Original subtitles

I don't feel well.

My chest feels tight.

PREVIOUSLY ON SHTISEL

Every heartbeat feels like a huge hammer.

Is it life-threatening?

I'm going to Lake Kinneret on Shabbes.

-Why don't you join me? -On Shabbes?

Shabbes at Hukok with Shtisel. Infinite light!

Hukok?

The most beautiful beach on Lake Kinneret.

On one condition.

-Don't you want to meet her? -Why do you care?

Because I can no longer see my mother.

This morning he admitted himself into the psychiatric hospital.

Where all the loonies are.

Abot Barkai Productions

Talisma Productions

Created by Ori Elon and Yehonatan Indursky

Dov Glickman

Michael Aloni

Ayelet Zurer

Neta Riskin

Shira Hass

Casting Hila Yuval

Executive Producer Eitan Abot

Line Producer Isca Gur-Luzon

Art Director Tamar Gadish

Music Avi Belleli

Cinematography Roey Roth

Editor Etty Li-on Zingman

Screenplay Ori Elon and Yehonatan Indursky

Executive Producer Dikla Barkai

Executive Producer Jonathan Aroch

Director Alon Zingman

SHTISEL

Do you know when you're being discharged?

Whenever I want.

Is it up to you?

More or less.

Great, that's...

Great.

I need a few more days.

Sure.

Then we'll go to Lake Kinneret, right?

What was the name of that quiet beach?

-Hukok. -Right.

Whenever you like.

Come, it's time for the group session.

No, I'm the patient.

Thanks for coming, Shtisel.

BADATZ

I got a summons to appear before the Rabbinical court.

-What is this about? -Are you Shtisel?

Yes.

The plaintiff is Mrs. Ben Baruch.

-Who? -Rachel Ben Baruch from Nahariya.

-Your name is Shtisel, right? -I told you it is.

It says here that she's your daughter.

Does it say what she wants from me?

Hold on, I'll tell you.

The plaintiff, Mrs. Ben Baruch, from Nahariya...

I'm skipping this...

Before the court, etcetera, etcetera...

Here we are. She is demanding that her father, Rabbi Shulem Shtisel,

uphold his duty as a father and grandfather.

She hired Feirman from Bnei Brak as her attorney.

Feirman is very sharp. Very sharp.

-Is there anything else I can do for you? -What?

Elisheva.

-Akiva. -Yes.

-How are you? -Thank God.

-I wanted to talk to you. -I'm listening.

Next week, the children are going on a field trip.

I thought,

maybe you could let Israel come along.

-After all, it's... -Akiva.

Elisheva, I'll keep an eye on him, I promise.

-He'll have such a good time. -I don't like your request.

If you could only see him in class. He suffers because of it.

I said no.

Hello? Who is this?

-Father? -Who is this?

Never mind who this is. I'm on the balcony, Father.

-I'm on the phone. -Goodbye.

Wait, don't hang up.

-Father, put down the phone. -I have to make an urgent call.

Who are you talking to?

Elisheva, forgive me. I'll call you later.

Don't. I've said what I have to say.

Goodbye, take care.

Five minutes.

Can't I have five minutes of privacy?

Soon you'll have fifty years of privacy.

Who was that? Mrs. Rotstein?

What was so urgent?

-I have matters to take care of. -Well?

Your sister from Nahariya is suing me in the Rabbinical court.

-Can you believe it? -Racheli?

Can you believe the nerve? Suing her own father?

-What's she suing you for? -How should I know?

Supposedly for not fulfilling my duty as a father.

As if she hasn't caused me enough trouble.

-What does she want to get out of it? -Beats me.

Do me a favor, call her.

Tell her to back off.

No, it's between you and her.

-Thank you very much. -You're welcome.

Take care, Father.

I won't leave my grandchildren so much junk.

Make no vows, Tovi. No vows.

No vows. What did she need all this for?

Tovi, help me out here.

THE BABY

What's wrong?

"The Baby"?

Get to the point, Shtisel.

What was so urgent that you had to see me tonight?

I have this matter to discuss.

One of my daughters, Racheli,

has been giving me grief for many years.

-Never mind. -What grief? Can you be more specific?

I'm getting to that.

To make a long story short,

we haven't spoken in years

and out of the blue

she is suing me in court

for not fulfilling my duty as a father.

