Zachariah 9:9 Christian vs Jewish interpretation

Today is Palm Sunday. 

Today is Palm Sunday, a day that historically marks the humble entry of the King of Peace into Jerusalem. Yet today, Israel is shrouded in the darkness of war. The sacred sites, usually echoing with the footsteps of pilgrims, stand silent and closed.

Zechariah 9:9 is a pivotal Messianic prophecy in the Hebrew Bible that describes the humble arrival of a righteous king to Jerusalem. It is most famous for its New Testament fulfillment during Jesus' "Triumphal Entry" into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  

Interpretations

Christian Interpretation: Viewed as a direct prophecy of Jesus Christ. Matthew (21:4–5) and John (12:14–15) explicitly quote this verse to explain why Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem.

It highlights the "already but not yet" nature of his kingdom: he has come in humility (v. 9), but his universal reign of peace (v. 10) is still anticipated.

Jewish Interpretation: Traditionally understood as referring to the Messiah ben David. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 98a) notes that if Israel is worthy, the Messiah will come with the "clouds of heaven," but if unworthy, he comes "lowly and riding upon a donkey".

Some modern Jewish critiques argue the prophecy remains unfulfilled because universal world peace has not yet been established

Sefaria 

Zechariah 9:9 / זכריה ט׳:ט׳

גִּילִ֨י מְאֹ֜ד בַּת־צִיּ֗וֹן הָרִ֙יעִי֙ בַּת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם הִנֵּ֤ה מַלְכֵּךְ֙ יָ֣בוֹא לָ֔ךְ צַדִּ֥יק וְנוֹשָׁ֖ע ה֑וּא עָנִי֙ וְרֹכֵ֣ב עַל־חֲמ֔וֹר וְעַל־עֳַיִר בֶּן־אֲתֹנֽוֹ׃

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is triumphant, and victorious, lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of a she-ass.

In the Sefaria system (and the JPS translation it uses), the term "she-ass" is the formal equivalent for a "jenny" (a female donkey), while "ayir" is translated as "colt" or "jackass" (a young male donkey).

Rashi’s Commentary on Zachariah 9:9

גילי מאד. א"א לפתור המקרא הזה אלא על מלך 

המשיח שנאמר ומשלו מים עד ים ולא מצינו מושל כזה בישראל בימי בית שני:

Rejoice greatly. It is impossible to interpret this verse except as referring to the Messianic King, for it is said: "And his dominion shall be from sea to sea," and we do not find such a ruler in Israel during the days of the Second Temple.

עני ורוכב על חמור. ממדת ענוה:

Lowly and riding upon an ass. Out of a sense of humility.

New testament  

The Gospel of Matthew (21:1–7)

The Gospel of John (12:12–16)

The Coming King of Zion

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!

Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

       A Vision of Compassion on Palm Sunday

This stillness brings me back to last September, just before the High Holy Days, when I had the opportunity to be in Jerusalem. On the Mount of Olives, within the quiet garden of Dominus Flevit (the place where "The Lord Wept"), I filmed a brief, 10-minute experimental piece, directing my camera toward the Old City.

During post-production, something extraordinary emerged from the raw footage. On the low concrete wall, a downward-looking male face became visible. Above it, the jagged lines of barbed wire rested like a symbolic crown of thorns. As the setting sun hit the lens, a flare of light cut across the face, shimmering like a trail of falling rain or tears.

Psychology might label this phenomenon pareidolia, the mind’s tendency to find familiar patterns in random shapes. But from a spiritual perspective, I see it as an apparition, a manifestation that transcends any single religious label.

Whether it is Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Brahmism, the Krishna consciousness, or Islam, the core remains the same: the search for truth, the necessity of compassion, and the practice of good deeds (mitzvot). Every faith carries its own thread of mysticism, reminding us that even in times of conflict, there is a spiritual presence watching over our collective sorrow.

13th One Take Film Festival Zagreb

Good news from Zagreb, Croatia!

My short experimental unspoken film UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING will be screened in a special program outside competition highlighting the use of still frame in one single take films at 13th One Take Film Festival in Zagreb, Croatia. 

The film was previously screened in 2020 at Experimental Forum in Los Angeles.

Screening: October 13, 2023 to Sunday, October 15, 2023

Download the program from here (details about my film is on Page 81.)

Lily Boy is nominated to Special Jury Awards at 2023 Cefalù Film Festival

Good news from Cefalù, Sicily, Italy!

My short experimental unspoken film Lily Boy will be screened and also nominated to Special Jury Awards at 2023 Cefalù Film Festival. "This is the remastered version thanks to Lajos Polecsák and Chris Allan Tod hard work on post-production. 

Screening: September 1st, 2023.

Unspoken Cinema Blog 2023 CCC Canon

Together with other filmmakers, film critics, educators, cinephiles, etc... I was honored and asked by Benoit Rouilly critic, expert on slow cinema to reveal 10 of the greatest films of mines related to slow cinema. It wasn't an easy task to mention only 10 directors and their masterpieces, so I extended a little bit the list. I avoided to vote to the same director twice, keep rooms for other masters of slow cinema. 

