Judah the Pious Read Online Free Page B

refuse to believe in the possibility of impossible things, we can neither love all the unlikely beings which wish to do us good, nor be on guard against those which would harm us; we become like defenseless children, who do not understand what things should be feared, nor where they can call for help.”
    The boy, who knew by now that Eliezer had guessed almost everything, could hardly answer. “This skepticism is not a course I would have chosen for myself,” he replied at last, bowing his head.
    “And you would change it if you could?”
    “Yes,” nodded the king.
    “I see,” said Eliezer of Rimanov, “I see,” and said nothing else for several minutes.
    Taking advantage of the lull in the conversation, King Casimir attempted to restore matters to the straight, orderly path from which they had begun to veer. “At any rate,” he began, keeping himself calm with the massive, almost-physical effort he had practiced as a small boy troubled by nightmares, “I do not see what my cynical turn of mind has to do with the burial customs of the Jews of Poland.”
    “Everything and nothing,” answered Eliezer, smiling radiantly. “Everything and nothing. For it suddenly occurs to me that now, with things as they are, it would do neither of us any good if I remained here for an hour, improvising arguments for the innocence of our rites and the generosity of our motives. But, on the other hand, perhaps we could come to some sort of agreement, a bargain, if you will. Suppose I were to convince you once and for all of the fallacies in a system which does not allow for the unseen and the improbable? Would you then consider permitting my people to retain their custom—as a reward for me, or as the price of a lesson, to put it more delicately?”
    “I will make you that bargain,” replied Casimir readily, “with, of course, the understanding that I am very difficult to convince, and that I have never been able to maintain much interest or concentration in my lessons.”
    “In that case,” smiled the old man, “it will not be a lesson, but, rather, an entertaining story—a story which, in fact, my father told us to help pass the hours before his death. But I must warn you, it is a rather long narrative, and perhaps you would be more comfortable here at my feet.”
    Without a moment’s hesitation, King Casimir of Poland sat down on the carpeted steps, and the Rabbi Eliezer began his tale.

III
    “L IKE ALL GOOD STORIES ,” said the rabbi, “mine begins slightly before the beginning. For everything we know about a man’s life means nothing unless we understand the circumstances surrounding his birth. By this, you must not take me to mean the position of the stars, nor any such thing; I would not wish to offend Your Majesty right off by flying straight into a skyful of superstition. No, we are talking science here, and what I am trying to say is this: I have often seen cases in which a man’s whole life has been influenced by the thoughts and dreams in his parents’ minds at the moment of his conception.”
    “So I have heard,” snapped the king sharply, having no desire at that moment to picture either his own conception or that of his unborn children. “But everyone knows it has never been proved.”
    “Then this story will prove it,” replied Eliezer, equally brusquely.
    “You will not prove anything unless you begin,” growled Casimir.
    “I am truly sorry,” apologized the old man. “I had no idea your opinions ran so strongly on this matter. Now be patient, and I will try to find a more straightforward prologue for my story.” After a short pause, the Rabbi Eliezer cleared his throat and began again.
    “In my father’s village, three hundred miles from the city of Cracow, lived a brilliant scholar by the name of Simon Polikov. To those who knew him, the fact that he was a scholar seemed even more obvious than the fact that he was a man. For, if your best court artist were to combine all the traits