Rabbis, Coffee, & Football
Friday, June 3, 2005
The world was full of terrible news that morning – of Operation Lightening, Michael Jackson’s trial, 38 killed by insurgents in Iraq, and a seven year-old who bled his sister to death, the filibuster in Washington… and one redemption – the four million dollar value of an Indian-head nickel. It seemed a weepy day out in the world.
Meanwhile, OLeif had recently dug up a recording from a co-worker, of a fascinating lecture, considering questions of the first century Jewish world. Collette found it amazing to learn that all Jewish children between the ages of five and ten had memorized the first five books of the Old Testament. Upon first arriving at the temple, each child was given honey on their tongue to symbolize – “May the Words of God be like honey on your tongue”. How true that would be for all of them. Following those five years, the “less brilliant” were weeded out, and their betters went on to the second level of learning. Those left behind, dropping out of school, went on to work at their father’s trade, whether he owned a vineyard, was a carpenter, herded sheep, etc. (So for Jesus to have learned such amazing things, while still working at his father’s trade instead of the Temple, must have been considered incredible.) Children ten to fourteen or so, went on to memorize the entire Old Testament, and not just memorize Genesis through Malachi, but memorize the questions and teachings and cross-references of rabbis over their history. It must have been an awesome thing to witness. They were demanded to understand and “wrestle with” (as the lecturer put it) the Words of God. After all, God’s Word was the most important thing in their lives. And those who were considered the most intelligent, the most wise, and the most creative of their class (the best of the best of the best), went on to become rabbis and were esteemed beyond anyone else. Which made Collette wonder… If Jesus was amazing the teachers at the Temple at age twelve, he must have been insanely wise. Granted already, of course, but it brought an entirely new level to the understanding.
In other news, Collette’s doctor’s appointment had gone surprisingly fast. Collette even saw Mrs. Bayer again, after having walked past her by World Market. She was a surprisingly thin woman, rather gaunt actually, although pretty when she smiled. Collette wondered if she would remember her family if she mentioned the name. But of course she didn’t mention it. Mrs. Bayer wouldn’t have known her from Eve.
Work had also sped by. Timmy Blunt popped in the office on the way to the Men’s Retreat.
“I’ll be sure OLeif behaves himself,” he assured her, as he left.
Collette thanked him, and got back to her work. OLeif was also excited about his study for various certifications. Plus, now that CuppaJo had left, a new coffee house was in town named St. Louis Coffee. Apparently, St. Louis was the coffee center of the world back in the late eighteen hundreds, as their brochure stated. And, the Turks began putting chocolate in coffee six hundred years earlier. Interesting facts…
Another article of interest included one of Collette’s favorite places in the world. For the very first time, a couple had been married on the summit of Mt. Everest, 29,035 feet above the Himalayan floor. Quite exciting – Collette had always wanted to climb Everest herself, although the danger and difficulty was incalculable.
Back at the house, Francis and Linnea were still rather covered in mud upon her arrival that afternoon. They had constructed an original mud-slide under the double swing tree, where the tire swing had once hung. And the filth they managed to concoct was quite enough to land both in the shower that evening.
Before the three guys left for the retreat, Dad showed Collette a black and white photo in the Mizzou catalog.
“That’s my old coach there,” Dad pointed him out, in the middle. “I hadn’t realized he died last year – nice guy.”
Collette wondered what it would have been like to watch Dad play football. Mom always said no one could ever run like Dad did. And they still saw him run often up at the track and such, but not with a football. Sometimes Collette wondered where Dad would have been if it hadn’t been for that back injury years ago – carrying equipment up the stairs in football cleats. What would have become of track, football, the Air Force, and so many other things… But it wasn’t meant to have happened, obviously.
“So I guess you’re going to be bored to tears without me tonight,” Dad chuckled to Mom, walking back into the kitchen.
“Oh,” Mom threw her head back dramatically, “whatever shall we do?”
Rose cut in:
“Celebrate good times…”
And, in another important news flash – George Lucas was already laying plans for the revamping of all six Star Wars films in 3-D to be re-released in theaters one per year, 2007-2012. Collette liked the thought of something never really having an end to it.