Don't ask me what that means.

Shtisel, you must tell me everything. Start from the beginning.

It's very important.

If I must.

Where do I start?

When she was a child, we got on just fine.

Just fine.

She had a mouth on her, but to the proper extent.

-Feisty. -Yes, but to the proper extent.

When she was 15 or 16, she found a book.

A volume of letters by the Rabbi from Chabad.

-You know what that is, right? -Yes.

Within two weeks, she decided to leave Beit Yaakov School

and go to Beit Hannah.

-With your permission? -I fought her on it.

But she fought back.

That's it.

Instead of a normal Jewish girl who honors her father and mother,

we got a messianic Chabadnik with all the trimmings.

-Did you argue with her? -Hardly ever.

Even when she put up a photo of the Rabbi in her room,

that said "Long Live our Master and our Rabbi, King Messiah,"

I didn't say a word.

Big mistake.

One night, she asked that my wife and I sit with her in the living room.

She tells us with a smile that she's engaged.

Congratulations.

She didn't even consult us.

To a messianic Chabadnik who had found God,

a Sephardi, no less.

His name is Eran.

"Eran".

-Did you attend the wedding? -Not on your life.

I tried to have it called off, I threatened...

Never mind. I've said enough.

-What does her husband Eran do? -Supposedly he's a scribe.

He manages a Chabad house in Nahariya.

I'm not exactly sure.

Do they get along?

What do you mean?

When one of the spouses used to be secular,

they usually have marital problems.

Why else would she suddenly remember her father?

-I think they're fine. -Thank God.

Listen to this joke.

The Lubavitch Rabbi meets Rabbi Shach in heaven.

He asks him,

"Why did you persecute me for all those years?"

Rabbi Shach gets upset and says,

"You say you are the Messiah."

He says: "Yes, that's true.

God himself said that I am."

Rabbi Shach gets mad and says, "That's nonsense!"

"Did I ever tell you that you're the Messiah?"

You have nothing to be worried about.

I'm telling you,

you won't even have to appear for the hearing.

Sign this power of attorney form and everything will be fine.

Everything will work out just fine.

-But you saw the summons. -So what?

Do you go to every Bar Mitzvah that you're "summoned" to?

Yes?

Really?

You found the Baby in the attic?

Unbelievable.

Do you know how old the Baby is?

Kive, come take a look.

-Your brother has been troubled lately. -He's always troubled.

Look.

"Shulem, son of Velvale." My great grandfather.

He was Shulem, son of Velvale, just like me.

I thought it was sold to a merchant years ago.

Let's open it. See what condition it's in.

Of course, just a second.

Careful, be gentle.

Kive, aren't you coming?

It could use some restoration, but it's in pretty good condition.

What do you think?

What should we do with it? Give it to the synagogue?

I have a better idea.

Why don't Kive and I keep it...

and give it to the synagogue after you've passed away.

It doesn't even need a new cover.

-Why would you say such a thing? -What? I...

I was kidding. It was a joke, Father.

A Jew brings children into this world and all they do is cause him grief.

I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you.

-It was a joke. -Fine, whatever, leave it here.

I'm off to bed.

Father, it was a joke!

-Zeybart? -Rabbi Zeybart. What is it, Shtisel?

What is this?

You're an attorney and an officer of the court?

Yes.

Isn't there a conflict of interest?

Shtisel, you're confused.

This is not the Rabbinical court, this is Heaven's Court.

There are no rabbinical attorneys here, only you before Heaven's Court.

Go in, they're waiting for you.

But you told me that she doesn't have a case

and has no reason to sue me.

That's all true down there, but up here, things are different.

Up here, they know the truth and the truth is,

you're a piece of excrement.

Zeybart, is this really Heaven's Court?

What does this mean?

-That I'm dead? -Exactly.

But where's the logic, Zeybart?

How can I have a heart attack if I'm already dead?

That has nothing to do with it.

If you had a heart condition down there, you'll have a heart condition up here.

The only thing is, you can't die from it anymore.

We have Jews here who have 10, 20 heart attacks a day.

Good luck.

Kive, come on, your omelet's burning!

Kive, come here, I need you.

Why won't you let me sleep? My first class is at 10:30 a.m.

I'm going to Nahariya.

-To see Racheli? -Yes.

