The Kabbalistic Murder Code: Mystery & International Conspiracies (Historical Crime Thriller Book 1) (19 page)

              “Let me guess. I bet the rabbis were opposed to this program.”

              “Of course. However, we also found another use for our program. As Torah scrolls are hand-written, each one is totally unique. By using our program, we’re able to build up a database of each individual Torah scroll. If a Torah scroll is ever stolen, it is a simple thing to apply our program to it and identify its actual owner.”

              “And Norman is somehow or other involved in this,” sighed Elijah. “I suppose you can use the same technique to identify other manuscripts.”

              “Elijah, of course you are concerned with your specialty, but in the long term we can use our program for many other applications in various fields. For example, if a computer program is somehow deleted, it’s important to be able to reconstruct it exactly as it was before. A single misplaced comma in the program can prevent its reconstruction and can even, in some circumstances, lead to the destruction of the computer itself. Norman was looking for an infallible way to reconstruct material.”

              “And you developed such a program for him?”

              “We explained to him that in order to do what he wanted, he would need two supercomputers.”

              Elijah sat up straight. He remembered the two supercomputers that Luria had tried to smuggle out of the United States.

              “And what did he say about that?”

              “That he owned some of the most advanced computers in the world.”

There was something strange about that. According to Gabi Moldovan, Luria had failed in its efforts to export the supercomputers from the United States, but according to Shlomo, Norman had nevertheless found a way to obtain access to such computers.

              “Do you have any idea where these computers are located?”

              “In my opinion, they’re not in Israel, but that’s only based on bits and pieces of hints I’ve picked up. No one in the high-tech community in Israel is aware of any such computers in the country - but then again, we might be wrong.”

              “Well, did you complete all the programming?”

              “Tell me, wouldn’t you work night and day if you could earn millions of dollars?”

              “Shlomo, that's perfectly legitimate. There’s no need for you to apologize.”

              “Isn’t that what you’re doing with him right now?”

              “You mean earning millions of dollars?”

              “No, working night and day. Norman is not the type of person you can say ‘no’ to.”

              “Actually, he offered me a job, and I came to you to hear more about him. I must tell you that from what I hear from you, things look very good.”

              “I have to go. Take my advice: work for him and build up some savings.”

              “One last question,” said Elijah. He had evidently seen too many episodes of ‘Columbo’ and was beginning to fancy himself as a more modern version of that detective. Orna had once said that Elijah was a mixture of naivety and ineptness. “Would you have any idea where the funding came from?”

              “I received my checks from Cordoba Investments, and they were signed by the company’s CEO, John MacDonald.”

             
In the year 823 after the founding of Rome, which was 70 C.E., Titus Flavius Vespasianus conquered Jerusalem. The conquest was far from easy, and Titus’s victory over the rebellious Jews was one of the primary reasons why the Roman Senate granted him very special honors. Officially, it was noted that it was only through his father’s advice and the help of the gods that he had managed to subdue the Jewish people and destroy the city of Jerusalem. All who had tried to conquer this city had failed. While this account is historically inaccurate, it does indicate the importance with which the Romans regarded this triumph.

              Three separate Jewish forces combined against the Roman might. Simon Bar Giora controlled the Upper City; Johanan ben Levi of Gush Halav was encamped on the Temple Mount itself, and Elazar ben Simon and his men were in the Temple court. These three - freedom fighters, according to one account, but the leaders of gangs of thugs according to another - were engaged in a murderous internal struggle among themselves for the control of Judea. However, they all joined forces when Titus besieged the city.

              After a siege lasting five months and following a number of vain attempts, the Romans finally breached the city wall and razed the city to its foundations. For Jerusalem to be conquered was nothing new. Even the wanton and wholesale slaughter of men, women, and children was not extraordinary in those days. In fact, under the Hasmonean rule, Jerusalem had been taken a number of times.

              But Titus surpassed them all. He consulted with his senior officials as to what was to be done with the Temple; for all but a seventy-year interregnum between the First and Second Temples, the two Temples had stood for a thousand years. In fact, the Second Temple had been thoroughly renovated only a few decades earlier by King Herod, and now stood there in all its glory. Titus sided with those who wished to demolish it, and decided to raze it to the ground and utterly destroy it, something no other conqueror had done for over 500 years.

              The aim of those seeking to destroy the Temple was clear. According to them, the Temple was the source of all Rome’s problems with the Jews. It served as a symbol of the Jews’ pride and rebellious nature, and it was the Temple that fostered their gall in being willing to oppose the might of Rome. Destroying the Temple would be akin to breaking the Jews’ backbone. All resistance would collapse, never to rise again. Just as the other nations in the area - the Ammonites, Moabites, Philistines, etc. - had lost their original identity, the Jews, too, would simply disappear as a nation and become part of the global Roman Empire.