Please click here to see the result 

If you're curious what others voted for click here

Excerpts from my contemplative cinema

After 5 + years being represented on Vimeo I decided to remove most of my short films from the platform. I created a demo reel to cinephiles keen to my experimental unspoken cinema, slow cinema. My films will be available soon for both individuals and institutions, festival screenings, public programs, exhibitions, museums and galleries and also for educational purpose. A few of my short films are also available on YouTube . 

The Gardener (trailer)

Click here to wach the trailer of my first feature length micro budget contemplative avant-garde fiction film.

The film was entirely shot on shoestring budget and took place on and off for a period of 2 years. As well as in my experimental one take short films, I only used extreme long static shots and let the unpredictable occasions happen on outdoor locations. Working without actors, extras, lack of financials, professional equipment, etc... didn't stop me to continue or give up the project, instead encouraged to use the extended, almost limitless time to develop and frame the storyline.  The nearly silent film "home movie" is an experimentation, just like Chantal Akerman's earliest cinema, though here, diegetic outside the frame "off screen" sounds and dialogues are also key elements of the story telling. 

Story line: a middle age expatriate man working as a gardener for wealthy local families to support his own family somewhere in South East Asia, but one day, everything change.

Music: Kai Engel https:// www. kai-engel. com

Sunday of Zen Official Selection for the 9th International Video Poetry Festival 2021 in Athens

I'm so honored to announce that my experimental short film "Sunday of Zen" is part of the Official Selection for the 9th International Video Poetry Festival. Screening be held on March 2021 in Athens, Greece.

Under The Burning Sun an homage to Bela Tarr

My feature long experimental contemplative film "Under The Burning Sun" was shot on July 21st 2020, on Bela Tarr's 65th birthday. Nothing was prepared advance as usual, neither what's going to happen in my film after I press the "rec" button, nor had any idea the Maestro had his jubilee on this day. It's not a question this is Synchronicity and not a coincidence. I'm experiencing synchronicity almost on daily basis for years. I don't want to get into details, maybe another time. As usually in my films, neither the shooting day nor the filming location was chosen advance. Everything was spontaneous. 

Most of my films contains only static shot and one long take. The lengths of takes are vary. This film is slightly different. I shot two takes instead of the usual one, because I felt the magic is happening. It was sometime after 11am. The sunrays were almost vertical. There was not even one tree at all, to give shade and of course I left my umbrella and the sunblock in the car. I guess you all can imagine the consequences. 

Post-production was a real challenge to figure it out, where should I cut the story without causing aesthetic damage. The story was built by the life itself. My main "directorial responsibility" at the location (besides the chosen visual background of the scene) is usually to make decision, when to start and stop rolling. There is usually an opening scene and a closing scene where's nothing particular  happening but basically there are things require the viewer's eye and ear to do more work. 

The observation is an important part of the process. There's neither mise-en-scène nor directorial instructions. Only a very pure form of the sense and sensibility, harmony between the elements, a kind of Zen. 

In my films I don't use subtitle because the visual has the priority over the dialogue. It doesn't mean for example in this case the fishers dialogues are not important but not from my point of view. 

Ok, that's all in a nutshell. So the next day of the shoot, on July 22nd, I read about Bela Tarr 's birthday on social media and decided to dedicate this film to him as an homage. I'm not sure he'll ever watch this film, that was not the reason I made it. 

Boldog születésnapot!

"If you look for a meaning, you'll miss everything that happens." 

Andrei Tarkovsky

The story:

West Baray (The Great Reservoir) (dating back to the XI. Century) in Siem Reap, Cambodia is beneficial for people make a living from fishing, though this year the Almighty God is not so gracious to them. Fishermen and their households are among the poorest, marginalized and vulnerable people in the Khmer society.

...for a limited time the film is available on my vimeo channel here.

...information for distribution or screening please send me a PM! 

Experimental Forum 2020 International Video and Film Festival screening has postponed for next year

Those are expected the screening of my film "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" this year in Los Angeles must wait for another year.

This is the festival official announcement I received:

"At Experimental Forum, we strive to make sure our public screenings are a safe and positive experience for everyone at the festival. Due to the current widespread of COVID-19, we are taking extra steps to consider the safety of everyone who comes to the event. Some attendees from out of state and overseas require advance notice to plan and travel to the festival. Certain travel restrictions or health concerns due to the pandemic will make it impossible for most to freely attend. For everyone’s safety, peace of mind and a chance to fully celebrate the filmmakers' achievements, the festival committee have decided to screen this year’s selection together with the 2021 festival edition next year, when the situation is safe and everyone can make plans to attend the festival with greater confidence and certainty."

If you are a slow cinema addict and can't wait till next year, please take a look Benoit Rouilly Unspoken Cinema Blog and find his review on my film with a short interview . The film also available as a bonus for the the blog's readers.

Click here to watch the film

The Bay /Honorable Mention Award

Great news "The Bay" my contemplative short filmed in Cambodia received Honorable Mention Award at Los Angeles Underground Film Forum (LAUFF) 2019.