Please come with me.

Did you call her and tell her you're coming?

Why call her?

I'll go there and talk to her face to face.

Her husband is a scribe.

We'll pay him to restore the Baby, that way he'll make some money.

I don't have to call her for that.

Good luck. What do you need me for?

I need you.

She's mad at me, right?

But you're her cute little brother.

I need you to be there.

Should I tell Wasserstein to give you the day off?

I can talk to Wasserstein myself, it's not that.

I don't feel like going anywhere today.

It's not as if you'll be missing out on anything.

You haven't done anything all week

except walk around like a sour puss.

I'm giving you an opportunity to make yourself useful.

And that's your way of convincing me?

This train is spacious, huh?

You can relax, there's plenty of leg room.

Do you know what you're going to say to her?

That's why we have this long trip,

so I can think about what I want to say and how.

Kive, hold the Baby. I want to get my Mishnayot.

The Baby!

You nearly dropped it.

Sorry for asking, Rabbi, but is he all right?

What?

If he's sleeping,

you should move the prayer shawl away from his face

so that he can breathe.

-It's a Torah scroll, not a baby. -What?

"Baby" is its nickname.

-It's a small Torah scroll. -I see...

-Here, you see? -Yes. I'm so stupid. Forgive me.

That's okay. Enjoy the trip.

Would it be okay if I kissed it?

Nice to meet you, I'm Adi.

Nice to meet you, I'm Akiva. This is my father, Rabbi Shulem Shtisel.

-Do you live in Jerusalem? -No, in Nahariya.

I go to Jerusalem twice a week. I study at Birkat Tehila.

Six months ago, I started the process of seeking God.

Very nice. May your soul be elevated as you serve God.

All the best.

Thank you.

Would it have hurt you to be nicer?

Yes. It's a waste of precious time.

Some people are so nice that they don't do anything else.

Never mind my time, I've read the Mishnah more than once.

It hurts me to see you wasting your time on confused women

and on books that don't benefit a Jew.

It hurts me to see you like this, Kive.

It really does.

Wake me up when we get there.

Good night.

Aren't you over it yet?

I didn't sleep all night.

Since when does your father lack a sense of humor?

Don't you see?

It's because it's me, Zvi Arye.

If it was any of his other children, he would have brushed it off.

But because it's me, he takes it to heart.

The next train to Nahariya will depart from platform one.

Thank you and have a good trip.

Sir, this is the last stop. The last stop.

-Did you go back home? -Father, it's me, Zvi Arye.

-Yes, Zvi Arye, what is it? -Where are you?

Never mind where I am. What do you want?

Father, I gave it a lot of thought and I want to apologize for what I said.

-I don't have time for this, Zvi Arye. -Father, it was all in jest...

I didn't mean to hurt you or...

We'll talk later.

-Rabbi, is everything all right? -Yes, just fine, thank you.

Okay then, goodbye.

Excuse me, did you happen to see my son?

I think he got off in Acre.

-In Acre? -Yes, in Acre.

Yes, yes, of course, he...

He had some errands to run in Acre.

Thank you.

Take care.

Rabbi? Where do you need to go?

This is the address.

It's in Nahariya, 30 Agnon Street.

Do you know if it's walking distance from here?

It's not, but I have a car. I'd be happy to give you a ride.

Hey, wait up!

Wait up, wait up!

-I really appreciate this. -My pleasure.

We're nearly there.

Do you feel all right? You look a little pale.

-Is it because of your son? -No, no.

I'm fine. I'm... Thank you.

I'm sorry. I've been pestering you with questions all day.

On the contrary, you're very nice.

I really appreciate this, the ride and everything.

Too bad I can't repay you.

Here we are.

Rabbi Shtisel, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me.

-A graphic designer? Very nice. -No, take it.

Thank you. Take care.

Hello, boys.

-Is this the Ben Baruch family? -Yes.

Who are you?

Me?

-Is your mother home? -No.

-What's that? -A Torah scroll.

-Are you Menachem Mendel? -No, he is. I'm Shneor.

Who are you?

Me?

Have you ever heard of Grandpa Shulem from Jerusalem?

-Grandma Dvora's husband? -Yes, Grandma Dvora's husband,

may she rest in peace.

He died a long time ago.

-Who? -He did.

Do you want me to get my father? He's in his study.

