Three Rabbis : Rabbi Scott, The Junior Rabbi

A Serious Man - The First Rabbi Scene

LARRY: 

He's very Good with Numbers. 

I think his Social Skills have held him back. 

Such a Sweet Man, though. 

Arthur has A Good Heart. 

And he never complains, unlike me. 

Sometimes I don't give him enough credit. 

Woman Guy:

He tried to tell me about 

this thing he's working on, this... 

LARRY: 

The Mentaculus. 

He says it's 

A Probability Map of The Universe. 

Woman Guy:

Does he go out socially at all? 

LARRY: 

He Tries. 

He's been going to the singles mixers at Hillel House. 

I should talk. 

I'm not doing any better. 

Woman Guy:

How is Judith? 

LARRY: 

Fine. She's fine. 

Woman Guy:

Sometimes these things just 

aren't meant to be. 

And it can take a while before 

you feel what was always there. 

For better or worse.

LARRY: 

I never felt it! 

It was a bolt from the blue. 

What does that mean? 

Everything that I thought 

was one way 

turns out to be 

another. 

Woman Guy:

Then, it's an opportunity to learn 

How Things Really Are. 

I don't mean to sound glib. 

It's not always easy deciphering 

What God is Trying to Tell You, 

but it's not something you have to figure out all by yourself. 

We're Jews. 

We've got that Well of Tradition 

to draw on, to help us understand. 

When we're puzzled, 

we have all the stories 

that have been handed down 

from people who had 

the same problems. 

Have you talked to Rabbi Nachtner? 

Why not see him? 

LARRY: 

What's The Rabbi gonna tell me? 

Woman Guy:

If I knew, I'd be The Rabbi. 

ARTHUR :

(EXCLAIMS) 

The air out here is magnificent! 

I'm telling you, 

if someone could bottle this air, 

they'd make a million dollars!

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

Hello, Larry. 

Good to see you. 

LARRY :

Oh. Rabbi Scott. 

I thought I was going to see 

Rabbi Nachtner. 

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

He was called away on an etz monim. 

Ruth Brynn's mother is in the hospital and she isn't doing well. 

Rabbi Nachtner asked me to cover for him. 

Come on in. 

LARRY: 

And she wants a gett. 

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

A what...?

LARRY: 

She wants a...

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

Oh, a gett. 

Uh-huh. Sure. 

LARRY: 

I feel like the carpet's been yanked out from under me. 

(STAMMERING) 

I don't know which end is up. 

I'm not even sure how to react. 

I'm too confused. 

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

What reasons did she give —

for the rupture? 

LARRY: 

She didn't give reasons —

Just that, you know, 

things haven't been going well. 

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

And is that True? 

LARRY: 

I guess. I don't know. 

She's usually right about these things. 

I was hoping that 

Rabbi Nachtner could... 

That he would... 

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

He would... Yes? 

LARRY: 

Well, with the benefit of his life experience. 

No offense. 

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

(CHUCKLING) 

No, of course not —  

I am the junior rabbi. 

And it's true, the point of view of somebody who's older and perhaps had similar problems might be more valid. 

And you should see the senior rabbi 

as well, by all means. 

Or even Marshak, 

if you can get in. 

He's quite busy, but maybe... 

Can I share something with you? 

Because I, too, have had the feeling of 

losing track of Hashem, 

which is the problem here. 

I, too, have forgotten 

how to see him in The World, 

and when that happens, you think, 

"Well, if I can't see Him, 

He isn't there. He's gone." 

But that's not the case. 

You just need to remember how to see him. 

(CHUCKLING)

 Am I right? 

I mean... The parking lot here. 

Not much to see. 

But if you imagine yourself A Visitor, somebody who isn't familiar with these autos and such, 

somebody still with the capacity for wonder. 

Someone with a fresh.... perspective!

•!CLICK!•

That's what it is, Larry. 

Because with the right perspective, 

you can see Hashem, you know, reaching into the world. 

He is in the world, not just in shul. 

It sounds to me like you're looking at the world, looking at your wife, through tired eyes. 

It sounds like she's become a sort of thing... 

A problem. A thing. 

LARRY :

She is seeing Sy Ableman. 

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

Oh. 

LARRY :

They're planning... 

That's why they want the gett. 

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

Oh I'm sorry. 

LARRY :

It was his idea. 

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

Well, they do need a gett 

to remarry in the faith. 

But... 

This is Life. 

You have to see these things 

as expressions of 

God's Will. 

You don't have to like it, of course. 

LARRY :

The boss isn't always right, 

but he's always the boss. 

Rabbi Scott, 

The Junior Rabbi :

(LAUGHING) 

That's right! 

Things aren't so bad. 

Look at the parking lot, Larry. 

Just look at that parking lot.