As I get older, I occasionally look back on my life and realize that from time to time I did not always make the best decisions in my rabbinic and educational careers. In the early years, I often consulted one particular mentor, Rabbi Shmuel Scheinberg, of sainted memory, and he always offered me sound advice grounded in rich Torah perspectives. Of course, there were other rabbis whom I consulted on various issues in the course of life, but Rabbi Scheinberg was the “go-to” sage whose advice I sought.
After he passed away and I had many years of work experience, I tended to rely on my own evaluations to make professional judgments. In a few instances, I realize I could have made wiser decisions if I had consulted others, but it is what it is and I cannot dwell on matters I cannot change.
That statement ”it is what it is” is a mantra in The Irishman, a riveting and brutal portrayal of mob violence that culminates in the murder of Teamster Union boss Jimmy Hoffa. The phrase reminded me of the classic rejoinder in The Godfather, in which Mafia boss Vito Corleone tells people, “I will make you an offer you can’t refuse.” The comment essentially means that if you do not do what I say, I will hurt you and maybe even kill you.
The film opens with Frank Sheeran, a former Mafia hitman, in a nursing home reflecting on his life of crime. A veteran of World War II, serving multiple tours of duty, Frank learned how to kill and not to feel guilty about it. He becomes the hitman of choice for the Bufalino crime family, who see him providing an answer to many of their territorial enemies.
In particular, Frank forms a strong friendship with Russell Bufalino, the head of the Northeastern Philadelphia crime family, who uses Frank to solve many his problems with brute force. In the course of their relationship, Russell introduces Frank to Jimmy Hoffa, the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the union providing drivers for trucks that transport goods all across America. Hoffa has financial connections to Bufalino and is hostile to Anthony “Tony Pro” Provenzano, the rising star of the Teamsters Union. Russell assigns Frank to be Jimmy’s bodyguard in these tumultuous times.
Hoffa’s situation within the Teamsters deteriorates when Robert Kennedy, President Kennedy’s brother, becomes Attorney General and makes Hoffa’s arrest a focus of his investigations. Interestingly, a cousin of mine was a Teamsters driver and had only positive things to say about Hoffa’s union leadership. However, his view was not the prevailing public opinion. Because of pressures Hoffa faces both from within and from outside the Union, he becomes vulnerable.
Russell now views Hoffa’s tirades against those who malign him as a liability for the Bufalino family. He confides in Frank, telling him “it is what it is.” This means that Russell has reached a point of no return with Hoffa and wants him dead.
In the nursing home where Frank currently resides, he reflects on his past, acknowledging that he was not much of a father. In fact, his daughter Peggy rejects all contact with him. In his loneliness, he begins seeing a priest who regularly visits the nursing home as Frank tries to make some sense out of his chaotic and immoral life. But, there is no equanimity for him. It is what it is and Frank simply has to come to terms with this reality and the confrontation with his own mortality.
A Chabad rabbi once pointed out how a person needs to confront things he cannot easily change and uses the recovering addict’s famous Twelve-Step Program as an analogy. This program begins with the assumption that you have to accept life on its own terms. What is in past cannot be changed, but you can influence the future in some way. As King David says in Psalm 118, “This is the day that God has made. Celebrate and rejoice in it.” In essence, you have one day before you. How will you approach it? With a repetition of the destructive behavior of the past, or with new life-affirming behaviors?
To achieve recovery from addiction, or from any negative experience, one has to accept that you are not in control of outcomes in your life. Indeed, Twelve-Step meetings often begin with the Serenity Prayer, which expresses the best way to approach life’s challenges: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Once a person understands this, then he can slowly come to trust in God. Frank Sheeran, facing his own mortality, begins to think of God. He has no illusions about what that confrontation with the Almighty might be, but he feels that connection with God is the only way he can leave this world with some measure of peace. He is not yet a believer, but the Irishman has opened an emotional door to the divine sanctuary.
Kosher Movies 