From Rabbi Craig Mayers
August / September 2023
This year at the Oscars, the film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” swept the awards, winning 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture. Not too shabby, from 11 nominations. The film features a concept that I think connects to the High Holiday season. The short description reads as follows: “A middle-aged Chinese immigrant is swept up into an insane adventure in which she alone can save existence by exploring other universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.”
That last part – about connecting with the lives she could have led – is something I bet we’ve all thought about. Our lives, essentially, are a series of outcomes based on choices we made along the way. What if we chose differently? Are there other versions of us out there somewhere in a multiverse? What would an alternate version of us look like? Would we still be the same person? If we met an “alternate me” would we even recognize them? This is something that has been explored in science fiction for some time, and recently in several movies in addition to “Everything Everywhere All at Once”. Superhero movies like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange have recently explored the possibility of meeting “other selves”. It seems to be on our collective minds of late.
Judaism has long recognized that we are able to make choices freely. Torah teaches us to choose wisely, however. Deuteronomy 30:19 reads, "I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life…” This is the time of year when we reflect on those choices, and the version of us that we are right now. With some effort, the version of us that we will encounter next Rosh Hashanah will be even better.
As we look to make changes in our lives in the coming year, the title of the film seems overwhelming. It may seem like we might need to change “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in our lives, yet no one could be expected to successfully do so. Trying to change too much is not healthy, and likely not possible. But neither should we enter the new year by doing “Nothing, Nowhere, and Never”. The path forward lies in between those two extremes. And it often involves baby steps. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" dives into the concept of personal identity, exploring different aspects of the self in a way that’s only currently possible in a movie. across parallel realities. In our Jewish tradition, the High Holidays are the time we individuals confront our true selves honestly, openly and realistically. And that means acknowledging shortcomings and strengths alike. Fortunately, the expectation isn’t to change suddenly and drastically – we can reflect, take those baby steps and move forward a bit in the coming year.
Theoretically, a multiverse is possible. An infinite number of universes, each one spawned by the choice we didn’t make – it’s mind-boggling. We might even like to think that somewhere there is a universe in which we made all the best possible choices, and our life there is somehow better than the one we’re in now. But such knowledge – and the technology to see or experience such a version of ourselves – is not (yet) reality. We can, instead, focus on making this universe a better place, and this version of ourselves the best it could be. That is in essence the theme of our High Holidays. This year, let us resolve to change “Something, Somewhere, at Some time” for the better. That’s more achievable than “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, and way more appropriate than “Nothing, Nowhere, and Never”. As Rabbi Tarfon put it, you don’t have to finish the whole job, but you are obligated to do something.
May this new year bring you happiness, fulfillment, prosperity and most of all good health!
L’shanah Tovah Umetukah!
Rabbi Craig Mayers & Family
That last part – about connecting with the lives she could have led – is something I bet we’ve all thought about. Our lives, essentially, are a series of outcomes based on choices we made along the way. What if we chose differently? Are there other versions of us out there somewhere in a multiverse? What would an alternate version of us look like? Would we still be the same person? If we met an “alternate me” would we even recognize them? This is something that has been explored in science fiction for some time, and recently in several movies in addition to “Everything Everywhere All at Once”. Superhero movies like Spider-Man and Doctor Strange have recently explored the possibility of meeting “other selves”. It seems to be on our collective minds of late.
Judaism has long recognized that we are able to make choices freely. Torah teaches us to choose wisely, however. Deuteronomy 30:19 reads, "I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life…” This is the time of year when we reflect on those choices, and the version of us that we are right now. With some effort, the version of us that we will encounter next Rosh Hashanah will be even better.
As we look to make changes in our lives in the coming year, the title of the film seems overwhelming. It may seem like we might need to change “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in our lives, yet no one could be expected to successfully do so. Trying to change too much is not healthy, and likely not possible. But neither should we enter the new year by doing “Nothing, Nowhere, and Never”. The path forward lies in between those two extremes. And it often involves baby steps. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" dives into the concept of personal identity, exploring different aspects of the self in a way that’s only currently possible in a movie. across parallel realities. In our Jewish tradition, the High Holidays are the time we individuals confront our true selves honestly, openly and realistically. And that means acknowledging shortcomings and strengths alike. Fortunately, the expectation isn’t to change suddenly and drastically – we can reflect, take those baby steps and move forward a bit in the coming year.
Theoretically, a multiverse is possible. An infinite number of universes, each one spawned by the choice we didn’t make – it’s mind-boggling. We might even like to think that somewhere there is a universe in which we made all the best possible choices, and our life there is somehow better than the one we’re in now. But such knowledge – and the technology to see or experience such a version of ourselves – is not (yet) reality. We can, instead, focus on making this universe a better place, and this version of ourselves the best it could be. That is in essence the theme of our High Holidays. This year, let us resolve to change “Something, Somewhere, at Some time” for the better. That’s more achievable than “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, and way more appropriate than “Nothing, Nowhere, and Never”. As Rabbi Tarfon put it, you don’t have to finish the whole job, but you are obligated to do something.
May this new year bring you happiness, fulfillment, prosperity and most of all good health!
L’shanah Tovah Umetukah!
Rabbi Craig Mayers & Family