The last few chapters examined some of the social cognitive and intersubjective changes that communicative technologies like divination undergo when robust forms of writing and literacy are introduced. The remaining chapters take up specific examples in Judaic systems to illustrate the points made in these early chapters about the effects of literacy. Specifically, in the next three chapters I examine divination, names and cognitive environments of Judaic systems.

In the film A Serious Man, aside from the main protagonist, Larry Gopnik, viewers also get involved in the story of his brother, Arthur. Throughout the film Arthur is obsessively writing a manuscript called the “Mentaculus”, but when we finally find out what it is, it turns out to be some kind of mad Kabbalistic cipher. Larry, the brother and main protaganist in the film, explains what it is to his friend Mimi: “Te Mentaculus? He says it's a, uh … a probability map. Of the universe. He asked if I could help him publish it. Um, it was a little hard for me to evaluate” (Coen and Coen 2009: 63).

As it turns out Arthur has been using the Mentaculus to make a lot of money gambling. Arthur might just be a genius who uses Judaic divination to predict the future. He gives the money to Larry's son Danny, who puts it to good use. Danny says later: “He won a lot of money, Dad! The Mentaculus really works!” (Coen and Coen 2009: 94).