THE CHOSEN: A Man Much Loved: Historical Fiction (The Chosen Trilogy Book 3)

by Shlomo Kalo

  The young officer approached the King, bowed as if wishing to inform him of something, and on rising he severed the neck of Belshazzar with a single stroke of his sword, as swift as lightning. Impelled by the force of the blow, Belshazzar’s head bounced on the floor and rolled to the feet of the dumbfounded guards, who had no idea what they should do or how they should deal with their superior officer.

  The latter took advantage of the confusion and jumped from a window into the royal garden. Here he was detained by a fellow officer of the guard, who realised something was amiss when he saw his colleague escaping through the window. The assassin was chained and imprisoned in the palace dungeons.

  News of the King’s death spread rapidly through Babylon and outside it. It seemed no one was too distressed about it. Darius the Mede, uncle of Temior, the late queen, came to the Chaldean capital at the head of a small army, and the Chaldeans did not resist him but threw the gates of the city wide open to him and to his troops.

  Darius was crowned King of Babylon and sat on the throne of Nebuchadnezzar, and ordered the immediate abolition of the taxes that Belshazzar, his predecessor, had imposed on the inhabitants of Babylon, as well as the special taxes levied on the Jewish communities. Darius reinstated the sacked ministers to their posts, and first and foremost the four ministers of the Jewish exile, namely Belteshazzar, Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-Nego. The brave minister who had dared to remind Belshazzar of Nashdernach’s dying wish, Darius promoted, appointing him chief adviser in place of Nashdernach, and on the latter’s tomb he ordered the placing of a marble plinth, twenty cubits in height and bearing the inscription in letters of gold inlay “The municipality of Babylon mourns its faithful son”. The King’s murderer, Darius hanged on the grounds that “No man should raise his hand against one crowned King with the consent of God, no matter how he has behaved,” but his family was pardoned and had their property restored, and his brother and sisters were released from servitude. They also received a generous sum in compensation for their suffering and humiliation.

  Gershon, who had voluntarily left the office of the royal calligrapher, did not change his mind despite an official invitation and the promise of promotion. He found a refuge with Simeon of the house of Avinoam, Hannah’s father and the father-in-law of Hananiah, and the two of them spent days and nights recalling the great days of the Hebrew nation and its past glories, and bemoaning the troubles besetting it at present.

  Gershon expressed the opinion that the root of all the people’s woes was to be found in its lack of faith and in its pursuit of temporal pleasures, including power and fame, and its enslavement to them. Simeon on the other hand maintained with undiminished stubbornness that those sons of the people who had accepted positions of authority in the service of pagan rulers were responsible for all the problems, and this because they disregarded the interests of their own race and would rather ingratiate themselves with the infidels. At the end of the day, none of the experiences of the Jews had come about through any agency on the part of God. God ruled His own kingdom, meaning the kingdom of Heaven, and the world below He entrusted into the hands of men, and as men sowed so would they reap, as the sages used to say.

  Gershon disagreed with his sparring partner but without undue heat or vehemence, as some of the other’s arguments he could accept. The statement that man reaps what he has sown – with that he concurred wholeheartedly.

  One way or the other, Gershon found a roof and a lodging with Simeon of the house of Avinoam, Hananiah’s father-in-law, and whenever the occasion arose he exchanged cordial greetings and good wishes with the four friends, his former travelling companions.

  With the ending of the siege of Jerusalem and its conquest by Nebuchadnezzar, Gershon tried to ascertain what had become of his family and his brother-in-law, Jacob Ben Eliezer, without much success. Someone said that all the members of his family had survived, including his brother-in-law and his sister and their children, who had left Jerusalem before the siege began and found refuge in Egypt. Someone else said his brother-in-law had been seen fighting on the walls of the city, and his fate was unknown. Gershon had to be content with these snippets of information, from sources of dubious reliability, but he was convinced, or rather he succeeded in convincing himself – that if his relatives had perished, he would have heard. He preferred to believe the version according to which they had left Jerusalem before Nebuchadnezzar arrived to lay siege to the city, and found a place of safety in Egypt, and in this he found some reassurance.

  Gershon was contented with his lot, helping Simeon to write letters to the authorities, and performing the same service for the burghers of the community and the simple folk, and for this work of his he received a nominal stipend. As time passed he stopped taking an interest in the world around him and sank into a kind of easeful slumber, like an old man coming to the end of his road and wanting only to be gathered to his ancestors without suffering or pain.

  The Four Beasts

  At about this time, visions began to rise before his eyes, and, and at night he was visited by dreams that perturbed and unsettled his mind, making a deep impression upon him. And in the morning, on rising from his bed, he would remember every single detail of these dreams which – more than they were nightly happenings in the sleeping hours – were living events and not the fruit of delusion.

  To avoid disturbing Nejeen in her sleep, he went back to sleeping in his own room. He reckoned he should apologise to her for this, but she forestalled him:

  “It does no harm, you sleeping in your own room, if that is really what you want. For my part, I shall stay in the room that we share.”

