
Come on.

Come on, get out there, Reuven!
Look alive!

All right, let's close it up,
let's go.

All right, come on,
let's go.

Get out there,
that's right, Davey, come on.

Show us what ya got,
Davey!

Move it around, boys!
Move it around!

Here they come!

( Folksy mandolin music
plays )

Get a load of them.

Reuven narrating:
I suppose Danny Saunders and I
would have never met,

had it not been for America's
entry into World War II,

and the desire of American Jews
to show the world

that we were as physically fit
as any other American.

We would prove this
by playing tough games

of neighborhood baseball.

But even though Danny
and his team lived

within five blocks of us,

it might as well have been
5,000 miles,

for Danny was a member

of a very orthodox
group of Jews called "Hasidim".

They wore their hair
and clothes the same way

their ancestors did hundreds
of years ago in Eastern Europe.

You could see them on Saturday,
Shabbos.

They would hurry off to their
small synagogues to pray

and to study the Holy Books,
the Torah and the Talmud.

You ready to play?

-Just about ready.
-We're ready, too.

Good.

Reuven narrating:
They were a strange group.

I didn't know
very much about them.

They would always
keep to themselves,

and that was fine with me.

Man: Play ball!

Fan: All right,
look alive out there!

Come on!

Nice and easy!

Come on, Davey, baby!
Pour it on!

Man: No batter!

( Cheering )

All right!

Man 2: Good boy!

-Swing, batter!
-Strike!

I don't think
this is their game.

They should stick to praying.

Strike three!
You're out!

Yeah, one more just like that,
Davey! No batter!

Man: Easy outs!
Easy outs!

( Softly ) Keep your eye
on the ball next time.

Man: Throw him out, Davey.
Come on.

MAN 2: No batter!
No batter!

Malter, Goldberg?
Back up.

Come on, back up.
That's right.

Reuven, move back!

That's Danny Saunders!
He can hit!

All right, Davey, come on,
let's get him, Dave.

Man: Whip it in there, Davey!
Whip it in!

Man 2: Get in there, Davey.

( All shouting )

-Safe at second!
-Man 3: That was a nice shot.

You always hit like that
to the pitcher?

You always this friendly?

Man 2: No batter.
No batter.

( Folksy music playing )

Man: Look alive out there!
Come on!

Field it! Field it!

( All cheering )

Man: Field it!
Field it in!

( Cheering )

Man: We're getting slaughtered,
and it's only the first inning.

Malter, you take over
for Davey, okay?

Yes, sir.

Okay?

Okay.

Man 2: Come on, Reuven.

Give him the buzz bomb,
Reuven.

Ball!

Man 2: Pour it on, Reuven.
Pour it on!

Man 3: Come on, easy.

Ball two.

Strike!

Ball three.

( Groans )

( whispering )
Where is Reuven Malter?

Yes, he's over there.

Thank you.

How are you feeling?

Okay.

The hospital...

Just telephoned me.

They told me you were awake.

I brought you a few things.

I ran out of a faculty meeting.

Is my eye gonna be okay?

Why shouldn't it be?

Dr. Lockman operated on it.
He's a big specialist.

-They operated on it?
-Mm-hmm.

What was the matter?

There was a...

piece of glass in your eye.

-They took it out?
-Yeah, took it out.

It's-- It's gonna be okay now?

Yeah.

Your eye's going to be
all right.

-You sure?
-Yes, I'm sure.

( Coughing )

I know you're not
telling me something.

Please tell me.

I'll tell you exactly what
they told me about the eye.

Until the bandages are
removed, we won't know

whether the eye will
be able to see or not.

But... Dr. Lockman
is very optimistic.

But he's not sure?

No.

No, he's not sure.

( Sighs )

Danny Saunders' father
called me twice today

and once last night.

He just wanted to know
how you were,

and he tells me his son
is very, very sorry.

He's sorry
that he didn't kill me.

Reuven,
what kind of talk is this?

It wasn't an accident.
He wanted to hit me.

You mean he did it
deliberately.

It seemed deliberate.

I brought your radio.

Just because
you're in a hospital

doesn't mean you should be
shut off from the world.

The news reports say Rome
was declared an open city,

it will be ours any day now.

Ah, ah, ah, no reading.

What do you mean no reading?
I can't read a newspaper?

You are not allowed to read.

What am I gonna do
about my schoolwork?

That's one of
the great advantages

of being hit in the eye...
No schoolwork.

I have to get to the library.

You rest.

I'll see you tomorrow.

I just hate these hospitals.

( Big band music plays )

Announcer on radio:
Hello to you guys and gals

who are giving American history
something to brag about.

Here's a high-jumpin' tune
dedicated to the kind of action

we want to see you enjoyin'
mighty soon.

-( Jazz music plays )
-Hello. ( coughs )

I'm sorry about what happened.

Who let you in here?

They told me I could see you.

Your eye, will it get better?

I don't know yet.

I'm sorry.

Is that it?

Huh? That's it?

Great.

( Volume increases )

I didn't come here
to fight with you.

If all you want to do is fight,
I'm gonna go home.

Yeah?

Good, go home.

I came here
to talk to you.

I don't want to listen to you!
Go home!

Good-bye!

I am sorry.

Look, just leave.
Do you understand English?

Leave!

Of course I understand English.

( Volume increases )

Watch your step.

-You know who came to see me?
-Who?

-Danny Saunders.
-Ah, and?

And I threw him out.

Why?

Do you hate him that much?

Well, I don't like him
very much.

I'm glad I'm home.

I'm glad you're home, too.

♪

Reuven narrating:
Here was my room,
just the way I'd left it,

but somehow,
everything seemed different.

It was as if some part of me
had been left back

in the schoolyard
next to my shattered glasses.

My father had often told me
that health was a gift,

but I had always taken that
for granted.

But now, now I tried to imagine

what my life would be like
with only one good eye.

I felt sick inside.

I was scared.

-( Piano playing )
-( Typewriter clacking )

FATHER: Reuven, remember,
don't strain your eye!

I won't!

( Doorbell rings )

I got it!

( Doorbell rings )

Are you gonna get mad
at me again?

May I come in?

( Sighs )
Yeah.

Thank you.

You were quite mean to me
at the hospital.

