Satan in Goray - Isaac Bashevis Singer [40]
become unknown. Reb Gedaliya said many other things, and the more he said the more flushed the faces of his listeners became, and the more crowded and festive it grew in the house. Nechele and the other women who were serving the guest of honor shed tears of joy and embraced one another. The men listened intently so as not to miss a word. They stood shoulder to shoulder, muttering to themselves and trembling at the thought of the great days that were coming. Reb Godel Chasid sought to elbow his way through the crowd so that he might look Reb Gedaliya in the face but was swept off his feet. A boy fainted and had to be carried into the open air. The eyes of the young men were alight with holy enthusiasm, their ear locks shook, and beads of sweat ran down their foreheads. Although Levi had gone to great lengths to see that there should be no commotion at the feast and that only those who were members of the sect should be present, the people of Goray had heard of the arrival of the newcomer. Boys and girls besieged the windows of the study house, people trampled one another in their eagerness to hear the stranger's message. Reb Gedaliya placed his arms on the shoulders of two young men, climbed on the table, and turned toward the door where the crowd had gathered. His robust figure and sympathetic words won them over immediately. "Don't push, brothers!" he cried, in a kind, fatherly voice. "I am staying with you. If God wills it, we shall rejoice often." Life seemed to have become more pleasant in Goray with Reb Gedaliya's appearance. Despite the frost, the day was sun-filled. The snowy hills around Goray reflected sunlight, blinding the eyes, and miraculously blending earth with sky. The air smelled of Passover, of salvation, and of consolation. Hearing that a slaughterer had arrived in town, the village runners lost no time in setting out for the nearby villages to purchase calves and fowl. Next morning the town resounded to the mooing of cows, the cackling of geese, and the crowing of hens. Broths and roasts appeared once more. Out of their old pantries the women drew moldy salting boards and soaking vessels, skimming ladles and chop knives. Once more they gathered about the cloven butcher blocks, which had been unused and abandoned for many years; butchers stood amongst them splitting marrow bones with sharp hatchets, and carving out the lungs, liver, and intestines. A bloody hide already hung on a fence, to dry in the wind. Even the gentiles were pleased, for now the fat backsides and tallow could be bought cheaply. In the study house, where Reb Gedaliya came to pray the third day after his arrival, it was discovered that he did not recite prayers but sang them. Three gold crowns decorated his Turkish prayer shawl; his skull cap was silver- stitched like those worn on Yom Kippur. His snuff box was of bone, his pipe had an amber head, and a silver pouch held his tobacco. He pinched all the boys' cheeks lovingly and praised them to their fathers. For the scholars he had learned explications; ordinary people were delighted with his witticisms. After the prayers he sent out for a quart of whiskey and a honey cake. He sliced the cake himself with his small knife, which had a mother-of-pearl handle, and dealt the slices out to each one according to his years and situation, calling them all by name, and forgetting no one. Extending his full, warm hand, he wished each "to meet soon, in Jerusalem, at the gate of the Holy Temple." Reb Gedaliya was a welcome newcomer to the citizens of Goray, and he revived their declining spirits. His arrival was a sign that the town would rise again. The Sabbatai Zevi sect led by Levi immediately forgot the melancholy Itche Mates, and entrusted their leadership to Reb Gedaliya. Nechele, the rabbi's wife, praised him in the women's section of the prayer house, and bade the women send him Sabbath puddings. Even the old conservative citizens of Goray, the opponents of Sabbatai Zevi, did not openly step forth against Reb Gedaliya; because they too relished a spoonful of broth and a bit of meat, they