Tuesday, June 17, 2014

On my way to the Promised Land... with a stopover at Heathrow

So the day has finally arrived. My good friend Kate and I packed our bags (me with 3 times as many bags as she, as usual) and my dear husband drove us to the airport. Flying on British Airways - so far so good. 




Watched two movies. Frozen, in order to see what all the fuss was about. I fast forwarded through most of it but did enjoy the ice and snow graphics and the happy ending. 

I also watched Saving Mr. Banks. It's the  movies about Walt Disney and Mrs. Travers, the woman who created Mary Poppins and their interesting relationship or negotiation over 20 years to turn the books into a movie. It was an interesting and touching movie, particularly at the end. Lots of "psychology" about childhoods - good and bad - and life, and making do and remaking oneself.

Saving Mr. Banks reminded me of the two different stories of the spys - the three actually - one in Shlach Lecha, another in Deuteronomy Chapter 1 (a retelling with a twist of the of the original story) and a final story in Joshua  Chapter 2 that takes place 40 years later, Joshua send spies to scout out Jericho but learns from his predecessor Moshe's mistakes and sends out only 2 spies and does so in secret. 

(to learn more about the spies, read my last post: A Question of Faith

Why do I bring up the spies in relation to a Hollywood movie? Both the stories of the spies and Saving Mr. Banks reminded me of the prayer in birchot hashachar - pokeach ivrim, where we thank God for opening the eyes of the blind.  

For those who are not blind, the prayer is a means of thanking God for allowing us to see what is not readily apparent. What is present right in front of our eyes yet we are unable or unwilling to see it. The spies were greatly in need of that prayer during their expedition that day. 


Back to Saving Mr. Banks.  How was she saved? Pokeach Ivrim. Her eyes were opened. Her memories were examined, her past revisited and reanalyzed and her present was remade as a consequence. Amazing where tefilla references will pop up! 



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