The Harvest

by John David Krygelski

  “Very well. I certainly don’t see any harm in meeting him.”

  Craig McWilliams asked, “Leo, if you don’t mind my asking, why is it, as you put it, ‘an impossibility’ for our guest to be God?”

  Turning to look directly at Craig, Leo replied, “Without an extensive lesson, let’s just say that there are several prerequisites to the Coming that haven’t been met. And, from my understanding of what has occurred with each of you in his presence, his claims and actions are absolutely not consistent with the true Coming.”

  “You’re referring to His healing of my spine?”

  “Yes, for one. The Bible teaches us that the true Lord would not perform miracles and, in fact, would bestow the powers to do them upon charlatans, to test our faith.”

  “So,” Craig continued, “let’s say God is up in Heaven and decides to come down here to pick up some more souls. To be recognized by you as God, He has to comply with a bunch of rules, arrive on your terms? I mean, if He’s God, can’t He come down here any way that He wants?”

  Smiling patiently, Schmidt explained, “The prerequisites for His arrival are not a ‘bunch of rules’ as you put it. They are a promise made by Him. Of all those with whom you might deal, do you not believe that the Lord would keep His word? He does not need to satisfy any conditions of mine. But He will come as has been foretold.”

  Looking around the room at all of the faces, Schmidt continued, “My time is limited, as is yours. I suggest that I proceed with this meeting.”

  Clearing her throat, Margo stood and said, “I’ll take you in. This way, please.”

  She and the Rabbi crossed the room to a door at the far end. She opened it and held it for Schmidt, who entered. Elohim was sitting in his usual spot at the side of the long table. He looked at the Rabbi as they entered, and did not rise. Margo said, “Elohim, this is Rabbi Leo Schmidt. Rabbi, Elohim.”

  Schmidt had paused just inside the door and did not speak in greeting. Nor did Elohim. The tension in the room was palpable. Nervously, Margo excused herself and pulled the door closed. After a moment’s silence, Elohim said, “Did you yearn for the arrival of the Messiah?”

  A variety of emotions crossed the Rabbi’s face before settling upon amusement. Cocking back his head, he laughed…a loud, raucous laugh. Throughout the long laughter, Elohim just smiled at Schmidt. The laughter slowly subsided and Schmidt, pulling a white handkerchief from his pocket, dabbed his eyes as he took the seat across from Elohim.

  Calming himself completely, the Rabbi cleared his throat and asked, “Do you expect to sway me by using a phase that every Hebrew student has been taught?”

  “No.” Elohim’s response was flat and even, as was the expression on his face. Reese and the others were observing the meeting on the video feed, and none of them could read his feelings or intent.

  “So,” Schmidt continued, “I understand that you’ve made quite an impression with many others since your arrival.”

  “I believe so,” Elohim replied, again evenly and without any trace of emotion.

  Leo Schmidt stared directly at Elohim for some time, as if trying to discern some secret message in the lines of his face. Finally, placing his hands flat on the table before him, he rose, saying, “There doesn’t appear to be anything to say.”

  “This is true,” responded Elohim flatly.

  Schmidt turned and walked to the doorway, gripping the knob, turning it, and pulling the door open. It was not until he was halfway through the portal that he paused and said, “Why did you ask that?”

  “You have been taught that the first words you would hear from me would be that question. I saw no harm in fulfilling the prophecy.”

  Schmidt turned, still standing in the doorway and said, “No harm? What chutzpah you have! Do you presume to toy with my faith?”

  “No.”

  The two stared at each other without speaking – Schmidt clearly irritated, Elohim implacable.

  Appearing to reach some conclusion, Schmidt returned to his seat, his shoulders slumped. “There are some very fine people out there,” he said, motioning in the direction of the viewing room, “who are trying to do their best in determining your validity. I was asked to participate in this….”

  “Charade?” Elohim offered.

  Not offended, Schmidt corrected, “Process. I was asked by them to participate in this process, and out of fairness to them, I will.”

  “Very well.”

  “It is difficult for me. It is difficult for me even to be here.”

  “I know.”

  “Why do you make it so difficult?” Schmidt asked.

  “It is not I who make it difficult; it is you who have made it impossible.”

  “How so?”

  “Other than your own words just minutes ago? Additionally, there would be your belief that I have been sent by the ‘true God’ to attempt to deceive you as a test of your faith.”

  “This is all true. But it is my understanding that you have been most cooperative with the others, even skeptics, to convince them that you are….”

  “The Creator? Yes, that’s true, I have cooperated with nearly all. The difference was that their minds were open, at least partially. They did not see the consequence of believing me as a betrayal of their faith. Rabbi, how can we have a discussion as to whether I am Elohim if you cannot even say my name? Is the God that you nurture in your heart so strict and judgmental that He would not allow a candid discussion? Would He not allow a conversation that is merely hypothetical?”