So?

I'd like to talk to you
about it.

I'd like to explain.

Are you willing to listen?

I'm listening.

It's like this...

Whenever I do something
I don't understand,

I try to think it through
until I understand it.

And what I don't understand is,
at the ball game,

I wanted to beat you
over the head with my bat.

I don't know why
I wanted to kill you,

but I wanted to kill you.

Do you feel this way
about most people?

No, Malter.

Just you.

Thanks for the compliment.

You still want to kill me?

No.

You are weird.

I am?

Yeah, you are.

You look like you walked
out of another century.

You play baseball
like Babe Ruth.

You talk like you're
from outer space.

Thanks for the compliment.

You can come in if you like.
Sit down.

Where'd you learn
to hit like that?

I practiced.

I thought you people
only studied Talmud.

I have an agreement
with my father.

I study my quota
of Talmud every day.

The rest of the time is my own.

Your quota of Talmud?

Four pages.

Four pages?

I can do one page,
and I'm very good.

And even then,

I need my father
to come help me.

I have total recall.

Sure.

Prove it.

"American army casualties
totaled 3,283

and 12,600 wounded
up to midnight last night."

"In the first 11 days
of the invasion of France,

the beachhead has become,
quote, 'absolutely secure',

Unquote, the Germans having
quote, 'last night'..."

That's amazing.

I can do all of "Ivanhoe."

Now you're trying to show off.

Trying to make
a good impression.

You're doing okay.

I truly hope your eye
will be all right.

I'll manage.

Anyway, now I can look
like Errol Flynn.

Who-Who is he?

Errol Flynn. Robin Hood.
Captain Blood, Errol Flynn.

You don't know
who Errol Flynn is?

The movie star?

Oh!

I've never been to a movie.

We don't go to movies.

Oh.

( Plays jazz music )

Where'd you learn
to play the piano?

My mother.
She died.

That sounds Hasidic.

No, Ziggy Elman.
Plays with Benny Goodman.

Who?

Benny... You don't know
who Benny Goodman is?

I don't believe... You haven't
been around too much, have you?

I should be going.

♪

Okay.

( Typewriter clacking )

That's my father.

He's writing an article
on Talmud.

I know.

You do?

My father knows
what your father writes about.

He doesn't particularly approve.

So let him write
his own articles.

He would never do that.

You see, my father believes
that words distort

what a person really feels
in his heart.

Your father doesn't speak
with words?

Actually, he doesn't talk much.
At least not to me.

We talk when we study Talmud,
but otherwise...

My father wishes
everyone could speak...

in silence.

♪

Ah, one more thing,
Ru-Venn.

Reuven.

Reuven.

If you'd like,

maybe I could help you
with your schoolwork.

Your reading.

Maybe.

"To die, to sleep,
to sleep, perchance to dream."

Aye, there's the rub,
for in that sleep of death,

what dreams may come

when we have shuffled
off this mortal coil...

"must..."

Must, must, what?

"Must give us pause."

"Must give us pause."

"Must give us pause."
I know that.

Do you know what it means?

They never ask us that
on finals.

What do you dream about,
Reuven?

I dream about a lot of stuff.

Do you remember
any of your dreams?

Yeah. Sometimes.

I had a very...

I had a very funny dream
the other night.

I dreamt, uh,
there was this king,

and he was dancing
around my bed,

and he was dressed up
in a clown suit.

Do you know the Hebrew
for king?

Of course, melech.

And for clown or fool?

Lemech.

The word for king, melech,

begins with an 'M',
and then an 'L'.

Whereas the word
for fool, lemech,

begins with the 'L'
and then the 'M'.

So what?

In Hebrew,
The word for intellect

is moch, begins with an 'M'.

And the word for heart,
the seat of passion?

Lev.

Lev, that's correct.
Begins with an 'L'.

So you see, Reuven,

if you put the 'M'
in front of the 'L',

the head in front of the heart,
then you're a king.

And if you put the 'L'
in front of the 'M',

the heart in front of the head,
then you're a fool.

You calling me a fool?

No, no, no, no,
but don't you see the importance

that the symbols
in our dreams can have?

Reuven, deep inside of us,
there is something.

It's called the unconscious.

It makes us do
and feel things

without us ever even
being aware of it.

It's filled with things

that-- that we're afraid
to tell to ourselves.

And it is only by interpreting
the symbols in our dreams

that we can find out

about what's really going on
inside of us.

Danny, where did you learn
all this stuff?

Um...

I've been reading about it.

In Hebrew class?

No.

In the library.

I get tired
just studying Talmud,

I know it cold,

so I've been going
to the library,

reading other things.

It's okay with me.

With you, maybe.

My father, he's very specific

about the things
we're allowed to read.

Have you told him?

No.

I haven't told anyone.

Until now.

I met this man in the library,

he's been showing me
books to read...

Fitzgerald, Steinbeck,
Hemingway!

Now, now I'm concentrating
on psychology.

Adler, Jung, Freud.
( Chuckles )

It's incredible, Reuven!
It's exciting!

I've been going to the library
as often as I can,

without anyone
finding out about it.

I'll keep your secret.

What are you gonna do
after you graduate?

Go to Hirsch College.

-Mm.
-What about you?

Rabbinical Yeshiva.

You know, Hirsch has got
a rabbinical department.

It's a very good one.

Yes, I've heard of it.

But my father would
never let me go there.

So you're gonna become a rabbi
and take your father's place?

It's expected of me.

My family, they've been rabbis
for the past six generations.

It's like a dynasty.

And I'm next in line.

You don't sound
very happy about it.

I'm happy.

♪

What'd you get in history,
Reuven?

Him? Him, he gets a 98.
With one eye, yet.

-Yeah, but he's had help.
-From who?

He's got his own personal Hasid
giving him lessons.

Hey, Goldberg,
would you just lay off?

-Touchy!
-Is this true?

Yeah, that's the word.

He's hanging out
with a holier gang now.

He's getting too good for us.

Ah, See?
There's one of his buddies now!

( Chuckles )

Hasidim!

I see'd him, too!
But I don't believe 'em!

-( knocks on window )
-MAN: See? What'd I tell you?

There he goes!
Bye, Reuven!

