erev yom-kiper, in berditshever shul. tsugefaln iz di nakht.
di zkeynem hobn opgezogt: "al das hamokem veal das hakool...[by the authority of Heaven and the authority of the community]" tsegangen zikh af zeyere erter. rebe Levi Yitskhok shteyt baym omed. er darf zogn "kol-nidrey" un - shvaygt.
ale oygn hengen af zayn rukn. in ezras-noshem [women's section] — a shtilkayt. vi afn yam far a rash. er vet onheybn, un efsher, vi zayn shteyger iz amol, mit a hakdome. vet zikh frier oystaynen, kedabeyr ish el reyeyhu [as a person speaks to his neighbor], mitn reboyne-shel-oylem — af mame-loshn...
nor rebe Levi Yitskhok shteyt, ayngehilt in kitl un tales farn omed un shvaygt.
vos batayt es?
zenen di share-tfile [gates of prayer] azoy shpet nokh farmakht? hot rebe Levi Yitskhok keyn koyekh nisht ontsuklapn? er shteyt mitn kop a bisl ibergeboygn, mit an oyer aruf:, glaykh er hert epes fun dort. vil er hern oyfshlisn?
un plutslung dreyt zikh rebe Levi Yitskhok oys tsum oylem un git a ruf: ― shames!
loyft der shul-shames tsu, fregt er im:
― berl der shnayder shoyn do?
der oylem vert nevoyl venishtoymeym [astounded]. der shames shtamlt: er veys nisht: heybt zikh on umtsukukn. rebe Levi aleyn kukt zikh oykh arum.
― neyn, er iz nishto! ― zogt er. ― in der heym geblibn. un vendt zikh nokh amol tsum shames:
― gey aheym tsu berl shnayder un ruf im aher! zog, ikh, Levi Yitskhok der more deasre [local Rabbinic authority], ruft.
geyt er, der shames.
berl der shnayder voynt in shul-gesl, nisht vayt fun shul. vart men nisht lang. kumt er, berl shnayder, on kitl un, in der vokhediker kapote, mit an ongeruktn ponem un oygn — halb beyze, halb tseshrokene, un geyt tsu tsu rebe Levi Yitskhokn:
― ir hot mikh gerufn, rebi, bin ikh tsu aykh gekumen!
"tsu aykh" iz er metayem [emphasizes].
shmeykhlt rebe Levi Yitskhok.
― zog nor ― makht er — berele, vos redt men es azoy-fil fun dir in der heykh? es iz dokh ful mit dir pamelye-shel-mayle [heavenly assembly]. epes a rash hostu ongemakht: men hert nisht mer, nor: berl der shnayder un berl der shnayder.
― aha! ― makht berl shnayder mit nitsokhn.
― host epes a tayne?
zogt er: avade!
― tsu vemen?
― tsum reboyne-shel-oylem! ― zogt er.
der oylem arum volt dem shnayderuk tserisn: rebe Levi Yitskhok tseshmeykhlt zikh nokh breyter.
― efsher vestu, berl, dertseyln, vegn vos es geyt?
― aderabe! ― zogt berl der shnayder, ― meykheteyse ― zogt er ― ikh kon afile far aykh a din-toyre hobn! zol ikh taynen?
― red.
taynet er, berl der shnayder:
― ibern gantsn zumer loy-aleykhem, rebi, keyn shtokh arbet nisht gehat... nisht fun a yid, nisht, lehavdil, fun a poyer. khotsh leyg zikh ― zogt er ― un shtrek oys di tsung.
― ay ― gleybt zikh nisht rebe Levi Yitskhok ― zere [seed of ] Avrem, Yitskhok veYankev zenen dokh rakhmonem bney rakhmonem [merciful, children of the merciful], gedarft zikh fartroyen.
― dos nisht, rebi, ikh zog nisht un ikh nem nisht!
keyn matnes boser-vedom vil er nisht. er hot aza kheylek in reboyne-shel-oylem vi yener...
vos er hot yo geton, — a meydl hot er, hot er es avekgeshikt dinen, ergets andersh, in a greserer shtot arayngeshikt.
zitst er azoy in der heym un vart, vos zayn liber nomen vet ton...
far sukes, di tir efnt zikh. aha! dervart zikh: un es kumt take arayn a sheliyekh meyukhed [special messenger] fun porets, men ruft im untershlogn a pelts.
gut. der reboyne-shel-oylem shpayzt! fort er, kumt er in palats arayn. men firt im in a kheyder-meyukhed [private room] arayn, men git im iber an untershlak un men git im iber felekhlekh.
