Friday, June 5, 2009

The Torah with Sound Effects

One way that comic artists spice of comic book stories is with sound effects. Even with already strong material, sound effects can add that little special something, that finishing touch. In my hand I'm holding one of my old comics from the 1970's, "The Hands of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu" #58 (Marvel Comics, 35 cents). Just for fun, without revealing any of the plot, I'm going to list all of the sound effects from that issue, in order. Note: Most of these sound effects don't have exclamation points! Interesting.... okay, Here we go: BRAM! (pg 3), BRAM! AGH, ZHEOR (pg 6), SPAK (pg 7), BRAM (pg 10), WFFFF (pg 16), BAF (pg 17), BUKSH, HWAP (pg 22), WUD, SWAK, CHUNT (pg 27), BRAM (pg 30). Wow, can you imagine how the torah would be spiced up if it had sound effects added to it? To test this, lets try adding some sound effects from the list I just quoted, to the current torah portion, Naso (Numbers 4:21-7:89). Witness this enhanced version of Numbers 4:5; "At the breaking of camp ("BAF!"), Aaron and his sons shall go in ("WFFF!")and take down the screening curtain ("CHUNT!") and cover the Ark of the Pact with it ("WUD!")." Not bad! Did you notice how the addition of sound effects actually increases your kavanah? By voicing sound effects of the actions performed by the characters in the torah, we can get closer to God. It's as if we're borrowing some of the methods used by the old radio plays of yesteryear. Sound effects help make real a world in our mind. Daresay, I'll wager that even some of the more dry portions of the torah could benefit from the nutrifying goodness of sound effects. If it's okay to translate the siddur into comic book form as a way to understand the meaning and intentions of our prayers, then it's also okay to add sound effects to the torah, so that we can increase our kavanah.