If our little brothers
don’t have the ability to speak,
It still doesn’t mean that
GOD Himself doesn’t speak with them
THE MARK
He remembered everything….from the moment he was born, from his first breath, when he flew out of his mother’s warm womb and plopped down on the rough straw. Fear gripped him: Earlier he had heard the frequent pulsing of his little heart in unison with another, slower, but very close beating. He used to feel so warm and cozy. Now he shuddered, both from the unfamiliar cold outside and from inside, as the need to breathe commenced, as the cold air rushed in with every breath. Not long ago he was in constant bliss with his eyes half-open, and he had no idea what they were destined for. Now he tried in vein to see where he had ended up: He was sure of this – it was the end… But suddenly the donkey felt warm breath, somehow familiar and close, as his mother, exhausted from childbirth, dug her hairy muzzle into his belly, tickling and tenderly licking her first- born. He remembered how his heart was relieved, how a sense of security returned to him, by fits and starts, with each touch of his mother’s warm tongue. The warmth of her tongue brought him back to life, clearing away the “traces” of being in that familiar but forever gone world. But most of all he was astonished by the realization of the purpose of his eyes, which gradually, with each new touch of his mother’s warm tongue, revealed to him a new, unfamiliar, but very bright word. That’s why he needs eyes – eyes that have long seen only darkness. The first thing he saw was his mother leaning over him, rubbing him with her gray muzzle and using her big oval eyes to send him, her baby, immeasurable love. But there was still in his memory a feeling of boundless bliss that could not be compared to anything else: He saw above him the full, swollen pink teats of his mother’s udders with the snow-white drops of warm milk dripping impatiently down to the tip of his nose. With trembling, still weak legs, he nonetheless managed to rise and cling to the teat, inhaling the enticing scent of the life-giving elixir and enjoying the amazing moisture that only a mother can provide. He remembered everything….
He remembered a boy running up to him, with huge black eyes and dark curls on his head. For the first time, satiated with mother’s milk, closing his eyes, he was fondly rubbing the warm side of his mother’s, when he felt someone gently rubbing his ears – it was the owner’s son, 5-years-old Ariel, who became the closest creature to him after his mother. He gave him the name Barush.
After playing with his ears for a while, Ariel stared into his eyes without looking away, then hugged him tightly-firmly, kissed his wet nose, and said to his father:
“I gave him a name, Barush. Now, he is my friend, dad. “
“Son! You can’t give a human name to an animal,” – smiled Ariel’s father. “ It’s a donkey!”
“He’s not an animal, he’s my friend! He’s Barush!” insisted Ariel.
“Alright, Barush, okay, Barush,” his father relented.
That day was the first day of their companionship, the first day of great friendship and mutual affection. He remembered everything…
He remembered how many things had surprised him in the beginning: the streams running by themselves, without anyone’s help; the wind suddenly appearing out of nowhere, like a giant broom sweeping sand into his eyes and nose; the birds rising and soaring so easily without tiring; the sun and the moon replacing each other in the sky. Barush was a very impressionable and inquisitive donkey. But most of all he was struck by humans – this amazing creature incomparably superior to all others.
He never stopped discovering new things about humans, and he was helped in this by his dearest friend, Ariel. The boy never left Barush’s side; he only parted with him when they went to sleep. Ariel constantly talked to the donkey as an equal. He never tired of introducing Barush to everything around him. Thanks to this active communication, the donkey learned to understand human speech, almost every word, and this was his unique difference from his conspecifics, who perceived only individual words needed to execute a command.
One day, noticing her grandson’s enthusiastic conversation with the donkey, his grandmother said:
“ Ariel, my dear! Aren’t you tired of talking to the donkey? He doesn’t understand anything! Maybe you like the fact that he’s constantly silent and looks at you with devoted eyes?”
“Grandma! He understands everything, and he is not silent. I can hear Barush’s thoughts. “
“ That’s impossible, my boy! Maybe he understands a few words – to do what a person orders him to do.”
Barush’s soul began to stir; he understood every word Ariel’s grandmother had said. The desire to refute his grandmother’s assertion caused Barush to suddenly shout, “Ariel is right, I understand everything!” but instead of these words, in falsetto, the traditional donkey “hee-haw, he-haw!” was brayed from his elongated gray muzzle with pink lips.
Grandma laughed out loud:
“See! He agreed with me!”
“No! He meant that he understands everything!” the little boy objected resentfully.
