The popular play “Fiddler on the Roof” has application for the traditions that are changing in our society today and vividly reminds us of the mistreatment of the Jews today. Tevye, a hard-working Jew, has five daughters and he struggles as each of the three older daughters break with the traditions of Jewish families. The oldest refuses to accept the man that the matchmaker has selected for her. The second oldest marries a man that the family thinks will never amount to much and the third daughter marries a Gentile, not only that but he is part of the Bolshevik revolution which ultimately drives Tevye and his fellow Jews from the land they have lived on and worked for many years.
Traditions
Everyday Traditions: A “tradition” is something that one or a group has done for a long time. By that time, it has become an “unwritten law.” There may not be anything wrong with what is being done. For most of us, our traditions are hard to give up. One that many of us are watching is the traditional dress men, especially men as businessmen, preachers and other professionals, change from wearing a suit and tie, to casual dress even in business. Each of us probably has some family traditions that are changing as our children and grandchildren become adults. The proverb which says, “Don’t be the first to jump on a bandwagon, but don’t be the last to get on either” might be appropriate.
Religious Traditions: Unfortunately, it’s not just secular traditions that have become law to some of us. Through two thousand years of Christian religions, men have added lots of traditions which have become laws. Jesus would say to these religious leaders of today what He said to the religious leaders of His day. “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your traditions?” (Matthew 15:3). Religious leaders ought to ask who is the authority that established this binding tradition and if it is not God, then it needs to be given up, even though it will be hard. It is a sin to bind where God has not bound. Thus, it is just as wrong to make a law as it is to break a law.
The Real Sadness of Fiddler on the Roof
Although the play touches our heart with some humor, it also saddens us to see the Jews driven from their land by those who have taken over the country. It is even more sad to realize that there is still so much discrimination and persecution of those who are Jews. Recently at Columbia University, students who were Jewish by nationality and who had paid their tuition, were barred from the campus by people who were anti-semitic and even sadder, the University administration did not come to the defense of the Jewish students. This is not the only incident where Jewish people are being mistreated and persecuted.
God Foretold It
The Jews were God’s chosen people to bring in the Messiah. They were given a land where they could live as a nation, but living there was based on them being obedient to God. God told them that if they were disobedient, they would be scattered around the world and would be persecuted. That happened as the Assyrians took most of the northern kingdom into captivity in 722 B.C. It happened again when the southern kingdom was led into Babylonian captivity in three waves, 606 B.C., 596 B.C. and 586 B.C. The ultimate scattering of the Jews occurred in 70 A.D. when the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem, their temple, and everything sacred to them. Notice what God said: “You, however, I will scatter among the nations and will draw out a sword after you, as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste” (Leviticus 26:33).
“So watch yourselves, that you do not forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you…The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD drives you” (Deuteronomy 4:23, 27).
“Moreover, the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth…Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life” (Deuteronomy 28:64-66).
“You shall become a horror, a proverb, and a taunt among all the people where the LORD drives you” (Deuteronomy 28:37).
The scattering of the Jews was foretold by God 1500 years before the birth of Christ and its fulfillment continues to prove true today. There is hardly a place in the world where Jews do not live. They have been scattered because they were disobedient!
Rejecting the Messiah
The ultimate disobedience of the Jews was their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. He spent three years on earth trying to convince them He was their Messiah, but John summarized His efforts in these few words, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Jesus Himself said, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).
I realize that there are some Jews who accept Jesus as their Messiah, but that number is a very small percentage of the total Jewish population.
Conclusion
Fiddler on the Roof is a great play, which contains some great truths about the change cultures go through with regard to their traditions. It is hard for us to give up our traditions, even those that have only to do with our daily habits. It really doesn’t matter if we give up those secular traditions which our forefathers have establish. But, it is vital to our eternal well-being that we do not bind religious traditions that cause us to transgress God’s laws.
Finally, even though we may realize that the decisions of their forefathers bring rejection and persecution today, the ultimate reason these things happen is because they have rejected God’s offer of salvation through the sacrifice of His Son.
Our heart goes out in sympathy for the hardships they suffer, but our heart grieves even more for the spiritual condition which will, in eternity, result in their eternal condemnation. We feel as Paul felt for his Jewish brethren, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them (Jews) is for their salvation.
For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge” (Romans 10:1-2).
Wayne Burger