by Lynn Austin
“Thank you for your honesty, son. Anything else?”
“Well . . . sometimes when you gave us a job to do . . . we made the servants do the work so we could go off and drink wine instead.” He glanced at his brother again, but Aaron sat with his arms folded, his face as cold and hard as stone.
Chana knew her husband had spoken with all of his servants and was already aware of his sons’ behavior. But he had wanted to give them a chance to confess voluntarily rather than accuse them, fearing they would add the sin of lying to all the others.
“I forgive you, Josef, and so will the Almighty One,” Malkijah said. “But remember, a sign of true repentance is that we make a commitment to change. We turn from our sin and walk in a new direction.”
Josef nodded. He seemed too distraught to say more. Again Malkijah waited, as if giving Aaron a chance to speak, but his elder son stared down at the table in sullen silence until his father finally excused everyone from the table. “I don’t know what else to do, Chana,” he said when they were alone.
“I think you’re wise to wait. Doesn’t the Holy One wait patiently for us to repent?”
They returned to Jerusalem for the Day of Atonement, but even after participating in the temple sacrifices on this holiest day of the year, Aaron remained unmoved. On the fifteenth day of the month, the Festival of Sukkot began, and Malkijah constructed a booth for them to live in during the days of the feast. Chana had never celebrated Sukkot this way before and neither had anyone else in Jerusalem. But when Rebbe Ezra read the words of the Law they’d found the command to go out into the hill country and bring back branches from wild olive trees and myrtles, palms and shade trees to make booths to live in to remember their years of wandering in the wilderness. The people obeyed, building huts on their rooftops and in their courtyards and in the courts of the temple and the square by Water Gate.
“We haven’t celebrated Sukkot with such great joy in a long, long time,” Shallum said when Chana and Malkijah shared a meal with him and her sisters. “Everyone’s joy is so very great!” Including her own, Chana thought. Abba was well again, and she had found true contentment with Malkijah.
The weeklong Festival of Booths ended with a sacred assembly on the temple mount. In a spontaneous show of repentance, the people fasted and wore sackcloth and dust on their heads as they prepared to renew their commitment to God’s law. Again, Chana stood in the courtyard with the others for three hours as Ezra read from the Book of the Law. Three more hours flew past as they stood confessing their unfaithfulness and the wickedness of their fathers. Then the Levites called out, “Stand up and praise the Lord your God who is from everlasting to everlasting.”
What followed was one of the most beautiful prayers Chana had ever heard, recalling God’s grace and power in creation, His covenant with Abraham, His deliverance from Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea. The prayer spoke of God’s faithfulness in the wilderness, even when His people were unfaithful, and the covenant He made with them at Mount Sinai. Throughout the recitation of her people’s history, Chana recognized God’s great compassion, how He saved her people time after time. In all that had taken place, God had been just and had acted faithfully, while her people and nation had done wrong.
When the prayer ended, Governor Nehemiah stood in front and said, “In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement, putting it in writing, and are affixing the seals of the Levites and priests to it. We’re promising to follow the Law of God given through Moses and to obey carefully all His commands, regulations, and decrees. With His help, we have finished Jerusalem’s wall. And we learned in the process of rebuilding it to work together and to take care of one another, the rich helping the poor. Now we need to renew our commitment to God. I believe that He has withheld the rain and sent enemies among us so that we would return to Him. And so we’re taking this oath today, promising not to intermarry with the peoples around us. We will no longer buy or sell on the Sabbath or any holy day. Every seventh year we will allow the land to rest, and cancel all debts. We’ll give the required one-third shekel every year for God’s temple, along with the first fruits of our herds and flocks, our meal, grain, fruit, wine, and oil. A tithe of our crops will go to the Levites, so that the house of our God will not be neglected.”
When Nehemiah finished, Chana watched her husband go forward with the rest of the men to take the oath and affix his seal to it.
Later that evening she found Malkijah alone on the roof of their Jerusalem home and went to sit beside him. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “I can tell that something is still bothering you, even after all of the sacrifices today at the temple.”
“I didn’t do right by Shimon. Even if it was an accident, justice must be done and his family must be recompensed for his loss. But I don’t know where to find any of his family members. Years ago, when I went with Shimon to graze Abba’s sheep, I met his brothers and several nephews who were about my age. They were all shepherds, and I believe they live somewhere in the district of Beth Hakkerem, but I don’t know where.” He stood as if too restless to remain seated and began pacing in front of her. “As far as I know, they are his only family. Shimon’s wife died years ago, and he never had any children. But I need to find his next of kin, Chana. Will you help me?”
Her heart started beating faster. The time had come to tell him the truth. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered Shimon’s great love for Malkijah, and for a moment she couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat. He saw her tears and said, “What is it, Chana? What’s wrong?”
She motioned for him to sit beside her again as she searched for a place to begin. “Before Shimon died, he told me how you used to go into the fields with him when you were a boy. And he told me a story about a fight you had with his nephews . . . and how your nose got broken. Do you remember that fight, Malkijah?”
He reached up and absently pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to make it straight again. “Yes, of course I remember.”
