Category Archives: Crime

Telling the truth is a value that I grew up with. My parents did not use hyperbole in their speech. When they spoke, I knew I could rely on what they said and “take it to the bank.” Which is why, at the beginning of my educational career, I was very unsettled when a parent at the school of which I was principal confronted me with a lie. Let me elaborate.

A stellar teacher on my staff informed me that a student in her class had cheated on an examination and that she was going to give him an “F.” After seeing the incontrovertible evidence, I endorsed her action. The day after the student received the failing grade, I received a call from his mother asking for a meeting with me the following day. She informed me that her husband and her son would be attending the meeting.

The next day, the father opened the meeting with a line I cannot forget: “My son never lies.” I knew immediately that the meeting would “go south” from there on. From my years dealing with high school students, I knew that sometimes even good kids do very bad things. I initially surmised that the father was extremely naïve or extremely stupid. The teacher broke out in tears when she saw that the father believed the boy and not her. It was an affront to her professionally to be accused of fabricating the cheating episode. I obviously sided with the teacher and we did not change the failing grade.

Several weeks later, the father confessed to me that he knew his son cheated. Regrettably, he had been away from home on a business trip when the incident occurred; and he wanted his son to feel that his father unreservedly trusted him, no matter if the facts suggested otherwise. The entire event was very sad because he implicitly taught his son that lying for the protection of one’s image is justified. Truth was sacrificed.

In Knives Out, the key plot device that unravels the mystery behind the death of noted crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is the compulsive truth telling of Marta Cabrera, Harlan’s long time caregiver. Benoit Blanc, the sleuth who is charged with ferreting out the killer, tells Marta after she pukes when uttering a falsehood: “You have a regurgitative reaction to mistruths.” Marta cannot tell a lie, and so for her truth always prevails.

Here are the circumstances surrounding the murder. Harlan has just celebrated his 85^th birthday, after which he is found dead at his home. It looks as though he has committed suicide by slitting his throat, but has he? Many stand to profit from his demise, specifically, his dysfunctional family members and people who have worked for him for many years.

The police investigate the case, and they are assisted by world renowned Detective Blanc, who has a reputation for solving the most impenetrable of crimes. By interviewing all family members and household employees, Blanc discovers they all have motives for murdering him. Marta Cabrera’s compulsion to tell the truth becomes the means by which Blanc finds out the identity of the real murderer.

Rabbi Shlomo Jarcaig writes about how critical is truth telling to the Jewish character. The Torah and Talmud tell us more than simply not to lie. There is a further commandment: “Distance oneself from a false word” (Exodus 23:7). This means we have to actively distance ourselves from falsehood.

Rabbi Jacaig makes a fascinating observation based upon the very shape and form of the Hebrew letters for truth. He writes: “When describing the difference between truth and falsehood, the Talmud (Shabbat 104a) notes that the three letters that spell the Hebrew word for truth, emes, are the first, middle, and last of the Hebrew alphabet, and all have two legs upon which to stand (like a capital A). The letters are far apart from each other because the truth is not easily found in this world; nevertheless, truth, like the letters that comprise its name, stands forever strong and unwavering.”

Knives Out is a riveting whodunit in the tradition of Agatha Christie mysteries. Beneath the surface theatrics is an important message about the value of truth in human discourse.

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Unbeknownst to me, a dear friend was involved in selling drugs. He was donating some of his profits to the school of which I was principal, trying to assuage his conscience for his criminal behavior. My friend was caught and spent several years in prison. For him, incarceration was a wake-up call; and when I visited him, I saw that he resolved not to let his moral lapse define him for the rest of his life. He was contrite, and realized that he could redeem himself by leading an ethical life and performing good deeds.

For Roman J. Israel, rectifying a wrong is more complicated. Roman J. Israel, Esq. is a dramatic thriller about an attorney who makes a decision that undercuts everything he stands for and creates an excruciating dilemma for himself.

Attorney Roman J. Israel is an eccentric person. He lives alone, listens to classic jazz through antiquated headphones, and eats lots of peanut butter sandwiches. When he speaks, he often says things that are inappropriate and people tend to shun him. However, he has an amazing memory and inquiring intellect, which enables him to do extraordinary research and recall legal cases of many years past. He also possesses a strong moral sense of what a just society should look like. This sensibility animates his intense and comprehensive legal work for his employer, William Jackson, the firm’s owner and a well-respected law professor.

Roman’s life suddenly changes when William Jackson suffers a sudden heart attack. Now Roman has to move from the private confines of the law office to the public courtroom to plead on behalf of his clients.

