With the challenge outlined, I found myself replaying the episode "Kaddish" in my mind and the one scene that still stands out for me is when Mulder returns to the Jewish scholar for further understanding. He learns how the golem was created using the power of words, and that its destruction can only be accomplished with the further manipulation of those very same letters. This idea of the power of words hearkens back to Jose Chung's conversation with Scully. But for me, the symbolism went beyond the mere words themselves. The word is constructed from letters - as the scholar says, "secret letter combinations" - and these letters that create, spell truth. Truth is what Mulder and Scully seek, and in their quest they have encountered secret letters as well as cryptic words which held power. The relation of these concepts to the X-Files mythology runs deep, and the following analysis touches on only a few aspects.

"The creature could only be brought to life by the power of the word. In practical terms, by the direct application of certain secret letter combinations."

In "Kaddish", the words were "truth" and "dead" and the secret lay in knowing how to manipulate the letters in order to create or destroy. Mulder and Scully have been in search of the Truth and along the way they have succeeded in finding both words and letters that provide insight into the project and the truth it conceals. Since Scully is the scientist, the secret letter combinations have been the most informative. We have seen Scully stumble upon these letters all the way back in the Season 1 finale when the sequence of extraterrestrial DNA was elucidated in a late night experiment. The letter combinations representing nucleic acids from DNA were enough to convince Scully that Mulder had been right all along...that she should trust his hunches. An even closer encounter with these "secret letters" is forced upon Scully when in "One Breath", the Lone Gunmen discover evidence of branched DNA in Scully. And it isn't just DNA that has invaded Scully's very being. In "Herrenvolk", Scully and Pendrell decode the letter combinations in the Social Security files that Jeremiah Smith compiled and discover amino acid sequence revealing a far- reaching project of protein tagging. In contrast, Mulder's discoveries are not as scientific but remain disturbing. The files he received from The Thinker in "Anasazi" appeared to be nothing more than a series of letters until their secret was realized. Once the Anasazi code was broken, Mulder was faced with words that were familiar even as they remained cryptic. The merchandise. Words his father spoke only moments before he died. So for Mulder and Scully, the secrets found in letters and words in their quest have been powerful and, though helpful in their search for the truth, could as easily tip the balance toward a dangerous outcome.

"The danger of the truth is contained in the word golem itself. Matter without form. Body without soul. So the golem is an imperfect creation."

"Kaddish" offered up two examples of words creating monsters. For Ariel, her attempt to create a golem was an act of love. For Brunjes, the creation of monsters from impressionable youths was an unforeseen outcome born out of hatred. Both birthed imperfect creations and, in the end, destruction was required to prevent the "monster" from running amok. In the realm of the X-Files mythology, the consortium is busy creating hybrids and clones.

The drones we saw in "Herrenvolk" seem to embody the definition of "body without soul". The hybrids we first met in "Colony" are also imperfect creations in their identical nature and its inherent limitations. Beyond that, they represented a renegade faction that may not have been eliminated if "Memento Mori" is an illustration to judge. Consider the Kurt Crawford clones. Here is a group that has not yet been eliminated as the Gregors were, though a bounty hunter seems to be systematically attempting their annihilation. They would be considered imperfect creations since they are working against the project and must be destroyed on orders from their creators. Even Scully seems to have been a playing piece on the board, removed from the game when her use was up and left to be destroyed by her own traitorous immune system. Imperfect experiments with hybrid DNA formed byproducts spelling out her death. Although she survived the effect of the branched DNA in her system and returned from her comatose state in "One Breath", Scully seems to be on the threshold of another battle, this time with cancer.

