The Rabbi and The Rebbetzin (12 page)

“I
will call a meeting of the faculty tomorrow and present my views to the other
members. I am requesting both of you to be present for part of the meeting before
the faculty discusses the matter privately.”

That
afternoon, when the faculty meeting convened, four rabbis and two students
gathered in the dean’s office. Aaron and Shalom gave the rabbis a picture of
the situation, answered some pertinent questions and then took leave of the
faculty.

Following
his usual pattern, the dean asked the faculty members to state their position, starting
with Rabbi Bernstein, the youngest member.

“I
have no problem with this situation,” he said. “I have always worshipped in
such congregations and even when I work at this institution I continue to
worship at Modern Orthodox synagogues. If you allowed Aaron to conduct services
at Beth Israel, there is no justification for denying Shalom equal rights. I
fully expect to be present at the bar mitzvah when it takes place. Incidentally,
my wife gave birth to a baby daughter last week and mother and child are doing
well.”

“Mazel
Tov,” they all said to him.

Rabbi
Weiss spoke next. “I was a cantor at Rabbi Eisenberg’s synagogue during the
holidays and I have no qualms about worshipping in Modern Orthodox
congregations as long as they do not deviate from tradition. I have the
additional situation where in the course of my work as executive director, I
must deal with Abe Levine, who is the main patron of the yeshiva. If he can’t
find a bar mitzvah teacher he might very well ask me to do the work myself. I
too, please God, will attend the services.”

Rabbi
Kurland then took the floor and was not in his usual surly mood. “I have something
to say that may come as a surprise to all of you. Not only have I given my
personal approval for Shalom to teach Abe Levine’s son Torah, but I have also
expressed my willingness to be present at the bar mitzvah. I know that I told
this committee that I never worshipped in a Modern Orthodox congregation, but
there is always a first time for everything. I cannot give a student permission
to represent the yeshiva in a place where I wouldn’t daven by myself.” He then
gave the other faculty members a full exposition of his reasoning on this point.

Before
he concluded the meeting, the dean said, “Someone has to mind the store here
when all of you are away. I cannot leave the yeshiva unattended on Shabbos. If
I get an invitation to the bar mitzvah, I will ask one of you to deliver Mazel
Tov greetings for me.” He then called the students into the meeting to advise
them of the decision of the faculty and then adjourned the meeting.

Aaron
was greatly relieved that Abe Levine’s problem was resolved and lost no time in
sending word of the decision to him. Levine scheduled a meeting with the two
men for that evening and brought his wife and son to meet Shalom Pinkes and start
making arrangements. His son, Sammy had been bothering him to begin his bar
mitzvah preparations, knowing that there would be valuable presents on that
occasion.

The
next morning Rabbi Kurland spoke casually to Shalom Pinkes. “I am happy the
meeting went well yesterday afternoon and that you now have a challenging task.
May I now ask you a somewhat different question: did you notice any change recently
in Aaron’s character and personality?”

“I
am not surprised with the question,” Shalom answered. “I too have noticed a
difference. To what exactly is the Mashgiach referring?”

Rabbi
Kurland was brief and to the point. “Aaron has always been a very quiet and
introverted person. He hardly smiles and doesn’t engage in casual conversation
with people. All of a sudden he has changed. He smiles and laughs and answers the
younger students who ask him questions with patience and warmth. Do you think
the money he made on the holidays has caused him to undergo a character change
of such magnitude?”

“I
do not think so,” Pinkes replied. “He may have gained a lot of self-confidence
at Beth Israel and he may feel good about his future. The money, however, hardly
makes any difference.” Shalom felt somewhat guilty because he knew that he was
not giving the Mashgiach a satisfactory answer. To cover himself, Shalom added
further, “There may be something else involved. I do not know what it is but I
am sure that he will soon reveal his feelings to me.”

Shalom
had some suspicions but he did not feel he had the right to probe Aaron’s
personal emotions. He decided to wait until the truth came out. It was only a
matter of two weeks before he found the answer. One night, after they had
completed their study, Aaron told Shalom that he would like to get some instruction
in the use of the computer that Abe Levine had given him.

