by J. Rosemary Moss
Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13
LINK TO PART ONE
~
Adam and David slipped into a back pew of the synagogue. Adam watched his friend stand up and put on his prayer shawl, twisting and swaying to make it fold properly before sitting down again.
The Hebrew services were not as foreign to Adam as David had supposed. He had sat through services in a synagogue before with Aaron Kaufman, back when he was courting Rebecca. And although he understood very little Hebrew, he could sound out the alphabet well enough to follow the prayer book along.
Like the other synagogue he had attended, this one was slightly disorganized. But that just gave it an informal, down-to-earth feeling.
Adam raised his eyebrows as David began to chant the prayers and responses. He spoke Hebrew with a Sephardic accent. That probably meant that the Jewish side of his family came from Spain or Portugal. This was an Ashkenazi synagogue, so most of the Jews here were from places like Germany or Eastern Europe. David’s crisp yet melodic accent stood out, despite the fact that he kept his voice soft.
There was a bruise forming on David’s jaw, Adam noticed. He cringed at the way he had lost his temper earlier. What had set him off? He had always known that Marty was ungovernable. He should have guessed that she would tumble headlong into a dangerous lifestyle as soon as she got a taste of freedom.
Maybe it was the fact that she had managed to hide it from him. He had visited her a few times—and each time she had played the part of the perfect innocent.
The trouble was, he felt that he had a responsibility to protect the girl. Apart from the fact that she was like a little sister to him, he had promised her grandfather that no harm would come to her. Besides, he couldn’t stand the thought of even a pseudo-sister serving as Ed Niles’ mistress.
He closed his eyes for a moment and set thoughts of Marty aside. There was nothing he could do for her at present—he would have to wait until he saw her and then see if he could talk some sense into her.
He opened his eyes again as the congregation began to chant the Sh’ma—the central proclamation of Judaism. “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one,” is how it translated. Adam even knew the Hebrew well enough to chant along.
He remembered when Rebecca had taught him the Sh’ma. She had claimed that it was the first Hebrew a Jew learned and, ideally, the last words he ever spoke.
Adam glanced at David again. Whatever arguments or issues David might have with his religion, he was obviously at home here. Adam could see that he belonged, even if he wasn’t strictly observant—and even if his love affairs were considered abominations.
Adam had never felt that way in a house of worship. Oh, he was never uncomfortable. He didn’t mind going to his Pa’s Protestant church or to a Catholic Mass with Little Joe. And he hadn’t minded going to synagogue with Rebecca’s father or sitting through a silent, meditative Quaker service with Regina.
But although he had never felt uncomfortable at those services, he’d never belonged in any one of them either. He had his own moral code and his own view of the Almighty—but where organized religion was concerned, he would always be an outsider looking in.
Strange then, that he should be attracted to people who belonged so deeply in their religious traditions. He had loved Regina more than he had ever loved anyone, but he knew that he couldn’t separate her from her faith—or from the pacifist ideals which were an extension of that faith.
Rebecca could never have left her religion either. She wasn’t as devout as Regina, but Judaism still formed the framework of her life.
Even Ruth, whom Adam seldom thought about anymore, had her own strange brand of religion. She was a medicine woman first and last—there’d been no time for her to be a wife.
And now there was David, who was equally embedded in his tradition. David might struggle to live up to the moral code of Judaism—and he might wrestle against one particular prohibition. But his wrestling with both the God of Israel and the people Israel was what gave meaning and color to his life.
Adam envied that, but he knew that he couldn’t duplicate it. He saw something of value in each tradition he encountered—but none would ever form the framework of his existence. Perhaps it was better that way, he reflected. It left him free to appreciate all of them.
He paused to shake himself. That was enough deep ponderings for one morning. He glanced at David’s prayer book to find his place and decided to put his mind back on the service.
It wasn’t until much later that Adam noticed a mental slip. While his mind had rambled, he had unintentionally grouped David with Regina, Rebecca and Ruth in his thoughts. But he shrugged it off, determined not to make too much of it.
LINK TO PART TWENTY-EIGHT
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