1. Bethany, House of Dates
Part 1. Pearl 1. Date. Martha. Summer, AD 10
Part One
The First Twenty Years
Bethany, House of Dates
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Torah is the earliest thing we know.
Torah is recited over mother’s milk and swaddling bands.
Torah is sung during festivals and woven through our Sabbath supper.
It is the heart song of my people.
Torah goes back to the beginning of all things.
And it is there at the end.
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date
n. the sweet, brown, oblong edible fruit of a palm (dried, paste, syrup, or infusion)
v. to record the time of the execution or making of : “mark with the date”
In Israel, the end of life is as common as the beginning, and all the breathing that happens in between. We are taught to respect each of these stages with the proper rituals, readings, and responses. The eldest son of every family has the responsibility to tend these things and keep the continuum unbroken for the generation to follow.
I am the firstborn. But I am not the son.
I sat beside Lazarus’ cradle during those hot nights of mourning and watched him sleep, wondering what would happen next but knowing already what must. Papa—Shimon ben Ishvi—had been the village leader. In his place, when he reached adulthood at thirteen, our baby brother Lazarus would follow. But I had seen Uri slip into the courtyard yesterday, his tiny eyes darting around, appraising its width. He was prepared to sit on Papa’s cushion by the end of the mourning period.