― zolt ir zen, rebi, fuksene [fox] felekhlekh! fun fuksn-land...
es iz dokh kol-nidrey-tsayt, iz im rebe Levi Yitskhok mezarez [urges on]:
― haklal, hostu untergeshlogn, geton dayns beshleymes [completely]. vos iz vayter geshen?...
― a kleynikayt iz geshen! dray felekhlekh zenen geblibn.
― hostu zey tsugenumen?
― nisht azoy laykht, rebi, vi es redt zikh! az men kumt aroys fun palats shteyt bay der brom [gate] a shoymer. hot er a khshad, bazukht er, tut di shtivl oys. un gefint men, rebi, bay mir, khas vesholem, felekhlekh, hot der porets klovem, hot der porets riter...
― nu, vos hostu geton?
― iz dokh ober berl ― berl shnayder! gey ikh mir, rebi, in kikh arayn, bet men zol mir aheym gebn a broyt...
― pas akum [non-Jewish bread], berl!
― nisht, kholile, tsum esn, rebi! ― men hot mir gegebn a broyt, a groys broyt. ikh gey dermit tsurik in shtub arayn, shnayd es uf, hoyl es oys, knet dos veykhe azoy lang in di hent, biz es vert durkhgenumen mit shveys un varf es dem keylev, vos ligt in kheyder. a keylev hot lib mentshn-shveys. un di dray felekhlekh pak ikh in oysgehoyltn breytl arayn. un gey.
bay der brom:
― vos trogstu, zhidikl, untern orem?
vayz ikh: a broyt!
ikh kum besholem ariber un a bisl vayter makh ikh shoyn fis...un gey nisht mitn veg, iber di kshakes [bushes] gey ikh. feld oys, feld ayn: a kurtse veg — a feldveg.
gey ikh un tants a bisl unter: an esreg vet zayn, a lulevl! nisht kools [belonging to the community]. nisht geborgt ... tayere felekhlekh ...
heybt ober on di erd unter mir epes tsu tsitern!...ikh derken shoyn dos tsitern. a rayter yogt hinter mir. men yogt mir nokh! der mames milkh vert mir antrunen. min-hastam, ibergetseylt di felekhlekh...antloyfn iz narish, a rayter, dem poretss a ferd...khap ikh, koydem kol, dos breytl un varf in di kshakes arayn. makh mir fundestvegn a simen, a gutn simen, un shtel mikh op. men ruft shoyn:
― berko! ha, berko!
dos iz er, dem poretss kozakl, ikh derken zayn kelekhl! ineveynik, rebi, tsitert! di neshome iz in di knekhl, nor berl shnayder dreyt zikh oys, un geyt akegn, mikloymersht [as if] keekhod hoodm[like anyone].
vayzt zikh oys — an umziste shrek!
ikh hob fargesn a henger ontsuneyen, hot men nokh mir a rayter geshikt.
un er shlept mikh shoyn afn sus [horse] aruf. dreyt es oys, men rayt shoyn...
bentsh ikh in hartsn goyml, ney on dem henger un gey tsurik.
ikh kum tsum simen: veeynene [and it's gone] — nishto dos broyt!
shoyn lang nokh shnit; keyn ben odem geyt do nisht, keyn foygl in der velt vet aza mase [weight] nisht oyfheybn...farshtey ikh, ver es hot es geton...
fregt rebe Levi Yitskhok:
― ver?
― er! entfert berl shnayder, un tayt mitn finger tsu der heykh — der reboyne-shel-oylem, zayn mayse-yodoy [handiwork], rebi! un ikh veys far vos...er, der har der groyser, vil nisht, az zayn knekht, az ikh, zayn berl der shnayder, zol nemen yiter [remnants] ...
― nu avade ― makht rebe Levi Yitskhok veykh ― el pi din [by strict legal interpretation] ...
― din-shmin! ― makht berl, ― er veyst az a mineg brekht a din. un nisht ikh ― zogt er ― hob yiter bashafn, a mineg fun kadmoynem[a longstanding custom] !
