Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

Last night I went to see a movie that I thought was very interesting, “In Time,” a futuristic film about how people use time as a currency. Imagine an alternative world where nobody ever ages beyond age 25 and the only way anyone can ever extend a lifetime is by earning time through work, barter, stealing, or if you’re lucky—inheriting time from someone.

Everyone is hardwired into some massive computer system that reveals through a florescent bar-code, the amount time each person has in the course of a day.

The hero, a guy named Will Salas, is a factory worker who cares for others. His empathic personality is endearing; when he sees a stranger who was about to get robbed of his precious time, he saves his life. Little did he realize that the man he saved happens to be someone who is loaded with time to spare; however, the tycoon is bored with life and would prefer to die like other less fortunate mortals of his age. While Salas is asleep, he gives him virtually a century’s worth of time. The tycoon greets dawn for the last time and dies-despite Salas’ attempt to save him. All of this is captured on camera, and anyone watching this might think that Salas robbed and killed the tycoon. Forced to run for his life, Salas leaves the ghetto.

A futuristic time keeper (the equivalent to a policeman) starts pursuing the protagonist, who in the meantime, is visiting the zones where only the rich and powerful live. While living it up, he goes to a fancy casino and meets one of the wealthiest time bankers, a man named Weiss, who has a lovely daughter named Sylvia. He discovers that the wealthy have the ability to live virtually forever and this thought troubles Salas. Together with Weiss’s daughter, they decide to bring down the system, which they believe profits off of the backs of the poor.

Acting more like Robin Hood rather than Bonnie and Clyde, the couple decides to steal from the rich and give to the poor. As they run away from the Timekeeper is on their heels—I must confess I never knew any woman could run so fast with six inch high heels!

Will is unjustly accused of murdering Henry and he’s forced to go on the run…He steals a car and heads for the rich side of town…New Greenwich. Far from the ghetto, the wealthy leisurely stroll down the street, covering their bar codes with elbow length gloves and spends their days gambling and looking bored.

To make a rather long story short, the couple decides to bankrupt the system and extend everyone’s longevity.

The movie never explains how their dystopian society originated; maybe a prequel would be interesting. I thought the movie made use of certain stereotypes that reminded me of some of the anti-Semitic rhetoric we have heard from the Occupy Wall Street movement—the Jews control all the banks. Well, in the movie it is a Jew (Weiss) who controls all the time; frankly, I thought the movie depicts Jews as parasites feeding off of the poor working class. The theme of class warfare is especially dangerous for today’s times, for even if the wealthiest people (like Obama’s best friend, George Sorros) gave ALL their money to the State—it still would not solve our country’s economic problems. Continue Reading

Chula Vista is a small jewel of a city. San Diego has many pluses and I find that the longer I stay here, the more I realize that life’s greatest of blessings are often closest to our homes.

Recently, the Board of Directors decided to unanimously offer me a ten-year extension on my contract. In these troubled times, it’s very nice to feel appreciated. I feel blessed I have a congregation that is progressive enough to allow me to celebrate our Judaism, without having to worry too much about the politics of inertia. If you happen to be in the San Diego area, check out Temple Beth Sholom of Chula Vista; you will discover a new paradigm of Judaic worship and spirituality that is very different, and is totally engaging. To my congregational family, I want you to know you are all special and precious.

Here is one of my favorite stories that illustrate this profound but simple truth from a story narrated by the great scholar, Martin Buber:

Once Rabbi Isaac, son of Rabbi Yekel of Krakow, had a series of dreams in which he was told to dig for treasure in Prague, under the bridge that leads to the king’s palace. After the third dream, he decided to set out for Prague. But when he arrived, he found that the bridge was always guarded, and he did not dare to dig.

Finally, the captain of the guards, who had been watching him, went up and asked him whether he was looking for something or waiting for someone. Rabbi Isaac told him of the dream that had brought him there. The captain laughed, “Because of a dream, you poor fellow, you wore out your shoes to come here?! Why, if I paid any attention to dreams, I would have had to get going when a dream once told me to go to Krakow and dig for treasure under the stove in the room of a Jew. Isaac, son of Yekel, I believe that was his name.” And he laughed again.

Rabbi Isaac bowed, traveled back home, and dug up the treasure from under his stove. The guard’s comment came to him like a miniature epiphany. Yes, there is no place like home. Continue Reading