And Thou Shalt Love (2007) Plot Summary Explained

Ohad chooses the forty-day fast because he genuinely believes it will suppress his same-sex attraction. As a devout Hesder student, he trusts that intense prayer and ritual discipline can change his feelings. He consults Atzat Lev, a religious helpline that promotes conversion-therapy concepts, and follows their guidance believing the ritual will align his desires with his faith's requirements.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early that Ohad hides his attraction from everyone, showing his desperation to resolve the conflict between his identity and his religious world.

• forty day fast
• tikkun haklali
• conversion therapy
• religious struggle
• same-sex attraction

The rubber band is a physical tool Ohad wears to remind himself to suppress his forbidden desires. Whenever he feels attraction, he's supposed to snap the band against his wrist as pain to redirect his thoughts. It represents his constant self-punishment and the external pressure he places on himself to control his sexuality through physical discomfort.

Foreshadowing: The rubber band appears early in the forty-day period, establishing the physically painful nature of Ohad's spiritual struggle.

• rubber band
• self-punishment
• penance
• desire suppression
• physical reminder

Nir's return triggers a crisis because Ohad's feelings for him are at the center of his same-sex attraction. After weeks of fasting and believing he was being 'cured,' seeing Nir again floods Ohad with the emotions he thought he had suppressed. The reunion proves to him that the forty-day method has failed and his feelings remain unchanged.

Foreshadowing: The timeline shows Nir returns toward the end of the forty days, just as Ohad is beginning to assess whether the process worked.

• Nir
• feelings
• rejection
• emotional breakdown
• forty days complete

Nir rejects Ohad harshly because he believes Ohad cannot remain in the yeshiva while harboring these feelings. Nir urges him to leave, viewing Ohad's presence as incompatible with the religious community's standards. This rejection reflects the film's depiction of how religious condemnation forces loved ones into painful positions, even when they care about each other.

Foreshadowing: The tension between tradition and personal truth builds throughout the narrative, with Nir representing the community's voice.

• Nir rejection
• community
• tradition
• yeshiva
• kicking out

Nir prevents Ohad from performing the priestly blessing because Ohad is a Cohen (priest), and Nir argues that Torah prohibits someone with these feelings from acting in that sacred role. Nir believes it would be inappropriate for Ohad to bless the congregation given the religious laws around homosexuality. This moment forces Ohad to decide whether religious law or personal truth comes first.

Foreshadowing: This conflict stems directly from Nir's earlier rejection and his insistence that Ohad leave the yeshiva.

• cohanim blessing
• priestly blessing
• Cohen
• Torah law
• religious duty

When Ohad removes the rubber band, he is rejecting the external methods of suppressing his identity. The act symbolizes his shift from trying to change himself to accepting who he is. He chooses to stop punishing his body for feelings he cannot control, though this doesn't mean his struggle is over, it marks the beginning of a different path.

Foreshadowing: The removal happens immediately after Nir's confrontation, making it a direct response to being rejected.

• rubber band removal
• acceptance
• self-acceptance
• stopping suppression
• personal truth

Ohad performs the blessing because he decides to stay true to himself while remaining within his faith. By saying the blessing despite Nir's objection, he asserts that his relationship with God is personal and cannot be denied by others' judgments. This act represents his reconciliation with both his identity and his spirituality, he accepts himself and continues practicing his religion on his own terms.

Foreshadowing: This directly follows his removal of the rubber band, showing his new resolve.

• priestly blessing
• self-acceptance
• faith
• identity
• reconciliation

Atzat Lev is a fictional religious helpline based on real organizations that promote conversion therapy concepts. Ohad calls them seeking guidance about his sexuality, and they direct him toward the forty-day correction process. The film critiques these organizations by showing how their methods cause harm while offering false hope that Ohad's feelings can be extinguished through ritual.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes Ohad's call to Atzat Lev as the catalyst for his entire forty-day journey.

• atzat lev
• conversion therapy
• religious helpline
• gay cure
• Repentance

Ohad finds a form of peace, though it is bittersweet. He removes the rubber band and performs the priestly blessing, reclaiming his place in his faith community despite Nir's rejection. However, this resolution comes after losing his closest friend and facing the reality that his community may never fully accept him. The ending shows personal acceptance rather than reconciliation with others.

Foreshadowing: The final timeline events show Ohad choosing to live with truth rather than conformity.

• ending
• peace
• acceptance
• resolution
• bittersweet ending

The forty-day correction fails because sexual orientation cannot be changed through fasting and prayer. The film portrays this as an inherent reality rather than a failure of faith. When Nir returns, Ohad realizes his feelings remain unchanged despite the intense discipline. This failure forces him to stop seeking a cure and instead confront who he actually is.

Foreshadowing: The narrative builds toward this realization as Ohad's emotional state deteriorates during the forty days.

• forty days failed
• correction not working
• sexuality cannot change
• conversion therapy ineffective