613 Mitzvot Project

Reflection There was no forethought to what my last mitzvot would be in this cycle when I picked the number 100. “100” was nice for the pitch (“100 plays in 100 days!”), but didn’t make sense with Maimonides’s schema. I cut myself off mid-book (The Book of Seasons) and mid-section (Laws of Festival Rest). I even cut myself off mid-verse. The 100th mitzvot is “to rest on Shavuot,” and the 101st is “not to do prohibited labor on Shavuot,” both derived from Leviticus 23:21. As the end approached, I wondered i

Reflection

100: To rest on Shavuot The Book of Seasons Laws of Festival Rest To rest on Shavuot (Lev. 23:21) Context: Shavuot is traditionally understood as the day God revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai, and by extension, the day that the Jewish people received the Torah. Notes on Text: There are two speakers. One speaker is marked by bolded text. The other speaker is marked by unbolded text. Although this is the last of the plays, I will write a reflection on the project in the next day or so. You can expe

100: To rest on Shavuot

99: Not to do prohibited labor on the seventh day of Passover The Book of Seasons Laws of Festival Rest Not to do prohibited labor on the seventh day of Passover (Lev. 23:8) NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.             ERIC MARLIN at his desk writing a play             an ANGEL enters ANGEL what are you doing? ERIC MARLIN writing today’s play ANGEL why? ERIC MARLIN i’m writing one play every day for 100 days ANGEL are you now? ERIC MARLIN each one responds

99: Not to do prohibited labor on the seventh day of Passover

98: To rest on the seventh day of Passover The Book of Seasons Laws of Festival Rest To rest on the seventh day of Passover (Lev. 23:8) CW: violent imagery             a news reporter doing their evening broadcast welcome back to News Hour Seven The News for Yous my name is [inaudible] tonight’s top story gunshots were reported i repeat gunshots were reported they’ve been reported everywhere wire reports are flooding in of gunshots being heard have you heard gunshots in your neighborhood? do you want to tell us about it? we’re collect

98: To rest on the seventh day of Passover

97: Not to do prohibited labor on the first day of Passover The Book of Seasons Laws of Festival Rest Not to do prohibited labor on the first day of Passover (Lev. 23:8)             GOD and SATAN in heaven             both are 6-year-old children             they play with toy blocks together             building a tower throughout the scene GOD he loves me SATAN you’ve said GOD devoted beyond belief SATAN yes you’ve said GOD he loves me as no one else he loves me as though i were a god SATAN you are GOD even so- SATAN he loves you with money

97: Not to do prohibited labor on the first day of Passover

96: To rest on the first day of Passover The Book of Seasons Laws of Festival Rest To rest on the first day of Passover (Lev. 23:7)             a modest dining room             a group of children (ages 8-15) sits around the table             they all have travel bags at their feet             as though they were ready to leave at any moment             the table is set for a Seder that no one is focused on             instead they all watch the news on tv             the sound is off but we see horrific images flit across the s

96: To rest on the first day of Passover

95: Not to eat or drink on Yom Kippur The Book of Seasons Laws of Yom Kippur Rest Not to eat or drink on Yom Kippur (Lev. 23:29) CW: Violent imagery             a grand hall             at the center is a table that could easily seat one hundred people             at the head of the table sits the LORD             he waits to be served             a PEASANT enters carrying platters of food             the PEASANT lays out a feast of venison and breads and exotic fruits             the PEASANT finishes setting the table     

95: Not to eat or drink on Yom Kippur

94: To afflict yourself on Yom Kippur The Book of Seasons Laws of Yom Kippur Rest To afflict yourself on Yom Kippur (Lev. 16:29)             a little bit later than now             a group of friends gathers for break fast looking wonderful as always can’t seem to get him out of the house well best of times worst of times am i right? and one’s gotta find a way to have fun so we’re thinking about traveling maybe Bali if you loose anymore weight you’ll disappear i swear it is expensive isn’t it? not that i’m one for strong o