( Laughter )

Danny.
What're you doing here?

I'm looking for you.

My father wants
to meet you.

Why?

I told him we were friends.

( Muffled laughter )

You don't mind me telling him
we were friends?

No, I don't mind.

Good! Well,
he has to approve.

He has to approve of what?

Of my friends.

Especially if they're
outside the fold.

So you'll come?

Yeah. I guess.

Where?

To meet my father.

Yeah, I'll come.
When?

Tomorrow for Shabbos.

Don't worry, Reuven.

My father is a great man.

You'll see
when you come.

( Talking indistinctly )

( Folksy music plays )

Reuven narrating: Danny
told me about the founder

of the Hasidic movement,

who lived with poor people
in Poland during the 1700s.

They called him
the Ba'al Shem Tov,

the Master of the Good Word.

He had studied Kabbalah,

the secret books
of Jewish mysticism.

He preached a popular idea
that God is everywhere,

that he should be worshipped
through joy

and singing and dancing,

that to be a good Jew didn't
depend on how much you knew

but on how much you felt.

( Folksy music continues )

( Indistinct conversations
and chanted prayers )

( Scattered hushing )

( whispering )
My father's coming.

Papa?

This is my friend,
Reuven Malter.

Reuven Malter?

Your eye, it is healing?

That's good.

With God's help,
it'll heal speedily.

I hear you are a good student.

You know Torah?

Yes, sir.

You know Talmud?

Well, we shall see.

We shall see.

( Indistinct conversations )

( praying in Hebrew )

ALL: Amen.

( All singing )

( Singing stops,
Reuven continues )

This man was on a boat
and fell into the sea,

and the captain of the boat,
he saw this man was drowning.

So he threw this man a rope.

And, "Hold onto this rope,"
he shouted.

"Hold on to this rope.
Hold tight.

Hold tight.

'Cause if you let go,
you may lose your life."

Are we too not drowning
in a sea of ignorance?

Cruelty, death?

Who is our captain?

God!

And what is the rope
that he throws us?

It is our Torah!

Now it's not an easy task
to study Torah.

It is a task that takes all day.

It is a task
that takes all night.

And there is a great danger.

Did not the Reb Meir say,

"He who is walking by the way
and studying,

and he breaks off that study
and he sees...

he sees a field,

and in that field,
he sees a tree.

Him does not
the scriptures consider

"as if he had forfeited
his life!"

Only...
Only through the Torah...

Through the Torah
can you lead a full life.

Only then will God,
the master of the universe,

Only then
will He hear your words!

Amen.

ALL: Amen!

Reuven?

Reuven, what did you think
of my...

little talk?

I mean, it was, uh...
Was it, uh...

Was it all right?
Was it good?

It was very good.

It was very good.

( Light chuckling )

Well, was it, uh...
It was it...

It was all, uh,
good and, uh, correct?

Sir?

Daniel?

It wasn't Rabbi Meir
who said that turning from Torah

and looking on a field or a tree
would be forfeiting a life.

It was written in the name
of Rabbi Yakov,

not Rabbi Meir.

( Murmuring and laughter )

True.
It was Rabbi Yakov.

And is it... Reuven?

Is it also true that a man,

he should spend his whole life
only studying Torah?

Torah should be combined
with work and good deeds.

( Murmuring )

And whose words are these?

S- Simeon the Righteous,
I think.

REB: You think?
You should know.

I kn-- I know.

You know?

I know.

He knows.

( Laughter )

Well, that, that's good
that you know, eh?

( Laughter )

REB: He knows, yeah?

( All singing )

At least you could have
warned me!

I didn't know!

So? What's the hurry?

Mama, this is Reuven Malter.

Reuven Malter.
Hello.

And this is my sister, Shaindel.

-Hello.
-Come on.

He usually only asks me.

Do you always go through
that routine?

Sure, but I don't mind it.
I'm used to it.

It's a kind of tradition.

That's some tradition.

My father's father
did it to him.

It's really not so bad.

The bad part is waiting
until he makes the mistake.

After that, it's all right.

Actually, it's kind of a game.

I enjoy it.

Some game.
( Chuckles )

Aren't you scared?
In front of all those people?

Ah! They love it!

Didn't you see their faces?

They're proud of us.
They're proud of my father.

DANNY:
Reuven, back in Russia,

My father saved
his whole community.

Bandit gangs of Cossacks

attacked the little town
he lived in.

They killed everybody.

They left him for dead with
a bullet wound in his chest.

Well, once he recovered,

he announced to his people
they were done with Russia.

They were going to America.

They all followed him,
just like that?

( Chuckles )
Of course.

They would have followed him
anywhere.

I don't understand.

I don't know any rabbi
who has that kind of power.

No, no, Reuven...

My father is not just a rabbi.

He's a Tzadik, a righteous man.

A bridge between
his followers and God.

You gonna be a bridge, too?

Yesterday, I asked him if,

maybe I could go
to Hirsch College

instead of Rabbinical Yeshiva.

Reuven: Yeah?
What did he say?

He didn't say anything.

I told you, my father
doesn't talk to me.

I'd hate that,

to not have
my father talk to me...

Well that, uh... my son Daniel
has picked you as a friend,

but also, I happen to know

that your father
is a famous, uh, scholar,

and he does scientific, uh,
criticism of the sacred words.

So I don't know.

Maybe I should worry
that the son of such a man

should be the friend
of my Daniel.

But then again...

Daniel should have
a friend.

I mean, my-- myself,
I-- I have--

I have many responsibilities.

I am--

I am too, uh, busy

to, uh, to talk to him, hmm?

Well, let me tell you something.

Now, you listen.

It is not easy
to be a friend.

You hear?

Yes, sir.

Okay.

So have a good week
and come pray with us again.

( All say good-bye in Hebrew )

Reuven: Reb Saunders says
that he doesn't like

your articles very much.

I'm not surprised.

We come from two totally
different approaches.

He thinks Torah
was written by God,

and I think it was written
by man,

inspired by God.

But then there's
a lot of my own writing

I don't like myself.

Papa, what are you talking
about?

Your writing is...
it's brilliant.

Thank you,
but there is brilliance,

and there is brilliance.

I am a simple teacher
doing my job,

writing as well as I can.

