Grantville Gazette Volume XIV by Eric Flint

Author:Eric Flint [Flint, Eric]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-03-25T22:00:00+00:00

"You mean like the Lord has blessed the Abrabanels?"

"Yes!"

"But, Papa, they do not wear peyot."

Yankel wanted to scream, but didn't. "Chaim, we are men of power. We are to dress accordingly. The Golem of Prague? How was it brought to life? Was it not when Rabbi Loeb, its creator, put the Name of God on a piece of parchment and put it under the creature's tongue? It was the power of the Name which brought it to life like the lightening did for Frankenstein."

"It is just a dumb story, Papa." The line was delivered with the pure disdain of a child.

"Yes, the golem is just a story," Yankel said. "But I would not call it dumb." What he didn't say was that when he was Chaim's age, he still believed in the golem. The boy should have had the pleasure of believing for another year or two. That anyone should claim it was a dumb story bothered him. Here in Grantville with its mechanical marvels, the story of the golem offered a vehicle to decipher what the Law required of them. It was illegal to walk farther than a Sabbath's journey on the day of rest, as it was illegal to work your ox on the Sabbath, but was it right to run a non-living engine? Was it breaking Shabbat to illuminate with electricity when no fire need be kindled? Where else but the story of the golem would they look for a template?

"Mister Wiley called it dumb."

"Who is Mister Wiley?"

"The guest speaker at school yesterday."

"Oh?" Yankel responded.

"Yes," Chaim said. "He also said there was no longer any need to keep kosher. It's just superstition. We made it up, anyway."

Yankel became still in his soul. A knife was being thrust at the very heart of his child. "It is just superstition? Chaim? How can it be just superstition when it is the command of the Lord? How can we believe and not be obedient? Is belief in the Lord just a stupid superstition?"

"I don't know, Papa. It is what the man said. You will have to ask him."

"I hear you!" Then Yankel asked, "Did this guest speaker talk to Yudl's class also?" Yudl was also in fourth grade but he was in another class.

"Yes, Papa."

"I will speak to someone about this speaker." Quietly, he left the boys' room, but inside, in spite of his calm appearance, there was a raging storm.

Back in the kitchen Rachael was waiting.

"I must go to the school. I need to speak to Yudl."

"Is it that bad?" she asked. "It is cold outside and Yudl will be home for supper."

"It's worse. They would teach our sons that our beliefs are stupid superstitions and there is no need to be obedient to the Law. How would they like it if a Jewish teacher told their children Jesus did not crawl out of the grave or fly away, but the body was stolen and his people made the whole thing up? Chaim was told we were stupid and superstitious for keeping kosher.

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