“Kaddish” is episode fifteen of season four of The X-Files.
The episode opens in Ben Zion Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, where a funeral is taking place. A woman at the cemetery sees the man, presumably the victim, being attacked by three thugs in a market and, as she holds some soil, one of them shooting him with a revolver. During a storm in the night, a mostly unseen figure shapes the mud into a humanoid shape. As the figure walks away, the shape starts breathing.
Scully is telling Mulder about an Isaac Luria, a Hasidic Jew, and he mentions that the area is known for racial tensions and hate crimes. Luria was murdered two days ago in the market he owned. Severely beaten then shot five times point blank with a revolver. Robbery was ruled out as the only thing missing was the CCTV tape. The police found it this morning in the VCR of 16-year-old Tony Oliver. Scully plays the tape and indicates which is Tony.
Tony wasn’t arrested; he was found strangled to death whilst watching the tape. Mulder thinks that’s very Old Testament. Scully says an interesting set of prints was pulled off the body. Isaac Luria’s. Mulder suggests Isaac has risen from the grave to take revenge. Scully does not. She thinks it’s hiding something; a resurrection hoax and not a good one. The killer must have obtained Isaac’s fingerprints and they’ve been asked to prove how.
Mulder and Scully arrive at the Weiss residence and ask to speak to Ariel Weiss. Her father, Jacob, is a bit annoyed but Ariel, the woman from the funeral, agrees. They ask for consent for an exhumation and are told that one of the three suspects has been murdered in an act of retaliation. Jacob thinks he’s an animal, just like the other two. The police said they were paranoid and had nothing to worry about. There is always a threat of violence. This morning, a hate pamphlet was stuck under the door. Jacob has no interest in helping find the only man who has taken justice into his own hands. He’s told they’d be happy not to disturb the grave if Jacob tells them who the killer is. Why should he? It’s a homicide; he’s required by law. They can exhume even without consent. Ariel tells them to do what they must; just leave them alone.
Scully believes Jacob knows who’s responsible and he doesn’t want the grave disturbing because he knows what they will find. Mulder can understand Jacob’s attitude. Mulder thinks the leaflet is connected to the killers. Meanwhile, a muddy man is watching Ariel from the street.
Mulder and Scully head to Brunjes Copy Shop, where the owner is clearly opposed to Jews. He denies knowing the other two suspects, Derek Banks and Clinton Maguire. He accuses Mulder and Scully of working for ‘them’ and that Mulder looks like he might be one of ‘them’ himself. Brunjes says at least he isn’t a Zionist collaborator. One of the two other boys is watching on the CCTV as Mulder mentions about rumours that Isaac has risen from the grave. Brunjes asks what kind of Jew trick this is. One a Jew pulled of two thousand years ago. When they leave, Brunjes enters the back room but the boy, Derek, is gone.
That night, Derek and Clinton are digging up Isaac’s grave, just to make sure. Someone is watching. Clinton heads to get some tools from their car as Derek breaks into the coffin. Which is not empty. Derek calls for Clinton, who doesn’t answer. Because he’s dead.
In the morning, Scully checks Clinton’s body as it’s taken away and tells Mulder he was strangled in the same way. Mulder says forensics found a second set of prints but they couldn’t be made out properly. Scully thinks the boys came back to desecrate the corpse in retribution. Mulder thinks that’s a bit redundant, and that they came because they were afraid. That the man they hated enough to kill was not really dead. Mulder finds a book beneath Isaac and picks it up. It catches fire. Which is a trifle odd.
Derek has gone back to the copy shop and wants money from Brunjes. Brunjes is angry they killed Isaac; he never said to kill. Derek asks what Brunjes expects him to do; hide in the dark like him? Brunjes claims he is working to spread the truth. Derek finds him as pathetic as them. Brunjes says he is exposing their lies. Derek says that’s just words and his friends weren’t killed with words.
The book from the grave is taken to a Jewish scholar, who says it’s the Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Creation. No, it isn’t buried with a body. Neither is it known to spontaneously combust; it’s just a book made from leather and paper. Scully has an explanation for why the book could have combusted which sounds more complicated and farfetched than simply saying ‘magic’ does. The book belonged to Jacob Weiss.
An episode in which the victims of the killer, whatever it is, don’t arouse sympathy.