I know my limits,
and I accept them.

But I'm no great leader
like a Reb Saunders.

Ah!

So, now you like him.

I don't know him well enough
to like him or not.

I don't care particularly
for his Hasidism,

but he accomplished a lot.

It's not a simple task
to be a leader of people.

It needs a special gift,
and Reb Saunders has that gift.

It's a pity he keeps his
Hasidism in a separate world

and he resists modern ideas
and changes.

It's even more a shame
that a mind like Danny's

should be shut off
from the world.

Danny doesn't want
to be shut off.

He wants to go
to Hirsch College.

Danny?

And what does his father say?

He told me that his father
doesn't talk to him.

What do you mean?

He said that his father
believes in silence.

You mean Danny was
brought up in silence?

Papa, what does that mean?

I heard once in Europe
something about that,

but I never believed it.

He must be a very,
very lonely boy.

Anyway, I'm glad and proud
you made Danny your friend.

So am I.

You're studying German?

What's wrong with German?
Freud wrote in German.

I want to read him
in the original.

What are you looking
at me like that for?

Just because Hitler
speaks German

doesn't mean the whole
language is corrupt.

You know what the word
for mysterious is in German?

I don't know any German.

It's geheimnisvoll.
It means "full of secrets."

That's what the unconscious is.
Geheimnisvoll.

Geheimnisvoll.
Geheimnisvoll.
Sound like spies to me.

Hey, what do you say?
They sound like spies
to you?

Loose lips sink ships.

Hey, what's with
the curls, honey?

-You're in our way.
-Hey, you're on our block.

( All shouting )

No, no, no. Now, come on,
let's go. Let's go.

-( Groans )
-Reuven!

Sorry, Jew boy.

Are you hurt?

( Laughter )

No! No, Reuven!

MAN: You dirty kike!

You told me you didn't
like to fight!

I don't.

Reuven: Mrs. Saunders,
it's all right.

Mrs. Saunders:
And Levi, go get some
witch hazel for your brother.

You sit here.
I'll get some wet towels.

So this is what I can expect,

when the two of you
are together?

Reb Saunders, I'm sorry.
It wasn't our fault.

You're sorry?

♪

You wear that for a while.

You can see.

Yeah, I can see.

Baruch Hashem.

Papa?
Shh! Shh.

Danny, I want you
to meet my father.

Reuven: Papa?

I want to introduce you
to somebody.

Papa, this my friend,
Danny Saunders.

Danny, I'd like you to meet
my father.

Your father?

Yeah.

I had no idea.

How could you have?
I never told you my name.

Wait a minute,
what is going on here?

I am very grateful
to you, Mr. Malter.

It was you who was
suggesting books for Danny.

Well, a boy comes
into the library,

Sits down near
where I usually sit.

A Hasidic boy sits
a little bit in the corner

so no one should recognize him.

But after a while,
he turns to me,

apologizes for having
interrupted my work

and asks me if I could
recommend a book for him.

I suggest one,
and two hours later,

he comes back
and has not only read it

but memorized it.

I was amazed, of course,
and I suggest another one,

and another and another
and another.

And here we are.

Why didn't you tell me?

It was not for me to tell.

Another book for you.

Not very easy, but,
you might like it.

It's also by Freud,

might be just
the right moment.

The German title is
"Totem and Taboo."

Would you like some help
with the bell?

Hello, Mr. Kaplan.
Come in.

Hi.

Danny's not here.

Do you know
when he'll be back?

He didn't tell me.

Are you still studying together?

Yes. We're preparing
for college.

You're going
to Rabbinical Yeshiva?

No.

Well, do you want
to come inside

or wait out here?

I'd like to come inside.

Okay.

Saunders: Reuven?

Hello, Reb Saunders.

My boy, why don't you
come upstairs?

I want to talk to you
in the study.

Yes, sir.

Put the books on the desk.

( Humming )

Take the books
out of the chair.

( Humming continues )

Now you'll sit
in the chair.

( Sighs )

There are a lot of books
in this room.

Yes, sir.

You'd think there was
enough books in this room

to last a lifetime.

That's why I'd like to talk
to you about something.

I understand that, uh...

my Daniel spends several hours
a day at the library.

Know I had to find out
about this,

the neighborhood's
too small

that I shouldn't
find out about it.

And I understand, uh...

That he also spends...

Some of this time
with you, is that true?

Yes, sir.

And I understand also
that some of these hours

he spends with your father.

Is that, also true?

Yes, sir.

But what I don't know
is what does he read?

Daniel is my friend.

He's your friend.
He's my son.

He's my most precious possession
in the whole world.

I mean, he takes
my place afterwards.

He follows me.

I can't tell my Daniel
what to read.

And this you may not
understand, you know.

I can't...

Well, I can't ask him.

But I can ask you.

Reuven...

Look at me.

It's very simple.

I need your help.

I don't want to lose my Danny.

Not my Danny.

Reuven's here.

Good, where is he?

Upstairs in papa's study.

How long has he been there?

For around 15, 20 minutes.

He knows all about the library.

MRS. SAUNDERS:
I made, samovar tea!

Fresh.

Sit. Sit.

What? What's with
the long faces?

What, nobody's talking?

Maybe I have
something for you.

I was saving it for
a special occasion but...

...you look so sad,
maybe now's best, hmm?

Here.

-What's this?
-Open, open!

( Chuckles )

It's a briefcase,
beautiful, huh?

It's for your books.

Thank you, mama.

It's for your books,
when you go to college.

Hirsch College.

( Sobs )

It's from me and your father.

♪

( Reb Saunders' door closes )

♪

Reuven narrating:
You couldn't say Reb Saunders

was very pleased
about Danny's going to Hirsch,

but at least he was satisfied
that Danny would be able

to get his rabbinical degree
there.

The war was still
the major event

on everyone's mind.

The Germans had launched
a big offensive

in the Ardennes region.

And while the Battle
of the Bulge was being fought,

Danny and I were studying
Talmud in the morning

and regular college subjects
in the afternoons.

I liked college.

It was challenging,
and it was exciting,

but for Danny,
it was very different

from what he expected.

MAN: Let's get this clear
about Freud...

Dogmatic Freudians
are not scientists.

