I want you to read a story that I summarized and translated from Hebrew. Its name is Tehila (you'll understand later what does that mean) by Shmuel Yosef Agnon.
Another time he met her when he was on the way to an old Rabbi's wife. He didnt recognize her but she did and she talked to him (she wasnt offended that he didnt recognize him even that she helped him a lot in the day before). They leaved each other and the narrator went to the old Rabbis wifes house. When He got there, the house was a mess: the stairs were broken, there was garbage everywhere, it was hard to see what is in the room because of cold steams and he saw a woman in a bed. He asked for her health and said that he came because her son asked him to do that. The old wife asked about her sons only about material things (how many servants does he has, etc.) and then she complained about her health and the weather in Israel. Then the narrator left the house.
One day when he narrator was near The Wall (a sacred place for Jews) he met again the old woman in the beginning. She told him that the Rabbis wife is ill and he should visit her. The narrator went to the wifes house and on the way he bought for her a stove. He gave her the stove and she even didnt thank him. He asked her about this women (that helped her in the beginning) and she told him that her name is Tehila (in Hebrew glory), she is very old, had many sufferings and her daughter was supposed to marry the Rabbis wifes father but she (Tehilas daughter) ran in the middle of ceremony.
In another visit in the scholars house, the scholar told the narrator that Tehila look for him. The narrator asked him too about Tehila and he told him that shes 104 years old, was very reach and arrived to Jerusalem after her sons and husband died.
When the narrator arrived to Tehilas house it was very neat and had a feeling of holiness in it. She asked him to sit and started to tell him her life story:
Ninety and three years ago when she was eleven years old, her parents told her that shes going to get marry to a boy named Shraga (light or candle in Aramaic). When the boy would be 13 years old theyll have the wedding. She didnt care a lot because Shraga was her friend from young age and she thought that the marriage is just another game.
On Saturday, four weeks before the wedding, Shraga didnt come to Tehilas house because he went with his father to a Rabbi of Hasid. Because Tehilas father was against the Hasidism, he torn the terms of the wedding and canceled the engagement. Shraga swore that he wont forgive him and Tehilas father never asked forgiveness although he knew that if engagement is canceled you must ask for forgiveness.
Because all of the wedding stuff were ready, Tehilas parents found another husband for her and she got marry with him. Shraga and his father left the town and Tehila gave birth two to two boys and one girl. They were wealthy and hired tutors for their boys and Christian tutor to her daughter. The tutor that taught the boys was a Hasid and Tehilas husband was very influenced from him and turned to a Hasid.
A year before the eldest son became 13 he became ill from plague but he recovered. 30 days before he turned 13 on the way to the synagogue a mad man who disguised a dead man scared do much that when he prayed in the synagogue he died from heart attack.
30 days before the second son became 13 he and his friend went to the forest to play. He told them that he goes to the Rabbi to see him and than he didnt come back. All his friends and the family looked for him till they found that he died in a shallow swamp.
When Tehila cried on her second sons death she understood that it is similar to what had happened to Shraga- 30 days before the wedding her father canceled the weeding and it happened to her two sons 30 days before they got 13 they died. Tehila understood that she must ask for forgiveness from Shraga so she told her husband and he traveled to find Shraga. He discovered that Shraga became against Hasidism. Because of all his searches Tehilas husband became tuberculous and died.
Tehila entered to the family business instead of her husband and succeeded, she hired Christian teachers to her daughter and found a man for her daughter. But on the ceremony of the wedding the daughter ran to a monastery and converted.
After Tehila finished her story she asked from the narrator to write to Shraga a forgiveness letter. Indeed Shraga died 30 years ago but she wants to take the letter with her to her grave.
After Tehila confirmed her grave in Jerusalem, she went home (in knowingly that she is going to die).
On the next day the narrator heard that Tehila died and come to her house, when he entered Tehilas room he saw water poured from her bed (water from the cleaning of the body).
