Steve told her, “Got a great sound. It’s ideal for finger-picking, which I saw your husband was doing in the pictures, and good for the more intimate chord progressions, too.”
She yearned to bring this home for Daniel, but figured it had to be way out of her price range. Okay, maybe now she could go into negotiating mode. In as neutral a voice as she could manage, she asked, “How much?”
“Important question, lady. Special price if someone brings in photos. How do you like that? It’s three hundred and fifty.”
“Really? I’ll take it.” Guess I flunked at negotiating—but who cares?
“You need a case for it?”
“Yeah, or, well, I think so. How much?”
“I got a nice one sitting in the back. You can have it. Who knows? Maybe your husband will need a lesson or two. I teach both rock and classical.” He took her money and handed her his card.
She spent the entire drive home devising the perfect plan for how to surprise Daniel with this extraordinary gift. Okay, I got it. I’ll leave it in the car until after the meeting tonight, then when we come back home, I’ll make up some dumb excuse why I have to go back out to the car, and I’ll get it then.
Of course, with all this plotting, she missed her exit off the Interstate. As long as it didn’t make her late for tonight’s all-important meeting, she wasn’t concerned. Wow, tonight’s a big night.
Daniel carried an urn filled with hot water into the meeting area. He looked over at Naomi who was sorting out the packets of instant coffee and tea bags. “How many you think will show up?”
“Relax, honey, maybe you’ll be surprised—in many ways.” Up went his one eyebrow.
Daniel surveyed the library. His new secretary had done an excellent job setting up chairs in neat rows. “One, two, three. . .” After arriving at a count of thirty seats, he scoffed. “Denise hasn’t been here long enough to know, has she?”
“Hey, maybe it’s a sign. Maybe we’ll have more than the two of us show up.”
Daniel pointed to the portraits lined up on one of the walls. “Did you ever notice? They have all these paintings of their past presidents, but not one of their rabbis.”
Hearing noises in the hallway, Naomi warned, “Shush.”
The first to arrive were Jay and his wife Sandy. The Cantors, having found this couple to be congenial, were grateful to see them. Sandy, a convert to Judaism, seemed to appreciate Naomi’s warm acceptance of her; she did not receive this acceptance from many others in the shul.
Accepting a cake platter, Naomi asked, “Sandy, what did you bring?”
“It’s this new recipe my sister gave me. It’s called Red Velvet Cake.” She rolled her eyes. “It is sooo incredibly rich.”
Daniel looked at Jay and suggested, “Why wait til everyone else gets here?”
Naomi quickly volunteered to bring out some paper plates and plastic knives and forks. “I don’t know why I didn’t bring any out.”
Returning from the kitchen and back into the library, Naomi spied Mildred, who had just arrived and was already inching her way toward Daniel. Naomi inserted herself between the two, held out a plate to her husband and said, “Here, honey. Let’s get a piece of cake.”
Fifteen minutes after the meeting was called to begin, twenty-three people were sitting and ready to learn more about this proposed trip to Israel. Definitely exceeding Daniel’s expectations.
Daniel assured the group, “The tour company we’ve spoken with will provide transportation, an experienced guide, and everything else that’s necessary.”
Enough of the everyday details—he hoped that would suffice for now. Daniel wanted to get to what he deemed beyond the everyday. “Think of how blessed you will be spiritually. This is the dimension of our trip we should all be excited about.”
The first question was from Florence Greenberg, a flashy-looking sixty-year-old, who prided herself on staying fit and managing a successful real estate agency. “How observant are you expecting us to be?”
Mike, one of the few who could still boast of having hair beneath his yarmulke, rose from his chair. “Florence has a good point. I mean, most of us don’t keep kosher, and unlike you and your wife, Rabbi, we drive on Shabbos. So what if I want some bacon for breakfast when we’re over there? How’s that going to work? You’re always yakking about this ‘yoke of the law.’ What if we don’t want to be saddled with some yoke around our necks?”
