20 Things You Didn't Know About A Serious Man
15. The Film's Setting And Its Religious Basis.
During his Bar Mitzvah, Danny reads a portion of the Torah known as Behar (part of the Pasha cycle), a section that details the events of the Jubilee Year. This year includes events such as the return of slaves as well as ancestral land. The reading of the portions takes place on an annual basis and due to this, it is implied that the event takes place in early May, 1967.
This portion may have been selected due to its preceding of Bechukotai, the next portion of the cycle. This portion is read together with the Behar by Jewish communities in the diaspora and is well known for its stance on obeying the law and consequences for not following it.
It also comments on the dangers of being faint of heart (something Larry is known for). Finally, the significance of 1967 may also boil down to the fact that Joel Coen himself had his Bar Mitzvah in the same year.