Tag: Old City

Passover in the Old City

Jen was so excited about her upcoming wedding. But before the tied her vows she had to celebrate Pesach. She asked her grandmother to help her make a Seder at her house for the whole family and Jake’s family.  Jen hoped as their married life progressed they would host plenty of holiday dinners.  She was an okay cook. But grandma was better.

She was especially looking forward to living in the Sukkah with Jake in the fall.  She loved that holiday. Sometimes she wished she could live in her Sukkah year round.

 The family had a wonderful time at her Seder.  She purchased all of her food from the Kart.

Meanwhile, Anat was in tears that her grandmother was gone for several years and her special Seders were over. She didn’t have anywhere to go.  Her parents never tried to carry on the Seders. And they probably would have yelled at her all night.  So she cried and cooked for herself.  She never had anywhere to go. It hurt when she heard all of her coworkers talk about their Pesach and Easter plans. She knew a loving family and friends weren’t meant for her.  Why this happened made up her four questions.

Alana and Marc were together as usual in the Old City. Marc finished praying at the Kotel. Then the two of them just sat there clueless before walking to their rabbi’s for the Seder.  The two still were never sure of their relationship.

Tzipora went to Eran’s parents for the Seder.  He was going to her family the next day. On the way, she told him about her lifestyle.  Eran was shocked. But not upset. He took it maturely. He said he accepted her. And would only be upset if she went with another guy.

Marc and Alana got up and decided it was time to go to the Seder. They weren’t late. They were never late for anything. They were taking in the beauty of the Old City. They heard a small child crying and ran toward her.  She was all alone.  She needed her parents. They asked her a few questions.  She just sobbed.

Marc and Alana didn’t want her to be alone. They asked her where her Seder was.  She said in the Old City at her Aunt Miriam’s house.  That didn’t help them. The girl jumped onto Alana. A tear fell from Alana’s eye. She always wanted a little girl to dress in all black.  Maybe not the best image for a cute little baby. But that is Alana. She held her. The girl stopped crying and asked if she could help them find Aunt Miriam’s house.

Naturally, Marc and Alana said, yes.

Marc’s spiritual connection

Marc’s rabbi called. He carefully listened to every word he said. He went on to discuss in detail bringing barley to the temple on Pesach, Maimonides’ notes about honey aiding one’s memory. Marc took a deep breath. The rabbi then went on to discuss the meanings behind the pomegranates at a Sephardic Rosh Hashanah meal, its symbolism of fertility and love, its placement on ancient Judean coins and the 613 seeds they contain.

The rabbi seemed to think Marc, who is a very spiritual person, was having a great connection to the Holy Land and the Torah. He urged him to continue his studies.

The rabbi instructed him to read certain Tehillim portions each morning and to touch base in a few weeks. Marc knew his mission. Marc promised the rabbi he would only use his powers for good.

Now as for that fertility and love portion, he well you know, texted Alana.

 

 

 

 

 

Pomegranate 23 — Marc is hospitalized

Marc went to Staten Island to visit mom. She barbequed hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch. She had all kinds of salads.

She had honey cookies for dessert. I love honey cookies. “Hey, how come you didn’t add any barley or pomegranates to the salad,” he asked.

“Oh stay away from the cookies. Forgot about you and honey.”

“What?”

“You won’t remember. But when you were about three on Rosh Hashanah your grandmother had honey, pomegranates, barley and other stuff. You started eating it all and nearly died.”

She went out to tell him the story. This had been kept from him. His grandmother came around with all of his is so called weapons. He started eating them and turned bright red. He began to shake and become short of breath. His mom flipped out. Everyone figured it was an allergic reaction. He was panting and shook even more. His mom raced him outside to the car and took him to the ER.

He was triaged. The doctors kept him for a few days. He suffered from anaphylaxis and infant botulism. His little arms and legs grew hives and were swollen. His face was beet red. He was put on an IV. He was discharged. The end result was that honey caused the problem. He suffered allergic reactions to the barley and pomegranates. Apparently, the mixture of all three items was nearly deadly.

His mom never let him have these items again. He was told to not to eat them because he might be allergic. He had no memory of trying them again. He was wondering if this is what sparked his powers.

He emailed a trusted rabbi in the Old City. He knew he’d call him back. He always did. While he waited he kept thinking about what happened to him. He wanted to pull the medical records. Of course, this incident happened over 40 years ago. But he sent an email to the hospital.

The rabbi called him back. He opened by blessing Marc. They made some small chit-chat. Marc gave him an abridged synopsis of what was happening. The rabbi was very interested in this. He thought of some of the prophets. He told him he would check some Talmudic scriptures and get back to him. He blessed him again.

As they hung up the hospital records arrived on his phone.