Hold the Faith

Chapter One-2

A guest standing nearby heard the hated name, looked at the pair and frowned disapprovingly. Then, recognising the rabbi’s son, he shrugged and went back to his conversation with his contemporaries.

Looking at Joseph steadily, Benjamin responded, “Whether I call Him Yeshua HaMassiach or Jesus, He is the Messiah... and you know that I don’t believe they are heresies. Saba was His cousin, and travelled with Him for the three and a half years of His teaching.”

Ignoring Benjamin’s confident assertion about his beliefs, Joseph asked cynically, “Why do you still use that childish name for the old man? He is not your grandfather anyway. He’s your great-grandfather.”

Benjamin replied evenly, “People use it as a term of respect.”

Letting that go, Joseph, laughed derisively, “Look at you,” he said, looking his former school companion up and down contemptuously. That dreadful auburn hair of yours trimmed in the manner of the dissidents, no forelocks... and your beard, well it can hardly be called a beard... or do you heretics trim them like that deliberately?” He swayed a little and took another drink from the pottery cup he was clutching. “My father thought that by allowing you heretic children to attend our school and hear our teachings, you would become faithful Jews.” Draining the cup, he added, “It didn’t work with you and your friends though, did it?”

“I believe what my great-grandfather says,” Benjamin insisted, bending closer and keeping his voice low.

“God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob preserve us from heretics,” Joseph sighed exaggeratedly.

It was an old, familiar taunt, and Benjamin shrugged it off. Watching Joseph fill his cup again, he asked curiously, “Does your father know you drink so much?”

Sidestepping the question, Joseph responded, “This is a wedding, the wedding of a good Jewish family. It is our responsibility to make merry, and bless the marriage.”

“I haven’t heard that one before,” Benjamin laughed spontaneously, holding the cup he had been given, although not drinking from it. He had been polite, now he wanted to leave.

“There you are Joseph!” called his friends Thomas and Asaph as they made their way through the crowd, to the wine vat.

Benjamin glanced at the young men and shuddered inwardly. He noticed Asaph’s chubbiness had settled into solid portliness, and his beard was scraggly and untidy. Thomas, whose nose he had bloodied in a fight when they were children, proudly stroked his bushy black beard and stared fiercely at Benjamin, tall, lean and dressed in a fine linen robe. Drawing his eyebrows down in a scowl, he wondered if Benjamin’s family bought their linen from his father’s business.

“Might have known you would be near the wine vat, Joseph my friend,” said Isaac, arriving with Hiram, Phillip and Enos.

“And taking it over,” added Joseph’s cousin, Caleb, as he arrived and joined the group.

“Ha, cousin!” Joseph welcomed him. “You were able to leave the vineyard then?”

“Yes, my parents said I had worked hard with the men pruning the vines, then helping my father and the foreman plant selected cuttings... so here I am, to celebrate.”

“Good to see you, it’s been a long time since you last came our way,” the others greeted Joseph’s cousin.

“And see what I have brought... a skin of wine from our vineyard,” Caleb said proudly before adding in a low murmur, “And it is undiluted.”

Eagerly the friends picked up wine cups and Caleb filled them. Then he noticed Benjamin.

“So… you are here,” he addressed Benjamin frostily. Still pale and scholarly I see.” Turning to his cousin, he asked, “Well Joseph, does this mean that you have finally proselytised this heretic?”

“I’ve given up on that Caleb... at least for today,” Joseph grimaced.

“I am here to work,” Benjamin said, looking anxiously toward the door. The fact people were arriving worried him... and what would Levi think if he came in and found him with these young men. He should not even be in this room with the guests. He clenched his fists so hard, his nails bit into his palms. Chewing the inside of his lip, he started to edge away determined to do what he came to do. It was not often he was needed in his father’s business, and he did not want to let him down. Normally he worked at home with his great-grandfather.

“Here to work are you? That’s unusual, I thought your work was writing rubbish for your heretic great-grandfather,” Thomas gibed.

“If you are here to work, why are you in here with guests making the room unclean?” questioned Asaph caustically.

The strain Benjamin put on himself not to respond in the way his mind wanted was from a combination of his beliefs, and the fear of causing harm to his father’s business. There was a stir among the early guests as some food was brought in and the smell of the spiced patties and savoury breads tempted their nostrils. Before the servants had finished setting the food out, Joseph and his friends were on their way to the table. Asaph and Thomas went back to the wine vat to refill their drinks before re-joining the group. Benjamin carefully stepped back toward the door.

The master of the feast announced the main banquet would start after sunset. With an apprehensive look at the rabbi’s son and his friends, he encouraged everyone to help themselves to the savouries. Then he started making a round of the room, checking the supply of wine and responding to questions from other guests. Concerned the young men had been drinking too much, when he left the room he went to the kitchen. He sought out Joanna, the mother of the groom, and shared his concerns about the rabbi’s son and his friends.

