A recent review of Return of the Jedi ended up being the perfect pre-Rosh Hashanah activity.
The High Holy Days season is one of introspection, reflection, preparation, repentance, and hopefully: transformation.
Many fans and critics have commented on the theological and spiritual content of the Star Wars trilogy. In my recent viewing I was struck by the connections between the film and the High Holy Days.
Make no mistake, I understand that the Emperor of Star Wars is not the God of Israel. At the same time, taking these Jedi quotes out of context was a lot of fun and suprisingly interesting.
Rather than offering a traditional Rosh Hashanah message, I share these reflections with you:
During The High Holy Days we try to cling to God…
“I’m locked on to the strongest power source.” Lando
“Father, I won’t leave you.” Luke Skywaker
“Greetings exalted one, allow me to introduce myself.” Luke Skywalker
During The High Holy Days we try to see ourselves and our world more clearly…
“You’ll pay the price for your lack of vision.” Emperor
During The High Holy Days we embrace our humanity…
“It is against my programming to impersonate a deity.” C3PO
During The High Holy Days we drop the pretenses…
“Help me take this mask off.” Vader
During The High Holy Days we imagine how we might appear in God’s eyes…
“He is most displeased with your apparent lack of efforts.” Vader
During The High Holy Days we dedicate ourselves to living more perfect lives…
“That’s the last mistake you’ll ever make.” Luke Skywalker
During The High Holy Days we think about the in between times and spaces…
“Twilight is upon me, and soon light must fall.” Yoda
During The High Holy Days we tap into the vast spiritual resources within…
“No more training you require, already know you, that which you need.” Yoda
During The High Holy Days we try to purify our hearts, souls, and minds…
“Beware anger, fear, agression, the dark side are they.” Yoda
During The High Holy Days we accept the fact that we view the world through the lens of our life experience…
“Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.” Obiwan
During The High Holy Days we stir the sleeper from his slumber…
“Hey, you awake?” Leia
During The High Holy Days we acknowledge that we didn’t always travel the most direct route…
“I got a little sidetracked. It’s not my fault.” Solo
During The High Holy Days we contemplate the theology of reward and punishment…
”You serve your master well and you will be rewarded.” Luke Sykwaker
During The High Holy Days we explore our untapped potential…
“Let’s see what this piece of junk can do.” Solo
During The High Holy Days we wonder how it can almost be Rosh Hashanah again…
“Here we go again.” C3po
During The High Holy Days we seek to understand what God requires of us…
“What is thy bidding my master?” Vader
During The High Holy Days we try to get unstuck…
“Well, looks like I’m stuck here. Trouble is I dont know where here is.” Leia
During The High Holy Days we contemplate the absurdity of the universe…
“Look it’s a hat, it’s not going to hurt you.” Leia
During The High Holy Days we try to listen to our hearts and be emotionally intelligent…
“I wonder if your feelings on this matter are clear?” Emperor
During The High Holy Days we phone in favors and also pine for supernatural solutions to earthly woes…
“Why don’t you use your divine influence and get us out of this?” Solo
During The High Holy Days we wonder about our place in the universe…
“It appears you are to be the main course at a banquet in my honor.” C3PO
During The High Holy Days we discover our potential…
“I never knew I had it in me.” C3PO
During The High Holy Days we celebrate our connection to Am Yisrael…
“Wonderful, we are now a part of the tribe.” C3PO
During The High Holy Days we reach out to loved ones…
“I can save him. I can turn him back to the good side. I have to try.” Luke
During The High Holy Days we remember and ask God to remember…
“It is the name of your true self. You’ve only forgotten.” Luke
During The High Holy Days we fight our spiritual battles…
“I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate.” Luke
During The High Holy Days we count the days until Rosh Hashanah…
“Proceed with the countdown.”
During The High Holy Days we strip ourselves of our ego defense mechanisms…
“Your overconfidence is your weakness.” Luke
During The High Holy Days we consider the possibility of being more vulnerable…
“You are unwise to lower your defenses.” Vader
During The High Holy Days we consider the fact that we may be fooling ourselves more than we’re fooling those around us…
“You cannot hide forever.” Vader
Shanah Tovah! May the Force be with us all in 5773!!
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