The moment had come. The bride stepped down the aisle of the synagogue just as the sun set upon Purim's second and final day and the finest view in Jerusalem just beyond. Its final ray sparkled on the spectacular Star of David around her neck. She arrived at the canopy and her groom at last, and he reached forward to pull back her veil. When he saw her face, he frowned at once.
“What's the matter?” he whispered.
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you smiling like that? Is everything all right? Do I look-?”
“You look wonderful,” she said, smiling even more.
“Most brides I've seen looked like they were about to pass out right about now. You're-”
She laughed infectiously and reached out to hold him lightly about the neck.
“I'm smiling because I'm so overjoyed to be in your presence. You are the most desirable and intoxicating man alive-did you know that?”
Just then, long before the ceremony's end called for it, the groom bent down and engulfed his bride in a deep, impulsive kiss that did not break until impromptu applause from the guests reached its crescendo. It was such a clearly spontaneous and genuine display of passion that no one had the heart to object. The abashed groom finally pulled away, and laughter rose above the scene.
His young bride heard the sound of mirth drift up over the nearby rooftops, out over the Kidron Valley, toward the ancient wall that encircled the Old City of Jerusalem. Here was the ancestral home of the Jewish people-beloved children of the Most High G-d who always, even when He is silent, watches over His own. She could not help but smile.
ATOP THE MOUNT OF OLIVES-LATER THAT NIGHT
Nestled in each other's arms, the wedding couple glanced out their French doors toward the lights of old Jerusalem spilling down into the moonlit Kidron Valley.
“This is a new perfume you wore today,” he said, nuzzling her neck.
Hadassah laughed. “Yes, dear. It is.”
“Why would you wear something new like that? Don't get me wrong-it's a wonderful fragrance, but it isn't like you to change something at the last minute.”
“It's an old family recipe.”
“And what is the name of this recipe?”
She laughed. “Essence of myrrh.”
“What? Where did you your family-come up with such a thing?”
“An old aunt. Aunt Esther.”
“All right, I give up. But that's not the only last-minute change you made. I've never seen that necklace you wore today, either. That's a stunning piece of jewelry. Even though it's a replica, it must have cost a mint.”
She smiled demurely. “It's not a replica.”
“No way. I know my Jewish icons, and if that were real, it would be thousands of years old.”
“It is.”
He bolted upright. “You're joking? You've got to be kidding.”
“No, I'm not. It's an ancient family heirloom. It truly is real. I was shocked myself-you should feel how heavy it is.”
“Hadassah, for that to be real, the historical period would have to date from the time of the Exile.”
She looked at him for a while, then nodded slowly.
He paused with a scowl, pondered for a moment, then turned to her again. “Where is it now? If it's really that old, you can't leave something like that lying around!”
“My father has taken it back to the House of Scrolls.” Finally she laughed deeply, heartily, and took his hand tenderly in hers.
“Why didn't you tell me these things before?” he asked, searching her face.
“I only learned of them this week. You and I have been so busy, I haven't had the chance.”
“Well, it isn't too late to start.”
She laughed. “Jacob, there's a story I need to tell you.”
It was a long story-a veiy long story, and before she was ten minutes into it, his head had settled against her chest, and he had begun to snore lightly. She shook her head with a rueful smile.
There would be no honeymoon for this Hadassah, either. Jacob could not spare the time. Nor could the nation. For even the first day of marriage would be a busy day in the life of Jacob ben Yuda- Prime Minister of the nation of Israel.
Table of Contents
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
One Night With the King: A Special Movie Edition of the Bestselling Novel, Hadassah by Tommy Tenney;Mark Andrew Olsen Page 32