"The power of letters not just to create, but to kill." The golem was created by letters combined to spell "emet" or truth. The removal of one letter created the word "met", which means dead, thus destroying the imperfect creation. The power of the word Truth is apparent for Mulder since his quest has been a driving force in his life. Now that Scully has joined him in his search for answers, Truth has become the power that carries them both forward in their quest. One might imagine that Cigarette Smoking Man also sees himself on some great quest for higher truth and meaning in his project. As twisted as this seems to those of us aligned with Mulder and Scully, both of their journeys have lead to loss and death. One has only to recall Scully's conversation with Mulder in "Quagmire" to realize that the implications of their work and its side-effects are not lost on them. Neither of them is living an idealized life with a family, two car garage, and white picket fence. This may not be important to them now, but one look at the bitter reality of CSM's existence and it becomes clear what a life of sacrifice in focused pursuit of a goal will earn you. Scully is Starbuck to Mulder's Ahab, and their pursuit of the Truth could eventually lead to their destruction and the metamorphosis of "emet" to "met".

It is clear that secret letter combinations have spelled out a path to the Truth for Mulder and Scully just as the letters in "emet" gave rise to the golem. These letters, as well as the cryptic words the duo have uncovered, are relevant to the project and may eventually fall together as pieces of a grand puzzle. If Mulder and Scully knew the particular combinations of letters or words that spelled out the mystery behind the project, would they gain the power to steer its course? The question remains whether Mulder and Scully will be able to erase that crucial letter from the "emet" representing the project in time to stop it in its tracks and prevent CSM, his cronies, and their creations from running amok. Will this lead to the destruction of the project, or will the removal of that final character spell out death for Mulder and Scully? The truth is out there...

But there's another side. Events on the show constantly highlight the danger of the truth, suggesting to us that maybe the bad guys are right after all. Maybe people "can't handle the truth" (help! In which episode does X says this?). Maybe if we knew all the things that they know we would "all fall apart" (CSM, One Breath).

Think about it: Skinner almost destroys his marriage by trying to protect his wife from the things that he knows. Does that make the truth sound innocent? Albert Hosteen says that you have to be willing to sacrifice yourself to the truth. And with their every step closer to the truth, M & S *are* forced to make another sacrifice. Should they be reconsidering their goal? On TXF, truth has always been one letter away from death.

"Kaddish" shows us both sides of the truth, more clearly than most episodes, and also makes plain to us how closely the two are linked. The story of the Golem of Prague is the bright side. In the hands of a just, wise, and holy person, the truth brings life. It is the defense of the innocent against the wicked.

But posters on this group who are knowledgeable about Judaism have stressed that only a person who has devoted a lifetime to the study of the Kabbalah can or should create a golem. Maybe the truth, like the golem, is essentially a soulless weapon. Good intentions aren't enough to control the danger of the truth. Ariel acts only out of love, but her actions bring death.

So, once again, the underlying message seems to be that the truth is only safe in the hands of few, that it wasn't meant for the many. CSM might argue that, like a Kabbalist, he has devoted his life, sacrificed it, to the truth. Maybe it's right that he controls it? As for M & S, when they finally attain the truth (an event we'll probably have to use our imaginations for, because heaven knows it will never happen on the series :) ), what will they do with it? By then they'll have sacrificed enough to be qualified to handle it wisely (in fact, Scully, by virtue of her Saintliness, is already qualified :) ); will they share it with the public? I kind of like the subversive idea that others have suggested before, that M & S will take CSM's place in a way, protecting the rest of us from things we are not prepared to know.

While it is not unlikely that Ariel felt guilt at the death of her fiance, perhaps considering "if" scenarios and imagining ways she could have prevented the situation, this is not really dealt with in Kaddish. Rather we see how sudden tragedy is a shock and interruption of a normal course of emotion. The emotion continues on although the object is no longer there. Ariel hears that her fiance is dead, but she is unable to reconcile this new reality with the reality she knew only moments before. Whereas in the real world survivors must work through this sudden vacuum slowly and painfully, in X-Universe Ariel is able to conjure back her dead lover in order to experience her completion. She recites her marriage vow, he places a ring on her finger and she is able to say goodbye.