Barush’s knees trembled with helplessness. Ariel ran up to him, put his arms around his neck, and whispered softly into his long ear:
“You and I know that you understand everything, but you can’t speak, my Barush!”
On that day, Barush realized exactly what separates a man from the rest: A man can speak. He wanted to speak so badly! This desire became so entrenched in his soul! He was really to give his life for just one spoken word…At night in the stable, he shared his dream with his mother. “No animal can reach the level of a human,” his mother replied, and drove Barush into even deeper despair. He was genuinely jealous of humans. He remembered everything…
He remembered many things about humans that made him genuinely excited. Hands and especially human fingers…Barush found it interesting to watch the hands of the master smith: He deftly handled some strange objects, repeating the same hand movements. He was mesmerized by the fingers that picked through grains and beans; the fingers that sewed and wove; kneaded dough and baked bread; milked the cows, and prepared fodder for livestock. He, too, wanted to be able to do everything that human hands and fingers could do.
One day, when he saw Ariel’s grandmother weaving a carpet, Barush marveled at the movement of her fingers, so deftly handling a whole skein of colored threads. For himself, he concluded: a man passionate about his work, usually repeats the same movements. Barush watched the hands of Ariel,s grandma closely; he was amazed at the ability of her fingers to create something so quickly. Then he took another look at his hooves and signed wistfully, “Yes! And here humans have no equal!”
Not far from Ariel’s grandmother there was a basket with skeins of thread, and there were kids running around. One of the kids knocked over the basket, and the biggest ball rolled down and was about to hit a muddy puddle. Ariel’s grandma cried out to him:
“Ariel! My threads!”
Barush rushed for the skein and grabbed it with his teeth at the last moment. Victoriously, he walked over to Ariel’s grandma and put the skein in her basket.
“So, grandma!” – Barush heard his friend’s voice. “Don’t you believe now that Barush understands everything we’re talking about?”
Barush was beyond happy. Ariel had protected him, comparing him, the donkey, to an actual human for the first time. All day long, the boy’s words resonated in his ears, “ Don’t you believe now that Barush understands!”
He remembered everything…
He remembered the day Ariel went to study with Eliezer, the local rabbi. On the way, Ariel explained to Barush that if a man can write and read, that’s wonderful, and then he, Ariel, will gain knowledge. In order for Ariel to gain knowledge, his father sold 2 sheep. Barush tried to understand what it means to “gain knowledge. “And why of all things does it cost two sheep? He waited for Ariel at the rabbi’s house for quite some time, and while waited, he deliberated over the different variations of the words “to gain knowledge.” Barush understood that “knowledge “ was something not everyone could afford. He understood that this was what Ariel needed. While waiting, having seen a stream and young shoots of purslane, Barush decided to fortify himself to carry this so important and heavy burden called “ KNOWLEDGE “ on his back. When Ariel departed from Rabbi Eliezer with a small bag over his shoulder, Barush was concerned:
“Didn’t the old rabbi give “KNOWLEDGE “ to Ariel?”
When the boy came closer to the donkey, he noticed the confusion in his eyes. Ariel affectionately rubbed Barush’s ears and told him all the way down the path that people can transfer to paper everything they want to say, think and imagine with special signs, that is, letters. This is how manuscripts are written, this is how the Torah was written. Today, Rabbi Eliezer gave him the task of learning three letters. If you learn all the letters, you can read.
Barush, with his long ears down and his head tilted to the side, deliberately clip-clopped slowly toward home, listening with rapt attention to Ariel enthusiastically telling him about “KNOWLEDGE.” When the roof ridge of Ariel’s dwelling appeared in the distance, Barush stopped and shook his head longingly. Ariel sensed that something was troubling his long-eared friend. He went over to the donkey, looked him in the eyes for a long time, and said:
“I know, Barush! You want the knowledge, too. You wish you had hands and fingers, and then you could write, couldn’t you?”
Barush lowered his head even further, touching the grass with the edge of his drooping ears. He felt ashamed that he had dared to dream like a human. But Ariel knelt down in front of him, hugged him tightly, kissed his wet nose, and smiled:
“Listen, Barush! Do you know why I never get on top of you? Do you know why I won’t let anyone ride you? You are not a donkey to me, but a friend. And I’m a friend to you, too, not a human. I’ll teach you the letters; would you like that? If it works, you can learn to read, too. It will be our secret. How about that?”
Barush shook his head happily, sprung up, kicking his hind legs, and began to circle in front of his friend! He looked at Ariel and thought, “ Now that’s a HUMAN!”