― un vider ― taynet er ― farkert: iz der reboyne-shel-oylem aza groyser, shtoltser porets, un vil nisht, az der oremster eved [servant] fun zayne avodem, zayn knekht berl der shnayder, vos dint bay im, zol nemen yiter, — zol er gebn parnose. zol er, vi a porets, gebn ordinarye [sustenance]!
nisht dos un nisht dos, vil er nisht.
― vil ikh ― zogt er ― dem reboyne shel oylem nisht dinen. ikh hob ― zogt er ― a neyder [oath] geton: oys!
git der oylem arum a brum, vi a ber, heybn zikh hent — vil men tsuloyfn, rebe Levi Yitskhok makht:
― sha!
der oylem blaybt shtil un rebe Levi Yitskhok fregt benimes [calmly]:
un vos vayter, berl?
― gornisht! ― dertseylt er, ― ikh kum aheym, ikh vash mikh nisht, ikh es umgevashn, mayn ployneste vil efenen a moyl, — a flyask [slap]! ikh leyg mikh; on a krishma [recital of the Shema] leyg ikh mikh. di leftsn viln aleyn zogn: ikh farbays mit di tseyn. in der fri: keyn brokhe, keyn netiles-yodoyem [ritual handwashing], keyn davnen, keyn tales utfilen, "gib esn!" mayn ployneste makht fis fun shtub aroys. in dorf arayn, tsum foter, tsum arendar [tenant farmer] gelofn iz zi. iz on a vayb! ikh hob nokh hanoe derfun. ikh, vi ikh, ikh bin berl shnayder. zi, a shvakhe yidene, zol zi nisht zayn in der mit! un ikh tu mir mayns: keyn suke, keyn esreg, keyn lulev, ikh nem amol a bisl; yontef makh ikh keyn kidesh nisht. loy! simkhas toyre khap ikh, vi Mordkhe nokh der gezeyre [evil decree], un tu on a zak [sackcloth] ibern kop. lokhes [out of spite]!
kumt slikhes-tsayt, vert a bisl kalemutne. der shames klapt, dos harts klapt, es tsit...bin ikh dokh ober berl shnayder! a vort halt ikh! ikh dek mikh tsu ibern kop, ikh halt oys! nisht zen... es kumt rosheshone — ikh rir mikh nisht. es kumt di tsayt fun shoyfer blozn, khap ikh vate un farshtop di oyern... es rayst, dos harts rayst, a tsar baley-khayem, rebi...un ikh mies mikh far mir aleyn. gey arum umgevashn, in umreynkayt. a shtikl shpigele hengt, ikh drey es iber tsu der vant, ikh vil mayn partsef nisht zen...der oylem, derher ikh, geyt tsu tashlekh...
er blaybt shtil a vayle un shpringt bald unter!
― ober gerekht, rebi, bin ikh! optretn mit gornisht vel ikh nisht!
trakht rebe Levi Yitskhok a vayle un fregt:
― un vos-zhe vilstu, berl shnayder? ... vilst parnose?
berl baleydikt zikh:
― kay un shpay parnose! parnose hot er frier gezolt gebn! un parnose kumt yednfals! dem foygl in der luft, dem vereml af der erd, parnose iz ordinarye, atsind vil berl shnayder mer!
― zog, berele, vos.
un berl shtelt zikh op:
― emes, rebi, yom-kiper iz nor mekhaper af aveyres shebeyn odem lomokem [between people and God]?
― emes!
― un aveyres shebeyn odem lekhaveyre [between a person and fellow] — nisht?
― neyn!
glaykht zikh berl shnayder oys in der heykh, vi a strune, un zogt fest un hoykh:
― vil ikh, berl shnayder, andersh zikh nisht untergebn, andersh tsurik in der dinst tsum reboyne-shel-oylem nisht arayntretn, biz der reboyne-shel-oylem vet nisht dos yor, mir tsulib, moykhl zayn di aveyres oykh! bin ikh gerekht, rebi?
― gerekht! ― entfert rebe Levi Yitskhok ― un halt dikh ― zogt er ― bay der deye, men vet dir muzn nokhgebn...
un er kert zikh um tsum omed, kukt aruf, hert zikh ayn a vayle un iz bald mevaser:
― host gepoylt, berl! gey nokh kitl un tales!