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.