Seeing that Joseph and his friends were busy, Benjamin continued edging away from them, toward the door.

Glancing up in time to see Benjamin’s attempted departure, Thomas demanded, spraying out crumbs, “Hey! Where are you going heretic?”

“Outside, to see to the lamps. It’s what I came here to do.”

Joseph shrugged, “Leave him be,” and turned to his friends. “Let him fill up the lamps. It is the grand banquet tonight when Chanan and Aminta will preside. My mother is helping in the kitchen; goats and lamb are being roasted for tonight!” Then looking at his cousin, Joseph raised his cup approvingly, “Good wine Caleb, thank you.”

Benjamin released a shuddering sigh. He was relieved to escape from the strain of being with people he had no desire to be with, not to mention his fear of Levi seeing him with them instead of working. Hurrying to the store, he collected the supplies he needed. Pulling the skin of oil over his shoulder and across his chest, he tucked the wicks over it. Carrying the hooked pole, he started to make his way around this first side of the courtyard working toward the kitchen side. Carefully he lowered each lamp, replaced the wick and filled it with fresh oil. When he reached the end of one side of the square, he looked to see the next side, and was concerned to see an oversight. There was no lamp by the kitchen door. Knowing a lot of food would need to be carried between the kitchen and the great barn this evening he was surprised. Looking around the square, studying the position of the lamps, he decided he could take one from the wall by the rooms that would not be used later. He could fix it above the kitchen door but needed to work out how to attach it. Moving around the edge of the courtyard, he could see the girls were still dancing. Making his way to the kitchen, he stood well clear so as not to be in the way if any of the women came out.

Joanna spotted him through the open doorway and called out, “Go away! Wait for the banquet; then you can eat!”

Momentarily aghast, he wondered if he had been seen with Joseph and his friends. The master of the feast had been looking at them. Pushing his fears aside, he drew a deep breath and introduced himself. “I am Benjamin, son of Samuel the oil-seller. My father supplied the lamps, and I am here to check and fill them for tonight’s feast, but I think there has been an oversight. You need a lamp above the door so that no one trips while carrying food from the kitchen to the feast tonight.” Stepping closer and looking up he saw that there was already an attachment for a lamp.

Joanna frowned and pursed her lips, then explained curtly, “I had one of the men-servants take that lamp down and bring it inside. There is a dark corner in the kitchen.”

Benjamin knew that if she had told Alexander, he would have ensured she had a light for the dark corner, but wisely did not point that out. Nodding, he said calmly, “There are four lamps along the side where the guests are at present. After the bridal couple comes out of their chamber and the banquet starts, the lamps along by the festival rooms will not be so necessary. I could move one of them and put it here. The fact there is already an attachment will make it much simpler.”

“All right young man, do what you think is best,” she said letting out a loud breath before adding, “Thank you for your thoughtfulness,” and bustled back into the kitchen.

The tempting smell of roasting meat and spiced food drifting out made Benjamin’s mouth water. It was mainly at celebrations roast meat was served, and for a fleeting moment, he wished he was a guest. The desire soon passed as he thought of Joseph and his friends.

Hoping they were still inside, Benjamin hurried along the path to remove one of the lamps and move it to the kitchen doorway.

A light shower started to fall, and he raised his face to the refreshing moisture. Hearing squeals and laughter, he looked back in time to see most of the girls who had been dancing, run for shelter in the nearby kitchen where their mothers were helping. Fallen leaves and damp soil soon made the ground slippery, and one girl fell over and was helped up by the others.

Seemingly unconcerned for herself, the girl he had watched earlier went to a younger girl sitting on the bench under the tree at the edge of the courtyard, bent down and spoke to her. “Come, Esther, better go inside, or you will be ill again.”

The younger girl stood up and smiled, “Yes Rachel.”

Thomas and Asaph rushed out from the passageway leading from the toilet area, and pushed in front of the two girls, blocking their way. The victim of bullying by these men, Benjamin’s immediate instinct was to run to the rescue of the girls. However, since they did not scream or call out, he concluded they must be relatives and turned back to his work. Using his pole to detach the lamp from its mount, he took it down and carefully placed it near the edge of an old outdoor cooking area, well out of harm’s way. Deciding to see to the other lamps while he was here, he worked steadily along the side of the square opposite the kitchen to light the way to the guest accommodation.

*******

“We know who you are.” Asaph mocked, “Rachel, older daughter of Meshua ben Simon, cousin of the bride... and that pathetic little person behind you is your young sister.

Trying to steer Esther under the shelter of the tree and out of the rain, twelve-year-old Rachel asked nervously, “What are you doing? We want to go indoors. Move aside please, and let us pass.” She recognised the young men. They were friends of the rabbi’s son, and sometimes came to her grandfather’s shop to purchase writing supplies for their family businesses.