>what was the connection with the opening sequence to the rest
>of the film? I read this: "The inscrutable part is most
>evident in the opening scene, a parable entirely in Yiddish,
>about a wife who invites over for dinner a man who may or may
>not be a ghost. The parable's relation to the main story is
>tenuous, but nicely introduces a world in which faith can
>double as myth, and people don't so much take comfort in their
>faith as fear its wrath." Im not sure i buy this connection
>though.

I don't really buy that connection either. I saw a couple of possible takes on it:

1. Some people, regardless of their intentions, are doomed to be unlucky, and are destined to incur the wrath of their god. This seems to be the most obvious read.

2. Some people see poor fortune as God punishing them, and other people are content with whatever hand God has dealt them-- she believes, despite the fact that their lives are changed, that she did the right thing and rid the house of evil, and is content with her action. The junior rabbi talks about this some in his speech (which I loved).

3. Regardless of the ways in which God tests you, you will never get a definitive answer. The second rabbi talks about this some (another terrific speech).

I'm sure there are others. It also sets up the film to follow as a parable in its own right-- by beginning with a true recognizable parable, we then view what follows in its shadow to some degree.