  Rabbi Schmidt thought for some time. The silence in the room continued for minutes. As the Rabbi contemplated, Elohim sat silently, not moving a muscle. Eventually, Schmidt began, “I am faced with a great paradox.” Elohim listened, saying nothing. Schmidt continued, “If I remain faithful to the word of God and believe that He would never deceive me, then you cannot be God. If, after spending some time speaking with you, I decide to believe you are God, that would make the God in whom all of my people believe…a deceiver…which cannot be.”

  Elohim answered, “Was it I or was it your sages and prophets who built this box within which you find yourself today?”

  “I am not certain that I understand.”

  “Of course you do, Rabbi. Your ears have never heard my words. You have only read the words of men. Those words have created your dilemma.”

  “Assuming, just for a moment, that all you say is true…did you not speak to Moshe?”

  “I heard his prayers. His prayers were answered. He climbed Mount Sinai as a good man and a deeply troubled man. The people he led were straying from a righteous path. They were succumbing to the primal in all of you. Moses climbed the mountain in search of a way to re-gather the flock. He knew that his words alone would not accomplish that. He returned from the mountain with two sets of tablets. One set he smashed. He told his people that the broken tablets had been carved by my hand. The second set, the unbroken set, had been chiseled by Moses himself.”

  “I know all of this…why do you repeat it?”

  “I am sorry to insult you. I only repeat it to ask you a question, Rabbi. If it were you instead of Moses…if you came down from the mountain with tablets carved by God and tablets carved by your own hand, which set would you have smashed?”

  “You imply that Moshe was a fraud! How dare you?”

  “I dare because I was there…you were not. And as to whether he was a fraud…that is for you to decide. You believe that he did my work…I am telling you that is true. You believe that the ten laws that he brought down from the mountain were my wishes…that is also true. You believe that he was a holy man and now lives in the Kingdom of Heaven…he does. If those things are important…he is not a fraud. If it is important to you that I spoke with him directly…if it is important to you that it was my hand that carved the tablets…if those things are more important to you than the others…then he was a fraud.”

  Schmidt was troubled. Forcing himself to a level of calm, he said, “Assuming a
gain, just for a moment, that all you say is true…you did not carve the tablets?”

  “Rabbi, he came to the mountain and beseeched me, imploring me for a solution. After the sharpening of the mind that occurs while fasting, the solution became obvious. He needed something to take back to his people that would help them find their way. Again, he begged. He knew that if he returned with only laws that he had created, they would ignore them, as they had ignored his exhortations for some time. He prayed, and he begged for my hand to come down and deliver to him the laws that he needed.” Elohim paused for a moment, staring deeply into Schmidt’s eyes. “I did not answer that prayer.”

  “If you are as you say, how could you turn your back on him?”

  Elohim smiled and said, “Rabbi, let me tell you a story that the Christians here on Earth love to tell. There was a great flood, and an old religious man, living alone, climbed onto the roof of his house to avoid the waters. Soon two men in a rowboat came by and shouted, ‘Jacob, get in the boat; the water is going to get higher.’ Jacob responded, ‘The Lord will save me,’ and refused their help. Soon the water reached the peak of the house, and Jacob had climbed to his chimney. Other neighbors arrived in another rowboat, again begging him to climb aboard and save himself. Again, Jacob refused, claiming that his Lord would save him. The water continued to rise and Jacob found himself standing on the top of his chimney, with the water to his chest. A helicopter flew over and hovered, a man in the helicopter dropping a rope ladder to Jacob. Jacob did not seize the rope and shouted to the helicopter that the Lord would save him. The helicopter left…the water rose and Jacob drowned. As he reached the gates of Heaven, he saw St. Peter and immediately asked, ‘I was certain that my Lord would save me. How could He let me drown?’ Saint Peter answered, ‘My dear Jacob, we sent two rowboats and a helicopter.’”

  Schmidt smiled at the story, adding, “The Lord helps those who help themselves?”

  “Yes. How holy a man would Moses have been had he returned from the mountain, thrown up his hands, shrugged, and told his people, ‘I asked God for help, and He didn’t answer’?”

  “The Jews would still be wandering that desert today.”

  “Perhaps a bit of an overstatement.” Elohim smiled at Schmidt again and added, “You should know that Moses was deeply troubled by the deceit he found necessary to commit. It was never a sin, yet he believed it was. For the rest of his days he felt unworthy, so unworthy that he didn’t believe he deserved to step upon the promised land.”

  “If this were all true, it would explain quite a lot. But, as much fun as this hypothetical discussion of history may be, what is it you want from me?”

  “Nothing.”

  “I’m sorry. But I really don’t understand. I’ve read the transcripts of your other meetings. You have said that you decided to make this process gentler than your previous visits, that you prefer an endorsement from all leaders to calm the Chosen before they depart.”

  “That is all true.”

  “Do you have such contempt for Jews that you do not need or want an endorsement from me?”

