What is Srugim about?

Guest post by Lurker



Jameel's post about R. Aviner's ban on Srugim seems to have ignited quite a debate. This debate goes to the heart of what the show is actually about, as well as what value it holds.

One of the objections that has been raised is that the characters on the show are not good role models. And as Jameel pointed out, they are not really intended to be. Others have responded to this by suggesting that in fact, they ought to be. But is this really true?

This particular criticism of the show seems to stem from the view that the only legitimate form of literature about people -- or, in this case, drama -- is one in which the characters are role models. In this genre of literature/drama, all the actions of all major characters are justified and perfect, and in complete accordance with the rules of behavior set out in Mesilat Yesharim. I call this the “ArtScroll genre”. And people who favor this genre exclusively tend to view any other sort of human portrayal as "cheap, low and stupid".

The big problem with the ArtScroll genre is that it bears little resemblance to reality. This is true when it's used to rewrite the biographies of gedolim, and all the more so when it's used in fiction about "regular" people. Simply put, stories are not all that interesting when they are about people with no failings or inner conflicts.

Srugim is about a few (fictional) characters who are part of the dati leumi (religious Zionist) community, and it depicts those characters as flawed, imperfect human beings: They are committed to their values and principles, but at the same time, they struggle to deal with the conflicts that arise between those values and other aspects of their lives. Sometimes they succeed, and sometimes -- often to their own chagrin -- they fail. As a rule, this is what real people are like. That's true in general -- and not for just 30-year old religious singles in the Jerusalem bitza.

Some might say, so what? What value is there in portraying people wracked by such dilemmas and conflicts, even if it is realistic? Well, there's the simple entertainment value for one, and I don't think that's a value that should be dismissed out of hand. But in fact, there are other values in this as well:

• We live in a society where dati'im (religious people) are commonly portrayed by the media as one-dimensional, strange people who are estranged from the modern world, and who do everything they do out of unthinking, blind obedience. It is therefore a very helpful thing for hilonim (secular people) to see a portrayal of dati'im as three-dimensional, real people, who are similar to themselves in many ways, who very much live in the modern world, and who struggle with real conflicts.
  


• It is a good thing for many dati'im to see a portrayal of other dati'im who face many of the same difficulties in life as their own, and with whose struggles they can identify. From this perspective, the portrayal of flaws can potentially be very constructive: When someone sees a character on the show with whom he identifies, and that character's failings start coming to light as the show progresses, many people may come to recognize similar failings in themselves. I have already run into more than one person who has been watching Srugim, and who said, "Oh my God -- that character is me!" In the month of Elul, it hardly needs to be repeated that conscious recognition of one’s own personal failing is the first step toward rectifying it.
  
  Shadkhaniot (matchmakers) are telling us that Srugim is doing their job for them; effectively conveying to religious singles the critical message that the shadkhaniot have been trying desperately to tell them for years: That the singles need to become more realistic and open-minded in their search for a mate (hattip: Shimon). And who knows; maybe there's a real-life "Nati" out there who, after recognizing the stupidity and self-destructiveness of the fictional Nati's behavior, might finally wise up, turn around and settle down with his own "Yifat". R. Aviner and anyone else can say whatever they want about the show, but if there are even a small number of people for whom this might be true, then Laizy Shapiro has earned his place in olam haba...
  

One can even make the argument that these characters are role models, in a certain way: They are positive role models inasmuch as they succeed in doing the right things and adhering to their principles. These things should be emulated. And they are negative role models inasmuch as they fail. And these things should be avoided.

“Wait a minute!” you might object. “That makes them no different from people in real life!”

And you would be absolutely right.

This, of course, brings us to another charge that’s been discussed here against Srugim: The claim has been made that portraying people -- even fictional ones -- in such a true-to-life manner constitutes lashon hara (slander) against the larger community to which they belong -- in this case, the dati leumi community. As one of the commenters asked, "Why wouldn't this be a problem of lashon hara against a community, and therefore each of its members?"

When one thinks about it, the suggestion that this portrayal constitutes lashon hara against the entire dati leumi community is really quite silly. Human nature is such that all communities have people with flaws, as does humanity as a whole. Haza"l teach us that we all are plagued by our yetzer hara (evil inclination), and that we often succumb to it. Are Haza"l therefore guilty of lashon hara against the Jewish people? The book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) tells us that people are vain, and that they waste their time on pointless foolishness. Is Kohelet thus guilty of lashon hara against all humanity?

Furthermore, to suggest that Srugim is guilty of lashon hara against each and every member of the dati leumi community (as the same commenter suggested) is even more baseless. There is no reason for anyone to suppose that the particular flaws of any given fictional character on the show is shared by any particular real-life person.

All the religious characters on Srugim have a commitment to Torah and mitzvot, to one degree or another. The never-ending struggle between this commitment on the one hand, and one's opposing desires on the other, is the core of what Srugim is all about. It is a struggle we all face, each in our own way, and it is a worthwhile endeavor indeed to portray this struggle in a stimulating, sensitive way -- which is exactly what this show does.

Pay attention to the words of Srugim’s hauntingly eloquent theme song, Ana Efneh ("Where Will I Turn"), sung by Erez Lev-Ari. (This is a highly appropriate song for Elul, btw. If I were to give it my own title, I would call it Vidui ["Confession"].) In it, you will find this conflict framed brilliantly in its poignant lyrics (translated here by yours truly, with a hattip to Moze):

I pursue Your laws, on the one hand On the other, my passion pursues me. Ashamed and embarrassed, I will enter Your gates. And the long nights and the loneliness and the years, And this heart that has not known peace. Until the sea becomes quiet, until the shadows disappear.	אני רודף אחר חוקיך, מחד מאידך תשוקתי אותי רודפת בוש ונכלם אבוא בשעריך והלילות הארוכים והבדידות ושנים והלב הזה שלא ידע מרגוע עד שישקוט הים, עד שינוסו הצללים
Where shall I go, to where will I turn, when Your eyes gaze upon me? Where shall I flee, how will I not turn away? Between truth and truth, Between law and practice. Between the days of yore and modern times. Between the hidden and the revealed, Between the world to come and this world.	לאן אלך, אנה אפנה, כשעיניך מביטות בי איכה אברח, איך לא אפנה בין אמת לאמת בין הלכה למעשה בין הימים ההם לזמן הזה בין הנסתר לנגלה בין העולם הבא לעולם הזה
I pursue Your laws, on the other hand my passion burns me Fierce as death, terrible as troops with banners The long nights and the loneliness and the years, And this heart that has not known peace. Until the sea becomes quiet, until the shadows disappear Bring me back!	רודף אחר חוקיך, מאידך תשוקתי אותי שורפת עזה כמוות, איומה כנדגלות הלילות הארוכים והבדידות והשנים והלב הזה שלא ידע מרגוע עד שישקוט הים, עד שינוסו הצללים השיבני
Where shall I go, to where will I turn ...	לאן אלך, אנה אפנה ...

Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד