Cantor's Corner by Eric Schulmiller

Ever since I got Tivo™, I rarely venture out to our grimy, badly-stocked Blockbuster to jostle with bubble-gum chewing teenagers and surly employees to decide between the one art-house film in stock or the 14 copies of “Dude, Where’s My Car?” Even though I’m not a big fan of Viacom, the überCompany that owns Blockbuster, CBS and MTV (and is therefore responsible for both CBS’ refusal to air an ad during the SuperBowl criticizing the current government’s budget (mis)management and simultaneously crafting the tackiest (and apparently most-Tivo’d) half-time show in Superbowl™ history), the one thing I still miss about Blockbuster is a clever sales technique - on each shelf next to many movies is a sign that says, “If you liked [insert movie title here], you’ll love [insert relevant alternate movie here]!” Their recommendations were surprisingly on-the-mark most of the time, and led me to several titles I would have missed otherwise.

This month, I offer you my own version of “If you liked…” for this column, assuming you’ve read Dan Brown’s bestselling novel, “The Da Vinci Code.” If you haven’t read it, and are looking for a fun, if not particularly well-written mystery/religion/thriller, or just don’t want to be left out of all the water-cooler cable talk-show hoopla, go give it a read (and put this article down if you don’t want me to spoil any plot twists). Without jumping into a full-scale review, let me just say that, from the perspective of Jewish scholarship, Brown got more things wrong than right. For instance, Yehovah is not shorthand for the unity of Yah and Havah, ie masculine and feminine principles. First of all, Havah in Hebrew is really Chava, with a chet, but Brown is obviously no Hebraicist. This 16th century pronunciation came about when certain Christian readers erroneously used the vowels for Adonai in the reading of the unvoweled yud-he-vav-he name of God. As inaccurate as Brown is with Jewish subjects, from what I’ve heard the same can said from the art history, Catholic theology, architecture and world history points of view, too. But even taking this work of fiction (it is in the fiction section, after all) with a Utah-sized grain of salt, Brown does bring some interesting and important ideas to the fore of popular culture. For instance, the sublimation and suppression of feminine aspects of theology and religious experience; the role of symbolism and polemics in artistic expression, mathematical perfections in the world of nature, and history’s function in the development of religion.

I’m writing this article for March because all of these themes are perfectly appropriate material for this month’s celebration of Purim. After all, in the topsy-turvy world of Shushan, there’s several powerful (proto-feminist?) women, masked men, numerology, political conspiracies, and interestingly shaped cookies! So, if you liked (or were intrigued by the above-mentioned themes in) The Da Vinci Code, here’s some books you might like to check out, as you nosh some, well, you know…

On the theme of feminine aspects of religious experience: Eros and the Jews (David Biale), Carnal Israel (Daniel Boyarin), Hebrew Goddess (Raphael Patai) and Integrating the Masculine and Feminine in the Spiritual Traditions of Judaism and Vedanta (Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, Deepak Chopra) – this last one is pretty wacky – consider yourself forewarned. On the role of symbolism in art: Idolizing Pictures: Idolatry, Iconoclasm and Jewish Art (Anthony Julius). On the role of science in nature and religion: God and the Big Bang (Daniel Matt). Finally, for a slightly different take on conspiracy theories, the evolution of Judaism and Christianity, and a zany, well-written, very entertaining read, try these two Tom Robbins classics: Another Roadside Attraction, and Skinny Legs and All.

And that, as Mr. Brown might say, is all she wrote (in other words, the gantse Megillah)!

Wishing everyone a happy Purim.