WHY THIS NIGHT?

 

I do not believe that a week ever went by on Cagney & Lacey where the saying “God is in the details,” was not uttered. It might have been on the set itself, in an editing bay, or in the writers’ room. It was more than a mantra. It was our philosophy.

No one seems to know who originated the phrase (a Google search indicates it was first used in the 19^th century), but the consensus is that it preceded the also well known “the devil is in the details” which, as you might imagine, means something else altogether.

It was director Ray Danton who introduced me to “God is in the details” as a reminder of the importance of paying attention to the seemingly “little things” that went into making up the whole.

It has been over 30 years since Mr. Danton passed away and I cannot think of one week since then when I have not said… or at least thought of… that phrase and applied it to some task with which I was involved.

I mention this because Passover, a rather important Jewish holiday, is about to unfold. Some believe, and I certainly agree, that it is the most important of all the many celebratory events in the Jewish religion because on this night… as opposed to all other nights… Jews gather to pay attention to some seemingly rather minute details and to take some time between food courses to explain… especially to the youngsters at the table… just why this is being done and why this night is so special.

The joke is that it all boils down to “they tried to kill us, they failed, let’s eat.” But it is the minute details of this traditional evening filled with symbolism… told over and over again, generation after generation, for literally thousands of years, where religious and not-so-religious Jews have sat down together, over some not-so-terrific food dishes, for no other reason than to pass on this history to their offspring.

Never underestimate the power of education. Pharaoh and the ancient Egyptians are gone, the Philistines no longer exist, ancient Rome is no more, the Nazis also have all but disappeared, but the Jews live on.

There are Jews who are Republicans, Jews who are Democrats. Dramatists can be Jewish, as can comedians. So too with scientists, mathematicians, plumbers, taxi drivers. My mother used to say, “when you’re in love, the whole world is Jewish.” A good thing too. It enabled me to marry a shiksa (all right, two shiksas) and have the wonderful, extended family which I so enjoy. Also, in the spirit of attention to detail, I should include that the reference to not-so-terrific food dishes does not refer to the brisket, which nearly everyone likes.

For those who might miss a movie reference in this writing, I considered a paragraph about Jews in Hollywood, but my estimated finishing time for that would take us closer to Christmas. Instead, let me focus on Cecil B. DeMille’s motion picture, The Ten Commandments, and be done with it. And why not? Even though Mr. DeMille was rumored to be a more than closeted Jew, he did have my wife’s grandfather (Neil S. McCarthy) as an attorney. Pay to watch the flick, which by-the-way partially tells the story of Passover, and a few of those pennies dribble down to the family. As they say, “it couldn’t hurt.” Available on Prime Video and Apple TV.

Lest it go unsaid, I take this time and space to wish all my readers… Jews, and non-Jews alike… a zissen pesach (have a sweet Passover).

 

Barney Rosenzweig