Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 4 of a new online serial novel, Beneath the Surface, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every Thursday or Friday. Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © 2011 by Israel Bookshop Publication

“They simply couldn’t stop praising her, you hear? It sounds good from all aspects: a great girl, smart, with excellent middos and a golden heart. There’s only one thing that bothers me and that is that she is very quiet. Perhaps it’s not so suitable.”

Shragi smiled. “What does quiet mean?” he asked, setting his empty dessert plate down on the table. “Is it something extreme?”

The conversation was taking place on Friday night, after the seudah. Abba had gone to bed, exhausted from the long week. Simi was putting Yitzy and Yehudis to sleep and her voice could be heard in the background as mother and son conversed.

“It doesn’t seem to be,” Chani replied. “Look, I spoke to a few of her friends and the picture that I get is this: she almost never speaks up in class, but before tests she can lecture about the material in front of a whole group. I told you that they said she’s very capable. From one good friend—someone Gross—I heard that in small groups of two or three girls, she is very open and friendly.”

Shragi nodded, suppressing a yawn. “I know such boys from yeshivah; they prefer to open up socially only in small groups of people, but they get lost in large groups.”

“The question is if that is suitable for you.”

Shragi stood up and took a bentcher from the cupboard. “I want to make one more inquiry about the father. I have a few friends in Kesser Shmuel. You said he has some type of shteller there?”

Chani nodded. “On Motza’ei Shabbos I’ll look for the note with the details. Rabbi Kilman mentioned exactly where and what, but don’t expect me to remember the specifics. It was something with two words.”

“A maggid shiur?”

“No.”

“Mashgiach katan?”

“I don’t think so.”

Shragi squinted in concentration. “What else could it be … a sho’el u’meishiv?” Keep Reading…

We apologize that due to a technical issue we will not be able to post a new chapter of Beneath the Surface this week.  Check back next week for Chapter Four.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 3 of a new online serial novel, Beneath the Surface, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every Thursday or Friday. Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © 2011 by Israel Bookshop Publication

Brussels, Belgium

Dan was surprised to hear his mother’s footsteps.

“Mama, you’re home?” he asked even before he saw her woolly slippers. “I thought you are supposed to be at the committee dinner now!” His mother was a member of the European Women’s Organization for the Jews of Israel. “Is everything okay? I hope you didn’t catch the virus from me…”

If not for the silly virus that he had contracted, at the busiest time—the end of the semester—he would have been at the university instead of bundled up under two blankets and sipping countless cups of Chinese herbal tea that his devoted mother prepared for him. At least today he was feeling a bit better.

“You’re right. I lost track of the time!” his mother exclaimed. He suddenly noticed the bunch of pages she was clutching in her hand. “I received something in the mail today and was totally engrossed reading it. I really have to leave.”

“Engrossed in reading? Is it something interesting at least?”

“Very. But I’m not finished yet. When I finish I will give it to you. Are you bored?”

“Very.” He ran his fingers on the smooth mahogany buffet. “And I feel much better. I hope I’ll be able to go back to school tomorrow.”

She looked at him sternly. “Dan, what are you talking about? I think you have to stay home until the end of the week, at least. If you go back to your routine too quickly, your body will become very weak.”

“And maybe it’s just that you want me at home?” Dan asked with a sly smile. “Fine. Let’s see how I feel tomorrow.”

“Meanwhile, if you’re bored, you can take this.” His mother proffered the open envelope that was on top of the sheaf of papers in her hand.

“What is that?”

“A letter from Anne.”

“What does she say?”

“Oh, she talks about the children, work, the usual. According to the date, we’ve spoken at least three times on the phone since this was mailed, so I know everything that’s written here. She also sent some photos of the children, mainly of Yehudis and Yitzy.”

“What about Shragi?”

“Read. There’s nothing special here except for the fact that he’s doing very well in yeshivah and they hope to marry him off soon.”

Dan drew the pictures out of the envelope. “How old is he? Twenty-three?”

“Almost, old uncle that you are. And I must say that if twenty-three seems too young for you, thirty-one-and-a-half is just a tad too old for me.” Keep Reading…

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 2 of a new online serial novel, Beneath the Surface, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every Thursday or Friday. Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © 2011 by Israel Bookshop Publication

Chani’s coffee cup was almost empty, yet she continued—absently—to stir the dregs of the pale liquid.