He is instructed to simply ask for continuances, but Roman, motivated by a desire for justice, lobbies for lower fines and argues for his clients to be tried for lesser offences. The judge, irritated by Roman’s challenging and combative remarks, finds him in contempt of court. All this leads to a dramatic confrontation with Jackson’s daughter, who apprises him of the precarious financial state of the firm and informs him that the remaining cases and subsequent closing of the firm will be handled by George Pierce, another attorney. The end result: Roman is out of a job.

To eke out a living, Roman tries to revive his practice in the civil rights arena, but, because of his age, he is perceived as being out of touch with the contemporary civil rights movement. George Pierce comes to the rescue and hires Roman, recognizing his past experience in the litigation of social justice cases. Roman, not used to working in an office where money flows freely, has trouble finding his niche, but he does. Problems surface, however, when, in a moment of ethical weakness, he loses his moral compass and makes a decision that has catastrophic implications for his career.

Roman intellectually and emotionally comes to terms with his ethical lapse and focuses on the positive: “Each of us is better than the worst thing we ever did.” In a moment of self-revelation, he says: “We are formed of frailty and error. Let us pardon reciprocally each other’s follies. That is the first law of nature.” He acknowledges his crime and observes: “The only thing left is forgiveness and I grant that to myself. An act doesn’t make the person guilty unless the mind is guilty as well.”

The film raises an important question: when a person commits a sin, can he be forgiven? Jewish tradition answers with a resounding yes. Rabbi Yitzchak Greenberg offers a nuanced perspective on this matter: “I am very resistant to the idea of any sin being beyond forgiveness. I would like to think that given God’s loving nature and compassion for all of God’s creatures (Psalms 145:9), no bad action is beyond being overcome by God’s infinite goodness. However, in sins between one human being and another, the Talmud says that God won’t forgive unless/until the sinner regrets and repents, returns what was stolen or damaged and wins forgiveness from the victim. For murder, there can be no forgiveness, because the victim cannot be made whole or asked for forgiveness.”

Roman J. Israel Esq. deals with the complexities and consequences of making decisions in morally ambiguous situations. The outcome of the story reminds us that it is never too late to do the right thing.

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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.

 Somewhere I remember a teacher saying the following line: “If you think education is experience, try ignorance.” I thought of this maxim as I watched Dog Day Afternoon, a true story about two men who attempt to rob a small bank in Brooklyn. Neither of them has any criminal record. One of them needs a few thousand dollars to help a friend; the other comes along for the ride. Both have some street smarts but are incredibly ignorant and naïve when it comes to understanding the dire consequences of their unrealistic plan.

Their ignorance is dramatically brought home when they are arranging for a plane to fly them to a foreign country. Sonny wants to fly to Algeria but is clueless about what would await him there. Sal confesses he has never flown on a plane before and wants to fly to Wyoming. To this New Yorker, Wyoming is a foreign country, and it is this kind of ignorance that dooms these would-be robbers from the outset.

Sonny and Sal, two down-and-outers, attempt to rob a bank, but things fall apart very soon after they realize that the cash for the day has already been picked up. Only about $1000 remains in the till. When Sonny tries to burn some traveler’s checks to prevent them from being traced, the business across the street sees the smoke coming from the bank and soon policemen surround the building. In a panic, the robbers decide to go ahead with the robbery and hold the employees hostage. Sonny tells the police detective in charge that he will kill the hostages if anyone tries to enter the bank.

Things get very complicated as TV cameramen and bystanders crowd around the bank, where Sonny has become a minor celebrity in his stand-off with the police. Realizing his situation is deteriorating, he requests a jet and safe passage to a foreign country in return for the lives of the hostages. A limousine arrives taking everyone to Kennedy Airport and it is here where the story ends sadly and violently.

As we watch events unfold, it is clear that Sonny will not kill anyone. Life’s challenges have simply overwhelmed him and his bank robbery is a desperate act. In the midst of the robbery, he refers to his Catholic faith that still sustains him and is solicitous about the condition of his hostages. Before leaving for the airport, he even dictates his last will and testament to a bank employee, revealing the simplicity of his motives. He is not robbing the bank to get money for himself. He wants the money so that he can help another person in distress. When he departs, he does not want to leave a mess.

Jewish tradition reveres education and acquiring knowledge. The commandment to teach one’s children goes back to Biblical times and is set forth in the first paragraph of the credo of the Jewish faith, the Shma. Moreover, the concern for transmitting wisdom throughout subsequent generations is echoed in various books of the Bible including Proverbs, written by the wise King Solomon. Although the verses primarily relate to religious education, they have a ripple effect in secular learning as well.

The great sage Maimonides, who excelled not only in Torah learning but in medicine as well, maintained that wisdom comes not only from holy text, but from careful observation of nature as well. Learning is a supreme value, and not to learn puts one at great disadvantage. Dog Day Afternoon, a gritty, profanity-laced, New York story of two small men in the big city, dramatically reminds us of the perils of ignorance.

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