He remembered everything…
He remembered how Ariel kept his word. How he patiently scratched the cherished letters on the wax tablet, how he slowly and intelligibly explained to Barush all the new things Rabbi Eliezer had taught him. Normally, Ariel would teach Barush twice a week, on his way home from class with Rabbi Eliezer. Barush looked forward to these days with particular impatience; his joy knew no bounds. In time, Ariel devised a way to teach Barush to read: He would take a small knife, cut out letters from fig bark, and place them on the ground at the Rabbi’s doorstep while he went to the teacher. Barush wasted no time in diligently absorbing the “KNOWLEDGE “. And on the way back, they would stop under a large expansive palm tree where Ariel would call out the letters, and Barush would excitedly poke his nose at the right answer. It seems to Barush that if he could learn to read, he might also be able to speak these words.
“Barush! said Ariel cheerfully, “ You are a very capable student. And I, therefore, am your Rabbi Ariel!”
After a while, Barush learned to put words together and soon began to also read the scrolls that Rabbi Eliezer gave Ariel. Everything was great, but he still couldn’t speak. Although Ariel could easily understand Barush’s thoughts, and there were no barriers to communication with each other, each day the desire to say a single word obsessed him more and more. At night in the stable, he often tried to reproduce the sound of at least one letter. But usually there was a commotion, waking up all the inhabitants of the stable and the hen house. His mother sighed deeply, shook her head, and urged him to give up the pipe dream: After all, if there was even one donkey who could utter a single word, people would know about it. But Barush made his own argument – he had learned to read. “That’s what you say, donkey, but who knows about that!” his mom replied. He remembered everything…
He remembered one day when Rabbi Eliezer came out with Ariel after class. When he saw the donkey enthusiastically rearranging the letters cut out of bark with his plump pink lips, he threw up his hands and exclaimed:
“My God! What is he doing???”
Barush flinched in surprise and backed away. Ariel ran up, kicked over some letters, put his back to Barush’s muzzle as if to protect the donkey, and replied hoarsely:
“ What did he do? Nothing…he’s just playing…”
Rabbi Eliezer descended the steps, gently moved the boy to the side of the donkey, bent down, and looked Barush in the eyes.
“He what? He knows letters? the rabbi asked quietly. “ I saw him moving them around.”
Ariel had no choice but to confess everything. He told him all about Barush,and when he finished his story, tears welled up in his eyes – he was afraid for his friend: According to the law, a beast could not be equal to a human, could not be a member of the family. Barush could have been sent to the slaughterhouse for such a transgression by Ariel.
Seeing the droplets dripping from the boy’s eyes, Barush cautiously approached him and carefully looked first into his right and then into his left eye. He had never seen such a thing, but he felt with all his heart that Ariel was afraid, and he drew an instant conclusion: Droplets fall from a human’s eyes when they are afraid.
Barush wanted water to come out of his eyes, too. He was distressed too, after all, just as Ariel. But there were no droplets. Apparently he wasn’t as afraid as Ariel, thought the donkey and, to cheer up his friend, Barush returned to the scattered letters on the dusty road and put together- “I’M A DONKEY.”
Rabbi Eliezer slumped down to the step, grabbed his head, and began to roll with laughter. And droplets dripped from his eyes, which surprised Barush. When Rabbi Eliezer calmed down and came to his senses, he exclaimed:
“Wondrous are your work, my Lord!”
Ariel and Barush returned later than usual that day; Rabbi Eliezer did not want to part with such a miracle. He promised he wouldn’t tell anyone about the donkey, and once he had absorbed what he had seen, he asked one last thing:
“Ariel! Do you know the meaning of the name Barush?”
Ariel, who had calmed down a bit, shrugged his shoulders.
“ I don’t know why you decided to give him that name, but it means Blessed…”
He remembered everything…
He remembered that night in the stable, recalled the droplets dripping from human eyes. He genuinely didn’t understand what it was. But he realized that, along with the ability to speak and write, only a human can do that. Many times Barush witnessed droplets dripping from eyes, and each time the phenomenon amazed him: They dripped when someone was in pain here and having fun there; they dripped when someone was sad and happy; they dripped during a merry song when a sad tune was played; they dripped when a child was born and when someone died. In short, after the greatest mystery of humans – the ability to speak – Barush faced another, no less interesting, but also totally incomprehensible human ability - to have droplets pour out of their eyes.
