Entry Fifty-Two: 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Levi asks me how I feel about Herod’s proposition. I tell him that while I am pleased to have the promise of the return of our ancestral land in the near future, I would still much rather have my son than the land. He nods and tells me he understands. I suddenly dissolve in tears…to have another living, breathing, human being say he understands how I feel is overwhelming. Our respective tragedies, although very different one from the other, unites us and reinforces the growing bond between us. Even though we have only been talking to each other for a few days now, I sense that here is a man I can trust…I can expose my deepest fears and craziest fantasies without trepidation…I can be vulnerable in his presence…here is a friend I can rely on regardless of what may transpire. As someone once told me, “In prosperity our friends know us. In adversity we know our friends.”
I tell Levi that I wish to introduce him to Benjamin’s friends. Perhaps, together we can build new lives…even a new family. He wonders out loud whether the parents of the young men would not object. I tell him about the fist-wielding man and how the boys stood between us until he stormed off in rage. These are not ordinary young men, I tell him. Perhaps they are equally disillusioned with the harshness of our community. Think on it, I say. We who are older and more experienced could lead them back to what the Scriptures teach about God…rather than what they are taught to believe in the oral laws of the rabbis. This would give us a purpose in life, no?
Yes, Levi agrees. It would. Our continued presence on this planet would then have greater meaning and substance. None of the young men could ever replace our sons, but they could provide us with the reason to get up in the morning, take another breath, and live to face another day.
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