The Magic Barrel

The Magic Barrel is a collection of short stories by Bernard Malamud.

This collection contains the story "The Angel Levine"; a story I referenced in a posting above our own Levine, member of the Greybeards.

At the time, Levine had said something so insightful and unusual, that the rest of the members were speechless. We were speechless for such a long time it was uncomfortable. Then, after a certain time had passed and we were no longer quite so uncomfortable in the unexpected silence, no one wished to breech the silence, which by now had taken on a numinous quality.

So I said, "We have heard from the Angel, Levine..."

What else could one say?

Levine has some Yiddish. That is nice.

I started to learn Yiddish a thousand years ago it seems. One of the first books I ever bought was by a Yiddish writer.

The first book I ever bought on my own just as a book, not a textbook, nor a book that played a part in a religious ritual, was John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.

The second book I ever purchased was Satan in Goray by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Mr. Singer wrote in Yiddish, I came to find out.

I have that book yet. It cost 65 cents at the time.I have taped the binding and handle it with care. It's not a first edition or anything like that. It is a 65 cent paperback (it was the fashion at the time to call them PocketBooks).

The pages are becoming mottled with age, but so am I. I shall have that book forever.

I remember it well. There is a posting somewhere around here about Justice Scalia and the Rabbi of Goray. That was a good posting, if I do say so myself.

So I began to study a little Yiddish when I was 15.

Meshigaas! There was no one I could talk to.

So I finally located a news stand that sold the Forwerts, a Yiddish paper. I would go there and buy my copy. It toke me at least a week to read it.

I forget the news guy's name. Orele comes to mind, but I think that is wrong.

In my memory, we sit around and talk about important matters like learned men trying to pierce the veil bewteen this world and the spiritual.

I don't think we did. I think I just put down my money, bought a cigar - no, that's wrong, too. Just put down my money and went.

My family is not Jewish.

The only person by blood that is observant is my wife's nephew. Maybe he's not, strictly speaking, "observant", but his home is kosher.

The best part of any culture is usually spiced with a spoonful of good religion.