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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