Ashton Kushner became seriously ill while filming “Jobs”. Trying to get into character, he adopted Steve Jobs’ brutal fruitarian diet, and it landed him in hospital twice with pancreatitis. A good actor has to inhabit his character. There’s a fine line between an authentic portrayal and losing yourself in the role. Hollywood stars have gained or lost weight, spent time as cab drivers or attended schools for the blind to prepare for the part. Audiences want to see believable characters and artists go to great lengths to provide them. Sometimes, they go too far. Forest Whitaker’s family stopped speaking to him when he started channelling Idi Amin off the set while shooting The Last King of Scotland.
Actors are not the only ones who risk losing themselves in the fantasy of living as someone else. Research shows that some undercover cops develop paranoia and others make poor moral choices while working to catch the bad guys. CIA covert operatives often lose the ability to reintegrate into Western society after being embedded for years in hostile territory. I once met a deep-cover agent who lived a double life for over a decade while serving his country behind enemy lines. He lives a fractured sense of self that has upended his family life.
Undercover missions are vital for military success. For these to work, HQ has to help those men and women who risk their lives for their countries not lose themselves in the process.
3500 years ago, a band of seventy Israelites initiated a deep-cover mission intended to alter the course of human history. It was a zero-sum covert operation that lasted two centuries and risked the future of the Jewish nation. To achieve their objective, they endured abusive slavery under a dictator who drowned their babies. Operatives adopted Egyptian cultural norms and some even bowed to Osiris and Isis. Other than retaining their traditional fashion, language and names, they blended seamlessly with the locals. The Talmud reports that even the angels could not distinguish between an Israelite and an Egyptian. It was a miracle there were any identifiable Israelites to EXFIL when Moses arrived 210 years later.
How did they avoid dissolving into Egyptian society? What kept them from going irreversibly into character?
A successful spy needs an alert handler. The supervisor must detect when an operative is cracking and get him out safely. He should provide a healthy lifeline to the homeland to keep the agent clear about his role, mission and identity. The Israelite’s “handlers” throughout the slavery years were their cousins from the Tribe of Levi.
Pharaoh exempted the Levi tribe from bondage. While their brethren schlepped oversized boulders to construct towers on the unstable sand-swept ground of Pitom and Rameses, the Levites were permitted to study Abrahamic teachings in the lush enclave of Goshen. The Levites kept the Israelites focused and inspired under impossible conditions. One of theirs, Moses, would lead the Exodus.
The Torah presents the Egypt years as a template for Jewish life. The Torah doesn’t encourage asceticism nor does it mandate spiritual seclusion. It expects us to walk a spiritual tightrope, engaging the world without assimilating and inspiring without losing our identity. We should be productive citizens, focused on infusing daily experiences with Divine awareness. We get into character in the office or the mall but use our material experiences to achieve spiritual objectives.
To remain mission-focused, we need a Levite. Pirkei Avot suggests we appoint a spiritual mentor to guide us objectively on our spiritual mission. An A-list actor brings their unique colour to the role they depict on screen. An effective undercover operative never loses sight of his nation’s goals. A successful Jew knows he is Hashem’s change-agent to build a holier world. Meditative prayer before we head to work and consistent Torah study, even if only a few minutes each day, are Levite moments. Bring a charity box into the boardroom or share an inspiring thought on a coffee catchup. These Levite moments inspire us not to let the character we play overtake our authentic selves. They remind us that we’re here to make a meaningful difference.
Based on the Rebbe’s teachings on Parsha Vayechi (Likkutei Sichos vol. 20)