This generated quite a stir. Jay tried to bring some levity into the situation by saying, “Yak, yoke, very funny, Mike.” But this did not stop the carping.
After allowing a few moments for his people to voice their worries, Daniel addressed the group. “I understand your concerns. I’m glad you’re expressing them at the outset. And we will have plenty of time to work out these issues. I don’t ever want you to think I’m trying to ‘saddle’ you with anything. Think of it this way: aren’t we all seeking some sort of an inner life? Some way to make sense out of our lives? I believe it’s my job to help you see that your lives can be transformed by Judaism. But, I don’t want to force it upon you.”
Naomi was so proud of her husband. She was grinning ear to ear as she watched him subdue this cantankerous congregation. And soon she would be surprising him with a special gift.
Thirty minutes later they were in their car driving home. “Thirteen, My-omi, thirteen signed up tonight, do you believe it? And another eight said they’d consider it.”
Two seconds after both were home, she went into performance mode. “Oh dear, I forgot something in the car. I’ll be right back.”
When she returned, there he stood holding out a large giftwrapped package for her. And her gift wrapping was a large bow the nice man at Sam Ash put around the guitar case for her.
“A guitar?” Daniel exclaimed seeing the guitar case. “You got me a guitar?”
“And what’s that in your hand, Rabbi Cantor?”
“Open it.”
She tore through the wrapping in a split second and found Aunt Luba’s wedding present beautifully reframed. She clutched it to her chest, tasting the tears as they cascaded from her eyes and touched her lips. God must have forgiven her, for only He could bring such a pure and perfect gift to love her. Precious Daniel, it seemed his eyes were moist as well.
He walked over to the coffee table and picked up the box of tissues. After wiping his own eyes, he extended the box to her.
She said, “First you have to take your present.” The swap was made—the box of tissues for the guitar. “You better love it.”
Although he spoke of how impressed he was with the quality of the guitar, Naomi knew the smile was not genuine. She had literally hugged the gift he had given her, yet he was holding the present she gave him as if trying to avoid any personal connection to it.
“What’s wrong with it? Maybe they’ll take it back if I got the wrong kind.”
He walked over to the couch and carefully placed the guitar down “I know what you’re doing.”
Having followed him over to the couch, she asked, “What? What am I doing?”
“It feels like you’re pushing, Naomi.” He took her hand to sit down on the couch with him. Once they were snuggled up close, he gently stroked her cheek. “You’re trying to get me to go to FAU, pushing to start a havurah. Isn’t that right?”
She pulled back from him. “No, it’s not right.”
Wagging his finger at her, he said, “Hey, if you get mad, I’m going to have to take that picture away from you before you break it again.”
Okay, he got her on that one. She playfully bit his finger, and then explained, “Daniel, you looked so happy when I saw you in those photos, so I thought you must have loved playing the guitar?”
He pressed his lips together, looked at her from the corner of his eyes, and finally held both of his arms above his head. “I surrender. You’re right, I did love it.” He inched away from Naomi and lifted up the guitar, placing it on his lap. After a few moments of strumming,
his mouth surrendered to a wide grin. “It doesn’t even need tuning. Got a good sound, don’t you think?”
“It looks good, too. Especially when you’re holding it.”
Walking into their bedroom, she playfully said, “Of course, the FAU thing isn’t a bad idea.”
Soon their gifts were put aside and the only thing they were holding was each other. As their intimacy became more intense, she felt compelled to tell him, “You know what I heard the other day? Acupuncture has helped some women to get pregnant. What do you think?”
He froze. “Where’d you hear that?”
“From Anne. I was talking to her on the phone. She’s still in Ohio. I don’t think she’s ever going to make it back to New York.”
“That’s too bad . . . but about this acupuncture thing, Naomi, why are you pushing so much? Can’t you be content?” Seeing her crushed expression, he sighed, “Honey, I love you, but I’m tired. Let’s just go to sleep. Tomorrow morning we can say our morning blessing together, okay?”