  “Why do you ask that?”

  “As I said, I’ve read the transcripts. You have mentioned Jesus many times as your son. If you were who you say, how could you forgive us for not accepting him as such?”

  “Because I forgive all and forget nothing. My beloved Son came to Earth to offer a spiritual drink of water to the thirsty. Would those who were not thirsty and refused a sip anger me?”

  “Then why the disdain? You must feel it if you do not court my endorsement.”

  “Rabbi, have you grown so accustomed to your role as a victim that you would accuse your Creator of being anti-Semitic?”

  “If I believed that you were my Creator, this would be a much different discussion. If you do not disdain the Jews of the world, then why do you not want my voice added to the chorus?”

  “For several reasons. The first being one already discussed. To use your phrase from before…assuming, just for a moment, that all that I say is true…you have two choices. Your first choice is to publicly declare that I am a charlatan, thereby publicly declaring that those who maintain otherwise are fools. The benefit of this is that you maintain your coveted status as a revered rabbi. Your other choice is to declare that I am Elohim, your Creator. You would make that statement, knowing that all of the beliefs of Judaism make your declaration an impossibility and a sacrilege. The other great rabbis would condemn you, and your followers would abandon you.”

  “That is all true.”

  “Rabbi, you are not alone in your dilemma. I have one, as well. There are certain beliefs within Judaism that are not the path to Heaven. You are a good man and deserve to be one of the Chosen but perhaps not for the reason you might think. My dilemma is that we have spent time today discussing many things, and before you leave this room, we will discuss more. These things need to be shared with your fellow Jews. If you choose to, as you phrased it, endorse me, your effectiveness as a teacher among Jews will be destroyed. Furthermore, although this is my third visit, it shall not be my last. You cannot correct the beliefs, which must be corrected in order to put more of your faithful on the right path, if you are not here on Earth.”

  “Are you saying that observant Jews will not go to Heaven?”

  “No, I am not. There are many within your faith who will join me soon. What I am saying is that there are many who would have joined me who will not. If the teachings of your faith had been slightly different for those souls, they would be a part of the Chosen.”

  “Could you please explain?”

  “Of course. In the past, both distant and recent, the Jews have faced difficulties. From the Nazis and Russians, back through the Romans and Egyptians and many others, your coexistence with non-Jews has been turbulent. It is, of course, human nature to pull together and exclude all others. You said that you have read the transcripts of my earlier discussions. If so, you will recall my description of Heaven. The actual blank canvas upon which Heaven is painted is real. However, all that is upon it is a construct, a collaborative construct that is made by all who live there. In Heaven, the actual fiber of the chair at your dining room table is filled with the contributions of all. There is no envy…there is no distrust…there is no thought of placing anyone, or any group, above another. If there were, the construct could not exist as it does. It would no longer be Heaven.

  “There are Jews who, down to the very core of their souls, believe that this is as it should be on Earth. They do not distinguish between the Jew and the non-Jew. They do not have a separate set of standards of conduct when dealing with a Jew or non-Jew. They believe that when their sons or daughters marry a good person, it is a time to rejoice, regardless of the faith of the new spouse. They are the ones who are chosen. Unfortunately, there are many Jews who believe that only Jews belong in Heaven. There are many Jews who believe that their sons or daughters who marry a non-Jew have sinned and should be cast out of the family. There are many who believe that, although being dishonest with another Jew is a sin, a lie told to a non-Jew is nothing. How can a person who believes these things be a positive addition to Heaven?”

  “These horrible things that you describe are not what we teach.”

  “No, my friend, these things are not what you have taught. And that is why the Gates of Heaven are open to you. You know, indeed you have argued with, many rabbis who do believe as I described…who have taught the children in their temples to believe these things.”

  “I am sad to say that this is true. It is the nature of Judaism that it contains many voices. It is a religion of tribes.”

  “Those within your faith who have led their tribes away from Heaven, rather than toward it, must be taught. They must be taught to forget the ancient and not-so-ancient transgressions, rather than celebrate them as a badge of honor…they must be taught that excluding others because they might become your enemy makes them your enemy. Those were the lessons my Son tried to share.”

/>   Schmidt said wistfully, “My choice, assuming just for a moment that all you say is true, is either to be part of the Chosen…to leave this Earth and live with you in Heaven, enjoying eternal happiness…or to remain here and try to adjust the course of my faith amidst the chaos and misery that is certain to follow your departure so that perhaps thousands of years from now, when you return, our distant descendants can attain bliss?”

  “Yes.”

  “May I, upon my death, join you…assuming just for a moment that all you say is true?”

  “After your life has ended, your soul must wait until my next return before you may join me in Heaven. Whether you are chosen is a question which can only be answered with time. I do not know your future, nor do I know the future of your world, but I can tell you that, as it has been twice before, you will be sorely tested. Remember…many of those who would be your allies will have departed. ”