There are more like
medieval magicians.

What we are going to study here
is what psychology should be,

a science.

( Squeaking )

( Squeaking continues )

Look at this.
I got my first A.

Isn't that great?

This calls for a little bit of
a celebration, don't you think?

And I feel like giving up.

Maybe I made a mistake
coming here.

-Why? What's wrong?
-Psychology class.

Freud was a scientist,
not just a dreamer.

I can see myself spending
the next four years

running rats through mazes.

What do these rats have
to do with the human mind,

hidden desires, evil impulses,
the unconscious?

You know-- You know
what you need, huh?

I think you need a little
healthy diversion.

I think you gotta widen
your horizons a little bit.

Tell you what, I'm gonna
show you something, okay?

Come on, let's go. I'm gonna
take you somewhere.

No, I have to finish my food.

They should send
that stuff overseas.

-Come on, get up.
-No.

Would you just get up, please?
What do you mean, no?

-I have to study.
-You have to study?

You've done all
the studying you can do.

-Reuven, Reuven!
-Would you just get up?

-What? What? What? What?
-Don't tickle me.

Don't tickle you?
Just get up. Come on.

Come on.
That's good. Over here.

♪

What do you think?

It's a deception.

Have you ever noticed
how we have no pictures

or paintings on the walls
of our house?

It's because the images
detract from what's real,

from what's true.

I see you haven't
stopped looking.

That's...

because it's...

it's beautiful.

Announcer on radio:
It's official!

The war in Europe is ending!

Germany has surrendered
unconditionally

to the western allies!

Woman:
I'm gonna get some beer!

Hiya, toots.

Reuven: Well, come on!
Speak to the lady.

-Come on!
-Later, boys!

You okay, Danny?
Danny?

What's wrong?

Danny: A Hasid
should not even touch a woman

other than his wife!

Such encounters
take your mind off God!

Danny? Danny?

Hello?

How do you feel?

Did you like it?

( Rabbi Saunders singing
in Hebrew )

( Continues singing in Hebrew )

No? How do they feel?

They're tight.
Tight on the nose.

That's no problem.
I can fix that in a second.

You wait here.

You'll like these.

Just like Levi likes his,

and just like
your father likes his.

-You know, Reuven?
-Yeah?

I think Levi would make
a very good rabbi.

Levi? A rabbi?

Sure.

Don't you think
he's a little young?

Ah. Now try them.

Better yet? Huh?

Oh!

Now, now you look
like a real rebbe.

I'll get you a fine case.

Uh, rebbe?
Rebbe? Sir?

I would like, to, uh...

I'd like to give
your eyes a real test.

What test?

How would you like to see
your first movie?

( Dramatic movie
soundtrack playing )

( Lauritz Melchior
singing operatically )

How do you suppose
he does that,

sings and kisses
at the same time?

No idea.

( Singing operatically )

♪ Come on, baby ♪

( Laughter )

♪ Hello, and don't say maybe ♪

♪ It's your life
and stay straight ♪

You liked it?

( Dramatic theme music plays )

Announcer narrating:
American troops overrunning
enemy territories

uncover the most horrible
atrocities

in the history
of this devastating war,

the Nazi concentration camps.

General Eisenhower
is visibly appalled

as he inspects the incredible
evidence of Nazi cruelty.

The few survivors testify
to the deliberate murder

of thousands of prisoners.

Unsuspecting European Jews
were deported in cattle cars

to such camps as Buchenwald.

Behind these
electrified fences,

the death mills flourished.

Here is official
documentary proof

of sheer mass murder.

Men, women, and children
of all ages

were branded
with serial numbers,

worked like slaves, starved,
tortured,

and systematically slaughtered
by the thousands.

The Nazis deceived
their victims by telling them

that they were going
to showers to be disinfected,

but the showers
were really gas chambers.

This was all part
of the Nazi plan

for the genocide
of the Jewish people.

Once inside,
they were exterminated,

their bodies then burned
in specially constructed ovens.

Camps like Buchenwald, Dachau,
Bergen-Belsen, Auschwitz

will be emblazoned
in the history

of man's inhumanity to man.

All that now remains
are the mounds of hair,

clothes, and eyeglasses
of the Jewish victims.

At the moment, fears mount
that the death tolls

may be in the millions.

♪

Though he slay me...

Yet...

Will I...

Trust in him?

How the world delights
in killing us.

All our leaders...

Our teachers...

Our families...

What's left?

All is reduced to...

bones...

ashes.

We are the survivors.

It's up to us
to keep our people alive.

We cannot wait for God.

How long are you gonna be gone?

I don't know.

Maybe two weeks.

Certainly two weeks.
Maybe three.

Here, this is where
you can reach me in Chicago.

And this is the number
and the address

of the people organizing
a Jewish homeland in Canada.

They know where to reach me.

Papa, have you got
your shaving kit?

Shaving kit?
Shaving kit? No.

Maybe I should take you
with me as my secretary.

REUVEN: Very funny.

Thank you.

Will you be
all right over there?

Oh, I'll be fine.

Mrs. Saunders is supposed
to be a good cook,

better than you are.

Oh, she can't be
better than I am.

She says she's
better than you are,

and I believe her.

I'm the greatest cook
in this house.

Oh, that explains why
I'm always hungry.

Thank you.
( Chuckles )

Have a good trip.

♪

Move your feet!

Why should I?
I was here first!

The chair was there
first! Now move!

-Hi, Levi.
-Hi, Reuven.

Hi.
Hi, Shaindel!

-What?!
-I said hello!

What?!

-( Vacuum stops )
-I said hel--

Hello.

-Mrs. Saunders: Oy, Reuven!
-Hi.

I'm so glad you're here.

Don't worry, we're gonna take
very good care of you.

In fact, I think we're gonna
fatten you up a little bit.

Eh, Shaindeleh.
Turn it off.

You want me to clean,
you don't want me to clean...

And if there's anything
you want, please--

Danny: Reuven!

--don't hesitate to ask.

I'm so glad you're here.
I'll take your bag.

Let me get the bags!

-"Let me get the bags"!
-LEVI: Please!

I've got the bags.

You go and get some
more hangers, okay?

Mrs. Saunders?

Thank you very much
for everything.