Shalom
explained that it wouldn’t be easy for him to teach Aaron the use a Mac
computer which had a unique operating system far different from the Microsoft Windows
system that was in common use. Aaron told him not to worry. Abe Levine had
equipped the Mac with a Windows operating system that a small independent company
had developed to allow Windows to be used with the Mac. Ultimately Apple would
come out with the system itself, but for the time being Levine was selling a
lot of Windows adapters for Mac buyers.

Shalom
felt much relieved, because the included Windows system would be welcome. “It
will make matters much easier. Now if you knew how to touch type, I would have
no problem at all.”

“What
are you planning to write on the computer?”

Aaron
felt that he had no reason to hide anything from his friend and he told him the
truth. “Shulamit Levine told me, before I left, that if I send her an email
from the new computer, she would answer me.”

Shalom
put two and two together and the light dawned upon him. “I don’t know how far
you have gotten with the beautiful lady, and as I have heard, she is very
pretty. Don’t worry, I will not tell Rabbi Kurland that the
Yetzer Hara
(evil inclination) has made a vast character change in you. He will tell me
that you ate from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of the worldly Eden and
that your eyes have been opened.”

“I
tried to hide it,” Aaron said, “but had no success.”

“The
Yetzer Hara
is a hard entity to overcome,” Shalom warned him. “It will
be weeks before you could send a credible letter to Shulamit, who is a profound
scholar. Since I’ve undertaken to be your patron angel, I will also offer my
services here, before you waste a full day of learning as you pursue your
blissful dreams. Write out your text by hand and I will type it for you in a
few minutes.” Shalom was a skilled computer user and typed quickly.

“I
take it you will not see fit to discuss the letter with the Mashgiach,” Aaron
said in trepidation.

“Of
course not,” Shalom replied. “You can trust me.”

Aaron
handed the letter to Shalom and Shalom scanned it. He caught the signature which
read, “Love, Aaron,” and could not refrain from expressing his surprise.

“Wow!”
he exclaimed. “You certainly work fast.”

“Believe
me, Shalom, Shulamit doesn’t share the same feelings towards me. It seems more
a matter of pity than desire on her part. However, one always has to try, and
hope for the best.”

Shalom
set up the computer and, in a matter of minutes the letter was typed. “I better
print off a copy so you could look it over.” The text was brief and mainly
concerned Aaron’s success in arranging the bar mitzvah instruction for Shulamit’s
brother, Sammy. The letter was emailed, and for the ensuing day Aaron waited
impatiently for a response.

In
the evening, Shalom taught him how to check for incoming mail and print off the
responses. Sure enough, there was a short response from Shulamit. She thanked
him for helping arrange for Sammy’s instruction and reported briefly on what
was happening to her. She had enrolled in a Kaplan training course that was
offered in Buffalo, and she had started to accumulate the various documents
required for law school applications. She did not go into great detail and did
not comment on the way that Aaron signed his letter.

Matters
then settled down to normal at the yeshiva. Aaron and Shalom resumed their
learning which started daily at 4:30 PM. The learning reached the intensity
which had been achieved before the holiday break. At 3:30 each day, Sammy came
to the yeshiva and found his way to the classroom chosen for his bar mitzvah
lesson. He had a strong voice and Shalom made sure that he would not succumb to
the problems that plagued many bar mitzvah boys. Their nervousness caused them
to lower their voices to a whisper and Shalom knew how to get around this
problem. Sammy was a quick learner and he practiced his work regularly.

Two
weeks before Chanukah, Aaron received a call from Mrs. Farber, the Sisterhood
president. She advised him that it was customary for the rabbi to attend the
congregational Chanukah dinner and Rabbi Solomon had always done so. She wanted
Aaron to deliver a speech containing the message of the holiday that would give
the dinner some spiritual contents. She would arrange for Aaron’s transportation
and a fee for his services. Aaron said that he would do his best to accept her
kind invitation.