The slamming of the door shook her out of her tranquil musings.

“Simi?” she called out. Simi was the only one who could be coming in now. Yitzi and Yehudis, usually the first ones to come in, were home already. Shragi was in yeshivah, and Gershon wasn’t expected home for some time yet.

Yes, it was Simi. The tall girl entered the dining room, and the creases that wreathed her forehead indicated that she was angry. Furious, actually.

“Hi, Ima, what’s doing?”

“Everything’s fine, baruch Hashem.” Chani smiled, and then her gaze followed her daughter’s black bag, which had been flung onto the chair with a bang. “What’s doing by you? How did you manage the extra history lesson?”

“Oh, that? It was fine. My hand still hurts from writing so much, but aside from that, it was fine. Interesting, actually.”

“But…?” Chani probed gently.

“Tell me, Ima, are there people who are just born without tact, or does it get lost somewhere in life?”

“What?”

Simi slumped down onto the sofa, looking at her mother. “I met someone who got me very angry. I don’t remember the last time I got so angry at someone.”

“And what did you do?” Chani asked quietly, motioning for her daughter to lower her voice as well. Faigy, one of the girls who volunteered to work with Yehudis, was in the house. True, the room she and Yehudis were working in was on the other side of the apartment, but loud voices would probably still carry.

“I was quiet, of course. I didn’t see any point in answering her, and believe me, even if I would have wanted to, I don’t know if I would have found the words to express myself.” Simi passed a hand over her forehead tiredly. Keep Reading…

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 1 of a new online serial novel, Beneath the Surface, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every Thursday or Friday.

Copyright © 2011 by Israel Bookshop Publications

Two o’clock p.m. The ringing phone cut into the baby’s loud wails.

“Hello? Is this the Cohen residence? Is Chagit home? Thank you.”

The man who had answered the phone covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “Chagit, telephone.”

The young woman hurried to the phone.

“Hello, Chagit? This is Mrs. Ostfeld. Remember me? We spoke two days ago, about the Feder girl.”

“Yes, of course,” Chagit replied as she jiggled the baby in her arms.

A moment’s silence.

“So, like this… We, uh, heard some very good things, and I appreciate the effort, but it’s not for us.”

“Oh…” Chagit was disappointed. “I understand. Oh, well. If I have any other ideas I’ll be in touch.”

The conversation ended.

“Is everything okay, Chagit?” her husband asked.

“Not at all. They’re not interested. How do people do this?” Chagit was irritated. She was sure that this time, her idea had been right on the mark! This mother thought far too highly of herself. So what if she had a top boy? Had she forgotten her background?

“Don’t take it to heart, Chagit. I warned you that it’s very hard to get past the inquiries stage with them. The Ostfelds are very thorough, and it’s their right. Shragi really is a star!”

“These descriptions get on my nerves,” Chagit whispered. The baby had finally fallen asleep. “How is it possible that all the twenty-one-year-old-plus bachurim in yeshivos suddenly become terrific lamdanim, have hearts of gold, and of course there isn’t a single fat one among them? They’re all just ‘full’. And they are so full of themselves… And their mothers? Forget it! Well,” she laughed bitterly, “if they’re all such stars, then they have all the reason in the world to feel like they’re in the sky!” Keep Reading…

Shragy Ostfeld is the son every mother dreams of having. He’s a top learner, a baal middos, and has a wonderful personality—an all-around great catch. His sister Simi is convinced that he needs the most perfect, most talented girl for a wife. No Plain Jane will do for her brother!

What happens when Menuchi Feder, whose very essence denotes plainness and simplicity, ends up marrying Shragy? Is she condemned to feeling inferior to her outgoing and capable sister-in-law her entire life?

Meanwhile, Chani Ostfeld, Shragy and Simi’s mother, has a load of her own on her shoulders. Intent on saving her little brother’s soul from a horrifying destruction, she pours all her energy into her mission at hand. How can she know that salvation will come from the most unlikely source…?

It takes a lot of soul-searching, powerful internal struggles, and some unexpected and dramatic connections from the past for the Ostfelds to learn how to reshuffle family dynamics—and find their real standing amongst each other.

*****
Check back next week for Chapter One of Beneath the Surface, a new online serial by Esther Rapaport, author of Diamond in the Rough and Divided Attention.

