The Burning of Chametz and How a Verdict Is Issued Through Gematria

The Burning of Chametz and How a Verdict Is Issued Through Gematria

Nasser Salahi, an Arab Christian who lived in the Old City, was notorious among the Jews of Jerusalem. He owned numerous houses and courtyards within the city walls and, being an implacable hater of Jews, bled them dry as much as he could, charging his tenants exorbitant rents and raising them month after month. But this was not enough for him. Constantly seeking new ways to harm them, from time to time he would destroy the eruv that reached as far as the Nachalat Shiv'a neighborhood—all so that unsuspecting Jews would violate the Shabbat prohibition against carrying from one domain to another. As the owner of a great many courtyards, he was acquainted with many Jews and knew about their daily lives. He also knew of the existence of this precious gem—an extraordinary child, the son of the righteous poor man Rabbi Daniel—Yishayele. His envy knew no bounds. In his cruelty, he resolved to destroy the boy at all costs. He contacted a Christian mission (in those days, missionaries were very active throughout Jerusalem) and told them about a great soul whom, he claimed, there was an opportunity to save for Christianity. They immediately supplied him with all kinds of unclean pamphlets, most of which contained distorted quotations from the Tanakh, and the Arab passed these papers to the boy Yishayele under the plausible pretext of asking him to take them to the genizah—the repository where sacred texts no longer fit for use are generally placed because they contain the Names of G-d and must therefore be buried. Nasser hoped that the boy would glance at the papers along the way, become interested in their contents, and thereby lose his soul. Seeing lines from the Torah and suspecting nothing wrong, Yishayele took the papers from the Arab and placed them in the large genizah at the Hurva Synagogue. One day, during the school holidays, just a few days before Sukkot, Nasser met Yishayele returning from cheder. As usual, he handed him the papers, and Yishayele decided not to run immediately to the Hurva, since time was precious to him, but first to stop briefly at home, have a little snack, and immediately return to the Beit Knesset to review what he had learned during the summer months. So he arrived home, holding the papers in his hands. - What do you have there? Rabbi Daniel asked him. - Nothing special, Papa! Nasser the Arab gave me several Names to take to the genizah at the Hurva. - Why would that wicked man be concerned with the Names? Rabbi Daniel wondered. What has he come up with now? Well acquainted with Nasser's deceitful and filthy nature, he immediately took the papers from Yishayele's hands to examine their contents. The moment he looked at them, he felt ill and collapsed. Breindl, who was busy in the courtyard kitchen drying pieces of challah left over from Shabbat, heard the sound of a body falling and rushed into the house in fright. - What happened? she asked Yishayele, who stood off to the side, pale as death and unable to utter a word. Without waiting for an answer, Breindl ran back to the kitchen and grabbed some water to revive her husband. Rabbi Daniel regained consciousness only with great difficulty. Lifting his eyelids, he gestured to Breindl that a fire had to be lit immediately in the courtyard. Not understanding his signs, Breindl thought he had still not recovered from fainting: - Daniel, she said, part of the sukkah has already been erected in the courtyard, and it could catch fire from a bonfire, G-d forbid! - You will understand everything now, Rabbi Daniel replied, trying to overcome the weakness that had seized him and rise so that he could light the fire himself. Only then did Breindl realize that the matter was serious, and without delay she began carrying out her husband's request. A few moments later, a large fire was crackling in the courtyard. Rabbi Daniel quickly entered the house, took the "Siddur of Rabbi Yaakov Emden", by which he usually prayed, from the pouch containing his tallit and tefillin, went outside, threw the papers that his son Yishayele had brought into the fire, and leafed through the prayer book until he found the appropriate section entitled "The Order of Procedures on the Eve of Passover". He then began singing to the melody of the prayer recited during the burning of chametz: - "Any leavened or fermented substance in my possession, whether I have seen it or not, whether I have destroyed it or not, shall be nullified, ownerless, and regarded as the dust of the earth." By now the flames had died down and everything had been reduced to fine ash. Rabbi Daniel scattered the ash to the wind, while Breindl thoroughly washed the place where the burning had taken place, using every last drop of water in the earthenware barrel standing in the courtyard. Only afterward did Rabbi Daniel calm down somewhat and tell his wife about the time bomb that the wicked Arab had attempted to plant in their beloved little son's soul. Now the righteous Breindl fainted in turn. And since there was no more water in the house, she remained in that state for quite some time, and Rabbi Daniel was unable to help her. At last, little by little, she regained consciousness, and a moan escaped her lips: - Daniel, I feel that this matter is not yet over. We cannot calmly eat or drink until we go down to Rabbi Yosef Chaim and hear his opinion about all this! - I think so too, Breindl, but how can I appear before my teacher and mentor without first immersing in the waters of the mikveh and cleansing myself of this impurity? I will take Yishayele with me and go down to the mikveh; afterward, all of us will go to the Rabbi. - The water in the mikveh is very cold now, Rabbi Daniel added, but there is no choice—we cannot remain in this state until morning! He wrapped his son in a warm, thick blanket, and the two of them hurried with him to the mikveh located beside the Beit Knesset of the "Shomrei HaChomot" kollel ("Guardians of the Walls") in the Old City. Both of them immersed themselves in the icy water and quickly returned home. There Breindl joined them, and the three of them made their way to the Batei Mechasse neighborhood, to the home of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld. Rabbi Yosef Chaim, who had already prepared to go to the Western Wall, as was his custom, to recite the traditional prayer for the rebuilding of the Temple, was not particularly surprised by his student's late arrival with his wife. In the lives of Jerusalem's Jews, which were filled with every kind of hardship, the Rabbi's home—open to visitors day and night—was the one address for every problem that arose. What puzzled him was the little Yishayele being awake at such an unusual hour. - The boy must surely be tired after a full day of study, the Rabbi remarked, his eyes radiating warmth and tenderness as his gentle hand stroked the child's head. Breindl burst into tears, and Rabbi Daniel carefully recounted the trap that Nasser the Arab had prepared for them. After hearing the entire story, Rabbi Yosef Chaim waved his hand dismissively, as though casting the trouble aside: - Do not take it to heart! Consider that a trial was sent to you from Heaven to test your righteousness. Now thank G-d, Who guided your actions, and return home in peace. And Yishayele will become a great man in Israel! But before Rabbi Daniel and his wife left, the Rabbi added one more sentence: - As far as I know, this Arab's name is Nasser Salahi. That corresponds to the gematria of the word "meshuga" (insane), so may he be punished with madness for his wickedness. Soon, news spread throughout Jerusalem that Nasser, the owner of numerous courtyards, had suddenly lost his mind, and the Turkish authorities, deeming him dangerous to those around him, decided to deport the madman to Egypt. ("This Exalted City," Menachem Gerlitz)