Three Thousand Years, from Moses to Koufax. The centerpiece quote comes from Walter's epic response when the Dude accuses him of "living in the past" for still being observant despite no longer being married to Cynthia: "So what are you saying? When you get a divorce, you turn in your library card, you get a new license, you stop being Jewish?!? I'm Jewish as fckin' Tevye!! Three thousand years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Koufax…YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT I'M LIVING IN THE FCKING PAST!" Has anyone ever put it so profoundly? "Say what you want about the tenets of tradition, Dude, at least it's an ethos."
Etz Chaim Hee. That coffee mug he's holding isn't just a prop, it's a callback. "Etz chaim hee," Hebrew for "it is a tree of life," is a line lifted straight from the Torah service, traditionally sung as the scroll is returned to the ark. Walter drops it on the Dude mid-conversation, attributing it to his ex-wife, and the Dude has absolutely no idea what he's talking about. Neither, probably, did most of the audience. That's Walter in a nutshell: dropping liturgy into casual conversation as he appoints himself the sole arbiter of who's "over the line," because "no one seems to give a shit about the rules anymore."
Not on Shabbos. Then there's the rant every fan can recite in their sleep, Walter refusing to "work, drive, handle money, or roll" on a Saturday because he's "Shomer fcking Shabbos!"* It's the loudest, most profane articulation of Sabbath observance ever put to film, "but that's just, like, my opinion, man."
If You Will It. Another quote he recites is from the father of the modern Zionist movement, Theodor Herzl: "If you will it, dude, it is no dream." It's a line powerful enough to help inspire the reestablishment of a nation dormant for nearly 2,000 years, and Walter uses it to hype up a bunch of unemployed delinquents before a league bowling match. Walter takes his bowling as seriously as his Zionism, disappoint him and "you're entering a world of pain."
There are a few more references packed into the design, but "we're trying to stick to this whole brevity thing, man."
So for the love of Walter and the rest of his tribesmen: tell the haters "you're out of your element." Pour yourself a "Caucasian," inform the "log jammers" that "this aggression will not stand, man," and go grab one of these shirts (not on Shabbos, of course) like the "Little Urban Achiever" you are. It'll really "tie the room together."
"Ever thus to deadbeats."
Go Deeper
The Big Lebowski is a Perfect Watch for Our Crazy Times. It's Also Surprisingly Jewish., by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Is The Big Lebowski's Walter the Greatest Jewish Character?, by the Jewish Chronicle
For a great compilation of Walter’s Jewish rantings, click below. (Pardon all the cuss words dude…)
Below is a great breakdown we found of the yiddishkeit, or "Jewishness" of Walter in the film. Definitely worth a watch. (playback outside of youtube has been banned here so just click "watch on youtube" to check it out)
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