According to a huge Jewish industry that has flourished since the 1950s, every question has a definitive, absolute answer — no questions asked.
There is absolutely no gray area or room for interpretation as the research is intensive and accurate. The rabbinical sages of the Talmud and many of our other texts might (well, let’s make it will) disagree with this statement. After all, they spent hours of debate analyzing not only every word but even the letters that comprise the words. The Jewish people never accept anything at face value and constantly ask questions — which of course led to the development of game shows.
You know the ones I’m talking about: People put to the test on the most mundane questions — from mind reading, marriage, dating, and shopping to memory, puzzles, cryptography — which led to thousands of episodes on both radio and TV.
Producers and developers like Goodson-Todman, Barry Enright Productions, Chuck Barris, Simon Cowell (whose father was Jewish and his partner Lauren Silverman’s father was Jewish) Monty Hall, Albert Freedman, and Jack Barry all took their Jewish roots of questioning and developed many great shows. Beat the Clock, I’ve Got a Secret, Password, Match Game, To Tell the Truth, Gong Show (I know), Joker’s Wild, Dating Game, Three’s a Crowd (my wife and I were contestants!) and many more became popular throughout the years.
Yet, in the Jewish world today, we rely on what we are told and hesitate to question the accuracy and its impact on our lives. What is Judaism today, should we support Israel, how much Jewish education is enough, should I support Jewish causes, how often should I go to shul, is knowledge of Hebrew important, is Shabbat still valuable? These are all real-life game show questions where we and our families are the contestants.
The answers are not cut and dry, yet by mimicking the debates of the Talmud and applying them to our modern times we can uncover the answers for our own production companies.
This High Holy Day season implores each of us to question our motives and identity in these most uncomfortable times. Let’s not compete against each other; let’s join together as the shofar (theme music) and our host (G-d) calls us to question our actions as he judges our answers.
Andy Greenberg is a 25-year Conservative Jewish educator of grades 3-12 and a lecturer for adults of all ages.
