Torah Goes To The Movies:
The Frozen 2 or “The Frozen Chosen”: Picking & Choosing
“A big question that fans may have about Frozen 2 is why only Elsa was given ice powers and became the fifth spirit, whereas Anna is normal. It’s explained that the two sisters represent the two sides of a bridge and, in turn, the two kingdoms of Northuldra and Arendelle. Nov 23, 2019”
Note Anna – ‘the normal’ saved Elsa who then bridged both ‘kingdoms.’ Both were ‘chosen’…..
Pick – select, gather, settle on, choose
Choose – decide, prefer, select, pick
Chosen – special, selected
As kids in Philly as each of us stood on the curb, the two best box ball, diamond ball, punch ball etc you would ‘choose up sides’ (whose team whose side you were on). Typically the two best players (the captains) alternatively ‘picked’ their teammates. The smart captain didn’t always ‘select’ the next best player but the kid who filled a role and made the other team members better increasing the probability of winning.
(This writer was chosen not for speed, but the ability hit the air ball low, hard, and deceptively – ((a stance copied & infringed by Harry Blumenthal but that’s another story)) – avoiding double plays and getting on base with a high percentage.)
Being the chosen people (1) is not divine coronation of superiority. The more important question is: chosen for what? What were the Jews ‘selected for’?
To be a ‘nation of priests unto Me” to be ‘a light unto all nations’ propagating transmitting and propagating ‘ethical monotheism.’ (2)
Thus, the Jews were chosen and accepted the P.O.A. (power of appointment) of accepting & transmitting ‘ethical monotheism.’ Jews were chosen to be Hashem’s message by example.
As above, so below
Therefore, on an individual level derivatively what is the P.O.A. commanded (to be discovered) for each of us? What is each of us individually chosen for? What is each of us picked for? What are we selected – meant to do – meant to be – given each has ‘a spark of the divine,’ a soul curriculum to continue to complete?
Reflecting on 20 years of the practice of Enough personal financial life planning and 40++ years of writing about ‘Enough,’ two questions haunt former clients and readers (especially if they are boomers now on the cusp of Social Security):
- Will I outlive my money?
- What next (meaning)?
Assuming the first is on simmer at best (3) (the fear of outliving resources continues to be there whether one is ‘a have, have not, or have a little want some more’), the question of what next is posed in several disguises (making a difference, having an impact, what am I meant to do) and avoidances (the next trip, someday things). But in the end, the question at 2 AM in the morning – can’t sleep, now 55+, meaning – what is this all about, Arnie, Alfie, Schmule, Sarah creeps in and haunts till palliated by raiding the refrigerator.
Meaning – what am I chosen, selected, picked for?
Meaning is the language of the soul and soul food. Meaning illuminates the spark of the divine within continuing to complete the incompletions of the soul – the soul’s curriculum. Meaning thaws even the frozen chosen. Finding meaning IN one’s life has meaning – and that is the individual chosen task (POA) within the larger task of – ‘a light unto all nations’ spreading ethical monotheism and derivatively ‘being one’s message’
— The ‘Chosen’ Wardrobe—-
If you didn’t buy your clothes at Krass Brothers, you wuz robbed
Commercial for Krass Brothers’ Clothiers, Philadelphia 1958
Spiritually our clothes are our thoughts, language and actions
Rabbi Serebryanski
Spiritual clothes make the man. The real question: are these garments (especially language and thoughts) clean or unclean?
Stipulating that free will is limited to ‘moral free will’ (after all at 5’5” I may have had the will to play center for The Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA put I didn’t have the capacity), we can choose our uniforms – the wardrobe in out closet. We can adorn with Emperor’s New Clothes accessorized with Jimmy Choos & Hermes scarfs worn for High Holiday Services – Martinized/Hollandarized dry cleaned but spiritually unclean. The choice of garments –regardless of cost -can only camouflage the unclean.
So the question is what clothes do we pick – choose to wear– clean or unclean – as we pursue our POA for which we are chosen?
‘what’s in your closet?’
Paraphrasing the Capitol One Commercial ‘what’s in your wallet?’
The clean unclean metaphor throughout the Torah symbolizes appropriate or not appropriate (Kosher original meaning???). (For the Rabbi who accepts a large donation from ‘Rob Them And Blind ‘Em’ and rationalizes ‘the road to good intentions is good deeds’ – is his or her apparel clean or unclean given he or she has accepted tainted fruit from the poisoned tree? Or will this liberal ‘green’ Rabbi, in hemp garb, rationalize accepting the donation as ‘recycling?’)
In Judaism, it is this life in matter – that matters. When President Carter said “he lusted in his heart” Christians were upset whereas Jews said, ‘what else is, nu?’ The point is in Judaism, the clothes of language and action which occur in matter are moreso important than the underwear of thought (although always wear clean underwear in case you are in an auto accident).
It all comes down to the attire ‘picked, chosen, selected’ the ethical monotheism exemplified INside out, the POA performed, and character building – continuing to complete the incompletions in one’s soul curriculum or ‘what’s in your closet – not what’s in one’s closet’ or in one’s wallet.
What clothes do we pick, and what are we chosen for, those are the questions.
- There is Judaic thought that 2 or 3 other peoples were offered to be ‘chosen’ but they got hung up on the murder or coveting admonitions and declined.
- Ethical monotheism is a term used to describe the belief in a God who guides humanity through ethical principles.
- Solve fear about outliving our money #1 and another fear causing outliving one’s money #2 will be promoted.
PAWnote: What’s Your Wallop (INside out)?