"Where are you from"? I turn my head and see a bearded Jew, wearing black standing in front of me. Across the glazing spectacles I see green smiling eyes. Where did he appear from? Just a second ago my face was turned towards the place he is standing now and no living soul was seen there.
Friday afternoon in the Jewish quarter of Prague. The Shabbat sacredness is approaching. I have just been to an exciting tour of the synagogue, the cemetery, at the
Maharal grave and other established Jewish institutions.
The streets stood forlorn in their emptiness, it seemed; I was the only one walking amongst them, searching for the sound of the Golem. I was looking for Shukie, my friend and ally who joined me for the trip. His likeness as well could not be found anywhere.
I went into a plush Jewish restaurant, its space long and continuous and marching through it was sort of a path into
a Jewish soul. There too I could not find Shukie.
I went outside, turned my face to my right and my left - empty. Not a living soul. And then, as if from nowhere, he appeared - emerging in front of my astonished face and his language is my language.
"From Israel" I answered being surprised.
He laughed, "I have already understood that... I meant where from in Israel?"
What does it mean you have already understood that, I am thinking to myself, you have not been here a fraction of a second ago, you have not exchanged a word with me and you understood?
"From the Negev from Nitzanah".
A'ahah, yes yes, I know"..
I am in a perpetual doubt saying again: "Nitzanah near Egypt, not Nitzaneem near Ashkelon".
"Yes, Yes clearly" he replies and his face all light and smiles.
Lord of the universe, what is so clear to you...
I am looking at him stunned thinking, what's now? And I hope Shukie deigns to appear out of this quiet wilderness.
And the bearded one continues, "I would like to tell you something, I am not sure I am allowed to, that it is OK"...
"allowed allowed"... let him already say, what can he say anyway...
"Please" I am saying.
"You have to let go, you have to leave this place, they do not understand you, this is not your place - you have done your share".
My feet are glued to the pavement. "What"? I am echoing weakly..
"Yes, I am seeing everything, all this sorrow over your shoulders - they do not understand you and letting you bear it all alone. You need to go, leave this place"...
He is examining me, how am I receiving his words.
Shukie, Shukie, Shukie.... appear, appear, appear.. and he appears across the road, emerging from one of the buildings and approaching me.
Shukie was born in Mea'a Shea'arim to a Haredi family, is similar in look and attire to the greened eye bearded man laughing in front of me. At 7 years old he announced publicly that this kind of life, he is not intending on living and renounced any kind of obligation. He suffered belts at the hands of his own father, his forbear and hugs from his Haredi grandpa, who was wondrously tolerant. Since then and until now his fondness of bearded rabbis, dressed in black and wearing cylinder hats was doubtful. And so is the respect he has for them.
"Come rescue me from him" I am calling to him... "He is telling me things as if he knows me. Take the Rabbi away from here"
And the Rabbi is laughing, extending his hand towards Shukie for a warm and friendly handshake. Without realizing it, Shukie is captivated by his charm and they start blubbering about the Jerusalemite neighborhoods, about colorful characters... what is going on here?
Maybe we should go into the restaurant and drink a cup of wine before Shabbat enters, suggests the honorable rabbi. And we turn around and enter into the Jewish restaurant and once again walking along its long and narrow path. The 3 of us are sitting leisurely in front of a knights' table. The waiter is serving 3 cups of red wine.
I sat down frozen in my place. Feeling how I am raising an energetic wall between me and the world. Between me and the hidden seeing eyes of the mysterious man who is talking to me and about me as if he had already knew me. And all his words are truth and all his heart sees - is so!
And now he turns towards me. "I would like to try something with you". "Please", I am saying frightened and surprisingly he extends his two hands towards me and is asking me to hold them...
I do not understand how this is possible; this is breaking all the laws. "Are you sure?" I am asking. "Sure sure", he is laughing, "all the burdensome laws are designed for he who has no wisdom in his head and is not discerning between important and unimportant".
I extended my hands and he held them softly and warmly...nothing. He is raising his eyes and again - nothing happens.
He is gathering his hands into his laps and declares: "It is not working. You are shutting down out of fear and fright, let's try another thing".
Shukie is looking stunned and is quiet. I am looking at him trying to hold into an island of stability.. let him say something.. and he is hypnotized just as I am; so surrealistic. Two doubters on a Shabbat evening at the Jewish quarter of Prague and a green eye Rabbi covered in black who appeared from nowhere...
And the Rabbi is asking: "Look into my eyes" and he gently takes off his glasses and I, obedient and polite, raising my eyes and boom, I am swept into the whirlpool of his eyes, meandering tunnels.
I am sensing the limbs of my body being planted deep into the seat, my legs feeling heavier by tens of kilograms are binding to the floor, the blood is draining from my hands which are drooping on the sides of my body like tree logs lacking grace and movement. And my gaze and face are deeply deeply buried somewhere in the journey inside the stranger green eyes. I am hearing a mix of sounds but understand no word. Something gigantic and greater than me is navigating.
Suddenly I notice the face and eyes disappear at once from the range of my scrutinizing eyes. The blood flow returns to my hands, the legs are back to their normal weight, and only the soul... the inner soul suddenly felt joy, light and airy as it has not been for years.
The rabbi smiled and got up to go. "it seemed to me I helped you and Shabbat is almost here and I would like to go back to my hotel"... and he pulls out a card with the hotel name and address, showing it to Shukie and to me and invites us to come have a conversation with him during the Shabbat.
Still stunned from what occurred my words remained sequestered in the brain, he turns back to me saying "I will go, unless you will ask me otherwise".
And I innocently think: Shabbat is almost here and only matters of life and death supersede the Shabbat...what does he see in me...what does he try rescuing me from? Me? Life and death?
And the words are coming out:"No thanks no need, all is well. Blessed are thou in your coming and blessed are thou in your leaving. Go in peace and Shabbbat Shalom".
And he almost turns to leave and suddenly I am saying, "you know what, we'll accompany you". Shukie asks for the check and we are about to leave.
As we still standing by our table, the Rabbi extends his hand as a cap above Shukie's head and blesses him and he turns to me smiling - "indeed I helped".
"you have helped" I find myself saying back to him. "I don't know what and how, but you have helped" if you would have allow it I would even give you a hug... To my surprise he spread his two hands to the sides and invites me into their embrace and I yield to a fatherly and warm hug, devoid of any pretense other than a sincere desire to calm down... to calm down all I knew is in me that is so needing to be calmed.
And again we are on our way through the long elongated restaurant hallway, three different people but not so much strangers any longer.
And one last step before we reach the door, we are turning towards the Jewish restaurant owner to say our thanks and bless him with Shabbat Shalom... a deed of few brief seconds... and again we turn to leave and...Where is he? Where to had he disappeared?
The man dressed in black, with the twinkling eyes, the bearded one? The sensitive clairvoyant man vanished in a split of a second into the approaching Shabbat, just as he appeared.
Leaving us stunned and thrilled and embellished with question marks...
We harried to open the computer looking for the hotel... at least the hotel... something to hung on to... there was none.
Soon is the holiday of Shavuot, a holiday connected in our collective memory to an unforgettable audiovisual event.. to the epiphany of Mount Sinai, an epiphany that apparently was intended to teach us one or two things about faith.
I received this story from Michal through a mutual friend, it is a true story.
Boaz Pnini
Greetings,
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