Recently, In two columns, God on trial and The inner light of a man, I mentioned the BBC film, God on Trial (this is different from Elie Wiesel's play). The scene above is the culminating argument made by a rabbi, condemning God. The film is actually a series of powerful dialogues on faith. In Losing my religion, the movie's script writer, Frank Cottrell Boyce, described how he wrote the script.
That BBC clip is of a dicsourse that could have taken place in any synagogue or yeshiva in the last 2000 years. The question asked of Y**H is always: "So what is really wanted of us?" To which Y**H 's answer will be a cryptic "Keep trying." To which the learned scholars would reply "But the rules keep changing!"
It's complicated. I have a visceral thought that JESUS came to simplify things.
How can anyone affirm a belief in God in Auschwitz? It's a good question, and many approaches and interpretations of God's actions are offered. The production could be criticised for feeling a little like a stage play. A bit wordy with many monologues. But the acting, the direction, and, above all, the writing are first class.
Ginault Watches