Chaplin on the Bible - The Redemption of the Gaze

Almost all stages of creation in the Book of Genesis end with the divine declaration "that it was good." Only after the creation of man does a surprising and different description appear: "It is not good that the man should be alone (לְבַדּוֹ)." Why?

One of the surprising interpretations analyzes the word "Levado" (לבד - alone/by himself). In the Talmud, in the tractate Sukkah, when describing two boards attached to each other, the word "Levudim" (לבודים) is used. That is, "Levad" does not necessarily mean 'lonely,' but rather 'connected,' 'attached.'

If so, what was the first man connected to, and what was not good about this connection? An ancient Midrash describes the first man as an androgenous being, composed of a man and a woman attached to each other. He was not lonely at all; on the contrary. The problem, the Midrash continues, was that they were connected back to back, each one's face turned to the opposite side. They were connected, but they were unable to look at each other. There was no dialogue. And that – is not good.

Therefore, the Creator performs a "sawing operation" and separates them. Man was composed of two ribs (צלעות), man and woman. Tsela (צלע) – like the side of a triangle; Tsela = side. Only now, when they are separate and standing face to face, can man and woman truly see each other. Perhaps this is the root of the deepest human need: to be seen. To see ourselves through the eyes of the other. The more the other manages to see me, the more aspects and shades of me receive validation. The gaze that manages to include all sides of a person – this is perhaps his redemption.

Chaplin, the Invisible Tramp

Chaplin's masterpiece, "City Lights," is like a modern cinematic Midrash on that exact idea. The protagonist of the film, the beggar tramp, is a man whom no one truly sees. He lives in a constant state of "not good."

The millionaire sees him as a soulmate only when he is drunk. When he sobers up in the morning, he does not recognize him and drives him away. This is a partial gaze, dependent on conditions.

The blind flower girl does not see him at all. She imagines him, based on a coincidence, as a generous millionaire. She falls in love with an illusion, not the real person.

Chaplin's tramp is invisible. He is "Levud" (attached) to two characters, connected to them, but neither of them sees him as he is.

"You?": The Redemption in the Touch of a Hand

After he sacrifices everything for her, goes to jail and comes out broken and miserable, he meets her again. She has had surgery and now her eyes see, but she is still waiting for that imaginary prince. She sees the tramp through the shop window but does not recognize him.

And only then comes the moment of redemption. She goes out to give him charity, touches his palm, and recognizes him by the familiar touch. The touch truly opens her eyes. She looks at him, the miserable beggar, and realizes it is him. Finally, someone sees him. Perhaps with a little disappointment, as reflected in her eyes, but it is a real, complete gaze. The two parts of man, after the sawing, see each other.

The Redeeming Gaze - A Goal of Pre-Prophetic Cinema

The simple solution is to say that "one must see the other." But Rav Kook offers two additional and deeper perspectives. One is to adopt a "higher perspective," to see the humanity of the person through the divine eye, inclusive and loving. The second is to remember that the closest other to a person is himself. To allow yourself to see yourself in depth and breadth, with an embracing and therefore loving gaze.

This is one of the goals of Pre-Prophetic Cinema: to develop the sense of self-awareness of man and of all existence, through that double gaze – the higher gaze and the close, intimate gaze.