Faith, Family, and Finance: Jewish Holidays in The Lehman Trilogy

When The Lehman Trilogy begins, the brothers arrive in America carrying more than their ambition. They bring with them the rhythms of Jewish life — holidays, rituals, and traditions that quietly shape the story across its 160-year span. The play is not a religious tale, yet Judaism pulses in the background: sometimes openly practiced, sometimes abbreviated, and eventually, almost forgotten. Observing how the family engages with these rituals provides a lens for understanding both the passage of time and the evolution of identity.

The Rituals We See on Stage

In the first act, we witness Emanuel and Mayler observing the rituals of mourning after Henry’s death: they tear their suits, recite the Kaddish daily, remain at home, and depend on neighbors for meals. These practices, shiva (the seven-day mourning period immediately following a death) and sheloshim (the subsequent thirty-day period of mourning), place Jewish identity at the center of the narrative and highlight the ways community and faith guide the family through grief.

Other moments make Jewish life visible in striking ways. Henry lights the Hanukkah candles with his brothers on the last night of the holiday, only to be interrupted by devastating news of a cotton fire. This interruption serves as a metaphor, underscoring how business and survival will increasingly overshadow tradition. Passover appears when Emanuel recalls the ritual of clearing chametz and the act of sweeping out leavened bread, another metaphor for glimpsing what lies ahead. Later, Shavuot emerges in a dreamlike sequence when the heavens open, echoing the revelation of the Ten Commandments and reminding us of the family’s spiritual roots.

Together, these holidays mark not only time but also the contours of identity. They show how the brothers’ Jewish life is lived, remembered, and adapted in a new land. They frame the Lehmans’ rise within a broader cycle of faith and history, even as later generations maintain cultural memory while engaging less with ritual practice.

The Holidays Beyond the Stage

Not all holidays appear in the play, but they form the cultural backdrop of the Lehman family’s world. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the High Holidays of renewal and atonement, would have anchored the Jewish year. Sukkot recalled the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness, while Purim celebrated survival through storytelling and joy. Tu B’Shvat, the “New Year of the Trees,” marked renewal and rootedness, and Tisha B’Av commemorated the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem with fasting and mourning.

The Fading of Faith Across Generations

Over time, the rituals quiet, often surviving only in memory. The first generation of brothers maintains a strong connection to Jewish identity, but their children and grandchildren focus more on business and life in America. Candles, prayers, and mourning rituals gradually give way to the rhythms of Wall Street and the demands of ambition, though echoes of heritage persist in family memory, names, and values.

This arc—tradition at the foundation, then its gradual erosion—mirrors the broader story of many immigrant families in America. Faith provides roots, but ambition pulls upward, often leaving tradition behind.

Why It Matters

The Jewish holidays in The Lehman Trilogy are more than background details. They are markers of how the brothers understood themselves and their place in the world. Watching their observances fade is not only a story of one family but also a reflection on the choices that shape identity in pursuit of the American Dream.

For contemporary audiences, these moments invite reflection: which traditions do we maintain, and how does ambition or circumstance shape what we pass on?

Note: Stages’ production of The Lehman Trilogy coincides with the Jewish High Holidays this fall, providing a timely opportunity to consider the intersections of ritual, heritage, and the choices that shape identity.