“Our old Rabbis have already said,”- Reb Aaron told his few pupils, cynically or mercifully: “What the mind will not think of – time will be doing.”
He opened the learning room’s window, and pointed on a long funeral procession that was going to take place thereby.
It would be a crowded funeral, unlike a regular one. Nobody had time enough or properly announce it, though all had know well that it would happen sooner or later. If God will be Good – it would never happen, but don’t delude yourself…
Though it had been fixed to an unexpected hour in the afternoon, people interrupted their daily work, leaving aside any tool or utensil or animal or or food – from their hands. They started walking to the Main Synagogue Square. All were standing like frozen, silent and waiting in tension. Military ‘Major Rumor’, having a scandalous memory, and as such he liked by children recently (they have learnt about his existance from their old brothers’ letters to their parents) was surfing very calmly in the open air, or maybe sitting on a green grass cushion at the horizon, and marketing again his terrible never ending goods.
All of a sudden, like in a snatch, it all happened.
And until a man had chance to recover from his initial shock- the dark doubt has become a real fact. The knowledge about the naked truth, of death in almost every house on the town’s old streets- has been unveiled in daylight. It was dwelling now within coffins which were wrapped by blue-white and David Star national flags, and with ‘Talith’ praying cloths. A low weeping voice was its melody, and the deep knowledgeable bereavement was its messenger.
The children whose Talmud lesson was cut by the Rabbi, got out through the Synagogue side exit. They were gazing now at four or five military trucks on the road. Nahumik could not at first know their exact number, because of the ocean of people filling the Sqaure and its entries. It was four in the afternoon, and the heavy drive of the vehicles in the town-center has made the mourning matures and elderly burst in cry, and stirred fear mingled with a respect of the sublime- in the hearts of the children.
The soldiers who drove the trucks came out of their cabines, as the ‘stand up meeting’ of the town leaders continued at the townsquare. The curiosity of the children led them to have a look at the soldiers and the vehicles more closely, and Humik and his friend Mike approached them.
One of the soldiers began to smoke. He wasn’t just a recruit but had a Captain’s rank of three ‘olive branches’ on his shirt, at his shoulders. He resented the curious boys.
“What are you looking at?” he asked the kids.
“We have never seen such an army vehicle- from such a short distance,” said Mike.
“We have dead soldiers on our trucks”, said the Captain, who seemed to be the Commander, ”We will try to get with the corpses close to the graveyard. We know that some of the relatives wouldn’t be psycholgically fit. . . for bearing the coffins. “
“Why haven’t you brought enough soldiers for that task?” Asked Nahumik.
“Most of our soldiers are in the fronts, lovely boy,” said the Commander, “For a real, well done ceremony- you have to have tens of soldiers; that we are lacking.”
“Also they are lacking wreaths and flowers- to lay them on the graves”, said Nahumik to his friend. Let me think- he said to himself- not on death directly. Now I know – even more than before, after having heard what Kaplansky said to Mom in Hospital, (and he told said it clearly, so that I’ll also understand) that he does not believe in a man, as well as in God. But – he said- his small sum of money would help him not to go out of his mind. What did he mean by that? … Mom said that it’s not crazy, this belief of Solomon in his money.
She did not give details about what she had meant, but I feel that she listened to his ‘quite philosophical statement’, because he’s Elkano’s Dad, and thinks he’s clever even more then Elkano…
I think like a boy with an old man’s mind- so said my Mom. Well. Let me now see what happens. The funeral has advanced somewhat. ..and my breathing has become short.
He pushed some mourners in order not to lose sight of his friends. People gazed at him angrily. They were all walking slowly after the five trucks, and two cars and ten horse- wagons, in which were many parents and relatives of the deceased.
Nahumik fell down once on the sand at the sidewalk, but soon was back on his feet. Then the procession came to a halt. The community leaders had to consult again on some issue. What’s so complicated in a funeral?- Nahumik asked his comrades. ‘It’s ten or twenty folds a regular one, but the ceremony and burial are the same, aren’t they?’
The soldiers who were standing in rows of three – now were seperarted: their commander had ordered them to jump on the trucks, four on each vehicle. They were seated to the two sides of each coffin, their guns set up in vetical angle. It was seen on their faces, that they are were as dumb and deaf, and would behave as should a man behave in a military Heros’ funeral.
‘We’ve heard that almost a regiment of soldiers had gone to that battle’- Nahumik was thinking. ‘Only two or three men succeeded to be rescued. So it could be that they are now sitting there beside some brave dead soldier. But why is it important? Ah, I meditate about tiny matters in order to prevent from weeping while reminding of dear amazing Elkano. Now I think he’s become friendly with me as he wanted to be memorized by a child’s heart. I’ll live more than his age now, I swear. He had known it, and minded it that I’d remember his goodnes and generosity to me…’
An anonymous hand has left a big empty orange box in the middle of Synagogue Square. he turned in over so that the Beadle jumped on it and declared:
”Now- to the memory of those who have fallen, and to condole all mourners- Rabbi Abraham Rinik will shortly make his harangue.”
Men and women told each other ‘Shshshs’ and the hard moving, obese Rabbi, having a large dark robe and a long grey beard, split into two at its bottom, approached the box and climbed it.
The Rabbi’s harangue was basd on the Bible’s tale about Absalom, son of King David, who “had set up a statue for himself – because he had no son!”
The Rabbi repeated a few times “he had no son” and added that it should be explained as the statue, a stone – will be a substitute to David’s son. The son of king David thought it was a proper thing to do, and by that we learn to do that also. Set up a statue.”
Women began to weep, as the Rabbi’s voice broke down, and he repeated mumbling: “as he had no son, he had no son.”
Nahumik also wiped his tears, but suddenly thought about his mother. Where is she?- he asked himself. She is among the crowd, if she hasn’t travelled to the hospital to visit the Photographer. She remembers that Kaplansky was the father of joyful wonderful Elkano. She has already decided that he – Solomon – was a very interesting man and has even told her jokes; yes, he was having a special sense of humor, that hasn’t left him despite his bereavement. It saves him, he said, from becoming mad.
Nahumik saw his mother on the graveyard. We are both here, he said to himself, so that Elkano will hear us as we cry. Our tradition tells us, that the dead listen and understand when the grave is still open. Therefore Mom gets close the the Brethern Collective Grave and says something. The gave-diggers begin to cover it with sand, moving their shovels. I can hear something while her lips are mumbling: “You know that you always hundred percents…I … won’t be able to forget you, silly guy…”
She was shortly weeping, as the three grave-diggers have finished their task and fixed a small signboard on the hip of sand, under which the five warriors had been buried.
CHAPTER 23
To America and Back Page 22