Israel Book Shop presents the epilogue of a new online serial novel, Divided Attention, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every Thursday or Friday. Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © 2010 by Israel Bookshop Publications

If not for the rag that wiped the dust off each Thursday, the cover of the keyboard that Abba and Ima Cohen had bought Rafi for his eleventh birthday would have been completely gray with dust. No one had touched it for the past year.

A light evening breeze blew through the open window as Rafi entered the empty room, placing his suit and hat on the bed. This was the same bed that had warmly accepted him at age nine, and although more than seven years had passed, there was nothing that could compare to its comfort. Ima had been saying for years that they had to replace the bed, but Rafi thought it was needless. In the dorm rooms where he sometimes rested in the afternoon, there were much newer beds, but there was something about sleeping at home each night. He did not know how he would give it up next year, when he would be dorming in a different city.

Perhaps it was strange that a sixteen-year-old boy still needed the security and protection that only a home could provide, but that’s the way he was. Nava said that it was very normal, and that everyone finds it hard to get used to full-fledged dorm life at first. Ima said that it might be more pronounced with him because of what he had lacked in the past, and Abba said they would ask Reb Shlomo if he thought they should apply to a local yeshivah gedolah in Yerushalayim, or if he should go to a different city. Abba claimed that a dormitory was very good for the maturing process.

Did he still need to become more mature? Apparently. If he was able to miss the feeling of the keyboard keys under his dancing fingers, then he probably was still quite babyish.

True, it had been a whole year already—or a year and a day to be exact—since the last night that he had played. But it had been the year of mourning for his mother, not a voluntary abstention. Keep Reading…

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 34 of a new online serial novel, Divided Attention, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every Thursday or Friday. Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © 2010 by Israel Bookshop Publications

“Who’s this, Avi?” Rafi’s fingers tightened around the receiver. “This is Rafi Zimmer. Call Ronny, please.”

“Please, please,” Avi mimicked nasally. “What’s up, Rafi? How d’you like being in a class of religious kids?”

“Better than being in class with you,” Rafi said. “Tell Ronny I wanna talk to him.”

Manny and Mr. Cooperman, who were both sitting beside Rafi, exchanged a fleeting glance.

“Hi, Ronny,” Rafi said, his voice cracking for a minute. “It’s Rafi.”

“Why are you calling?”

“I…” Rafi looked at the large, clearly written words on the paper in front of him. He closed his eyes for a moment. “I wanted to apologize for not coming with you on Friday night and Motza’ei Shabbos. I didn’t want to go on your motorbike on Shabbos, and the next night, I couldn’t find the house key.”

“You got lots of excuses,” Ronny said coldly. “And I don’t got time to talk to you now. I’ll be seeing you.”

“I want to talk to you,” Rafi said quietly.

“’Bout what?”

“About … a few important things.” He glanced at the page again. “Remember once, at the beginning, you gave me money?” A murmur came through the line. “And you promised me your train. I want the train, and I want you to pay me again. I went with you tons of times since then, and it’s not fair that I should come for free.”

“Yeah, you should come over,” Ronny said. “We’ve got some things to tie up.”

“You mean the money?” Rafi glanced to the left. Manny smiled at him encouragingly.

“Maybe. You’d just better not bring the cops or anything like that, y’hear?”

“’Course not.” Rafi’s voice was steady as he looked at the three men surrounding him, listening closely to every word. “I know that you’ll get mad at me and I don’t want that. When can I come?” Keep Reading…

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 33 of a new online serial novel, Divided Attention, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every Thursday or Friday. Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © 2010 by Israel Bookshop Publications

It seemed as though everything that had to be said had been said; all the relevant questions had been asked and all the murky issues had been clarified beyond a shadow of a doubt. Yael was silent; so was Nava.

“Do you know what time it is?” Manny asked, keeping his voice in a whisper. “It’s already one-thirty. We’ve been talking for more than two hours, and I don’t think we’ll be doing anyone a favor, least of all ourselves, if we continue talking now. Nava, please go to sleep.”

Nava rose, and for the first time in her life, she understood the expression “weak-kneed.” He knees simply refused to straighten and carry her to her room.

“Just a minute, Nava; one more question,” her father said in a low, restrained tone.

Nava stopped warily in her tracks. She’d received enough rebuke this evening, and rightfully so, although the admonishment had been much gentler than she had feared. Her parents had listened to her in silence, then asked many questions, trying to understand, to sort things out in their minds, and to think about what to do next. And yes, they also wanted to know her motivations for remaining quiet.

