Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 79 of a new online serial novel, Nine A.M., by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

On a stone at the entrance to the cemetery, near the old inscription of the brachah of Mechayeh Hameisim, written in print letters:

When one departs from the kever, he should place his left hand on the headstone and say:

“V’nachacha Hashem tamid…v’atzmosecha yachalitz, v’hayisa k’gan raveh…”

May you rest in peace until the arrival of Menachem, the consoler, mashmia shalom.

“I’m sorry, Tatte.” Binyamin’s voice was hoarse as he removed his hand from the matzeivah and bent down to find a stone on the ground. “I’m sorry if what I did wasn’t right, and I’m sorry if what I’m about to do is not right. I don’t have with whom to consult, and I hope that I exercised the right discretion. Please, be a meilitz yosher for me and for everyone. I never meant to do any harm. I wanted us to get up and be revived again…”

He turned toward David Elkovitz. “You are not coming with me, no matter what. I’ll go myself and tell them.”

“What will you tell them?”

Binyamin sighed. “Whatever words Hashem puts in my mouth. I am thinking of a few possible options, and I hope that the one I use will be the best one.”

“Maybe it would be a good idea for me—”

“Not a good idea at all, but thank you, David, for offering to be the one who answered me on the other side of the line. It sounds much more believable this way. I hope they don’t harass you because of it.”

“And what did we talk about, if they ask me?”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 78 of a new online serial novel, Nine A.M., by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

Rambam, Sefer Hamada, Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah, Ch. 5:5

…If the idol worshipers said to them, “Give us one of you and we will kill him, and if not, we will kill all of you,”…and they should not give…one of Am Yisrael. And if they specified and said, “Give us Ploni or we will kill all of you,” then if he is guilty…they should give him to them. And they are not instructed to do this l’chatchilah. And if he is not chayav misah…and they should not hand over…one of Am Yisrael.

Binyamin put the open sefer into David Elkovitz’s hands, his eyes flitting all around. “It seems that Wangel has specified me, because they are looking for the one who spoke on the device, and that’s me. The thing is that I didn’t really do anything that makes me deserving of death!”

“And even if you were deserving,” David answered, after slowly reading the relevant lines, “it says here that ‘they are not instructed to do this l’chatchilah’! But go and explain that to my father-in-law.”

“Thank you for warning me.” Binyamin’s face was ashen as he leaned on the tree. “In any case, this is what it says regarding everyone in the camp. But what am I, for my part, supposed to do now? The Rambam doesn’t say anything here about that.” He reached out, closed the sefer, and gave it a kiss. “I wouldn’t want to think that everyone will be punished because of me. Maybe it’s better if I go now to speak to your father-in-law. I won’t tell him, of course, who came to warn me.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 77 of a new online serial novel, Nine A.M., by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

Elky,

I know that you were just released from the clinic, but my father has been summoned urgently to the manor house. Please come right away and check that everything is in order in the accounts and the salaries, because we are afraid they are going to do a thorough inspection.

And destroy this note.

Eva                                                                                                                     

“Who gave you this note?” Elky asked the boy at the door, suspicion in her voice. It was Herzlich’s son, and everyone knew the open secret that he’d never learned to read in any language. Dr. Annie claimed that the issue was that he was severely cross-eyed, and she didn’t have the resources to help him. The office used him as a courier to send around written messages that they didn’t want anyone except the recipient reading.

“Eva. Eva Sherer,” the boy replied.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 76 of a new online serial novel, Nine A.M., by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

Theresa was sitting at the piano, playing the overture for Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, when her sister walked in and sidled up behind her.

“You know I can’t stand it when people stand behind me when I play. And certainly not you—I know how happy you are to point out every time I go even slightly off-key!” Theresa muttered, her eyes fixed on her music notes.

“Stop playing now, please,” Helena said. She had a strange expression on her face.

Theresa could not see her sister’s face, but she heard it in her tone. She raised her hands from the keys and swiveled the round stool to face her sister. “What happened?”

“Something really odd. I wanted to call my friend in Vienna, because I forgot something in her house yesterday. But as soon as I picked up the phone, even before I dialed—I heard voices talking.”

“Maybe Papa is talking on his cordless now. Or Mama.”

“I don’t think so. They’re at the funeral for the Jewish preschool teacher.”

“What, she died?”

“Yes, this morning.”

“But she’s terribly young!”

“What?! Oh, no. Not Naomi. The one who preceded her, the older lady.”

“Oh. And you don’t think that in the middle of her funeral, Papa or Mama can talk on the phone, if they want to?” Theresa chuckled. “Come on!”