              The Temple was not used only for various ritual ceremonies, even though these took up a great deal of the time and included sacrifices: lighting candles, burning incense, singing the world-renowned song of the Levites, blowing the shofar and trumpets on various dates throughout the year, and other religious rituals. It also served a number of other, no less important, functions. The priests offered religious guidance to Jews from all over the world, the scribes and religious leaders taught the Word of God, the Sanhedrin and the Great Bet Din sat in judgment, while all matters concerning the economy and the state of the Jewish people both in the Land of Israel and throughout the rest of the world were determined there. Jews throughout the world were taxed a half-shekel a year toward the upkeep of the Temple, and these taxes were all brought to the Temple annually. Beyond all these purely functional aspects, Jews would come from all corners of the globe to the Temple to see it and to experience its sanctity. It was the nerve center of the Jewish people at the time. Should the Temple disappear, reasoned the Roman officials, the Jewish people would remain a body without a heart, and would soon wither away.

              The sanctity of the Temple was so great that even the priests were not permitted free access to it. The entire priestly clan was divided into twenty-four watches, and each watch was assigned a weeklong stretch for serving in the Temple. We assume that there must have been certain priests who remained in the Temple on a permanent basis to ensure continuity, but the vast majority only served during their watch. The constant flow of people to the Temple, the institutions located in it, and all the tourists present, made a visit astounding. It was all these factors that accorded the Temple its special luster and stature among the Jewish people.

              When the Temple was destroyed, there were those who refused to eat meat or drink wine, symbolic of their mourning for the Temple. There was a feeling of a religious and national crisis, and no one could foretell how or when the crisis might be resolved. For many Jews, this was the end of the world as they knew it. They were not at all sure whether the Jewish people would ever rise again.

              Yet, just at that most crucial time, a group of scholars arose that effectively halted the decline. Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai, Rabbi Eliezer ben Horkenos, and Rabbi Akiba ben Joseph were among the most prominent members of this group, which totally changed the direction of the Jewish religion. They redirected all the spiritual input that had been directed toward the Temple into prayer and good deeds. Various national, religious ceremonies that had taken place in the Temple were decentralized and transformed into local and personal ceremonies that could be held anywhere, and so on. As part of this transformation, they removed certain works from the public eye and deliberately caused some of them to be forgotten. Other works were made freely available, as part of the group’s various considerations. Among others, they sought to suppress various mystical works and concepts, which dealt with the realms of mysticism, messianism, and the apocalypse, topics which were very popular before the destruction of the Temple. We are not sure why they did so, but we do know that they were quite successful in their quest. Judaism underwent a major change in its entire orientation, but as a result, it did not disappear.

              Elijah found a note from Norman when he arrived at the Institute, asking him to call as soon as possible. First, he brewed himself a cup of strong coffee. The past few days had taken their toll and he needed the caffeine to keep going. His hair had begun to fall out, probably, he felt, because of a combination of extreme tension and genuine malnutrition. Maybe what he needed, he thought, was some type of food supplement, as he compulsively pushed back his forelock and found a few more hairs in the palm of his hand. In reality, there wasn’t much for him to do at the Institute, except to await further instructions. He sent a high-priority email to Norman, expressing his concern for Mei-Ling’s life.

              Elijah looked out the window and was entranced by the different birds perched in the trees. His thoughts again turned to Rabbi Akiba. Rabbi Akiba had occupied his thoughts quite frequently in the past few days, for somehow or other he sensed that if he could understand Rabbi Akiba and the varied accounts of his character, he would be able to understand what Norman was plotting, why Kim had been killed, and whether he, Elijah, was slated to be the next victim.

              Rabbi Akiba’s statement, “Even if a man found a woman who is more attractive than his wife, he has the right to divorce her,” which he had used to infuriate Orna somewhat and to arouse her jealousy, seemed quite strange. Rabbi Akiba did not specify that the grounds for divorce had to be finding a better woman, or a more righteous woman, but a more attractive one! Was that the way for a religious leader to express himself? After all, in order to find a more attractive woman one must go looking for one. Is that what Rabbi Akiba meant? And how is it that no one in the Talmud disagrees with this viewpoint? Nor was this written in the 21
st
century. According to the School of Shammai, adultery is a valid reason for divorce, and according to the School of Hillel even a woman who is unable to fulfill her household duties properly may be divorced - but just because the man found a more attractive woman? Add to that the fact that the Talmud tells us that Rabbi Akiba loved his wife dearly, and that it was because of her that he became such an illustrious scholar. Indeed, the Talmud tells us how, out of love for her, Rabbi Akiba bought his wife, Rachel, a golden pendant with a model of the city of Jerusalem.

