Let’s Talk About Life and Learn from Each Other

Born Hyman Arluck, the son of a cantor who grew up to cherish Hebraic melodies, composer Harold Arlen, created “Rainbow” while he was driving along Sunset Boulevard, and then played it for his friend Ira Gershwin, who loved it. Asked how he came up with the lyrics amidst great anxiety while working on the Oz film, Arlen said, “It was as if the Lord said, ‘Well, here it is, now stop worrying about it.’”

The rainbow has many different meanings. For some, it is the search for the seemingly impossible dream. For Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz, it was the search for a magical world. In the end, she finds that magic in the most unlikely of places, right at home with her loving family.

In this inaugural “Over the Rainbow” weekly column, let me explain why you don't have to be Jewish or even be a person of faith to be part of my dialogue. And that's exactly what it is, because I want to hear from you.   Indeed, what may prove to me most important is not what I write, but the discussion and discourse it provokes among you, the readers.

First, why “Over the Rainbow?” Because I remember being taught as a boy, to see our differences as I saw a rainbow, each part, true to its color, in harmony, so we can experience the total beauty. What is truth, if not the unchanging pure and pristine light even higher than the rainbow? Isn't that what makes the rainbow?

You may not always, if ever, see it my way. That's OK. I'm not here to preach. I want to talk about life. And I have as much to learn from you as you from me.

I will be writing from a perspective of going back to our roots. Often, we look far and wide, only to find that we have what we seek within ourselves.

Judy Garland, who once lived right here in Malibu, was only 14 when Harold Arlen played for her the song that would forever define her. 

“It has become a part of my life,” she said. “It is so symbolic of everybody's dream and wish that I am sure that's why people sometimes get tears in their eyes when they hear it. I have sung it countless times, and it's still the song that is closest to my heart.”

How is it that an icon of popular culture—a film that unites young and old— has religious significance?

What mystical meaning can we find in this family movie?

Does Dorothy, the Wizard, and the land of Oz have anything to do with Kabbalah? We'll talk more in future columns.

On a more immediate note, the world is fascinated by the death of one man—the world's most notorious and most wanted terrorist—Osama bin Laden. What should be our reaction? Should it be rejoicing and dancing in the streets? Is there another way to see this from beyond the rainbow?

I welcome your comments. You can reach me at rabbi@jewishmalibu.com.