James A. Michener Quote
A Roman came to Rabbi Gimzo the Water Carrier, and asked, What is this study of the law that you Jews engage in? and Gimzo replied, I shall explain. There were two men on a roof, and they climbed down the chimney. One's face became sooty. The other's not. Which one washed his face? The Roman said, That's easy, the sooty one, of course. Gimzo said, No. The man without the soot looked at his friend, saw that the man's face was dirty, assumed that his was too, and washed it. Cried the Roman, Ah ha! So that's the study of law. Sound reasoning. But Gimzo said, You foolish man, you don't understand. Let me explain again. Two men on a roof. They climb down a chimney. One's face is sooty, the other's not. Which one washes? The Roman said, As you just explained, the man without the soot. Gimzo cried,No, you foolish one! There was a mirror on the wall and the man with the dirty face saw how sooty it was and washed it. The Roman said, Ah ha! So that's the study of law! Conforming to the logical. But Rabbi Gimzo said, No, you foolish one. Two men climbed down the chimney. One's face became sooty? The other's not? That's impossible. You're wasting my time with such a proposition. And the Roman said, So that's the law! Common sense. And Gimzo said, You foolish man! Of course it was possible. When the first man climbed down the chimney he brushed the soot away. So the man who followed found none to mar him. And the Roman cried, That's brilliant, Rabbi Gimzo. Law is getting at the basic facts. And for the last time Gimzo said, No, you foolish man. Who could brush all the soot from a chimney? Who could ever understand all the facts? Humbly the Roman asked, Then what is the law? And Gimzo said quietly, It's doing the best we can to ascertain God's intention, for there were indeed two men on a roof, and they did climb down the same chimney. The first man emerged completely clean while it was the second who was covered with soot, and neither man washed his face, because you forgot to ask me whether there was any water in the basin. There was none.
A Roman came to Rabbi Gimzo the Water Carrier, and asked, What is this study of the law that you Jews engage in? and Gimzo replied, I shall explain. There were two men on a roof, and they climbed down the chimney. One's face became sooty. The other's not. Which one washed his face? The Roman said, That's easy, the sooty one, of course. Gimzo said, No. The man without the soot looked at his friend, saw that the man's face was dirty, assumed that his was too, and washed it. Cried the Roman, Ah ha! So that's the study of law. Sound reasoning. But Gimzo said, You foolish man, you don't understand. Let me explain again. Two men on a roof. They climb down a chimney. One's face is sooty, the other's not. Which one washes? The Roman said, As you just explained, the man without the soot. Gimzo cried,No, you foolish one! There was a mirror on the wall and the man with the dirty face saw how sooty it was and washed it. The Roman said, Ah ha! So that's the study of law! Conforming to the logical. But Rabbi Gimzo said, No, you foolish one. Two men climbed down the chimney. One's face became sooty? The other's not? That's impossible. You're wasting my time with such a proposition. And the Roman said, So that's the law! Common sense. And Gimzo said, You foolish man! Of course it was possible. When the first man climbed down the chimney he brushed the soot away. So the man who followed found none to mar him. And the Roman cried, That's brilliant, Rabbi Gimzo. Law is getting at the basic facts. And for the last time Gimzo said, No, you foolish man. Who could brush all the soot from a chimney? Who could ever understand all the facts? Humbly the Roman asked, Then what is the law? And Gimzo said quietly, It's doing the best we can to ascertain God's intention, for there were indeed two men on a roof, and they did climb down the same chimney. The first man emerged completely clean while it was the second who was covered with soot, and neither man washed his face, because you forgot to ask me whether there was any water in the basin. There was none.
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About James A. Michener
Michener's books include Tales of the South Pacific, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948; Hawaii; The Drifters; Centennial; The Source; The Fires of Spring; Chesapeake; Caribbean; Caravans; Alaska; Texas; Space; Poland; and The Bridges at Toko-ri. His non-fiction works include Iberia, about his travels in Spain and Portugal; his memoir, The World Is My Home; and Sports in America. Return to Paradise combines fictional short stories with Michener's factual descriptions of the Pacific areas where they take place.
His first book was adapted as the popular Broadway musical South Pacific, by Rodgers and Hammerstein, and later as eponymous feature films in 1958 and 2001, adding to his financial success. A number of his other stories and novels were adapted for films and TV series.
He also wrote Presidential Lottery: The Reckless Gamble in Our Electoral System, in which he condemned the United States' Electoral College system. It was published in 1969, and republished in 2014 and 2016.