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The forest near Międzybórz sprouted from the same oak that had once branched off to create the heavens, the seas, and all living things. Magic was slow to die there. And so it was that once upon a time, a simple fellow named Israel ben Eliezer met the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite while foraging for mushrooms.
Behold! the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite told Israel ben Eliezer. The children of Israel beyond the River shall never be free until they learn the occult sympathies that resonate through the Torah. And you shall be the One to guide them. And I shall give you my Mark.
The mark of Ahijah the Shilonite was the power to heal and the power to make worldly things vanish.
A dead child lay in the cottage of the candle maker Yitzhak ben Shelomah. Israel ben Eliezer put his hands on him, and the dead child lived.
The daughter of Moishe ben Raysel was covered with weeping pox. Israel ben Eliezer whispered in her ear, and the pox disappeared.
The Cossacks came to the village, and the villagers ignored them even as the Cossacks slit the villagers’ throats.
Israel ben Eliezer was the Baal Shem Tov, but that name was too holy to utter, so he became the BESHT.
And when he died, he went back into the forest to commune once again with Ahijah the Shilonite. When the living men sought the BESHT in these woods, the BESHT spoke to them of the d’vekut, which is the only true faith of those who are chosen.
And so, there grew a schism between those who knew for what they had been chosen and those who knew they had been chosen but did not know what for…
###
Obviously, the wrong voice for the Work in Progress, but I do need a brief history of the Hasid movement since it’s a major plot point after June divorces Henry.
I think June’s father is a Hasid who runs away.
Here’s an interesting thing: When you’re a Hasid, Christmas Eve or Nittel Nacht is the most evil time of the year! Demons roam the streets! To show your contempt for these demons, you’re encouraged to engage in worldly activities like playing chess and card games, and ripping up the toilet paper you will need for the rest of the year!
It is strictly forbidden to study Torah on Nittel Nacht. Or to engage in sexual relations!
###
In other news, hideous white stuff is falling from the sky.
Behold! the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite told Israel ben Eliezer. The children of Israel beyond the River shall never be free until they learn the occult sympathies that resonate through the Torah. And you shall be the One to guide them. And I shall give you my Mark.
The mark of Ahijah the Shilonite was the power to heal and the power to make worldly things vanish.
A dead child lay in the cottage of the candle maker Yitzhak ben Shelomah. Israel ben Eliezer put his hands on him, and the dead child lived.
The daughter of Moishe ben Raysel was covered with weeping pox. Israel ben Eliezer whispered in her ear, and the pox disappeared.
The Cossacks came to the village, and the villagers ignored them even as the Cossacks slit the villagers’ throats.
Israel ben Eliezer was the Baal Shem Tov, but that name was too holy to utter, so he became the BESHT.
And when he died, he went back into the forest to commune once again with Ahijah the Shilonite. When the living men sought the BESHT in these woods, the BESHT spoke to them of the d’vekut, which is the only true faith of those who are chosen.
And so, there grew a schism between those who knew for what they had been chosen and those who knew they had been chosen but did not know what for…
###
Obviously, the wrong voice for the Work in Progress, but I do need a brief history of the Hasid movement since it’s a major plot point after June divorces Henry.
I think June’s father is a Hasid who runs away.
Here’s an interesting thing: When you’re a Hasid, Christmas Eve or Nittel Nacht is the most evil time of the year! Demons roam the streets! To show your contempt for these demons, you’re encouraged to engage in worldly activities like playing chess and card games, and ripping up the toilet paper you will need for the rest of the year!
It is strictly forbidden to study Torah on Nittel Nacht. Or to engage in sexual relations!
###
In other news, hideous white stuff is falling from the sky.