No, no, don't disturb him.

Will your mother be back soon?

I'll come inside for a bit.

Maybe I'll sit down for a while and wait for your mother.

Yes, you sit down. I'll get you some carrot juice.

I got a juicer for my Bar Mitzvah.

Thank you.

Where to?

-Do you have some water? I'm so thirsty. -No, I don't.

Hold on, hold on, wait.

-Let go of the taxi. -Hold on a second.

Listen to me.

I'm an artist.

If you take me to Lake Kinneret, I'll paint whatever you like.

Are you nuts? Do you know the fare to Lake Kinneret?

Are you a real artist?

Yes.

Do you paint birds, butterflies, waterfalls?

Yes, of course.

Draw something for me.

-Like what? -Doesn't matter. Draw a bird.

Nice.

You weren't lying.

Listen, righteous man, I live close by.

Come home with me, have something to drink,

paint us a nice picture in our daughter's nursery

and I'll take you to Lake Kinneret. How about it?

The next question is for Yosef Itzhak.

Menachem Mendel and Shneor, don't answer.

Which of Jacob's sons was the eldest and which was the youngest?

Reuven was the oldest, Benjamin was the youngest.

Very good.

Good for you.

Hello, lady of the house.

I didn't think the summons would scare you so much.

-This isn't about the summons, Racheli. -It isn't? Then why are you here?

I'm here to repair a Torah scroll.

-Your husband is a scribe, right? -Yes.

Then go see him and agree on a price.

Just don't tell him who you are, so he doesn't get mad.

-Do they understand Yiddish? -No.

-Do you? -So so.

-I'll say this in Yiddish. -I'm listening.

I have a serious heart condition.

None of the children know.

God sent me a sign, this scroll.

-Did you understand what I said? -I understood the words.

Sir, you're a scribe, aren't you?

Yes.

Well, I'm here as a customer.

I brought this Torah scroll, I'd like you to take a look at it.

Is there a shortage of scribes in Jerusalem?

Please be patient. You'll see where I'm going with this.

"For the elevation of the soul of our father,

Rabbi Shulem Shtisel, son of Rabbi Velvale."

You see?

This scroll is nearly 100 years old.

It says Rabbi Shulem Shtisel, whom I am named after.

It's a long story,

but just when it turns out that I have a heart condition,

Zvi Arye, her brother,

finds this scroll in the attic.

Need I say more?

You haven't said a thing.

Listen to me, my dear Racheli, bear with me.

With this scroll, God is telling me, "Your time is up."

"You even have a Torah scroll in your name.

All it needs is some repairs and you can die."

That's why I'm here.

To die peacefully?

If God tells me to die, I won't argue.

I won't argue.

All I want is to be above reproach

when I ascend to Heaven's Court.

That's why I made the trip all the way here.

-So you're asking for forgiveness. -Absolutely.

I'm asking for forgiveness.

Why do you think I've been babbling on?

I'm asking for forgiveness, absolutely.

Rabbi Shtisel, all this is irrelevant.

What's irrelevant?

This Torah scroll is beyond repair.

What do you mean, "beyond repair"?

Who are you waiting for?

The judgment itself.

The judgment itself.

But why are you here?

Did something happen to you?

No, I'm here for you.

-May I call you Father? -Yes, of course.

Can you tell me how this works?

Yes, it's very simple.

You see that big door over there?

The Rabbi is sitting behind it. He has a wad of cash in his hand.

If you get a dollar, you go straight to Heaven.

If you don't, God help you.

But that's not fair.

Do you know how many Lithuanian Jews there are?

How many Satmers?

How many kosher Jews who don't believe in the Rabbi?

Is he going to send them all to Hell?

Don't worry, Father.

Don't you know that the Rabbi loves all the Jews?

He even loves the Gentiles.

Here, Father.

Stick this on your bag.

It can't hurt.

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE MESSIAH

Father, wake up, we're here.

You think you've got it all figured out,

then you discover that you don't understand a thing.

Can I have a cigarette?

It's so sweet.

Father, make no mistake.

I'm not going to withdraw the lawsuit

unless you come to study with the children once a week.

Your lawsuit is absurd.

-Ask Zeybart. -Who?

Never mind.

All right, I'll do my best to come every two weeks.

It all depends on how you look at it.