Favorite Scene?
Question: What was your favorite scene and why?
My favorite scene is the opening scene at my daughter’s wedding. First, in under 150 seconds the producer shows the beauty of my daughter’s wedding. You can see her BEAMING and the happiness is just exuding out of her.
But there are actions on my part that I am proud of. Actions that I strive to live up to, and I am so happy that not only did the camera catch them, but they made it into the final cinematic cut.
Walking down the aisle
The opening shot is of me walking my daughter down the aisle, with her birth mother – my first wife – on the other side. I asked my daughter what she wanted, and she said that she wanted to be walked down the aisle by her parents. So that is what I did. It didn’t matter that I have not spoken to her mother in years, nor do I have a desire to do so – or a desire to be in the same space as her.
It just didn’t matter. My daughter wanted this, and I pushed myself to fulfill her desires. My other kids came to me afterwards and said they were very impressed – they very much liked seeing me walk down the aisle with their mother. I am glad.
Maariv!!
After the wedding ceremony is finished, I slowly walk away and cry out, “Maariv!” – a call for the evening prayers. I was in a room with people who were not religious (except for a handful), yet it was very important for me to pray with a quorum of adult men. And it was important to do this as quickly as possible before people began to leave or got drunk. Fortunately, we found 10 men (maybe 11 in total), and we were able to begin the prayers within 15 minutes of the end of the wedding ceremony. Prayer is important, even at my own daughter’s wedding.
Alone with a bottle of Water
My daughter is not religious, and therefore she did not have religious wedding celebration. You can see some of the dancing scenes. I felt it was not appropriate for a religious man to be in the same room with these men and women dancing together in such a fashion. Also, while the food was certified kosher by the State-authorized Rabbis, that was not sufficient for me and people in my community. So I didn’t eat. But I found a bottle of kosher water and a paper cup and was able to sit outside the main hall and drink. You don’t see this on film, but there are times when other people joined me at the table and I was able to talk with them (fortunately the blasting music didn’t go through the wall, so I could actually have a conversation). But other than a few seconds, I wasn’t in the main hall the entire evening.
So there you have it. I loved the opening scene because it showed parts of my life that I strive for: To be able to push aside my personal wants and needs for my children’s sake, yet set down red lines (even at my daughter’s wedding) when it is not for my sake but for the sake of G-d.
Thank you to the producer/director/videographer Zvi Landsman and everyone involved for creating such a beautiful and meaningful scene for me!
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