does this apply? Rabbi Karo teaches that ransoming captives is the most supreme act of charity, more than building a shul or feeding the poor—”
Rabbi Aaron dismissed Rabbi Karo’s modern interpretation of ancient law. “The Talmud clearly states that captives should not be ransomed at excessively high prices, or else our enemies will learn to profit from it.”
“But that ruling doesn’t apply in this case,” I said. “Reb Federn hasn’t been kidnapped. He’s been arrested.”
“Big difference,” said one of the merchants, a spice trader in the fourth row.
Rabbi Aaron countered with a Midrash: “Rabbi Joshua once stopped at a roadside inn, where a woman prepared lentils for his meal—”
“Some say it was beans,” Rabbi Joseph interjected.
The judges took a moment to discuss this discrepancy among themselves, nodding their heads as they debated the issue.
I looked to Rabbi Loew for direction. He gestured for me to be patient. So I stood there watching a drowsy merchant in the second row whose eyelids were fluttering on the edge of sleep.
Rabbi Aaron resumed his homily. “We have decided that the question as to whether it was lentils or beans must be left for Elijah the Prophet to resolve when he returns to bring peace to the world. The point is that after the meal, Rabbi Joshua overheard one of the other travelers talking about the dark days of the Empire, when the Romans surrounded the holy city of Jerusalem, and a group of hot-headed radicals urged the Jews to fight to the death.”
He paused to make sure that everyone was listening closely. They were.
“Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, may his name be exalted, didn’t want to see his beloved people die in a pointless standoff. So after careful deliberation, he decided that the best possible action was to accept that the Romans had won, and to try to negotiate with them. However, he was well aware of the fact that if the Jews saw him approaching the enemy camp, the gossip might spread that he was betraying them. What could he do? I’ll tell you. He had himself smuggled out of the city in a coffin, risking his own life in order to save many.”
I told the court, “So what’s your solution? Sneak everyone out of the ghetto and hope the Christians don’t notice? Any idea where we can get three thousand coffins on such short notice?”
The astonished burghers rose up like waves in a storm, and Rabbi Hayyot called for order.
Someone shouted, “Yeah, why don’t we just dig a tunnel under the wall all the way to Jerusalem while we’re at it?” and I sensed a shifting of the tide as bits of laughter cascaded down from the galleries.
Rabbi Aaron’s eyebrows collapsed into an angry V. “We can’t risk provoking the Christians in such a manner. That would only inflame their anger and make things worse.”
I couldn’t help saying, “How could it get any worse? They already think we cook with blood.”
Rabbi Loew stepped in. “Your honors, and my longtime friends in the community, in difficult times we must remember the words of Rabbi Akiva, may his light shine in Paradise, who taught us to attend to God first, then to our own needs. He taught us that if a Jew in the desert has only enough water left to drink or to wash, but not enough for both, it is better to die of thirst than to eat without purifying the hands.”
Good strategy. Hold a mirror up to their own mortality. Nobody wants to look death in the face unless God is by their side.
“We must act together to save Jacob Federn,” said Rabbi Loew. “As it is written, Loy samed al dam reyekhoh.” Thou shalt not stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor.
Yes, a commandment. That’ll shame them into action.
“I agree that this is definitely a test of our worthiness,” said Rabbi Joseph. “We need to enter into a state of purity and concentration in order to find a way out of this dilemma. Normally, the first step in the process would be fasting, but since we cannot fast during the festival of Pesach, we must first purify our bodies by immersion in the mikvehs and by staying away from women and other unclean things for several days.”
I said, “We don’t have days.”
Reb Bernstein threw up his hands in disgust. “Your honors, when are we going to discuss my situation?”
Rabbi Joseph said, “In a moment, Reb Bernstein. Don’t you realize that the cause of this terrible problem could very well