Mulder is obssessed with this same need for closure. His sister's diappearance is highly unresolved and so he seeks facts and explanations. But even more, he is driven by survivor guilt. Mulder feels that it was his duty to protect Samantha, that he should have been able to save her. In flashbacks to her abduction we see the stricken Fox struggling to find a weapon and be his sister's hero. He fails and she is gone. While we have watched Mulder's encounters with the adult Samantha-clone (which may well be his golem) it was somewhat clear that he was never really convinced that this was his sister, perhaps even that he *knew* it was not. "Paper Hearts" is by far more illuminating. The scene where Mulder rescues Samantha (as a child) from the car is the telling one. Being able to recreate the peril of her abduction and this time succeed, holding his sister in joy and relief, keeping her safe at last. If Mulder was able to create a golem of Sam, it is likely then that his ritual with her would be to say he was sorry, sorry he failed her.

So it is not really the truth that will free Mulder from the shackles of his shame and fear, no more than the "truth" about who killed Isaac freed Ariel from the bonds of her emotional need. Truth will only be Mulder's saviour to the extent that it brings his sister back alive and she can tell him that she never blamed him, that there was no way he could have saved her.

One character on the X-Files who has apparently sold his soul long ago, is the Cigarette Smoking Man. In his power climb, he has left behind friends and associates and now deals with dark forces in alien alliances. He probably started out innocently enough; just following orders while trying to garner information that might buy him a bigger seat at the table. It would seem he began this journey with Bill Mulder and Deep Throat, but CSM is the only one of the three left in the game. The "devil" they summoned was the non-terrestrial partner in The Project that continues unimpeded despite losses along the way. For CSM, the cost of summoning the devil was his life. Although he is the last of the three compatriots standing, he has no friends, no family, and no real happiness. If "Musings of a CSM" is a partially true account of his existence to this point, then it is clear that his most fervent hopes and dreams have not come to fruition and the price he paid along the way has been great.

Bill Mulder and Deep Throat seem to have veered from the true course that was set for them at the inception of The Project. Both men lost their lives due to their involvement and, more importantly, because of an attempt to correct what they later perceived as a transgression. One can imagine that the men began their work under the impression that it was the right thing to do and, more importantly, because it had been ordered. But as they gained seniority in the work, they may have seen potential pitfalls but they were now too deep to get out safely. We don't know Deep Throat's family situation, but Bill Mulder had to consider the safety of his wife and children. He could not easily extricate himself simply due to a sudden attack of conscience. These men had entered into a partnership that they imagined themselves equals in, only to find that The Project they thought they controlled was, in fact, controlling them. They are not innocent...they knew the possibility of their actions and alliances; therefore, they were responsible for the consequences. But it was obviously too much to live with and each man began to regret the choices of youth. Deep Throat tried to remain in the system as he worked to sabotage The Project. Bill Mulder paid an early price with the loss of Samantha and seemed to alienate himself from his family, but in the end he did attempt to right his wrongs by confessing to his son. Their lives were the ultimate price for their unholy alliance.

Mulder believes. Scully is skeptical but she ultimately believes in Mulder. Has Mulder considered the possibility of those beliefs and his actions lately? In "One Breath", Skinner warned Mulder that neither partner should be on the playing field unless they knew the rules and potentials of the game. At the time Mulder felt that Scully may have been uninformed and unprepared for the possibilities. Now, they've seen much more and gathered many clues even if they don't yet have a clear picture. They should realize the dangers their quest poses. The obvious danger is the loss of themselves along the way. But I'm not sure if they've taken the time to think about what their options are once they've uncovered The Truth. CSM once told Mulder, "If people knew what I've seen...it'd all fall apart." Most likely misquoted by me but the meaning is clear and the implications are powerful. Imagine Mulder finally stumbling bruised and beaten into the Pentagon basement with a calm, cool, collected Scully at his side. They've seen the Truth, they've hunted for the answers, and now they have the proof. Hard evidence they can hold in their hands. What now? Take out an ad in the NY Times? Splash the story across the wires and scan pictures of the alien fetus over the internet? Of course, we want them to succeed at their quest, but what is the safest way to distribute that information effectively? A sudden flood of The Truth, and chaos could reign. CSM features himself a champion and protector of the American people due to his discretion, and he might not be so far from the truth. During the confrontation between CSM and Mulder in "One Breath", it is clear that Mulder catches a glimpse of this reality and his disgust and hatred is an ineffective shield against this revelation. Mulder and Scully's work will not end upon discovery of The Truth...the hard part will just be starting.