Enjoy yourself.

-Go ahead.
-No, you go ahead.

-Go ahead.
-No, go ahead.

Go ahead.

♪

( All softly praying )

Unh-unh.

Tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-
Tsk-tsk-tsk.

Papa, Herschel says
he can work miracles.

Can you?

Only God can make miracles.

He says you can predict
the future.

-I can predict the future?
-LEVI: Yeah.

All right,
I'll make a prediction.

I will make a prediction.

I... predict...

that if you don't concentrate,

you will lose this game.

That's my prediction.

♪

What are you reading?

A book.

I might have figured that
out if I had enough time.

Oh.

Aren't you supposed to be
helping your mother

in the kitchen?

Is that all you think
a girl does?

Cook and clean?

Boy, do I pity your husband.

Boy, do I pity your wife.

-Let me see!
-No...

Uh, Shaindeleh,
come in the kitchen

and help me with
the vegetables, hmm?

But I'm reading.

The book can wait.
The food can't. Come.

Reuven: What a strange and
wondrous household this was.

I never realized how full
the life of a rabbi could be.

There were babies to be blessed

and boys to be bar mitzvahed
and disputes to settled.

An almost endless procession
of people came in and out

to get advice from
Reb Saunders.

On everything, anything.

What is this?

Save it.
It'll bring you good luck.

You'll get married real quick.

( Singing in Hebrew )

Reuven: But the really
special events

were the marriages.

And since I was now accepted
as a member of the family,

I was there
for all the celebrations.

( Lively music playing )

Reuven!

Wait, no! No!

No, Danny I-- I can't.

I don't know how!
I don't-- I don't know how.

( Jubilant shouting )

( Tempo slows )

( Tempo increases )

( Jubilant shouting )

Having a good time?

Danny, I am having
a wonderful time.

Good.

The groom,
he's not much older than us.

He's the only one
who doesn't look like

he's having such a good time.

You know how long
they've been engaged?

No.

Six years.

Six years?

You mean they made up
their mind six years ago?

No.

Their marriage
was arranged.

It's a Hasidic custom.

It doesn't sound
very romantic.

Maybe not.
But it works.

Now, my sister
Shaindel...

-Shaindel?
-Yes.

Her marriage contract
was arranged

when she was just a child.

She's going to marry
the son of another rebbe.

Has she met him?

DANNY: Once. Twice.

Does she like him?

I don't know.
I never asked her.

Reuven...

I thought I should
tell you now.

I wouldn't want you
to be hurt.

Yeah.

Thanks.

Come on, friend.

Come, come.

Dance.

In a minute.

Levi, you shouldn't play
with the food.

Eat it.

Look at Reuven,
you see how he's eating?

That's what
you should be doing.

Saunders: Leave him alone,
believe me.

He'll eat when he gets hungry.

Don't worry about that.

And when the messiah comes,

There'll be no more hunger
in the world.

There'll be no more war.

There'll be no more struggles.

When the messiah comes,
he'll lead our people

to the land of Israel.

I thought that the messiah
was supposed to come

after a great catastrophe.

Haven't we had that?

He can come any time.

In fact,
there's a very funny story,

about, the--
the holy Reb Enoch--

this man had such a problem
about the messiah,

you can't believe.

If he heard within
a block of the house a sound,

a cricket should make a chirp,
he thought it was the messiah.

If a stranger came in the house,

this man would jump
like a white Mariah.

"The messiah, the messiah,
the messiah."

Meshuga, not the messiah.

( Laughs )

Well, there's
some people that say

that we shouldn't have
to wait for the messiah,

that Palestine should become
a Jewish homeland now.

Some people say we should build
this homeland for ourselves.

And who are these people
that say

that they should build
a new land?

Who are these people?

Well...

It is written that the messiah
and the messiah only

will bring the Jews
to the new land!

Only the messiah
when he comes will bring them!

And God will help build
their new land!

That's what written!
God!

Not Ben-Gurion
and his henchmen!

No!

Never!

How am I supposed to know that
Zionism is a contaminated idea?

The men who want to set up
a state of Israel

are not orthodox Jews.

What difference does that make?

( Sighs )

Reuven...

Just don't talk about
a Jewish state here anymore.

Okay?

To my father, the idea
of a Jewish state

that's not religious,
it's a violation

of everything he believes.

I'm glad I didn't mention

it was my father
who said all that.

I might have been
thrown out of the house.

You would have been.

What are you thinking?

About my father.

I miss him.

You'll be glad to leave here,
won't you?

Well, you can't say I'm
particularly welcome right now.

You think my father's a tyrant.

( Sighs )

DANNY:
No. I feel sorry for him.

He's trapped.

You know what it's like
to be trapped?

REUVEN: I was glad
when my father came home.

It was a relief to get back
to the world again.

He was so possessed with
the drive for a Jewish state

that he threw himself
into more work.

He wrote speeches,
newspaper articles

advancing the cause
of a Jewish homeland.

You're working too hard.

( Typewriter clacking )

I'm fine, don't worry.

I worry.

I think that you're driving
yourself too hard.

You need some rest.

Rest?

While Jewish boys
are risking their lives,

fighting in the streets
for an idea,

for something they believe in,
I should rest?

No, I can't do that, son.

Only a life with meaning
is worthy of rest.

( Typewriter clacking )

I want to be worthy
of that rest, you understand?

Yes.

Anyway, we don't live forever.

I'm not trying to scare you.

Look, between
you and the doctor,

I'll live another 100 years.

You're scaring me.

Reuven...

I'm sorry.

But you must understand,
this is the only value

I can see in my life
right now, except you.

So please,
no more worries, okay?

Okay?

Okay. You want this now?

What is it, tea?

Yeah.

Fight Jewish Zion!

No state of Israel
without the messiah!

No state of Israel
without the messiah!

Fight the Jewish goyim

that want to make
a false state of Israel!

No state of Israel!
No state of Israel!

We here have...

a responsibility
to protect the lives

of the men, women,
and children in Palestine

who are now being threatened
with Arab aggression!

( Applause )

Millions of us...

have already died.

Many of our relatives...

Fathers...

Friends...

Only a Jewish state
can give meaning

to these savage acts.

