B"H
participant in this deleterious manipulation of cherished Jewis h
tradition.
Beyond Comprehension
It bears mentioning that there were two Chabad fa milies
dwelling in Safrascity, both upon whom I relied for my feeling o f
security. In addition to daily prayer, mingling with those who
observe Torah and Mitzvohs is a social priority, and being part o f
their lives adds enrichment to my being in a foreign country. One
of them was quite conscientious in creating a spiritua l
environment for the wayward and regular members of the
community in which they lived. Although Rabbi Elephant had
hoped to conscript me as a regular in his busin -agogue, I sought
the attachment to the authentic Chabad family. The Rabbi and
Rebbetzin were genuine people, the result of which evidenced in
their offspring, and particularly the spiritual atmosphere they had
set up.
Purim co mme morates joyous events but I suffered lone ly
mo ments distant fro m identification fro m every one important to
me. Thus, I wandered in a state of being moved by forces that
contained me fro m within, like a time bomb waiting to go off. This
is the force of the soul longing for eternity, of the Jewish people
yearning for J udaic values, and the need of the individual for
attachment to a group of Jewish beings. The mirror image of this
story was my connection to the authentic fa mily in a differe nt
Chabad House (15 city blocks and a 26 minute walk away ), in
which resided Queen Esther, the beautiful maiden whose real name
was Cindy. I had been invited as a Shabbos guest in that home, to
the merit of these righteous Jewish souls . As such, I made a point
of joining them for Purim celebrations, and so "tisket a tasket," it
was there I went to hear the nighttime reading of the Puri m
Megillah.
Thusly, later sometime after hearing the Megillah and eating a
festive repast with this lovely Jewish family, I fatefully took leave
of the "Purim Queen"; inebriated with an elevated feeling of song
and dance vibrant in my heart. It had excited me, just to see t his
lovely young woman forty years my junior, to feast my eyes o n
her loveliness. I was not more endeared with her than Mordecha i
with his niece, and having shared a mo ment with her at heights of
Purim joy, I lugged my physiological disposition back to my renta l
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