Star Wars’ Jewish Themes?

The Aish Rabbi Replies

While there is no comparison between the fantasy of technicolor and the reality of life, some have suggested a few Jewish ideas reflected metaphorically in the film series:

The Force is the ultimate power of the universe: God. The Jedi Knight strives to perfect his awareness that God is constantly watching and teaching us through the events of life. Walking with God is the highest utilization of the power of the intellect. With Lightsaber in hand, the Jedi never allows his mind to lose focus of the message the Almighty seeks to convey.

Jedi master Yoda teaches a wisdom that is both simple and profound. The Jedi clears away previously-learned layers of untruth, connecting with his internal compass. This opens the fountains of innate goodness and releases flow from the Light Side.

The Jedi learns that every bit of desire to go against God creates distance. Nothing is more precious than closeness to God, and every character flaw is treated as an intruder trying to break that relationship. The master demands such flaws be squelched with vengeance.

The Jedi is devoted to the Force because God has all the right connections. He can cure disease. He can lift financial burdens. He can arrange it all. If you know the Force is always with you, that's living with ultimate power. If you forget, then God has to focus you again – by breaking the flow.

Why do we lose our focus on reality? The Dark Side comes to confuse us.

Every human is composed of two parts – body and soul. The body seeks temporal pleasures of honor, food, lust. The soul seeks deeper eternal pleasures: love, meaning, connection.

The Jedi knows that while physical pleasure is an essential part of life, it is only a steppingstone to the higher pleasures. True freedom is the ability to put the soul in control. By making the choice of soul over body, we harness the galaxy and become one with the Force.

The Sith Warrior chooses a different path. Seduced by greed and power, he follows the temptations of the Dark Side. Judaism calls this the Yetzer Hara – the self-destructive bodily forces that pull us away from God.

The Dark Side gives an illusion of victory. But behind the black body armor, Darth Vader's reign of terror is a sad phantasm. His manipulations ultimately destroy lives, society, self.

At every step, God tests our discipline and determination. A Jedi Knight must be strong in conviction and cannot doubt. He must be certain that the Force is with him.

We attain this confidence through knowledge, not faith. God knows that through sincere investigation, His existence is abundantly clear. We observe the wonders of nature. We cry out and are rescued from difficulty. In our own way, we have seen seas split and mountains move.

Every human longs for the transcendental. The Jedi strives to lift into oneness with God – to share in His power.

In the end, the battle between good and evil is played out within each of us. Our challenge is to resist the temptations of the Dark Side – and with the help of God, become a master of self.

Having said all this, it should be emphasized that some symbolism in Star Wars more closely resembles the cosmogonic dualism of Zoroastrianism (reflected in Christian theology) – where good and evil are seen as competing and independent powers battling over the domain of creation. Judaism, of course, sees everything as emanating from a single Creator. This includes evil which has no independent will of its own to oppose God, but is under His domain and sent to awaken us to our own shortcomings.

In other ways, the Force has taken on Christian overtones. In "The Phantom Menace," Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader as a boy) is supposedly the result of a virgin birth.

Furthermore, the film introduces the concept of midichlorians, organisms that exist in the bodies of sentient beings and serve as intermediaries to allow people to connect to the Force. In Judaism, we connect to God directly, without intermediary. (Or perhaps, since midichlorians are in the cells, essentially, it is everyone employing part of themselves to reach the Force.)

May the (Real) Force be with you!