16th September: Slightly Scandalous

While The Magic Barrel doesn't make it that obvious, it unfolds problems of Jewish-American communities, just like Defender of the Faith. If I’d have to name a tenacious group of people, that would be – considering their internationality – the Jews, so it’s most surprising to see some of them making their troubles public. (It was an interesting part of Frank Herbert’s Dune series that – in a distant future when the civilisations of ancient Earth are already merged and long forgotten – suddenly a hidden Jew community appeared. Their communities and traditions survived ten thousands of years in the story.)
The Magic Barrel reveals the emotional (and thus partly religious) shallowness of a would-be rabbi. The need of a matchmaker wouldn’t be much of a flaw – he’s not supposed to be a womaniser by any means –, but he’s personally disinterested and also never loved anyone. The matchmaker’s moral flaws are referred to as well: he wasn’t only unable to provide his daughter an appropriate moral education, but he also failed to love her thereafter.

Defender of the Faith is a much more obvious story about religious and moral flaws: sergeant Marx finds that being a soldier, a Jew and a human are three things constantly interfering with each other. A sergeant is not really supposed to approve every religious requirement, or do personal favours, while a Jew is supposed to obey religious rules, but not supposed to help in case someone abuses their religion to make life more comfortable. Being human, however, may confront with both, and that is what he sacrifices for the former two. It is still not his decision that is seen the most scandalous but Grossbart’s altitude towards his religion: he’s not actually interested in following his religion, and he’s not really interested in hiding it either. He also grossly abuses Marx's kindness, against which Marx's revenge can be seen as a proper response – Grossbart was to send someone else to the front instead of himself, after all.