94: To afflict yourself on Yom Kippur

93: Not to do prohibited labor on Yom Kippur The Book of Seasons Laws of Yom Kippur Rest Not to do prohibited labor on Yom Kippur (Lev. 23:32) CW: violent imagery 1             a cornfield at night             a FARMER walks the rows             checking his crops             the ground underneath him shifts             something begins crawling out of the dirt             a BEAUTIFUL YOUNG MAN emerges from the ground fully nude             he and the FARMER stare at one another for a long time BEAUTIFUL YOUNG MAN hungry        

93: Not to do prohibited labor on Yom Kippur

92: To rest from prohibited labor [on Yom Kippur] The Book of Seasons Laws of Yom Kippur Rest To rest from prohibited labor (Lev. 23:32) 1             an EMPLOYEE sits in a synagogue             deeply focused on the service             their SUPERVISOR sits next to them             not focused on the service             the SUPERVISOR whispers in the EMPLOYEE’s ear             the EMPLOYEE doesn’t react SUPERVISOR             whispering you should really want to be at the office EMPLOYEE … SUPERVISOR             whispering we all hav

92: To rest from prohibited labor [on Yom Kippur]

91: To sanctify the day with Kiddush and Havdallah The Book of Seasons Laws of the Sabbath To sanctify the day with Kiddush and Havdallah (Ex. 20:8)             a hospital room             an unconscious PATIENT hooked up to machines             sitting beside them is their COMPANION             also in the room is a NURSE             the COMPANION holds the PATIENT’s hand             they sit in silence for a long time             the PATIENT’s monitor beeps to indicate an issue             but neither the COMPANION nor the NURSE move

91: To sanctify the day with Kiddush and Havdallah

90: Not to walk outside the city boundary on Shabbat The Book of Seasons Laws of the Sabbath Not to walk outside the city boundary on Shabbat (Ex. 16:29) 1             in the palace             the QUEEN meets with her SURVEYOR             they study a map QUEEN i don’t understand SURVEYOR see here 12 kilometers gone- QUEEN not all that much considering- SURVEYOR and on the north side where the forest is and the cliffs drop off- QUEEN my sister would dare me to walk to the edge- SURVEYOR used to be 29.2 kilometers from- QUEEN all right

90: Not to walk outside the city boundary on Shabbat

89: The court must not inflict punishment on Shabbat The Book of Seasons Laws of the Sabbath The court must not inflict punishment on Shabbat (Ex. 35:3)             on the steps of a courthouse             a grand staircase leads to a neoclassical building             the door has an enormous lock on the front door             an ICE AGENT in uniform bangs on the door             desperate to get in             standing next to him is a YOUNG MAN IN A SWEATER             the YOUNG MAN wears handcuffs ICE AGENT c’mon c’mon c’mon c’mon pleas

89: The court must not inflict punishment on Shabbat

88: Not to do prohibited labor on the seventh day The Book of Seasons Laws of the Sabbath Not to do prohibited labor on the seventh day (Ex. 20:10)             ANN-MARIE waiting for a bus             LADY WITH DARK SHADES enters             silence ANN-MARIE the bus is late if you were waiting for the well it’s it’s late             silence actually it’s it’s over an hour late and the buses are supposed to come every hour so we’re now two buses behind             silence i mean to say we’re at least two buses behind i’ve only been waiting h

88: Not to do prohibited labor on the seventh day

87: To rest on the seventh day The Book of Seasons Laws of the Sabbath To rest on the seventh day (Ex. 23:12)             a sunny morning in the Garden of Eden             ADAM and EVE speak to the heavens             and GOD’S VOICE responds in booming echoing tones             the voice is amplified and comes from everywhere EVE but we’re not tired GOD’S VOICE IT IS YOUR DAY OF REST ADAM we had plans today GOD’S VOICE FOR I HAVE GRANTED YOU THE GIFT OF- EVE we do not take for granted- GOD’S VOICE -THE GIFT OF NOT