She had come to envy her husband’s ability to always slip easily into a deep slumber as he lay with his back toward her. While her body lay motionless next to his, Naomi’s thoughts took her tumbling into her familiar pit of isolation. Pushing I’m pushing him. I’m going to push him away.
Eventually sleep did claim a hold on Naomi, but with it came the garish images. She was strapped to a table. Coming towards her was a grotesquely large hose, as if from a vacuum. It made a sucking noise, loud enough to be the sound of a roaring jet engine. Then a scream drowned out everything else, coming from the one strapped down. The hose, like a monster with a life of its own, was sucking out her very insides—a life she will never know.
The unexpected ring of their telephone served to pull her out from her nightmarish abyss.
In a groggy voice, Daniel answered, “Hello? . . . Oh, I’m so sorry, Mrs. Berman. Do you need me to come over now? . . . All right. My wife and I will see you tomorrow. Again, I’m so sorry . . . See you tomorrow.”
“Marvin?”
“Yes, honey. Looks like I’ll be doing my first funeral.”
“Merciful God in heaven, grant a peaceful rest to the soul of Marvin Berman who has passed into his eternal home, may he come under Your divine wings and find a place of rest in Your paradise. We know You punish and reward us according to Your strict account. Therefore, I beseech You to allow Marvin Berman to rest in peace.”
Daniel concluded the service, closed his prayer book and walked over to Marvin’s widow.
“Rabbi, thank you. You hardly even knew my Marvin, yet you captured his personality so well.” With a tight grip on his hand, she brought him over to meet her children, her grandchildren, and even one great grandchild.
After the necessary pleasantries were accomplished, Daniel and Naomi were on their way home. While driving, Daniel remarked, “Looked like you got cornered by a couple of people, Jerry and Doris among them.”
“You know the only thing they care about? Who’s going to be the new Chairman of the Board.”
“I know it was rude of them to bring it up right there at the graveside, but, I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been wondering the same thing. I mean the Temple needs to continue having a life.” Stopping at a red light, he turned to Naomi. “You seem distracted. Something bothering you?”
“I’m trying to figure something out.”
“Can I help?”
The light was no longer red but Daniel still had his foot on the brake. Naomi observed, “I’m not the only one with something—”
The blaring of the car horns managed to get Daniel’s attention and he quickly stepped on the gas pedal. He admitted, “Yeah. I have a few things on my mind. But I’ll talk to you later about them. But for now, tell me what’s on your mind.”
“Daniel, Marvin was a good man. A good Jew. Probably every year he confessed his sins, threw his bread into the water, fasted on Yom Kippur, and we’ve been told gave a lot of money to the shul.”
“So? What’s the problem?”
“It’s like you were begging God to let him into heaven. I know you had to do what’s prescribed, and you did a really touching service.”
“Okay, enough with the flattery. Get to the point.”
“I’m just wondering, if we can’t be sure someone like Marvin will get into heaven, then what kind of hope is there for me?”
Removing one hand away from the wheel, he took Naomi’s left hand and brought it to his lips. “I sure wish I could answer your question. What we’re taught in seminary is that as Jews we are not to concern ourselves with the hereafter. We do good here, you know, tikkun olam, our command to repair the earth, without looking for some reward. No motive but to please God and make this world a better place. How else will the Messiah finally come?”
Something bothered Daniel. It was the way he sounded—he hated hearing his voice coming across like one of his phony baloney professors. How do I convince anyone, even my own wife, when I can’t seem to convince myself?
He pulled into their parking space and turned off the motor. His wife wore such a worried expression. “My-omi, you needn’t worry. God’s got a special place reserved for rabbis’ wives. None for their husbands, only for the wives.”
Halfway up the steps, Naomi stopped and announced, “We need groceries. I’m going to go back out and get a few things, okay?”
“Sure. I’m going to do a few laps in the pool.”
An hour later she returned carrying a bag from the local supermarket. Naomi not only heard Daniel on the terrace playing Adon Olam on the guitar but also his voice singing its beautiful lyrics, “And He is my God, my living God. . .”