              Elijah opened the window, took out the pack of cigarettes he had bought that morning, and lit one. He was not generally a smoker, but he hoped that cigarettes might help calm his frayed nerves. Of course, as soon as he took his first puff he broke into a paroxysm of coughing, but he nevertheless persisted in smoking the entire cigarette, inhaling deeply each time. He found Rabbi Akiba’s moral views to be strange and contradictory. After all, he had grown up with the words, set to a melody, that “
Rabbi Akiba said: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ is an important principle in the Torah
.” Yet only yesterday he had come across another passage, by the same Rabbi Akiba according to which:

“If two people are walking in a desert and one has a flask of water, and if they divide it up both will die, while if one drinks it he will survive and reach a settlement. Ben Petora says that it is better that both drink of it, rather than for one to witness the death of his fellow. Rabbi Akiba came and taught: “From the verse ‘Your brother shall live with you’, we learn that your life takes precedence over that of your fellow.”

              Now, from a strictly legalistic point of view, Rabbi Akiba’s ruling might be correct, but what about concern for the other person? How can we relate this to “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”? Isn’t it possible that if they both drink of the water and work together they might find more water, or dig a well, or seek aid? If they do not split the water, the one with the flask will be preoccupied with ensuring that the other person does not take the water from him, and how will he have the will to take the initiative in seeking water? He will be unable to turn his back on the other person for so much as an instant. In essence, this amounts to a cold
-
blooded battle for survival between the two. It is strange that so esteemed a Torah scholar as Rabbi Akiba would adopt so egotistic a view. This aspect of Rabbi Akiba’s views was obviously not encapsulated in the song Elijah had been taught as a child.

              He was deep in thought about this puzzling contradiction, when the incessant ringing of the phone broke the silence, startling him no end.

              “Hello,” he managed to splutter, before another coughing spell began.

              “Hello. Is that you, Professor Shemtov?” the voice asked.

              “Yes, yes.”

              “Are you ill?” It was Norman, and Elijah almost threw up at Norman’s exaggerated courtesy.

              “No, no, I’m fine, thank you.”

              “Don’t worry about Mei-Ling. She’ll be flying to Australia, out of harm’s way.”

              “I’m very happy to hear that.”

              “Elijah, I’ve found what I’ve been looking for! I’d like you to come over to verify that what I’ve found is the original before I buy it.”

              “Fine,” replied Elijah, “but where and when?”

              Norman briefed him about the technical details. The flight would leave on Sunday. Elijah would arrive the same day, and they would begin work immediately. While Norman did not foresee the work taking any great length of time, Elijah should take into account that more might be required. The return flight would leave at noon the following day. Elijah marked down the details.

              “But why can’t I fly there directly? And where is this place - Formentera?”

              “It’s a small Spanish island. Years ago I bought a house there. The island does not have an airport of its own, so you have to fly to Barcelona and from there to Ibiza, where I’ll arrange for you to be picked up.” Norman hung up, and Elijah returned to his ruminations.

              Rabbi Akiba was one of the leading spiritual leaders of the Jewish people after the destruction of the Second Temple.

              He decided to follow a different train of thought. If the Temple Mount is the key to everything holy, we have to reexamine the destruction of the Second Temple. As a result of the destruction of the First Temple, the Jewish people went into exile in Babylon. The exile in Babylon clarified a lot about Norman. What could Elijah learn from the destruction of the Second Temple?

              His mind seemed to have hit a mental block. He couldn’t answer the question in any meaningful way. All he could think about was the parallel between that time and the way the Jews of the 21
st
century are split and how deep are the divisions within the Jewish people. Evidently, there had been no great change in that regard. Elijah was weak and exhausted, and was afraid that all this was because he had started working for the accursed Institute. He went home, but there, too, he was unable to unwind.

              Elijah and Orna were fully aware of the risks involved in the trip to Spain; the closer Norman came to locating the next scroll, the greater the danger to Elijah.

              “Don’t worry. Norman will keep you safe so long as he hasn’t deciphered all the clues,” Orna said, in an attempt to reassure him. “I’ll be rooting for you from here and will continue to search for this Gardi fellow. So far, I haven’t located anyone with that name in any Israeli hospital. For all we know, he could have been discharged from the hospital after that note was written.”

              “Unless he died - from natural causes, or otherwise.” Elijah’s comment reflected his gloom.

              “In any event, I plan to start working backward chronologically until I find him.”

              “Thanks, Orna dearest,” he said, trying not to show how worried he really was.

