Thoughts From The
Lubavitcher Rebbe
After Passover—Preparing for the Torah
Page 9-THE NEWS-April 19S1
Most Popular Jewish Films of 1990
By Rabbi Yossi Groner
Beginning from the second
night of Passover, Jews count
the daily Omer which last 49
days. The reason for this obser
vance is given by early Jewish
scholars as follows: It took the
Israelites 49 days to reach
Mount Sinai from the time they
left Egypt,
At Mount Sinai, the Israelites
received the Torah from G-d and
thus became obliged by Jewish
law and a “Priestly Nation to
G-d,” We count the 49 days to
remember the preparations our
ancestors made in anticipation
of this great moment in history.
The giving of the Torah has
important sigiflcance in that it
is regarded as a new experience
every day. So it is with the
preparation to the receiving of
the Torah, that it is a new
experience every year between
the days of Passover and Sha-
vuoth.
One of the basic messages of
the Ten Commandments is con
tained in the fact that they begin
with the “I am,” etc., i,e, the
profound principle of monoth
eism, which in itself was a
tremendous revolutionary idea
in those days of idolatry dom
inated by the polytheistic culture
of Egypt.
Incidently, the emphasis on
monotheism and the denial of
polytheism are to be seen not
only in the fact that these ideas
form the subject of the first two
Commandments, but also in the
quantity of words and detail
which they contain. At the same
time, the Ten Commandments
conclude with such apparently
simple and obvious injunctions
as “Thou shalt not steal,” etc.
The profundity of monothe
ism, with which the Ten Com
mandments begin and the sim
plicity of the ethical and moral
laws with which the Ten Com
mandments conclude, points to
an important lesson, namely:
(a) The true believer in G-d
is not the one who holds abstract
ideas but the one whose knowl
edge of G-d leads him to the
proper daily conduct even in
ordinary and commonplace
matters, in his dealings with his
neighbors and the respect for
their property even if it be an
ox or a donkey, etc.
(b) The ethical and moral
laws, even those that are so
obvious as “Thou shalt not
steal,” and “Thou shalt not
murder,” will have actual valid
ity and will be observed only if
they are based on the first and
second Commandments; that is
to say, based on Divine author
ity, the authority, of the One and
Only G-d.
If in a previous generation
there were people who doubted
the need of Divine authority for
common morality and ethics, in
the belief that human reason is
sufficient authority for morality
and ethics, our present genera
tion has, unfortunately, in a
most devastating and tragic way,
refuted this mistaken notion.
For it is precisely the nation
which had excelled itself in the
exact sciences, the humanities
and even in philosophy and
ethics, that has turned out to be
the most depraved nation of the
world, making an ideal of mur
der and robbery. Anyone who
knows how insignificant was the
minority of Germans who op
posed the Hitler regime, realizes
that the German cult was not
something which was practiced
by a few individuals but had
embraced the vast majority of
that nation, who considered
itself the “super race,” etc.
It is during this auspicious
time, in between the two major
holidays, that we turn to count
ing the days and realizing the
unique privilege given to us to
uphold the divine law—the
Torah which is the guide for each
and every Jew,
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Jewish Video Library, the
only Jewish video store in Amer
ica, has released a list of its top
30 films of 1990, The list includes
the two most popular titles in
fifteen film categories and is
based upon rental activity at
JVL during the year.
The following presents the list
by film category:
ADVENTURE — House on
Garibaldi Street (dramatization
of the 1960 capture of Nazi war
criminal Adolf Eichmann in
Argentina by Israeli agents).
Operation Thunderbolt {story of
the 1976 daring rescue by Israeli
commandos of 103 hostages held
by Palestinian terrorists in En
tebbe, Uganda).
ANTI-SEMITISM — The
Inheritors (shocking story of an
Austrian teenage boy who joins
a neo-Nazi party). Louis Farrak-
han at Madison Square Garden
(Farrakhan’s 1985 speech to the
“Nation of Islam,” where he
revealed his particular brand of
anti-Semitism).
BIOGRAPHY — Hanna's
War (true story of Hanna Se-
nesh, the Jewish heroine who
parachuted behind enemy lines
during World War II to save
Jewish lives in Hungary). Cha
gall: Portrait of an Artist (doc
umentary on the life and work
of the world’s greatest Jewish
painter).
CHILDREN’S — Ganenu, A
Child's Garden of Judaism
(songs, dances and puppets
introducing Hebrew letters and
Jewish tradition). Passover at
Bubbe's (puppets visit ancient
Egypt and help Bubbe prepare
for a Seder with songs).
COMEDY — Goodbye, New
York (Israeli comedy about the
experiences of a young Gentile
woman who mistakenly flies to
Tel Aviv). Apprenticeship of
Duddy Kravitz (bittersweet tale
of a young Jewish businessman
who exploits any and all to get
to the top in 1940’s Montreal).
COOKING — My First Jew
ish Cooking Video (teaches how
to cook a sumptuous Sabbath
meal). Gefilte Fish (three gener
ations of Jewish women share
preparation styles for a tradi
tional dish).
DOCUMENTARY — Rise
and Fall of the Borscht Belt
(reminiscences and rare footage
of the entertainers who made the
Catskills famous). Yam Kippur
War (with rare film footage,
presents the story of Israel’s fight
for survival in 1973).
DRAMA — The Golem (si
lent film version of the ancient
Jewish legend). The Commissar
(banned from its release in 1967
until 1989, this is a fascinating
story about a Jewish family
during the Russian revolution).
FINE ARTS — Great Can
tors of the Golden Age (historic
footage of the greatest cantors
of the pre-war era, such as
Yossele Rosenblatt). Almonds
and Raisins (a history of Yiddish
film with excerpts from nine
classics).
HEBREW — Sallah Shabati
(classic Israeli satire set in 1948
about a Sephardic immigrant to
Israel who confronts and over
comes the Ashkenazi establish
ment). House on Chelouche
Street (the struggles in Tel Aviv
of a Jewish family of refugees
from Egypt during the last days
of British occupation).
HOLOCAUST — The Eter
nal Jew (Nazi Germany’s most
anti-Semitic film). Image Before
My Eyes (vivid depiction of
Jewish life in Poland from the
late 19th century through the
1930s).
TRAVEL — Adventure Trav
el in Israel (five uncommon
excursions for the sophisticated
traveler in Israel). Argentina's
Jews (history of the largest
Jewish community in Latin
America).
YIDDISH — The Dybbuk
(the 1937 Yiddish classic about
love and exorcism). Yiddle With
A Fiddle (Yiddish musical com
edy filmed on location in Poland
with Molly Picon disguised as
a traveling boy musician).
ISRAEL — Follow Me: Story
of the Six Day War (detailed
chronicle of Israel’s great victory
in 1967). Ofra Haza: From Dusk
to Daw/i (today’s premiere Israe
li vocalist in a delightful evening
of song).
JUDAISM/HOLIDAYS —
The Jewish Customs (demon
strations of the most important
customs, traditions and values of
Jewish life). / Ask for Wonder:
Experiences of God (prayer,
study, ritual, tragedy and good
deeds presented as pathways to
God).
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