The Cigarette Smoking Man has endured. He is chronically involved in the dealings with the devil. Bill Mulder and Deep Throat had a somewhat terminal involvement. But Mulder and Scully may be on the threshold of the devil's domain. At this acute phase, the partners know just enough to realize the full potential and are, in fact, part of The Project in a corporeal sense. Scully was "abducted" and in "Memento Mori" we saw real evidence of what was done and the impact it may have on her health. Even Mulder has become a test subject though I'm not sure he's related the experiences from "Tunguska" to Scully. But if the goals of their quest are reached, they will hold in their hands proof of these past dealings and the answers that they've known were out there since "The Erlenmeyer Flask". If The Truth is too dangerous to reveal, what then? Will they have to join the dark side and become players in the game to conceal the truth? Stay tuned for Season 5.

When Barbara posted this topic, it made me think of the prison conversation between CSM and Jeremiah in "Talitha Cumi". In CSM's words: "The people believe in authority. They've grown tired of waiting for miracle and mystery. Science is their religion. No greater explanation exists for them. They must never believe any differently if the project is to move forward."

I wanted to contend that most of the supernatural episodes of the X-Files do in fact show people holding this attitude. (By supernatural I mean magical/diabolical/divine, as opposed to merely paranormal). And many do: Die Hand, Fresh Bones, and even Kaddish show that people take matters of the spirit world all too lightly. They are only words or empty traditions, or if these words and traditions do have some effect, it will be a tame one, subject to human will in the way that science is.

Unfortunately, a couple of other episodes had to turn up to weaken my case. :)

Revelations, for example. In this episode there are people with worldviews other than the one that Cancerman hopes for. There are people who are fully cognizant of the awesome power of both the divine and the diabolical (although admittedly, they are in the minority, and some of them institutionalized!). They are present in The Calusari, too, although again, the implication seems to be that these people who believe are not taken seriously by the rest of the world and may in fact be dying out.

I sometimes wonder (Scullyist that I am :) ) if the juxtaposition of the events of Revelations and the Talitha Cumi conversation doesn't suggest that Scully may be the eventual downfall of the project and the conspiracy? Maybe Mulder's type of faith is what is needed to find the truth, but Scully's type of faith, her tentative willingness to believe in miracle, is what will be needed to *use* the truth once they find it?

This episode first aired in Season two, companioned by similar episode Fresh Bones although it is most similar by far to Our Town which aired later that season. In both episodes we see outwardly normal communities that harbour dark secrets of evil practices. In both cases complete alliegance was required to the cause and in both we see a "leader" who manages to create a religion that others will follow. But more importantly we see people who are willing to give themselves over to this command. It seems that the greatest faith that human beings can hold is one of religious faith, by any description. Humans appear to have an inate craving to belong to a "whole" something greater than the individual sum of its parts and this need can be manipulated for either a good purpose (love one another) or an evil one (destruction and hatred).

So in another sense then, this episode was also a treatment of the group versus the individual. When individual needs or feelings were raised above, such as when Jim rebels after his daughter is sacrificed, the group turns against him. I can't help but compare the cult to a Nazi Germany with Mrs. Paddock as Hitler and the cultists as the Nazi's. Unquestioning personal sacrifice is required from the supplicants and "he who is not with us, is against us". It could also be said that a similar mentality is used in organized crime and street gangs. So the success of the cult relies upon the destruction of the individual conscience and motivation and this is another important message in Die Hand, both enlightening and disturbing.