Who Are the Real Dreamers? A Jewish Reading of Metaphor: ReFantazio |
I didn’t expect a Japanese role-playing game to confront me with an argument that felt at home in a beit midrash. Yet while playing Metaphor: ReFantazio, one line of dialogue cut through the fantasy with startling clarity: “You refuse to believe in dreams. That’s why you can’t believe in anything that’s gradual, complicated, and slow to change.” The line lands as an accusation, but to me it sounded like an unintentional expression of a deeply Jewish idea.
The character being challenged wants finality. He craves decisive transformation and sweeping resolution. He sees gradual change as weakness and patience as self-deception. Those who work slowly, he claims, cling to dreams instead of facing reality. Watching the exchange, I felt the polarity flip. The demand for instant resolution felt like fantasy, while the commitment to slow, difficult labor felt grounded and sober.
Judaism has always resisted final endings and tidy conclusions. The Torah ends with........