to be steadfast in their faith, and not to despair on this eve of great days. He swore a mighty oath that Sabbatai Zevi was the true Messiah of the God of Jacob; he bade the Jews put away their sadness and gird themselves with trust and joy; lie said that the Four Matriarchs had visited Rechele at night to solace her, and they had reported that Satan had leveled a bitter accusation in Heaven against those who wavered in their faith; as a consequence, the end of days had been postponed until such time as the wrath of God should be placated. Before the congregation dispersed, Reb Gedaliya blessed each worshiper with his hands. He lifted the children to kiss them on the head, and called out as the congregation departed: "Go home and rejoice. We shall all be in the Land of Israel soon, speedily and in our time. Every man shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree." For the ceremony of the Casting, everyone in town put on his or her holiday rags and, walking in file, set forth in the direction of the river outside the town. Rechele, who was not well, was borne on a gilded chair, and accompanied by the most important people in town. She looked (impossible comparison!) like one of those icons that the gentiles bear in church processions during their festivals.... The young women stood on the bridge and shook out their pockets and kerchiefs, alluding to the transgressions that are cast into running waters. As was customary, the younger people of Goray were jolly at the expense of the old women and even the men. They jibed at Nechele, Levi's wife, whispering in one another's ears that the river would overflow with her sins. Returning to town, uncouth boys tried to stab the women's hips with pins and made lewd remarks. Reb Godel Chasid shouted angrily, reprimanding them for being sacrilegious; but Reb Gedaliya passed it off with a wave of his hand, signifying that there was no harm in raising people's spirits.... Nevertheless, at dusk the town grew so still one might have thought that everyone had died. The air turned blue, like the pages of an old book, the houses were drab, half in ruins, and it seemed like the year 1648. The pails of water that the girls carried were reminiscent of ablution rites for the dead, and everything smelled burned and acrid, as after a fire. Sleepily, the men recited psalms in the study house, as though they were asking for com-passion on some person who was mortally ill. The women gathered before the doors of their homes. They spoke in hushed tones, looking around them meanwhile, fearful of being overheard by strangers; they let the children pull the last embellishments from their coats, just so that they--the mothers--might have some peace. One woman casually re-marked that people ought to repair their houses and get this thing out of their heads; the Messiah was not coming to Goray. But the other women scolded her. They threatened her, warning her to be silent. She was reminded that she was no one, a person of humble origin. The women shook their heads and spat; they blew their noses piously and entreated the Almighty: "May it be thy will, 0 Father in Heaven, that this holy day be the last to be spoiled! May we soon have true cause to rejoice--after such humiliation!"
9
The Evil One Triumphs
On the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles a deluge descended on Goray, and the rain poured down incessantly for three days and three nights. The river overflowed, smashing the locks of the water mill and crumbling the dam. Those who dwelt in the lowlands had to be rescued. In many homes women waded about, their dresses lifted, bailing out the water with pots and buckets, only to find it pouring in once more. Icy winds tore the last shingles from the roofs and knocked down fences. The windows were covered with rags and felt was plugged in the cracks. Very little wood could be obtained. The children be-gan to cough, and developed red noses and watery eyes. Their ears, which had been healed by the summer sun, began to run anew; boils that had dried up swelled up again. Their stomachs ached from eating too