So engrossed was Daniel that when suddenly Naomi stood in front of him, he was startled. Now it was his turn to startle her, as he asked, “When do you want to start going to FAU?”
“Huh?”
“We need new people. Young people that will live a few more years than even us. Otherwise, if we keep losing people at the Temple and no new ones come along, then we might as well . . . anyway, let’s go to FAU.”
CHAPTER 17
Lord, Bless this Union
“That was a good discussion. I enjoyed it. What about all of you?” Daniel did not have to wait long for an answer.
It seemed every one of the sixteen students gathered this evening in the Marcus’ home were eager to share their feelings. And all were expressing that they, too, enjoyed it.
One young man wearing a sweatshirt with the insignia from FAU, sneakers that were falling apart, and pants splattered with paint, had the loudest voice of all. He hugged his knees to his chest as he sat on the floor and said, “Rabbi Dan, this is so cool. Who would have ever thought we could tell a rabbi why we don’t believe all that stuff we were taught as a kid.”
Daniel cut his eyes toward Naomi. “A wise woman once told me if you’re going to tell people not to do something, then it helps if they understand why.”
An attractive young woman said, “Gee, wonder who that woman is?” She laughed and elbowed Naomi, with whom she was sharing the couch.
Daniel waited until the laughter died down, and then announced, “This gives me an idea.” He pointed to the boy sitting on the floor. “And, Mark, you basically were the impetus for it.”
“Cool man.” Mark stood and took a mock bow before his classmates.
“Yeah, very cool, “Daniel said. “Starting next week, we’ll go through the Ten Commandments and each week we’ll discuss why God said ‘thou shalt not.’ It’s time we discussed why not, don’t you think?”
Daniel picked up his guitar lying next to him on the floor. While giving it a quick tuning, he told the group, “You know, I remember when I had to wait forever for anyone to speak up in this group. You were all so shy, but now five months later . . . I’m proud of you guys.” He strummed the first few chords and announced the last song for the evening. “Everyone, Hineh Ma Tov.”
This was Naomi’s signal to pick up her tambourine and st
and next to her husband. Together they led in the singing, “Hineh ma tov uma na’im, Shevet achim gam yachad. Hineh ma tov uma na’im, Shevet achim gam yachad. How good and pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to be together.”
The buoyant tune was a perfect outlet for the young people to express their enthusiasm. Naomi smiled and told Daniel, “Perfect choice.”
With one eyebrow arched, he looked at her. “Finally you’re admitting I was right about something?”
His turn to be elbowed. Yes, she had been mistaken. She thought a more serious, more devout song would have been appropriate. I really need to trust him more. Oh, how she loved to look at him, so handsome in his comfortable blue jeans and loafers, and holding a guitar in his lap.
Naomi prompted the students, “Let’s thank Jay and Sandy for letting us use their house once again.”
The students, along with Daniel and Naomi, turned toward their hosts and gave them a round of applause. People then gathered their belongings, with a few students helping themselves to one last bite of Sandy’s brownies.
Naomi shook her tambourine to get their attention for one last announcement. “And don’t forget, next week the synagogue will be doing the Purim play. As a matter of fact half our cast is right here, so you better not forget.” She turned toward the pretty young lady who was sitting with her on the couch. “Right, Queen Esther? Your royal highness will be very upset if you are not in the audience.”
Daniel and Naomi stayed behind, Daniel to help place the living room furniture back in its everyday order and Naomi to help Sandy put away leftovers, throw out plastic cups, and get the dishes in the dishwasher.
Finally standing at the front door ready to say their goodbyes, Jay asked, “How’s your house hunting going? Before you answer, here’s the thing. Rabbi, I took your suggestion. I’ve been asking some people at the shul if they wanted to start having their own havurah. Believe it or not, there are about five couples who said yes. They’re all about our age . . . ones, thanks to you, who have just joined the Temple.”
“Wow,” Naomi exclaimed, “That’s wonderful.”
Naomi, The Rabbi's Wife Page 23