Only a Jewish state

can guarantee that it will
never happen again!

( Applause )

We don't need sympathy.
We need money.

We need supplies.
We need action now!

( Applause and shouting )

Let each of us devote
our work and actions

to make the dream
of a state a reality.

Let us prove
to all the world

that we mean what we say
when we say "Never again"!

Never again!
Never again!

CROWD: Never again!

Never again!

( Cheering and shouting )

That's really something.
The front page--

Reuven, here,
we got a place for you.

Look.

They printed the whole thing.

-In the Times as well.
-Look at the front page.

Really?

Hey, have you heard
about that group that's forming

to go over and fight
with the Haganah?

Uh-huh.

Yeah, well I decided
to join them.

Heh! Some soldier
you'll make, Goldberg.

Better you should join
the other side.

So, Reuven, how's it feel
to have a famous father?

Now you'll be famous.

By association anyway.

Ah, Malter
and his mumza goyim.

Beat it, hippo brain.

Here, why don't you read this
and get some education?

I spit on your education.
You're worse than the Nazis.

-What?
-You're worse than Hitler.

He destroyed the Jewish body,
but you,

you'll destroy the Jewish soul.

( Plates crashing )

Goldberg!
Come here!

Just calm down, all right?

If they catch you fighting,

they're gonna kick you
out of the college.

-You all right?
-Yeah.

Reuven: Danny?

I'll take care of it.

Go.

-Look, I need to talk to you.
-Not here.

Follow me.

What're we doing in here?

My father read
your father's speech

in the newspaper.

Well, my father made
a very powerful speech.

The rally
was a very big success--

It wasn't a success
at my house.

My father
...exploded this morning.

You've been excommunicated
officially.

What?

I'm not to see you,
talk to you,

listen to you or be found
within four feet of you.

Why are you--

Even talking to you now
might be betraying his orders.

( Scoffs )

What are we gonna do?

I'm gonna do as he says.

-Wait a minute--
-We won't meet anymore.

I won't reject my father.

I won't defy my father.

I won't.

Listen...

I'm-- I'm your friend.

( Sighs )

Reb Saunders could accept
the relationship

between Danny and us
in front of his people

except when it comes to Zionism.

There are some Hasidim,
like the Dubovich,

who support
the idea of a state,

but definitely
not Reb Saunders.

Reb Saunders
is a fanatic.
He's medieval.

They-- they arrange marriages,
and they arrange friends.

They're complete fanatics.

Please don't generalize.

I don't like
his attitude, either,

but in a strange way,
it's the very fanaticism

of men like Reb Saunders
that has kept us alive

for 2,000 years of exile,
and if the Jews in Palestine

would have one ounce
of that same fanaticism,

we would soon have
a Jewish state.

That doesn't make me
feel any better.

Me neither.

I'm sorry.

I wanted the two
of you to be friends

and now I'm the cause
of your separation.

I'm sorry.

♪

( Speaking Hebrew )

Danny...

Reuven narrating:
For the rest of that year,

Danny and I ate
in the same lunchroom,

we attended the same classes,

we even rode
on the same trolley cars,

and we never once said
a single word to each other.

The silence between
the both of us was ugly.

I felt completely helpless.

I couldn't concentrate
on my schoolwork.

I tried to talk about
all of this with my father,

but he was so busy.

The question
of the Jewish state

was being debated at the U.N.

The newspapers were filled
with accounts

of Arabs attacking
Jewish settlements.

It's set for tonight.
Are you gonna come?

Yeah.

-You sure?
-Yeah, I'm sure.

Okay.

Reuven narrating:
Like my father,
I wanted to help.

I needed to help.

I felt that I, too,
had to do something.

♪

( Fog horn )

1, 2, 3, go.

Get those rifles
off the floor, quick!

Douse the lights!

♪

( Coughs )

MR. MALTER:
Where have you been?

I've been out.

You know
how worried I've been?

I'm sorry.

Mr. Malter: Sorry?
It's 7:00 am in the morning.

I waited for you all night.

I don't have time
for this, Reuven.

I thought
I could trust you.

You can trust me.

I can't be waiting
for you all night.

I don't have the time for that!
I don't have the energy!

You know what's at stake.

I expect more of you
than just playing around!

You think I was playing around?

What else?

I was doing your work.

Our work!
What you believe in!

A f-- a friend wanted me
to help ship guns to Palestine.

( Sighs )

You want some breakfast?

Come.

I'll make you some breakfast.

( Lively big band music
playing )

I got Woody Herman.
Anybody want Woody Herman?

No!

What do you think?

Let's quit school
and join Goldberg

and fight with the underground,
what do you say?

Sam, I think I want
to become a rabbi.

What?

Well, I've been seriously
thinking about it.

I... unlike Reb Saunders,
a rabbi for today's world.

A rabbi.
What a waste!

I didn't say a priest.
I said a rabbi.

Rabbis can get married,
you know?

-( Typewriter clacking )
-( Big band music continues )

Rabbi, can I have a private
consultation with you?

Rabbi Malter,

will you save me
from my evil thoughts?

Girl: ( Gasps )

Reuven: Papa...

Papa!

He's gonna be all right.

You sure?

He's had a stroke,
but you shouldn't worry.

He seems to be
doing fine now.

Are you okay?

Yeah.
Could I go see him?

Yeah.

C-21.
I'll be down in a minute.

Thank you.

♪

Here, come sit here.

-What do we got here?
-I got the mail.

The mail.
Okay, who's that for?

This one's for you.

That's for me.

-That's for you.
-That's for me.

Mm, this one's for you.

That's for me.

This one's for Danny.

This one is for Danny.

Where's Columbia University?

That's across the river.

What's there?

Psychology.

Any more?

( Students murmuring )

You have all been called here

on what is
a very sad occasion for me.

It is my duty to inform you

that one of our former students,
Sydney Goldberg,

was killed at a kibbutz
near Herzliya.

He was shot
while working in the fields.

( Students murmuring )

As some of you may know,

he left college
to help participate

in the founding
of a Jewish homeland.

We wish to extend
our condolences

to his family and friends.

He will be dearly missed.

May his spirit return
to the Lord who gave it.

That is all, gentlemen.

