Difficult for a goy to fully grasp the meaning of this drama because it is so Jew identified. And yet the very Jewishness of the work is precisely its appeal. The Hebrew terms in the screenplay are explained in the DVDs' special features which is invaluable because they directly relate to the significance of the piece.
This one is essentially about the meaning of life for the individual and what Hashem wants from us in living a good and serious life. That the central characters do not really know how to do this is where much of the dark comedy derives since most simply accept their inability to know God's mind. The many confusions here spring from the essentially cyclic nature of existence - one minute you are up; the next minute you are down. This leads to the characteristic Jewish tendency of being philosophical and laughing off the vicissitudes of life (with seemingly meaningless fairy tales & shaggy dog stories) while celebrating the highpoints as much as possible.
Anti-Semitism explains the tight knit community on show here exemplified by fears of unsociable White supremacist neighbors with rifles shooting Jews during hunting season. And yet the running joke throughout is that Jews are losing some of their culture through assimilation with gentiles, since so many of the characters do not understand what others are saying when they use Hebrew words. Even the younger rabbi is confused in this regard. Here the tension between the closeness of the community and the age of its values, and the wider goy community's mores is usefully explored - especially as regard illegal drugs and adultery.
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