We believe that asking questions deepens and enriches our lives and gives us an appreciation for the ample mysteries of existence. Physicist Albert Einstein said, "The important thing is not to stop questioning." Historian Daniel Boorstein called human beings "the asking animal." And he would, no doubt, go along with the humorist James Thurber who stated: "It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers."

Asking questions comes under Q for Questing in the Alphabet of Spiritual Literacy. In our musings on this practice, we note that questions are allies on a spiritual journey, stretching our minds, bodies, and souls. That's why we often find ourselves making lists of questions that have come to us when we watch a good movie. Often the films getting this treatment are dramadies which artfully blend the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the complex and the simple. An American Pickle is one of them.

Herschel Greenbaum (Seth Rogen) is a poor laborer in a small Eastern European village in 1919. He has dreams of things small and large -- tasting seltzer water and becoming a big success. After marrying Sarah (Sarah Snook), tragedy befalls them as Russian Cossacks destroy their Jewish village.

  • What has been your biggest dream?
  • What do you hold on to when times are hard?

Herschel and Sarah emigrate to America where he finds a job killing rats in a Brooklyn pickle factory. On the day that the place is closed, he accidentally falls into a vat of pickle brine and cucumbers. His perfectly preserved body is not discovered for 100 years.

  • If you were able to be transported 100 years into the future where and in what form would you choose?
  • What are the spiritual lessons you can take from stories like this or Rip Van Winkle?

Waking up in a very different world, Herschel is saddened to realize his wife is long dead, as is his son and his son's son.

  • Which of your ancestors do you wish you could have known?
  • What would you ask them?

Ben tries to explain apps to his great-grandfather Herschel.

Herschel discovers that his only surviving relative is Ben (Seth Rogen), his great grandson, a millennial who works at home as a freelance app developer. The cultural and spiritual gap between them is enormous — especially sine Ben is secular Jew and Herschel is a deeply religious Jew from the old school where Judaic rules and regulations are followed. When the two of them go to the Brooklyn cemetery where Sarah and other family members are buried, the older man is shocked to discover that Ben does not even know the Kaddish prayer for mourning the dead. Even more upsetting is the discovery that there is a huge billboard for Russian vodka overlooking Sarah's grace.

  • On a scale of 1 to 4, how do you rate yourself as one who can respect all religious perspectives, from those who are orthodox to those who are nones?
  • Which Greenbaum do you side with on their response to the cemetery plots of Herschel and Ben's loved ones? Give a reason for your answer.
  • Later in the film, Hershel posts some nasty comments about Christianity on Twitter. What is your reaction to this sign of his religious prejudice? Does it wipe out the good things he has done?

With a burst of righteous indignation, Herschel goes into business selling pickles and much to everyone's surprise, he is successful. He is determined to make enough money to take down the Russian vodka billboard. Of course, not understanding the ways of the 21st century, he runs into trouble with the health department. But he quickly adjusts to the times, getting nonpaid interns to help and posting on Twitter.

  • If you could start your own business what would it be?
  • What spiritual practices would you recommend to Ben as anecdote to his envy, jealousy, and repeated attempts to sabotage his great-grandfather's pickle business?

Herschel with his street pickle business.

An American Pickle is directed by Brandon Trost based on a screenplay written by the humorist and Saturday Night Live alumnus Simon Rich. This dramady does a remarkable job capturing the high tech world of social media, apps, hipster fads and cancel culture. It also winks at Herschel's delight in sipping seltzer water from a machine and hearing that Ben is the proud owner of 24 pairs of socks.

Although there are plenty of chuckles in An American Pickle, perhaps the most emotionally rich scene is when Ben shows his great grandfather some family pictures from his albums. As we watch this universal act of sharing, we realize that three magical things shine through the photos: they are a reminder to give each other attention, love and time. Another scene of mutual forgiveness between these two very different men is also touching.