Bee Season

Number 14,

Eliza Naumann, Oakland Tribune, Oakland, California.

- "Oppidan." - "Oppidan."

My father told me once...

that words and letters hold all the secrets of the universe.

That in their shapes and sounds,

I could find everything and see beyond myself...

to something special,

perfect.

My father told me once...

that I could reach the ear of God.

Eliza?

"Nozzle."

From KQED public radio, this is "The California Report."

I'm Scott Shaffer. On today's show, people from all over the country--

...thousands of supermarket clerks are on the picket line.

70,000 union workers at Vons--

...walked off the job late Saturday after contract negotiations fell through.

At issue are--

Ron says the Alfa's gonna be ready this afternoon.

Great. So I'll pick it up and stop for groceries.

Okay. Hey.

Hey, what are you doing? That's my breakfast.

- This is terrible stuff. How do you eat this? -

I'll see you later. Yeah, see you.

Bye. Thanks for the ride. Okay, bye-bye.

Bye.

- Got your lunch? - Mm-hmm.

Bye, sweetheart. I'll call after school.

Okay. Okay. Bye-bye.

Thanks, Mom.

Hey, wait up!

Eliza, let's try "possibility."

"Possibility."

P-O-S-S-I...

B-I-L...

- I-T-Y. "Possibility." - Correct.

Courtney. "Graphite."

Correct. O-R-O-W--

That's incorrect. L-I--

Incorrect. I'm sorry. You're excused.

C-L-T-- "Placebo."

- P-L-A-- - "Random." "Indemnity."

- I-N-- - "Flux."

"Flux." "Fluorescent."

F-L-U-O-- "Archaeology."

A-R-C-H-A-E...

O-L-O-G-Y.

Who's going to be handling it? Who do we have this year?

We've got Louis, Thomas-- We've got-- So, that's James.

Uh, "Aspects of Biblical Religion." Ron usually takes that.

Look again. Uh, 190:

Topics in Religious Studies, the Upanishads.

I could do that or--

Coffee? Thanks. On the stove.

You know that dinner of yours? We used every pot in the house.

That wasn't worth washing a pot or two? Or 10.

What's this? He's helping her with Hebrew school.

Do you understand a word you're saying?

I understand a lot of it. Yeah? Okay.

Translate, hotshot. Um, it's about where Abraham sacrifices--

No, not sacrifices. ...uh, starts--

- Yes? - ...to sacrifice Isaac to God?

You're being a bully. A bully?

Maybe, but why shouldn't he know what he's saying?

Isn't God in the words? See, God is the words.

The spoken words, the utterances.

How do we reach the ear of God, Aaron?

Exactly. You speak with him. It's ridiculous.

Most Jews don't understand what they're saying in services.

Well, that's what attracted me. The mystery of it all.

- I thought it was Dad's cooking. - Very clever.

You missed a spot.

You're slipping. Come on. Let's go. Let's play. Let's go.

Come on. We'll finish this later.

Hey, what do you think about changing the tempo--

I love this piece. You been working on this?

**

**

** Good night, honey.

**

Hey. Could you drive me somewhere?

So, uh, what is this again?

I told you already. The district spelling bee.

Don't you have to win your school bee to be in that?

Uh-huh. God, Elly, that's great.

Wow. I'm totally impressed.

Dad must be in Dad heaven.

- He doesn't care. - How can you say that? He loves this stuff.

I put the letter under his door. He never said anything.

I'm sorry.

The spelling bee is a truly American tradition.

I'd like to welcome you to the Oakland Tribune District Bee.

Spellers, be proud.

You are examples of the best and brightest in our area.

"Sequel."

"Sequel."

S-E-Q-U...

- E-L. - Correct.

"Orangutan."

O--

"Turpitude." "Fresco." "Homonym."

Hom-- Homonym.

H-O...

M-O-N-Y-M.

Correct.

"Coyote."

- "Coyote." C-O-Y-- - "Affix."

- - "Susurration."

"Dendroid." "Extenuate." "Notorious."

"Anvil." "Hydrofoil." "Graduate."

- "Oasis." - "Hoodlum."

"Macramé."

M-A-C...

R-A-M--

- ...A-Y? - Incorrect.

S-A-L-I...

N-E. "Saline."

So, a paradox.

God is... everything--

a perfect, luminous essence.

But even God wants more-- to experience more, to give.

So God creates a vessel, a container,

that can receive this... gift of God's pure light.

His divine light pours into the vessel.

Come stand here. The vessel, of course,

can't contain the magnitude of this light, and it shatters.

Destroying the vessel, and scattering its broken shards...

in a big bang of creation.

Now, man's job is to locate and gather these shards...

to make the vessel-- our world-- whole again.

Now the cabalists called this fixing, this mending--

they called it...

Tikkun--

Tikkun olam, the fixing of the world.

Now, any act of goodness, altruism, kindness,

that contributes to that idea is considered tikkun olam.

It's an extraordinary idea-- that we can restore what has been shattered.

In fact, it's our responsibility to try, each of us.

Out of the very pieces of the destruction,

God has left us hope.

- - Polytheism papers due next Tuesday.

Elly, this is fantastic. Why didn't you tell me?

I did, but you didn't say anything. Hmm?

She thinks you've been ignoring it.

I put the letter under your door. What letter, honey?

From Dr. Morris. Dr. Morris?

It's probably in the mess on your floor, Dad.

- I'm really sorry. I didn't see that letter. - She beat out a lot of kids.

Yeah? You'd have loved it.

Did you do that?

Oh, man.

I got another chance now, don't I? Because you moved up to that next level, right?

- The regional bee in Sacramento. - Oh, perfect.

Perfect. We'll all go. This is really, really important, and this--

This is a beautiful thing.

Let's take this home. We'll show it to your mom, all right?

We'll put the top down on the Alfa.

Wow, what a great day!

It's okay.

Go with Dad.

I'll, uh, see you at home.

Okay, in the Chronicle, the Trib and the Montclarion. Listen to this.

Wow. "Winner of the spelling bee...

"that took place Saturday afternoon at Albany High School...

was sixth grader Eliza Naumann."

"Sixth Grader Bests Middle Schoolers."

Let me see.

That's great. I'm proud of you. "Naumann casts a spell."

- You know, you've always been good at spelling. - Yeah, but not this good.

It's not important. Of course it's important.

You know, there are people who believe...

that letters are expression of a very special primal energy,

and when they combine to make words, they--

they hold all the secrets of the universe.

You remember the Vikings?

Okay, the Vikings called this epli.

Now, when they took it across the sea in their ships, it became apfel.

Across another border, it became appel.

By the time it got to us, it was "apple."

A-P-P-L-E. Its spelling contains all of that.

It holds its history inside it.

Yeah, but that's not the secret of the universe.

Isn't it? Yes, thanks.

"Miss Naumann, youngest district spelling champion ever."

You know that? Mm-mmm.

Wow. Mimi?

Mim, we're all going to Sacramento next month.

We came here for the science fair. Remember?

Yeah.

Come on. Let's take a picture. Excuse me. Could you hold this?

Everybody. All right.

Smile. [ Camera Shutter Clicks ]

There you go. Thanks. Thanks a lot.

- "Lorgnette." - "Lorgnette."

L-O-R-G...

N-E-T...

T-E? Correct.