The Golem: Mystical Tales from the Ghetto of Prague by Bloch Chayim

Author:Bloch, Chayim [Bloch, Chayim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Collection.Omnibus, Collection.Single Author, Cultural & Ethnic.Jewish, Fiction.Dark Fantasy/Supernatural, Fiction.Horror, Short Fiction, Fiction.Historical.Medieval
Amazon: B0097AQNRI
Publisher: Garber Books
Published: 2018-02-07T00:00:00+00:00

CAUGHT IN HIS OWN NET

IN the year 5345 (1585) on the evening of the 13th day of Nisan, Rabbi Loew, having cleaned away all leavened food in preparation for the Passover, was reading by the light of a taper, from the prayer book the formula Kol chamira. Suddenly the light, which was being held by the sexton Abraham Chayim, was extinguished and Rabbi Loew was unable to complete the prayer, for he made it an invariable practice to recite prayers from the book and not from memory. He used to say that he could tell from the characters what was the mood of Heaven, whether mercy or severity,—if the latter, he understood how to temper it. He motioned to the servant to relight the taper, but it was again extinguished; and this mysterious happening occurred again and again.

Rabbi Loew was frightened and commanded the terrified sexton to light the wall lamps and to read the prayer to him. The latter did so, but instead of reading “Kol chamiro oachamio de-iko birschusi” (all leaven which is in my possession) he read “Kol chamira vachamia de-ika be-chumeschi” (all leaven which is in the fifth.)

“What’s that?” cried Rabbi Loew, alarmed at the error.

The sexton was startled but he read the passage again in the same way.

Rabbi Loew became deathly pale. Wiping the sweat on his forehead he said: “Now I grasp it all. A misfortune threatens us—they wish to extinguish our light. The same thing was conveyed in my dream on the night of Shabbas Ha-Gadol” (the great Sabbath, preceding Passover).

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