  He bowed to her, as a mark of appreciation for her considerate approach, and sat down with her to eat breakfast. And when the meal was over and the maid had cleared the table, while they were still sitting there, face to face, he finally broke the silence, telling her of one of the dreams that he had dreamed, or more accurately – had seen.

  She listened with rapt attention and when he had finished his account, she remarked that in her humble opinion it was important, and perhaps even his duty, to record the dream in writing, word for word as he had told it to her.

  He weighed her words carefully, and after some thought came to the conclusion that she was absolutely right. He went to his private study with its window overlooking the palace gardens, and its cool and refreshing ventilation, sat at his desk and recorded, as Nejeen had suggested, word for word:

  In my visions of the night I saw a great sea stirred by the four winds of heaven, and four huge beasts coming up out of the sea, each one different from the others. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings. I watched as its wings were plucked off and it was raised from the ground and made to stand on its feet like a man, and it was given the mind of a man. Then I saw another, a second beast like a bear. It was standing to one side and had three ribs in its mouth, between its teeth, and it was commanded: Arise and gorge yourself with flesh! After this I saw another, a beast like a leopard, with four bird’s wings on its back; this creature had four heads and was invested with sovereign power. Next in my visions of the night I saw a fourth beast, dreadful and threatening, and very strong, with iron teeth. It munched and devoured, and trampled underfoot all that was left, and it differed from all the others in that it had ten horns. As I was looking at the horns, I saw another horn, a little one, springing up among them and three of the first horns were uprooted to make space for it. And in that horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking proud words.

  And I watched and I saw thrones set in place and one ancient of days taking his seat, in a robe as white as snow and the hair of his head like pure wool. Flames of fire were his throne and its wheels blazing fire. A flowing river of fire streamed out before him, and thousands upon thousands served him and myriads upon myriads attended his presence. And the court sat and the scrolls were opened.

  Then because of the proud words that the horn was speaking, I went on watching until the
beast was killed and its carcass destroyed and given to the flames. The rest of the beasts, though deprived of their sovereignty, were allowed to remain alive for a time and a season. And in my visions of the night I also saw one like a man coming with the clouds of heaven, and he approached the Ancient of Days and was presented to him. To him were given sovereignty and glory and kingship, so that all people and nations of every language should serve him, and his sovereignty was to be an everlasting sovereignty which should not pass away, and his kingship such as should never be impaired.

  My spirit was troubled, and disturbed by the visions that came into my head. I, Daniel, approached one of those who stood there, and I saw he was known to me, but I could not say from what place and from what time I knew him, and yet there was friendship and fellowship in his eyes, and I asked him to explain to me the meaning of all these things. And he told me the interpretation: These great beasts, four in number, are four kingdoms that shall rise from the ground, and after them the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingly power and shall retain it for ever and ever. Then I asked to know the meaning of the fourth beast, the beast that was different from all the others, more dreadful, with its iron teeth and bronze claws, munching and devouring and trampling underfoot all that was left. And I wanted to know the meaning of the ten horns on its head and the other horn which sprang up and at whose coming three of them fell – the horn that had eyes and a mouth speaking proud words and appeared larger than the others. And as I watched, that horn was waging war with the saints and overcoming them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given in favour of the saints of the Most High, and the time came, when the saints gained possession of the kingly powers. And my informant told me: The fourth beast signifies a fourth kingdom that shall arise on the earth, that shall differ from all other kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth, tread it down and crush it. The ten horns signify the appearance of ten kings in this kingdom, after whom another king shall arise, differing from his predecessors, and he shall humble three kings, and he shall speak defiance of the Most High and shall oppress the saints of the Most High, and he will seek to change the customary times and the laws, and the saints shall be delivered into his hands for a time and times and half a time. Then the court shall sit and he shall be deprived of his sovereignty, so that in the end it may be destroyed utterly. The kingly power, sovereignty and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. Their kingly power is an everlasting power and all sovereignties shall serve them and obey them. This is the end of the account. And as for me, Daniel, my thoughts perturbed me greatly and I turned pale, and I kept these things in my mind.

  One evening in late summer, with a light breeze bearing in its wings the invigorating moisture of the Euphrates, he sat with Nejeen, Naimel and Gamliel on the veranda, shaded by flowers and foliage, and read to them the dream-vision as he had recorded it in writing.

  His reading was remarkable for its lucidity, for the careful enunciation of the words and the balanced expression of emotion, such that all the pictures, one after the other, were clearly drawn before the eyes of the listeners, vivid and stirring, impossible to erase.

  For a long time after he had finished reading they remained silent, shaken by the strong impression that the vision had left in their hearts. And the rhythmic gusting of the wind and the soft rustling of the leaves of the climbing-plants only underscored the silence. Out of the corner of his eye he looked at his sons: young Gamliel, wrapped up in himself, too much so perhaps, his absorption doubtless recalling that of the man whose name he bore. Naimel, on the other hand, radiated a kind of quiet freedom, natural and self-explanatory, his smooth forehead speaking of intelligence and his eyes fearless. With his air of pleasant serenity, he resembled his father. A warm sense of well-being suffused his heart.