              Early on Sunday morning, Elijah arrived at Ben Gurion Airport and made his way to the Spanish national airline counter. The woman at the counter smiled at him with one of those smiles reserved for important passengers, a smile which one just had to revel in. As expected, his flight ticket was waiting for him. It was for Ibiza via Barcelona; arrival time 10:00 am. The return flight was Monday at 11:00 am. Not surprisingly, the letters “VIP” had been stamped on the ticket.
Well, well, I’ve become a Very Important Person
, he thought to himself, but found no comfort in the fact. He could not stop worrying.
How long will I continue to remain important?

              At Barcelona, a representative of the airline was waiting for him, and she led him to the domestic flights terminal. It was a short flight, and half an hour after leaving Barcelona, he landed in Ibiza. As he had almost no luggage with him, he passed through Customs with no problem and was the first passenger to reach the outside reception area.

              “Good morning, Professor Shemtov,” he heard a woman’s voice behind him. Even from those few words, he realized that the person spoke English with difficulty and with a heavy Spanish accent. He turned to see who had called him. The woman must have been about thirty years old. She had large black eyes and long, curly black hair. She wore a short white dress that accentuated her slim figure.
She really is very pretty
, thought Elijah to himself.

              “I’m pleased to meet you. I am Ruth, Mr. Norman’s housekeeper. I’ve come to pick you up.”

              “It’s my pleasure. I’ll follow wherever you lead.”

              Ruth smiled, and they walked out of the terminal. As soon as they stepped outside, the torrid heat and bright sunshine took him by surprise. He was used to heat, because Spain’s climate was much like Israel’s, but as a resident of Jerusalem, he was used to its cool, dry climate. The high humidity here seemed to seep through every pore of his body and made him sweat profusely, caused him almost unbearable discomfort. Yes, Tel Aviv was no less humid, but people who lived in Jerusalem were spared it. The two entered a taxi that was waiting for them at the curb. He was delighted to find that the taxi was air-conditioned. Ruth said something to the driver in Spanish, and they drove off.

              “Is this your first visit here?” she asked Elijah, with a bewitching smile.

              “Yes.”

              “Ibiza is one of the four large islands of the Balearic Islands. We are close to the Spanish coast, and there are a number of other small, uninhabited islands in the area. The large islands are Palma de Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera. Until relatively recently, they were isolated and the people subsisted on agriculture. In the 1960s, many American hippies came here, but in the last thirty years the islands have become vacation resorts. Formentera is a small island. It is great to live here in the winter, when there are no more than five thousand residents on the entire island. However, in the summer we are swamped with tourists.”

              “Well, shouldn’t that justify building an airport?”

              “The island is so small that there isn’t even room for an airport. There are only two gas stations on the entire island. The only way to reach Formentera is by sea. There is a ferry, but it is easy to reach the island by motorboat. We are going to the port, where a small boat awaits us. You’ll enjoy the trip.”

              The drive to the port took very little time. To Elijah, the port seemed minuscule. The taxi drove into the port until it reached a locked gate. A guard stood at the gate and he and Ruth broke into a heated argument.

              “He refuses to let you enter. He says we need a special permit, which has to be obtained a week in advance. The taxi driver will drive you to a different place, where I’ll be waiting for you with the boat.” Every kind of alarm bell went off in Elijah’s mind, along with revolving blue police lamps. Everything pointed to imminent danger. He didn’t say anything, but he certainly did not radiate any signs of joy.

              The driver took Elijah to the end of the dock and signaled to him to leave the taxi. The driver didn’t know a word of English, and Elijah was unable to communicate with him. He left the taxi and was again subjected to a blast of humid heat, which seemed to smother him. A man approached him and stood by his side, stared at the water and lit a cigarette. The man began speaking to Elijah in a soft undertone. Elijah didn’t understand a word. If he had been worried up to now, all the bells in his head seemed to explode in a raucous cacophony of sound. The man was clearly stronger than he, and much taller. Elijah sized up his opponent and instinctively backed off, taking care not to get any closer to the water. If a car came and tried to kidnap him, what would he do? Was Ruth one of the gang that intended to kidnap him? His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of a boat approaching. Ruth waved to him, and the stranger left.

              “Did you receive any interesting offers?” Ruth laughed. Elijah smiled nervously. He couldn’t understand the local humor.

              “This island is full of gays and lesbians. He is one of them,” Ruth explained, and Elijah relaxed. The so-called “boat” which Ruth had promised to bring was, in reality, a four-seater yacht equipped with a bedroom, a kitchen, and a toilet. Ruth steered the yacht skillfully, as if driving a familiar car. She dialed a number on her cellular phone and handed it to Elijah. The line was rather noisy, but Elijah could still hear Norman’s voice.