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1. Does anyone know anything about the halachos of watching movies that portray events from Tanach (i.e. The Ten Commandments, Moses Prince of Egypt) from a Christian perspective?
2. That said, what recommendations of good Old Testament movies, either for Pesach or otherwise, can you recommend?
1. Uggghhh
2. “
If you would like to learn about Tanach events in an entertaining way, read R’ Yosef Deutch’s series.
Firstly, I must echo DY’s sentiments on this matter. That’s just my natural reaction, towards this specifically and the idea in general. And that’s without even considering any Christian angle.
But as a primary point, the main reason I personally avoid these, despite a natural sense of curiosity one feels when faced with the prospect of seeing parts of Tanach bought to life with CGI and hundreds of millions of dollars, is because when I sit in shul, listening to leining, I don’t what the face of some actor in my head.
And that’s beside the fact that, especially with the big Hollywood adaptations, what’s on display doesn’t even bear a tangential connection to reality. This may not be the case with some of the older films, such as ‘The Ten Commandments’, but I wouldn’t know, having never actually seen any of them, see above.
Dual Discovery By Zecharia Hoffman is a book about yetzias mitzrayim in novel form. Interesting read.
So-called “biblical movies” undoubtedly include scenery of women improperly clad and are thus prohibited on that basis.
There really aren’t any good (by good I mean accurate) movies about Yetzias Mitzrayim. Your best bet, honestly, is to find a VeggieTales video about it (and just make sure they don’t quote anything Christian).
1. There aren’t any movies. The “cool” is in Tanach is largely in the agados, and even if we don’t talk about kaballah when the goyim are interesting, we also don’t teach them about the Torah she baal peh.
2. Jews do not use the term “Old Testament”, so I question the background of the person who started this thread.
3. Most movies goyim make of the ancient world tend to dress the ancient people like modern secular liberals. While the ancient Egyptians were underdressed (at least in summer), most ancient people were quite modest. Running around underdressed is largely a modern invention (at least of the peoples we “associated” with in the Middle East and the Mediterranean region. Apparently being civilized usually involves clothing (which makes one wonder about our secular cousins).
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Not that I’m disagreeing with any of Akuperma’s points, but I wouldn’t worry too much about the provenance of the OP, seeing that they use the words Tanach, Pesach and are called ‘Bekitzur’. The use of the phrase Old Testament was probably to exclude films depicting events from the ‘New Testament’. But I’m sure they can defend themselves.
And as to the numerous points about modesty, with regard to this topic, that almost goes without saying. Virtually all non-Jewish media, particularly movies, fail miserably in this regard, and I doubt there are many who would disagree with that fact. But something tells me that wouldn’t satisfy the one who posed the original question.
I dont think many people think Moses looked like Charlton Heston
ZD: nor does anyone else. But when one learns in a sefer and then comes across individuals “met” in the entertainment media, one subconsciously connects, and that is very damaging.
As it is, the media today, even “kosher” stuff, dulls the brain so much, educators have a real hard time combating those effects and after effects, when trying to teach from a black and white stationary book or sefer. Trying to teach concepts, ideas. Kids who have and use these media outlets have a much harder time sitting in and learning.
I made the mistake on year and bought my kids a presentation that just came out, thinking there could be nothing wrong. OK, a lot of parts were cute (“Help!! He’s killing the gods!!”..) But to envision our founding fathers as depicted in the goyishe entertainment industry’s image – nope, not a good idea at all. I pulled it.
No, Avraham Avinu and Sara Emeinu certainly did not leave Charan as hero and heroine smiling, holding hands!! And I’d rather my children don’t get that picture!
ZD:
I wasn’t insinuating that people would in some way get the wrong idea as to what Moshe Rabbeinu actually looked like, it’s just that seeing these images, the ideas of which have been embedded in our collective psyches from an early age, bought to life in such a cinematic manner, does almost certainly leave an impression. Not that that’s the biggest problem with the notion bought up in the OP, rather that I personally would rather not sully my personal concept of how these events unfolded, shaped by years of competent, careful and detailed nurturing by my parents and teachers, and based on medrashim, with some grand Hollywood vision. This wouldn’t be a conscious effect, rather an automatic unconscious one. That’s the way the mind works. Of course, it’s a matter or personal choice.
zahavasdad: Actually, a great many American Christians believe that the ancient Jews were all blond, blue-eyed, pale complexion and spoke perfect English. They are shocked when told that their “King James version” is a translation (some woujld argue, adaptation, but why rub it in).
The only way to know what any older jew looked like is from either them following (not biblicalm times)
The artist Rembrant painted a picture of a young jewish couple in Amsterdam called the Jewish Bride in 1667
And in the Prague Museum there is a water color series of about 8 watercolors of a jewish death , funeral and mourning. It also dates from the 1600’s or 1700’s
“The Ten Commandments”
Cecil B. DeMille was not Jewish but he was very respectful of Jewish traditions. He and the writers consulted Jewish sources for the 1956 movie. The narrative was modified for dramatic effect but I found nothing hostile to Judaism in the movie. (He had also done a movie by the same title in 1923 but I have never seen it and do not know much about it.)
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