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Sept. 7, 2007
It's not just humorous
Entertainment shows can provide Torah insights.
EVA COHEN
"Why, you little ..." Torah scholar? Maybe that's what
Homer is actually about to say every time he strangles his son Bart
on The Simpsons. Well, not quite – but, according to
Rabbi Jonathan Gross, The Simpsons is more than just a show
about a doughnut-eating fiend.
Gross has served for the past four years as congregational rabbi
for Beth Israel Synagogue in Omaha, Neb. He was previously assistant
rabbi for two congregations. However, it was during his time at
college that the idea of "The Simpsons in Halachah"
was born.
Gross attended Yeshivah University in New York, and graduated in
2001. While completing his BA in mathematics, he looked at his love
of Torah, and then his love for his favorite television series,
The Simpsons, and sought to combine the two.
The Simpsons is North America's longest-running television
series and Gross said he was intrigued by the show when it was in
its prime, 10 years ago. At university, he took hundreds of clips
from the show and connected them to Jewish thought. However, after
combing the series, and sgiving presentations of his ideas a few
times in the late 1990s, he put the project into his files and said
he didn't expect to use it again. But opportunity knocked recently,
with this summer's release of The Simpsons movie.
"It's not a coincidence that I am presenting this just as The
Simpsons movie has been released," said Gross, in a recent
interview. "This was an excellent way to bring back what I
had done in college and make it relevant today."
Gross said he strongly believes that the best way to take away meaning
from Torah study is to relate what you learn to something in real
life. And what better, he suggested, than to relate it to something
that also makes you laugh.
The last time he presented "The Simpsons in Halachah"
was in Edmonton on Aug. 24, as part of the Orthodox Union's Pulpit
Swap program. Before beginning, Gross pointed out that there are
several episodes of The Simpsons that blatantly illustrate
Judaism. These are too easy, he said.
"Many may know of, for example, the episode where Krusty the
Clown's father is a rabbi," said Gross. "I didn't touch
episodes like that, because they are too obvious. Instead, I looked
at the 'everyday' episodes and illustrated how Judaic concepts are
involved in those."
With this in mind, the first clip showed an episode where Lisa Simpson
decides she is going to become a vegetarian. In class, the teacher
requires all the students to dissect a meal worm. Lisa sits with
her scalpel and it speaks to her, saying, "Lisa, what did I
ever do to you?" Ultimately, Lisa shouts out that she cannot
do it, that she does not believe in hurting other living things.
This scene does not even have to be Torah-related, said Gross. Rather,
he said it is a prime example from the show where what is "right
or wrong" comes to the forefront – and that it is not
merely a script written for laughs.
However, Gross also pointed out that the Torah has an answer for
everything. The Seven Noahide Laws, those which govern all human
beings and not just Jews, speak of treating animals humanely. Yes,
humans are allowed to eat animals, but that does not mean that such
a right should be abused. Gross referred to the story of Rabbi Yehuda
Ha'nassi (Judah the Prince). One day, an animal about to be butchered
ran behind the
rabbi for protection. He didn't show any remorse for the animal
and readily gave it up to be slaughtered. Although the Torah allows
animals to be eaten, as demonstrated clearly by the animal sacrifices
in the Temple, because the rabbi did not care for the animal's situation,
he was afflicted with a stomach ailment and suffered for 15 years.
This was but one of many examples given by Gross, who is a strong
proponent of Torah learning being a fun experience. While many people
see The Simpsons as a somewhat vulgar cartoon, projects such
as this show that good can be found in many things if one looks
a little deeper – one can laugh and still take away life lessons.
Eva Cohen is a journalism student at Carleton University
in Ottawa.
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