( Indistinct conversations )

Announcer on radio:
There is great anticipation

at this special plenary session
of the United Nations.

Debate has just finished
on the question

of the partition of Palestine.

Should the proposal be passed
by the member nations,

it will mean
the first major step

in the creation
of a state of Israel.

We now take you to the floor
of the United Nations,

where voting has already begun

on partition resolution
number 181.

It takes a two-thirds majority
to pass a resolution.

At this point,
they are shy by three votes.

Man: Iraq against.

Man 2: Mexico.

Man 3: Mexico votes
for the partition plan

and the establishment
of a state of Israel.

Man 2: Sweden.

Man 4: Sweden abstains.

-Man 2: Syria.
-Man 5: Syria votes against.

Man 2: Union of Soviet
Socialist Republics.

Man 6: The Union of Soviet
Socialist Republic.

Vote for the partition.

-Man 2: United Kingdom.
-There's one more.

Man 7: His majesty's government
wishes to abstain.

Man 2: United States
of America.

Man 8: The United States
of America votes...

-MAN 8: for the partition.
-( All Cheering )

We have a state.

Papa, we have a state.

Mr. Malter:
We have a state.

Announcer on radio:
2,000 years of exile,

they can go home again.

I'm having trouble
setting up a graph

in experimental psychology.

I was wondering if...

maybe you could
give me a hand?

Can you?

I... need your help.

Are you speaking to me?

The ban has been lifted.

Terrific.

The Jewish state
isn't an issue anymore.

It's a fact.

No thanks to you and yours.

My father
is frightened that...

Jews again will be killed,

this time by Arabs.

I needed you.

And you weren't there.

I'm sorry.

My father was very sick.

And it would have been nice
if you were around.

How is he?

He's better.

He's home.

Why'd you do it?

I had to.

I chose to.

Well, you may know how
to live with silence,

but I don't.

I've lived with silence
for a long time.

You learn how to live with it.

You can hear the pain
of the world in it.

I don't understand that.

I hate you,

and I hate your father
for what you did.

It's sadistic!

You hate me?

No, I don't hate you.

I don't understand you.

I'm--

I'm-- I'm glad
that you're back.

( Exhales )

♪

I've decided
to leave Hirsch.

You're not gonna
finish college?

Yes, but I'm planning
to transfer

to Columbia University.

Columbia has a great
psychology department.

Has your house
blown up yet?

No.

What're you gonna
tell your father?

Danny?

Reuven: Danny told me

that Reb Saunders
wants to see me.

He invited me over
on the second day of Passover.

He wants to talk to me
now, you see.

He wants to talk to me,
but what does he want to say?

-Why now?
-You don't know why?

He wants to talk to Danny.

Through you.

Look at the two of you now.

Both of you, you are men.

You are a man,
and my Daniel's a man.

It's a pl--

It's a pleasure
for a father to see.

Sit down.

So now you'll tell me,

what you are going to do
after your studies.

I've been thinking
of becoming a rabbi.

So you're going to become
a rabbi,

And, my Daniel...

My Daniel will
go his own way.

Reuven, I'm going
to tell you something.

When my Daniel
was four years old,

I saw him-- he read a book.

He didn't read the book.
He swallowed it.

He swallowed it like one
would swallow food, you know?

And then he--
he came to me,

and then he told me the story
that was in the book.

This story was about a man
whose life was filled with--

with suffering and with pain,
and, but...

That didn't--
It didn't move Daniel.

You know, Daniel--
Daniel was happy.

He was happy because he realized
for the first time in his life,

what a memory he had!

"Master of the universe,"
I cried,

"What have you done to me?"

You give me a mind like this
for a son.

A heart I need for a son.

A soul... I need for a son.

Compassion and mercy
I need from a son.

And above all...

the strength to carry pain.

That I need from a son.

And how was I to do this?

I mean...

...that was the question.

How was I to--

to teach him?

How was I going to be
able to do this...

to this son that I love...

and not lose
the love of my son?

When Danny was young,
I used to hold him close.

We used to laugh together.

We used to play together.

We used to whisper
secrets to each other.

We played.

Then as he became older,

and he became
indifferent to people

less brilliant
than he thought he was,

I saw what I had to do.

I had to teach my Daniel
that way.

Through the wisdom
and the pain...

of silence...

as my father did to me.

I was forced
to push him away from me.

He became very frightened.
He became bewildered.

But slowly,
he began to understand

that other people
are alone in this world, too.

Other people are suffering,
other people...

...are carrying pain.

And then...

in this silence
we had between us...

Gradually his self-pride,

his feeling of superiority,

his indifference...

began to...

to fade away.

And he learned
through the wisdom

and the pain of silence

that a mind without a heart...

is nothing.

( Sighs )

So...

You think that
I've been cruel?

Maybe.

Maybe, but--

but I don't--
I don't think so

because my beloved Daniel
has learned.

Oh, let him--
let him go.

Let him become a...

psychologist.

Yes, I know.
I know about that.

I should know.

( Sighs )

The books
from the universities.

The letters, oh.

( Chuckles )

Become a psychologist
already.

But you see,
now I am not afraid.

I have no fear
because my Daniel is a tzadik.

He's a righteous man.

And the world needs
...a righteous man.

Daniel?

You heard?

Yes, papa.

And when you go forth
into the world,

you will be proud

and go forth as a Jew?

And...

you will keep
the commandments

of a Jew?

( Softly )
Yeah.

It is good.

It's good.

( Sobs )

I don't know.

Maybe you should forgive me

for not being...

a wiser father.

♪

( Sobs )

( Doorbell ringing )

♪

I don't believe it.

Danny, I don't believe it.

I, uh... that's...
You look great!

I came over to say good-bye.

I'm moving out.

To, uh, an apartment
near Columbia University.

Well, Columbia's
not that far away.

We could still see each other.

How did your father react
when he saw you like this?

He said he almost
didn't recognize me.

He talked to you?

We talk all the time now.

♪

Danny?

I'll see you.

Reuven narrating:
There is a story in
the Talmud about a king

who had a son who had gone
astray from his father.

The son was told,
"Return to your father."

The son said,
"I cannot."

Then his father
sent a messenger to say,

"Return as far as you can,

and I will come to you
the rest of the way."

♪