Monday, September 2, 2013

Lessons in the Fable of Short Friday




            Religion is the key aspect of Issac Bashevis Singer’s short story Short Friday.  In the story, a Jewish elderly couple, Shmul-Leibele and his wife Shoshe, are living in the village of Lapschitz who work with honor and diligence to serve their God and treat each other with love and respect.  Shmul-Leibele is portrayed as a simpleton and inefficient in his trade, although he works with integrity, such as using only the strongest threads and how none of his seams ever gave. Shmul-Leibele and his wife are committed to doing the right thing.  Although Shmul-Leibele was not the most intelligent person, his obligation to his religion was solid.  The children in the synagogue made fun of the elderly couple, because the children have received a formal education in Hebrew and the Torah and the couple has not and are therefore perceived as unintelligent; however, the couple’s dedication to Judaism and its traditions make the formal education irrelevant at the end of the story.  , the couple’s honor, dedication, and kindness towards their religion, each other, and others makes them eligible to go to Paradise in the end.  It makes this story a sort of fable or a parable to treat others kindly, to be honorable in all that you do, and to have religion be the center of your life and then you have nothing to fear after death. 
            What makes the “lesson” or point of this fable so interesting is how most religions these days are all about learning the words of the Holy Books and getting an education and damning everyone to Hell and getting caught up in politics, whereas this simple story is just about honoring the traditions, being honorable, and being kind to one another and then you will go to Paradise.  Most religions these days are in the news for some sort of controversy or for being back in the “dark ages” or for arguing with another religious entity and I think this story can teach something to everyone, regardless of their religion.  You don’t have to be the most intelligent, or the richest, or have the best education.  Just be kind and be honorable, and then you don’t have to worry about what happens after death.  Do not mock or hate, just honor and respect everyone and you should be fine.  Maybe it’s not even talking about death- it might just be talking about life.  If you are honorable and kind in all that you do, you can go on to lead a better life.  



Sarah Callanan

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