Aaron
wrote to Shulamit about the Chanukah dinner and was stunned by her quick reply.

“I
go to the dinner every year and I will be glad to see you there. I need an
escort for the dinner and I want you to be my dinner companion. I can’t depend
on the local men for a Chanukah dinner. They seem to know more about Christmas than
they do about Chanukah. That includes even the men who grew up in traditional
Jewish homes.”

By
now, Aaron had learned how to type slowly on the Mac and send out an email. He
was glad that he would not have to explain everything to Shalom but it was an
unrealistic expectation. The next evening Shalom produced a letter from Mrs.
Farber containing an invitation to the same dinner. She explained that he would
be introduced as Sammy’s bar mitzvah rabbi, which would give her a chance to
inform the congregation of the upcoming event. More important, Abe Levine had reminded
her about Shalom’s cantorial ability and his outstanding personality. She claimed
that she would be delighted if he would light the Chanukah candles and sing the
Maoz Tzur
. She would also want him to sing a medley of traditional Chanukah
songs for the audience. She then revealed to him that in deference to the
visiting rabbis who would be attending the dinner there would be no mixed
social dancing at the function. When she spoke of rabbis she was referring not only
to Aaron and Shalom, but also to members of the yeshiva faculty.

“Does
that mean that you will have to drag the Mashgiach to the shul twice in his
life?” Aaron asked. “I know there won’t be any worship or mixed dancing at the
affair. He might overlook the mixed seating, but I seriously doubt it. At any
rate, that is not even a major problem. When Cynthia Farber was speaking to me
she mentioned that there would be entertainment at the dinner. That translates
into women singing. There is no way in the world that the Mashgiach would
accept such an occurrence. Nor will he agree to step out of the auditorium before
the women start to sing for he would deem that to be demeaning.”

Upon
hearing this, Shalom decided not to confer with the Mashgiach on this matter. “If
the Mashgiach criticizes my presence at the party, I will tell him it was part
of my bar mitzvah work to which he has already consented. If he bothers you,
Aaron, how would you answer?”

“I
will simply tell him”, Aaron replied, “that I was engaged in the practice of the
first mitzvah in the Torah, ‘Be fruitful and multiply.’”

Aaron
sat down and answered Shulamit’s email. “It would be an honor and a privilege
for me to be your escort for the congregational Chanukah dinner. Please make
the seating arrangements with Mrs. Farber. Meanwhile let me wish you good luck
on your LSAT.”

Shulamit
returned from Buffalo a week before Chanukah. For the congregational affair she
needed a gown and she was not the type of woman who bought formal clothes off
the shelf. Her mother had her own dress maker and Shulamit was welcome to make
use of her services. Because the dinner was being held at the synagogue, she
had to abide by standards of modesty and her mother’s dress maker was familiar
with such fashion.

Suffice
it to say, that the gown was elegantly feminine and her father would have to
sell a host of computers to cover the expense. He was more than happy to do so.
Chana Levine was not willing to be outshone by her lovely daughter. She
comforted her husband by saying that she could wear the same gown with a few
changes at the upcoming bar mitzvah.

The
weather was mild for a December evening in Dunberg and the guests started to
assemble by 6:30 PM. Following a half hour of socializing and enjoying a
smorgasbord, the guests entered the main auditorium. After the benches were
stacked in a corner, the tables had been arranged in the worship areas of both
men and women and the guest were seated at all but the first three tables.

The
dinner chairman, Mrs. Farber, was following the custom where the distinguished
guests assembled in the vestry and entered the hall one by one. The guests were
introduced in reverse order of their importance. The regional congressman and
his wife entered first, and were followed by the Pennsylvania state senator
and his wife.
To keep
the important visitors company, the Gabbai Joe Feinberg, his wife, the
sisterhood vice president and her husband, completed the table of eight. A
round of applause was heard as the guests entered. The attendance of the
political figures was easily achieved by Abe Levine, who knew the two men and
was a generous contributor to their political campaigns.