“Do you remember what the fight was about?”
He hesitated then said, “Yes. The other boys said I wasn’t really a nobleman but a common shepherd like them and—” He halted, frowning as he stared at Chana. “What are you trying to tell me?”
“They were telling the truth, Malkijah,” she said. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. “Shimon is your real father. I’m weeping because I know how very much he loved you. How proud he was of you.”
Malkijah shook his head as if stunned. “How . . . how can that be?”
“Shimon’s wife died after giving birth to you. He was heartbroken and had no idea how he would ever take care of you. When his master’s newborn son died a day later, the midwife convinced Shimon to trade babies and let Recab raise you as his son. Recab and his wife never knew the truth.”
“So . . . I’m Shimon’s next of kin?”
“Yes.”
Malkijah covered his face with both hands. She could tell he needed time to absorb the truth. When he finally looked up again, he had tears in his eyes. “I wish I had known. . . . All these years . . .”
“Was I wrong to tell you now?” Chana asked, touching his arm.
“No,” he replied, still shaking his head. “No. . . . But this changes everything.”
Chapter
57
BETH HAKKEREM
Nava squeezed the curd-filled cloth with both hands, letting the whey drip into a pottery bowl. The process was messy, but along with caring for her goats, making cheese was one of her favorite tasks. Intent on her work, she was only vaguely aware of the whispered voices and halted activity in the kitchen until Penina hurried over to her worktable. “Leave that for now. Master Malkijah is asking all of his servants to come out to the main courtyard this morning. He has an announcement to make.”
“Do you know what it’s about?”
“No. No one does. Come.” Penina bustled off again to gather the rest of her kitchen crew while Nava rinsed the milky whey off her han
ds and dried them with a towel.
Her master and mistress had done several surprising things this month, including opening their storerooms and providing a feast for their workers during the holidays. They had also built booths outdoors during Sukkot where they and all their servants ate and slept. Chana said it was to remember how their ancestors had lived in tents in the wilderness. “We live in a sukkah,” she had explained, “to remind ourselves that we’re under the Holy One’s protection and care, just as our ancestors were in the desert.”
Nava closed the kitchen gate behind her and followed the other servants into the main courtyard. Malkijah and Chana stood beneath the dining trellis facing them. So did Aaron and Josef. The family had returned from Jerusalem earlier today after attending the convocation at the temple. Nava found a place to stand beside her friend Rachel and whispered, “What now?”
“I hope it’s good news,” she whispered back, “and that it doesn’t mean more work for all of us.”
Malkijah lifted his hand, and the whispering stopped. “I’ll make this brief,” he said. “Those of you who are bondservants and are not paid wages . . . I’m setting you all free.”
Nava inhaled a gasp of air. What? The world seemed to stand still for a moment as her mind whirled in stunned surprise.
“The family debts that brought you here are all canceled as of today. All of them. You’re free to go home.”
Nava gave a cry of joy. She and Rachel fell into each other’s arms, laughing and weeping at the same time. “Is it true? Is it really true?” Rachel cried. “Oh, Nava, can you believe it?”
“No . . . No, I can’t!” Nava was oblivious to everything else in the courtyard as she let the amazing news sink in. I’m free! Free! Not six years from now, but today! She heard shushing sounds as the others called for quiet again.
“What about your olive harvest, Master Malkijah?” the manager asked. He and Penina and Ruth were among the few who weren’t bondservants but received wages for their work. “And the winter plowing? The trees and vines will all need to be trimmed, too. How will we do all that work without laborers?” Malkijah shook his head without replying. Nava was surprised to see that he was too overcome with emotion to speak.
“When can we leave?” one of the bondservants shouted out.
Malkijah cleared his throat. “You’re free to leave anytime. Now, if you’d like.”
An enormous cheer went up from the servants. “Let’s go!” Nava said. She grabbed Rachel’s arm, and they ran to their sleeping quarters to gather their meager belongings.
“This doesn’t seem real,” Rachel murmured. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”
“I know . . . I know! It’s a miracle!” Nava thought of the unfinished goat cheese she had left laying out and wondered if she should go back and help Penina clean up everything. But in the next moment she was picturing Dan and her family, and the joy they would all share at her wonderful news. She was going home—for good! “Let’s walk together until the road forks,” she told Rachel.
“I want to run all the way home!” Rachel replied. But when they finished packing and came out of their sleeping quarters, Master Malkijah was waiting near the door with Chana by his side.
“May I have a word with you, Nava?” he asked.
“Yes, my lord.” Her heart felt sick with dread. It wasn’t true after all. He was going to force her to stay. But his next words surprised her.
“I need to apologize for not believing you. For believing my son. I now know that he lied to me. I’m very sorry for what he tried to do to you. And while I can’t undo his crime, I would like to give you this.” He pushed a small leather pouch into her hand. It clinked with the sound of coins. “Consider it a wedding present. Chana tells me there’s a young man you’d like to marry.”
Nava’s mind and tongue could barely form words. “Yes, my lord . . . Thank you, my lord.”
