The Traditions in Fiddler on the Roof
By Rabbi Neil Blumofe
The Jewish traditions, language, and even humor that you witness while watching Fiddler on the Roof, while stylized, tell an important story of Jewish resilience and survival. Ahad Ha’am, a journalist and essayist who is known as the founder of cultural Zionism, sought to mobilize the Jewish people to have ever-increasing pride, curiosity, and confidence in our storied traditions. For example, in 1898, he wrote: more than the Jewish people have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jewish people.
shabbat
What happens when the going gets tough? Cultivating joy and always choosing life is a keystone in keeping our balance. These are not just words to a catchy song. They are words to live by. Each Friday evening, as the sun sets in the sky, families, friends, and communities are invited to slow their roll, to take deeper breaths, and to let go of the clattering commerce of the rest of the week. We are to connect to nature, seeing the sun set on the horizon. We light our candles to usher in sacred time, and we set a beautiful Shabbat table to slow down time, as our sages write, allowing all of the blessings that we’ve missed in our own pursuits to catch up to us there. Tevye’s family stopped working. We turn our phones off, thus open to immersion in the joyful yet complex relationships we have with each other around the table, and we aspire for things to be better as we reserve a moment for heaven on earth. Although danger crouches by the door, we hope our prayers and customs will hold it back it as Shabbat sweeps through our souls, renewing us for all that life may yet bring. We’ll pick up our problems again after three stars shine on Saturday night.
the wedding
Mazal Tov! As the couple stands beneath the wedding canopy (huppah), the deepest connections emanating from the beginning of time bind them together. Our mystics say that a wedding recreates the creation of the universe and is a repair of the exile from the Garden of Eden. No pressure! This expression of love, this stitch in time, offsets the difficulties of the world and defies the negative. Yes, the voices of the couple will resound in the street. This new family will have confidence and hope for the future, from generation to generation. Take that, doom and gloom!
Fiddler on the Roof reflects an extraordinary moment. Traditions are revered and yet Judaism leaves room for individual freedom that allows souls to blossom, as Tevye cares for each of his daughters with the wisdom and compassion they merit. This give and take (shakla v’tarya) is the essence of our existence. All of this can strengthen our people. So what do these traditions look like going forward? Anatevka is our town too. How will we come to terms with changing mores and shifting alliances in the world? Our bones know that we have been uprooted from many places as we keep our connection to the Promised Land. How do politics change? What will the future bring? Throughout all of it, we have our traditions, and as the Good Book that God gave to Moses at Mount Sinai says, somewhere: our identity, stability, and meaning give us the courage to live. All we have is today. As we celebrate can we anticipate and forestall an uncertain future?