87: To rest on the seventh day

86: To circumcise all males on the eighth day after their birth NOTE: I've been having technical difficulties with Ghost, which is why you didn't get a play yesterday! So, even though Saturday is the day off in the project, I'm sending out yesterday's play today The Book of Love of God Laws of Circumcision To circumcise all males on the eighth day after their birth (Lev. 12:3)             the home of an Orthodox family             the home is literally made of glass             so you can see into all rooms at once             in the nursery RIVKA holds

86: To circumcise all males on the eighth day after their birth

85: To bless the Almighty after eating The Book of Love of God Laws of Blessings To bless the Almighty after eating (Deut. 8:10) CW: violent imagery, homophobic slur             a DRAG QUEEN in Gehinnom             she stands before a panel of JUDGES             sounds of torment heard from just offstage SCARY JUDGE you ate             beat you ate             beat you ate DRAG QUEEN i … ate what? SCARY JUDGE you ate DRAG QUEEN am i dead? SCARY JUDGE FOCUS FRIENDLY-BUT-MEEK JUDGE let’s not frighten her DRAG QUEEN I AM ACTU

85: To bless the Almighty after eating

84: To have tzitzit on four-cornered garments The Book of Love of God Laws of Tzitzit To have tzitzit on four-cornered garments (Num 15:38) Recipe for Today’s Play The purpose of the tzitzit is to remind the wearer of all 613 commandments in the Torah. For Rashi, this was done numerologically. The word tzitzit adds up to 600 in gematria, there are 8 threads with 5 sets of knots. 600 + 8 + 5 = 613. Today, we will create our own homemade tzitzit. 1.     First, gather every character and set piece and props from the 83 plays that preceded

84: To have tzitzit on four-cornered garments

83: The king must have a separate Sefer Torah for himself The Book of Love of God Laws of Tefillin, Mezuza and Sefer Torah The king must have a separate Sefer Torah for himself (Deut. 17:18)             a synagogue             a CONGREGANT on the bimah with a Torah scroll open             she is about to begin reading it             a KING pops up from behind the podium             (was he there the whole time??)             he look can only be described as a knock-off of the Burger King             complete with a plastic crown             he

83: The king must have a separate Sefer Torah for himself

82: Each [person] must write a Sefer Torah The Book of Love of God Laws of Tefillin, Mezuza and Sefer Torah Each [person] must write a Sefer Torah (Deut. 6:9)             a cavernous space of polished wood             slightly sacred feeling             on the grand bare floor sits a YOUNG STUDENT she is writing out a Torah scroll             she uses a quill and ink             on one side of her sits a stack of twelve Torah scrolls             on the other side of her is a grand wooden chest             there is nothing else an

82: Each [person] must write a Sefer Torah

81: To put a mezuzah on each doorpost The Book of Love of God Laws of Prayer and Kohanic Blessings To put a mezuzah on each doorpost (Deut. 6:9)             there are two speakers – one bolded and one unbolded             there may or may not be humans onstage             regardless all text should be performed by a text-to-speech software             use different voices for the two different speakers hello Hello! what do I do? I’m here to help. What do you need help with? can you help me? Of course! Is there a particular

81: To put a mezuzah on each doorpost

80: To bind tefillin on the arm The Book of Love of God Laws of Prayer and Kohanic Blessings To bind tefillin on the arm (Deut. 6:8) CW: Sexual content             a dungeon with a DOM and a SUB             the DOM holds tefillin straps SUB uhh DOM it’ll be so hot SUB i’m sure DOM imagine/ me binding you- SUB yeah i’m imagining that’s the issue DOM there’s a hesitancy in your- SUB you should want me to hesitate/ i think DOM don’t you/ want to- SUB i want to but isn’t it … i dunno isn’t it it is isn’t it? DOM it's

80: To bind tefillin on the arm

79: To wear tefillin on the head The Book of Love of God Laws of Prayer and Kohanic Blessings To wear tefillin on the head (Deut. 6:8)             onstage is a recently used guillotine             a headless body is prostrate before the blade             a head lay one the ground a few feet away             a pool of blood between the two parts of the body             a YOUNG MAN enters with tefillin in his hand             he sits beside the head             he takes the head in his arms and cradles it tenderly        

