The Truman Show, with Jim Carrie, is rated one of the top films of the 1990’s. In the film, Carrie’s character is, unbeknownst to him, living in an artificial world. In one dramatic scene, when he is being hunted at night, the director who controls this elaborately constructed artificial world (unsubtly named Christof) barks the order: “Cue the sun!” And immediately the sun appears.
I always think of that scene at the beginning of the Maariv service, when we read the first blessing, dealing with creation: “Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, who rules the universe; Your word bringing the evening dusk.” In Hebrew, the text is even stronger: “Your word ‘nightens’ nights.”
G-d “cues the dark.” For real. In the movie, Jim Carrie—“Truman”—eventually comes to discover that he has been living a lie. Hence he symbolizes the “true man” (get it?) who is able to see beyond illusion and embrace reality. And perhaps the evocation of G-d “nighting night” is meant to have the same impact on us. As the sky darkens, as the glittering array of stars comes into view (somewhere, if not in light-polluted suburbia), as infinity murmurates before us in a vast symphony of trillions of galaxies (and those are only the ones we can see—there are probably trillions more whose light has not yet reached us)—when we on a daily basis are treated to the biggest light show in the universe, how can we not direct our thoughts to the Creator of All? Not some egocentric Hollywood producer creating “reality” tv, but the real producer creating reality, period.
Throughout the movie, Carrie’s Truman repeats this line: “Good morning, and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!” It always sounds staged and artificial—until the very last moment, when Carrie escapes the film set and enters the real world, signing off with the same line. And thereby expressing the essence of what we are praying for, a daily routine of good fortune, shacharit, minchah, maariv.