The End
Tehila
Many years ago there was in Jerusalem pious and smart woman with two buckets of water. One day the narrator [of the story] met her accidentally while he went to a scholar in Jerusalem, she showed him the way to the scholar and didnt allowed him to take her buckets because she wants to do a perfect good act. When they arrived to the scholars house she left him.Another time he met her when he was on the way to an old Rabbi's wife. He didnt recognize her but she did and she talked to him (she wasnt offended that he didnt recognize him even that she helped him a lot in the day before). They leaved each other and the narrator went to the old Rabbis wifes house. When He got there, the house was a mess: the stairs were broken, there was garbage everywhere, it was hard to see what is in the room because of cold steams and he saw a woman in a bed. He asked for her health and said that he came because her son asked him to do that. The old wife asked about her sons only about material things (how many servants does he has, etc.) and then she complained about her health and the weather in Israel. Then the narrator left the house.
One day when he narrator was near The Wall (a sacred place for Jews) he met again the old woman in the beginning. She told him that the Rabbis wife is ill and he should visit her. The narrator went to the wifes house and on the way he bought for her a stove. He gave her the stove and she even didnt thank him. He asked her about this women (that helped her in the beginning) and she told him that her name is Tehila (in Hebrew glory), she is very old, had many sufferings and her daughter was supposed to marry the Rabbis wifes father but she (Tehilas daughter) ran in the middle of ceremony.
In another visit in the scholars house, the scholar told the narrator that Tehila look for him. The narrator asked him too about Tehila and he told him that shes 104 years old, was very reach and arrived to Jerusalem after her sons and husband died.
When the narrator arrived to Tehilas house it was very neat and had a feeling of holiness in it. She asked him to sit and started to tell him her life story:
Ninety and three years ago when she was eleven years old, her parents told her that shes going to get marry to a boy named Shraga (light or candle in Aramaic). When the boy would be 13 years old theyll have the wedding. She didnt care a lot because Shraga was her friend from young age and she thought that the marriage is just another game.
On Saturday, four weeks before the wedding, Shraga didnt come to Tehilas house because he went with his father to a Rabbi of Hasid. Because Tehilas father was against the Hasidism, he torn the terms of the wedding and canceled the engagement. Shraga swore that he wont forgive him and Tehilas father never asked forgiveness although he knew that if engagement is canceled you must ask for forgiveness.
Because all of the wedding stuff were ready, Tehilas parents found another husband for her and she got marry with him. Shraga and his father left the town and Tehila gave birth two to two boys and one girl. They were wealthy and hired tutors for their boys and Christian tutor to her daughter. The tutor that taught the boys was a Hasid and Tehilas husband was very influenced from him and turned to a Hasid.
A year before the eldest son became 13 he became ill from plague but he recovered. 30 days before he turned 13 on the way to the synagogue a mad man who disguised a dead man scared do much that when he prayed in the synagogue he died from heart attack.
30 days before the second son became 13 he and his friend went to the forest to play. He told them that he goes to the Rabbi to see him and than he didnt come back. All his friends and the family looked for him till they found that he died in a shallow swamp.
When Tehila cried on her second sons death she understood that it is similar to what had happened to Shraga- 30 days before the wedding her father canceled the weeding and it happened to her two sons 30 days before they got 13 they died. Tehila understood that she must ask for forgiveness from Shraga so she told her husband and he traveled to find Shraga. He discovered that Shraga became against Hasidism. Because of all his searches Tehilas husband became tuberculous and died.
Tehila entered to the family business instead of her husband and succeeded, she hired Christian teachers to her daughter and found a man for her daughter. But on the ceremony of the wedding the daughter ran to a monastery and converted.
After Tehila finished her story she asked from the narrator to write to Shraga a forgiveness letter. Indeed Shraga died 30 years ago but she wants to take the letter with her to her grave.
After Tehila confirmed her grave in Jerusalem, she went home (in knowingly that she is going to die).
On the next day the narrator heard that Tehila died and come to her house, when he entered Tehilas room he saw water poured from her bed (water from the cleaning of the body).
The End