“How could you keep such a thing to yourself?” her father had asked severely. “How come it wasn’t your first thought to come to us?”

She had tried to explain, to make it clear that it had been Rafi’s condition, and that she had promised him. She tried to tell them that she had also been in the dark until a mere five days earlier. Her parents did not understand, and it was no wonder. Morah Ayala hadn’t understood either.

“I was afraid, Abba,” she had said finally, tears glistening in her eyes. One lone tear dripped onto the collar of her Shabbos suit. “I was afraid you wouldn’t want Rafi anymore, and I want him to stay here.”

“That we wouldn’t want Rafi anymore?” Manny had repeated, taken aback. He fell silent as his eyes followed the path of Nava’s tear and then settled on the small stain on her suit. “Enough, Nava, don’t cry. You made a mistake. It’s fine. We all have to think about where we went wrong here, but now is not the time to talk about it.”

And then the conversation had turned to Rafi’s mysterious friends and the various options of how to handle the problem. It was as though her father had locked her issue in a box and decided not to open and discuss it.

Nava had told her parents that involving the police was not really an option. “Rafi is terrified at the thought of it,” she said. “They can always get to him.”

“We have to talk to him about everything,” Manny had replied, blinking rapidly. “After we hear more details from him, it will be easier to find a way to handle the problem. Right now, we’re really just stabbing in the dark. There’s too much we don’t know.”

And now, after that whole conversation, once she had already stood up to go to sleep—though she knew that sleep was one thing that would undoubtedly elude her that night—Abba wanted to ask another question.

Manny looked at his daughter carefully. “Are you sure, Nava, that they are not supposed to come tonight?”

“I don’t think so. They made up with him that they would tie a bag to the tree downstairs on the days that they would come. I haven’t seen one the past few days, and he hasn’t told me anything, either.”

“And are you sure that he would tell you about any plans?”

Nava wanted to say that she was sure about that, but suddenly, she wasn’t so confident anymore. “I really don’t know, Abba,” she whispered.

“Okay, so I’m going to hide the key in the right-hand drawer in the kitchen. I’m not taking any chances.” Keep Reading…

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 32 of a new online serial novel, Divided Attention, by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every Thursday or Friday. Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © 2010 by Israel Bookshop Publications

Chapter Thirty Two

Manny entered the Rav’s room.

“How are you, Reb Manny?” the Rav asked with a warm smile. “How’s Rafi?”

“Baruch Hashem, he’s progressed very nicely,” Mr. Cohen replied. “We are very satisfied with him, but my wife says she thinks something has been bothering him lately. She tried to ask him if everything is alright, and he said it is, but she claims that she has the distinct feeling that he is very worried about something.”

The Rav’s forehead creased in concentration. “Do you also see it?”

“I’m not home most of the day,” Manny said, almost apologetically. “I try to speak to Rafi as much as I can when I do come home, though, and I didn’t notice anything unusual.”

“What do you talk about with him?”

Manny paused. “I ask him how his day went and tell him about interesting things that happened to me,” he said thoughtfully. “Sometimes we have deeper conversations, as deep as you can get with a child his age. Emunah, hashkafah, things like that.”

The Rav nodded. “Has your wife tried to ask him again about this?”

“No. She’s not the type to pressure. She says that she doesn’t want to forcibly extract anything from him, and if he wants to tell her, he’ll find the opportunity to do so.”

“And can you ask him?”

Manny fixed his gaze on the lace tablecloth that covered the wooden table.

“I’m not sure,” he said finally. “We have a good relationship, but if he didn’t answer my wife, I doubt he’ll prefer to tell me.”

“It’s not good for a child to keep such burdensome secrets,” the Rav said. Then he added, “And it’s not good that he doesn’t trust you enough, Reb Manny.”

“I know,” Mr. Cohen replied. “I’m not happy about it either.”

“In order for a child to trust his parents, he has to feel secure in their love,” the Rav said solemnly, “and unfortunately, in this generation, so many of our biological children have a problem with this, so how much more so with an adopted child, like your own. Does Rafi know that you love him?”

“I think so.” Manny raised his gaze. “Even if I don’t always find the way to express it, my wife and daughter tell it to him a lot.”

“Try to tell him this yourself, as well,” the Rav said, nodding slowly. “It’s very important. He’s adopted, right? Is it final?” Keep Reading…