THE SIGN OF JONAH
PROLOGUE
(767 A.D. , Alexandria, Egypt)
“...Aleph, because you are so modest, you shall become foremost among the letters, for just as your value is one, so am I one and the Torah is one! Therefore, the Messianic Torah, the Torah of the World to Come will begin with you, aleph” said the rabbi to his students, who were listening to him in awe.
“This is what God told to the first letter of the alphabet, more than four thousands, five hundreds and twenty eight years ago, when He created the world ”, he continued.
“And when do you think, rabbi Solomon, that Messiah will fulfill God’s own prophecy?” asked a young man. “Since aleph means ‘curse’ I’m afraid that those times, as interesting as they may be, would not be too much fun to live in. Better enjoy our bet world now with its blessings than die a virgin in a doomed future!”
The remark startled a few chuckles among the few students of the Torah, who avoided rabbi’s look while waiting for his reaction. Instead the rabbi smiled and answered calmly to his bold student.
“Messiah will come at the fullness of time, Jonah. At the fullness of time...”
Jonah wasn’t more than seventeen years old, judging by the reddish fluff under his chin, yet he had that spark in his blue, serene eyes, which only young men possess before being taken away by time and broken dreams. Handsome by any daughter of Eve’s standards, he seemed to exhale innocence and roughness at the same time, and his athletic stature defied the widely spread cliche of the feeble Jew. He looked as hard as a rock and as stubborn as a mule.
“Could you be more explicit, rabbi?” Jonah questioned his teacher. “We’ve been waiting for the Messiah for so long and yet, He ignores us. When will He come, after all?”
Rabbi Solomon made a visible effort to hide his irritation. “ You have to learn patience and humbleness, my son...I will tell you once and for all: the Messiah will come when the three signs that announce Him will be seen. These signs are: the rebuild of the Temple, the gathering of all Jews from Exile and the resurrection of the dead!” No sooner he ended his sentence than the door opened and a Nubian servant came in and made a short bow to the rabbi. “Shalom aleichem, master. It’s time for your medicine!”
The announcement stirred a joyful murmur among the students. “That’s all for today, my boys! See you tomorrow at the same hour.” After greeting their master the students crowded the door on their way out, in a flurry of voices. All but Jonah, who approached the rabbi with reluctance.
“What’s now, little prankster?” Jonah barely moved his eyes from the floor. “You said something about the signs, rabbi...the resurrection of the dead...What if the Messiah has already come, as the Christians claim, and we couldn’t see Him?” This time rabbi Solomon composure is gone. “Who put this nonsense into your mind, boy? What goim is trying to take you away from us? How could God became flesh and die like a criminal on a despicable object of torture?” burst the rabbi. Jonah’s blood drained from his face, yet he met with confidence rabbi’s stare. “I didn’t mean that, rabbi. It occurred to me that we could hasten the Messiah’s arrival somehow. We should do something rather than just waiting like we always did! No wonder that Christians and Muslims treat as like lepers!” Rabbi Solomon listened to Jonah and sighed hopelessly. Then he walked to the crammed book shelves that lined one wall of the room and picked up an old manuscript. “I cannot help you, Jonah, but our father Abraham surely can.” He handed the roll to his student, who held it as it were one of the tables of Moses. “It’s Sefer Yetzirah, The Book of Formation, our oldest mystical text. Read it carefully and then tell me what you understood.” Jonah seemed to be in the seventh heaven. “Thank you very much,rabbi! I promise you I’ll start reading it today”! He ran to the door followed by the mysterious smile of his teacher. As Jonah is about to leave, the silhouette of a very old man in a white robe flashed at his side. He suddenly turn around but the ghost was gone.
