Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life Page #2

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I counted the seven days.

Today I am ready to heed

your commandment,

to purify my body.

I shall go down into the water

and in your mercy,

my body shall be washed

in the pure water,

and my soul cleansed

of all blemish and vanity.

For it is written:

"I have sprinkled you with water

and made you pure."

My God,

why have you forsaken me?

Far from my salvation

and the words from my mouth...

I call by day

and you do not answer,

At night I know no silence.

You dwell in the praise of Israel,

My fathers believe in you

and were delivered.

They called to you

and were saved...

Why weren't you at school?

I can't study. I'm troubled.

Meir, make up your mind.

I'm not sure I can.

Meir, don't you feel...

Don't you feel...

we're on the verge

of a new age?

That something is coming?

Are you getting ready for it?

Do you pray?

Yes. - You must pray.

Do you fast?

Do you meditate?

Yes.

Make up your mind.

Do your duty.

You know our laws.

You know that the only task

of a daughter of Israel

is to bring children into the world.

To give birth to Jews,

and enable her husband to study.

God created man to study the Torah.

The woman plays an indirect part

in fulfilling the Torah,

by keeping his home clean,

preparing his meals,

and especially,

by raising his children.

A woman's only joy

is raising his children.

Children are our strength.

With them...

we will vanquish.

Whom?

The others.

The godless.

The secular government,

Children are our future.

The future of our religion.

The others have no children.

Thanks to our children,

the future is ours.

Must I make this sacrifice?

- You are part of our struggle.

Our struggle is sacred.

My son,

I just ran into Rivka.

What is she doing?

Why does she no longer work?

This cannot go on, Meir.

I went to the ritual bath today.

Yes.

I am no longer unclean.

I'm exhausted, Rivka.

I had a hard day.

I want to sleep.

Do you think we don't

have the right to?

Yes.

If we don't try,

how can we have a child?

It's been 1 0 years, Rivka.

We'll never have a child.

We can still try.

Sterility is the cause.

There's no escaping it.

And our bond?

Isn't it a sacred commandment?

Please Rivka, that's enough.

What do you want from me? Tell me.

I haven't studied for 1 0 years.

I was a brilliant student

before our marriage.

I was the first to recognize

any passage from the Talmud.

And now, Rivka,

what can I do?

Tell me what I should do?

Let me prove to you

that God blesses our union,

that we were made

for each other, Meir.

I don't know.

Do you know what people say?

They say I'm getting married

next week.

To Yossef.

That's what they say.

To Yossef.

I'm marrying Yossef.

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