“I would also like to return your father’s flock of goats to him, along with some grain to feed them.” Nava covered her mouth to hold back her tears as he gestured to a donkey that was loaded with grain sacks. “Will your goats follow you, or would you like some help herding them home?”
The courtyard whirled. “Th-they’ll follow me.”
“Again, my sincerest apologies. Can you forgive me?”
Nava remembered thinking she would never be able to forgive her masters. But she found herself saying, “Yes. Of course I forgive you. Shimon taught me that I should forgive others because God forgives me.”
“Nava, it’s my deepest wish that my son would also ask you for forgiveness, but he hasn’t confessed or repented. Chana and I are praying about how to deal with him in the days to come.”
“I’ll pray for him, too.”
He looked surprised. “Thank you. I know he must be punished for his actions, I just haven’t figured out exactly how to do that.”
Chana surprised Nava by pulling her into her arms for a hug. “God be with you, Nava,” she said. “I wish you and Dan many years of happiness.”
Nava’s family looked stunned later that afternoon when they saw her coming up the road toward home leading the loaded donkey and her little flock of goats. “Nava . . . what is all this?” Abba asked. “What are you doing?”
“Master Malkijah freed all his bondservants and canceled all of our debts,” she replied, laughing and crying at the same time. “Your land belongs to you again, Abba. And I’m free! I don’t have to work another day for him.”
“That’s . . . that’s unbelievable!”
Nava waited until Dan had raced over the hill from his farm to tell them the best news of all. “Master Malkijah canceled your father’s debts, too, Dan. And he gave us this bag of silver so we can be married.”
“Praise God . . .” Dan sank to his knees, his eyes closed as tears rolled down his face.
“What does he want in return for all this?” Abba asked. “It seems a little too good to be true.”
“He doesn’t want anything. But there’s something I think we should do to show our gratitude. Malkijah no longer has enough workers to finish the olive harvest or do the plowing, since he set everyone free. I think we should gather everyone in the district and volunteer to help him.”
“Why should we do that?” one of her brothers asked.
“Because when God forgives our sin, we’re so overjoyed that we serve Him willingly in return, don’t we? I think we should show our gratitude to Malkijah the same way for forgiving our debts. He didn’t have to do it. And it’s costing him a lot.”
“My little Nava,” Abba said, pulling her into his arms. “I’ve been so worried about you, and all this time you’ve been growing wiser and kinder than all of us. Of course we’ll help Malkijah with his harvest. I think it’s a wonderful idea.”
That night, Nava was much too excited to fall asleep. She rose from her pallet while everyone else slept and went outside to gaze at the familiar contours of Abba’s land in the moonlight. She was home. The land and crops were Abba’s again. Everything was back the way it should be, and the past few months might have been nothing but a bad dream.
Next spring, when the rain ended and the ground settled, Dan would build a room onto his father’s house for her. They would live there together for the rest of their lives. Nava lifted her face to the heavens and silently praised God.
Chapter
58
JERUSALEM
Rebbe Ezra looked up from his work when Nehemiah entered his study, his pen still poised in his hand. The surface of his worktable lay buried beneath piles of scrolls and clay tablets. “Good afternoon, Governor.”
“Good afternoon. Thank you for agreeing to see me, Rebbe.”
“I’m very happy to. Please, have a seat.”
Nehemiah glanced around the cluttered room for a place to sit and finally removed a pile of scrolls from a chair as he’d done the first time he’d visited, holding them on his lap while he and Ezra talked. Nehemiah hadn’t wanted to take the rebbe away from hi
s work by inviting him to the governor’s residence, so instead he walked up here to the temple’s archives. He also hoped for a chance to talk in confidence with this great man of God about the one question that still occupied his mind and heart.
“So, tomorrow you dedicate the wall,” Rebbe Ezra said. “I assume all the arrangements are in place?”
“Yes. I sent word to all the Levites and singers to come to Jerusalem. They’ve been rehearsing the songs of thanksgiving and are ready to help us celebrate the dedication with cymbals, harps, lyres, and trumpets. I’m glad you agreed to lead one of the processions for me.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Ezra laid down his pen and leaned back in his seat. “I understand you’ve been busy with a few more building projects. I’d thought we’d heard the last of the chisels and hammers for a while, but evidently we haven’t.”
“We’re building new homes now, Rebbe. The census has proceeded smoothly, and the first settlers are already moving to Jerusalem. I commended the volunteers for their willingness to help repopulate the city.”
“Excellent. Your term as governor has been a very busy one. Didn’t you arrive here from Susa only a few months ago?”
Nehemiah smiled faintly. “It seems much longer than that. And when I think about all the events that took place in just this past month—setting the last gate in place; celebrating Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot; the covenant renewal ceremony—I can barely take it all in. The Almighty One’s hand has surely been upon us.”
Ezra appeared thoughtful as he stroked his white beard. “And after tomorrow’s dedication, what then? Jerusalem’s wall is finished, the city is growing and becoming settled, the people have rededicated themselves to the Holy One. What’s next for you, Nehemiah?”
He sat forward on the edge of his seat. “That’s what I was hoping to talk to you about. I’ve been praying and asking God for an answer to a question I have—but the Holy One has been strangely silent.”