  Both Gamliel and Naimel were youths who impressed all those who saw them with their bodily strength and fine appearance, their manners and their prudence.

  About a week earlier, the four of them – Nejeen, Gamliel, Naimel and he – had gone out riding beyond the walls, on the paved roads leading to the southern hills. They were all skilled riders, and the excursion inevitably turned into a race. At the start of the race, the boys set out at a hectic pace, but Nejeen and he soon had the measure of them, and their fine steeds needed little encouragement; they overtook their sons and arrived unchallenged at the finishing point that had been agreed, a ruined building at the corner where the road took a sharp turn, for the ascent to the peaks.

  When all had assembled at the rendezvous near the ruined building, the four horses were snorting and breathing heavily, and the clothes of the riders were stained with broad patches of sweat.

  Naimel gave him a look of frank admiration, and at that moment it occurred to him: this was exactly the way he used to look at his father, absorbing the warmth in his father’s eyes until he did not know himself for joy.

  Gamliel asked:

  “How do you do this, Father?”

  “How do I do what?” – he smiled equably.

  “You’re not wearing spurs, you’re not sticking spikes in your horse’s flanks and you never use a whip – and your mare carries you along like a storm-wind, to wherever you choose to go!”

  “I talk to her, you see – in her own language!”

  “Whatever you’re doing, it definitely works!” Naimel exclaimed.

  Nejeen, who had been gazing at him proudly throughout this exchange, started telling the story of the race that King Nebuchadnezzar, may he rest in peace, used to organise during the early years of his reign, a race for life and death – and this father of theirs, a youth at the time, a mere boy, had emerged the victor, through the grace and the love of God.

  Gamliel broke the silence that reigned on the veranda, asking:

  “Does the Ancient of Days have no shape or body?”

  “That’s right, my boy!” he answered him solemnly. “God has neither shape nor bodily form, but in dreams and visions everything is expressed in symbols, since there is no other way. Even the beasts in the vision are symbols, and their horns are symbols – as was clearly explained to me.”

  “And the whole of that vision – has to do with the end of days!” Naimel put in; it was part question, part assertion.

  “The cycle of humanity has turned – or at least, that is true of the part of it which cleaves to God. There will no longer be rulers and kings and despots of various kinds – only God alone, God who is love, and every man who knows what love is will be awakened in Him and become Him.”

  The sky turned blue and the stars were rising – clear and close at hand, sparkling in their silent, teeming lustre, like the light stored in the hearts of those who long for God and delight in doing His will.

  “And what is to be done to be worthy of this grace and this love, turning to God, and awakening in Him and becoming Him?” Naimel persisted.

  “You have to love,” he answered him.

  Abiriuch

  The Jewish communities, the old one as well as that of the exiles, greeted the miracle that had befallen them, on hearing that the “irksome Belshazzar” had perished in such an ignominious manner, that his policies had been revoked, and that rights, property and dignity were to be restored to the Jewish minority. In some respects, the Jews were better off than they had been even in the time of Nebuchadnezzar: free assembly was now permitted, as were religious processions, and authorisation had been given for the building of the temple on the site of the old oratory. Official funding had been guaranteed, and construction was already under way. Not content with one temple, the communities demanded two, so that each congregation could have its own place of worship, and this was also sanctioned. Joy was unbounded and jubilation soared sky-high and all praised the Lord and blessed the living God, with prayers of thanksgiving for the miracles granted to them, and for the grace and compassion that He had bestowed upon His people – this stubborn, sinful, mutinous and unruly peop
le. And there were those who wept and beat their breasts and made solemn vows to observe the Torah and uphold it in letter and in spirit, as is written: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your might and all your spirit – and many, many repented.

  And the priests of both communities composed prayers for the long life and well-being of Darius the Mede and for the prosperity of his realm, and a deputation of elders and dignitaries came to bow at the feet of the King and to offer him a gift – an ancient Torah scroll, a wilted parchment on which, according to tradition, the sacred text had been inscribed by none other than Joshua Ben Nun himself. The King, an enthusiast for antiquities, was much moved to hear this story and almost wept for joy, since he greatly admired that warrior of ancient times, whom even the sun obeyed, and whose conquests were all at the behest of God and for the glory of God. Following this episode the Jews, who had been well aware of his interest in antiquities and his admiration of Joshua and had acted accordingly – rose still higher in the King’s estimation.

  Darius was sixty-two years old on his accession to the throne in Babylon. And he chose to appoint one hundred and twenty satraps to administer his kingdom, responsible for the governance of all the peoples, nations and tongues of his realm; to take charge of the one hundred and twenty satraps he appointed three senior ministers, of whom Daniel was one. In fact, he was minded to appoint Daniel chief of all his ministers and governors, to rule in his stead and to report to him regularly on all that was happening in the land. And all this because he recognised in Daniel the spirit of the almighty God, whom all men must obey and whom no man can defy; whatever Daniel blessed would be blessed, whatever he cursed – cursed.