79: To wear tefillin on the head

78: The Kohanim must bless the Jewish nation daily The Book of Love of God Laws of Prayer and Kohanic Blessings The Kohanim must bless the Jewish nation daily (Num 6:23) Historical Context: In Judaism, the “Kohanim” are the priestly class of Jews who worked in the Temple back when it still stood. CW: violent acts; reference to infanticide and sexual assault 1             JOSHUA in his bedroom             it’s a mess             clothes and candy wrappers and used tissues strewn about             JOSHUA practically radiates teenage angst

78: The Kohanim must bless the Jewish nation daily

77: To serve the Almighty with prayer daily The Book of Love of God Laws of Prayer and Kohanic Blessings To serve the Almighty with prayer daily (Ex. 23:25) 1             a corporate office             an EMPLOYEE and a CEO             they sit across from one another at the CEO’s desk EMPLYOEE quarterly report is strong showing steep sales increase especially across North America, the Southwest for example, booming, production costs decreasing (although inflation is knocking out our knees a bit there), gross margins are up, profits

77: To serve the Almighty with prayer daily

76: To say the Shema twice daily The Book of Love of God Laws of Reading the Shema To say the Shema twice daily (Num 6:7)             a desolate alien planet             grey jagged rock as far as the eye can see             sitting on a rock is the ASTRONAUT in her spacesuit             she recites the Shema             the microphone in her helmet is on so we can hear her             quiet but audible             slightly garbled by the glitchy microphone             she recites the Shema again             blackout

76: To say the Shema twice daily

75: To repent and confess wrongdoings (Part 2 of 2) The Book of Knowledge Laws of Repentance To repent and confess wrongdoings (Num 5:7) THE BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE Endnotes & Corrections 38: Not to cease hating the missionary (Deut. 13:9) This play is the most directly about Tr*mp. It would probably be a better play if it wasn’t. 39: Not to save the missionary (Deut. 13:9) Did you ever see the Boogeyman under the bed? An imp, a gremlin, a demon? If you didn’t, it means he’s probably still under your bed, waiting for the right moment to strike… 40:

75: To repent and confess wrongdoings (Part 2 of 2)

75: To repent and confess wrongdoings (Part 1 of 2) The Book of Knowledge Laws of Repentance To repent and confess wrongdoings (Num 5:7) THE BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE Endnotes & Corrections 1: To know there is a God (Ex. 20:2) For further research, please consult The History of Nineteenth-Century Occultist Samuel Ludlum, which is not available in any library real or imagined at this time but certainly should be. 2: Not to entertain thoughts of other gods besides Him (Ex. 20:3) Space travel as depicted in this play may or may not conform to known scien

75: To repent and confess wrongdoings (Part 1 of 2)

74: Not to make a bald spot in mourning The Book of Knowledge Laws of Idolatry and Paganism Not to make a bald spot in mourning (Deut. 14:1)             a BUSHWICK GAY and a PARK SLOP LESBIANN             the BUSHWICK GAY has almost shaved his entire head             except for a one-inch band of hair that wraps all the way around his head             the band of hair is dyed neon green BUSHWICK GAY you don’t like it?             silence PARK SLOPE LESBIAN did you do it yourself? BUSHWICK GAY my barber did PARK SLOPE LESBIAN

74: Not to make a bald spot in mourning

73: Not to tear the skin in mourning The Book of Knowledge Laws of Idolatry and Paganism Not to tear the skin in mourning (Deut. 14:1)             a HAND MODEL lays her hands on a crystal table             her fingers are adorned with shimmering expensive rings             the PHOTOGRAPHER peers at her hands through her camera             projected behind the performers is video of the camera’s POV             the HAND MODEL’s hands loom large over the stage PHOTOGRAPHER hold still             snap a pic hold still           

73: Not to tear the skin in mourning