One day, after making a sentence out of letters, he asked Ariel, why water drips from people’s eyes? Ariel shrugged, not knowing to answer. Over time, he began to notice that the tear drops were colored in shades that were imperceptible at first glance. He began to understand what was hiding behind those droplets: Fear had a gray hue; laughter and joy came in bright orange; sadness and longing had a black tinge, and love…that was the feeling that colored the water in all shades of bright yellow, as if the droplets dripped from the sun itself. How much Barush wanted yellow droplets to drip from his eyes. After all, he loved Ariel so much!
He remembered everything…
He remembered when all the people in the village decided they needed to move – the water had run out, the wells dried up. One day Barush overheard bits of conversation between Ariel and his father:
“No, dad! I beg you!” cried the boy.
“But it must be, son! The community elders decided that we all have to move far away: They say there is no water nearby. The crops have dried up; the cattle have nothing to drink. On the long road, we will loose almost all the cattle and all the poultry. So we’ll have to slaughter animals and birds…We’ll sell the meat, take our belongings and move. Barush will not be slaughtered, but he will have to be sold.
“I won’t part with Barush, dad!” cried Ariel. “How can I betray a friend?”
“Son! A donkey can not be a person’s friend. He is only a helper. Every animal eventually forgets even their parents. And your Barush won’t remember you or your friendship.”
“Dad! He not only remembers, but he understands human speech, believe me…How will I live with that kind of guilt!”
“Son! You’ve said many times that your donkey understands human speech, right?” – Ariel nodded. “Then tell your donkey to find us water.”
Barush knew how adult donkeys helped people find water in the desert: The animal was not allowed to drink for a long time, languished in extreme thirst, and was then released to go find it. A thirsty donkey found water by smell, stomping his hoof on the ground: That was the sign to dig here. It was a cruel test for the animal, but Barush was proud of this “talent” of his conspecifics – after all, only donkeys could do this.
Ariel ran up to the donkey, looked him in the eyes, and realized that Barush had heard their conversation.
“Son! Are you going to repeat our conversation to the donkey?” – the boy’s father grinned. “Don’t try too hard. Only grown-up donkeys find water!” shouted his father after him.
Barush did not sleep that night. He stomped stubbornly around, keeping his head down, sniffing every scrap of ground. His neck was aching and his ears were covered in tiny bloody abrasions from the constant contact with the ground. But Barush didn’t give up – he wasn’t looking for water, no… he was saving himself from parting with Ariel!!!
In the early morning, the young donkey brayed so loud it was like a roar. He shouted to Ariel, “ I found water! I found water!” When people ran out, they saw a strange scene: The donkey, covered in a thick layer of desert dust, with blood-stained ears, tail, balls of turnip stuck to him and red eyes from the dry sand, stomped merrily with his hooves, shook his head and brayed like a roaring lion.
“What’s wrong with him?” – wondered Ariel’s father,”Where’s he been wallowing? He’s braying all over the place!”
“Dad! Barush found water! He said he found water!”
From that day on, Barush’s life changed; the boy’s father believed that the donkey was indeed special. He remembered everything.
He remembered how many questions concerning humans flitted through his donkey head. Humans never ceased to amaze him. Barush was very interested in human smiles and especially laughter. He understood that a human laughs when they find something funny. And he often experienced funny things, too, and he laughed in his soul. Usually Barush expressed his delight and joy either braying or clumsily galloping. One day he went to the extinguished hearth and wanted to sniff the charred wood that had smelled so good the day before Ariel had treated him to flatbread. Barush approached the ashes, sniffed and sneezed loudly. Decided that the hearth didn’t smell like yesterday, he clip-clopped in disappointment to Ariel who was standing with the other children at the tent. When they saw Barush, they all burst out laughing. The donkey didn’t understand the reason for their laughter, but the children’s infectious giggling spread to him as well. He began to laugh, but, as always, at any display of his donkey feelings, there was a falsetto: “ Hee haw! Hee haw!” His mood darkened precipitously. How he hated the combination of these despised letters…
“My dear Barush! You probably don’t understand why we’re laughing! You look so funny! Come over here to the vat of water! Take a look!”
A funny muzzle appeared over the surface of the water: a black nose teeming with ash; long, straight eyelashes sprinkled with black dust; a piece of charcoal dangled from his ear. And Barush laughed , but for fear of hearing his persistent braying again, he decided to just smile. He kept staring into his donkey reflection trying with all his might to produce some semblance of a smile, but he saw nothing but a silly grin of large teeth, framed by thick lips and heavy eyelids hanging over his eyes. Here, too, he did not succeed, Barush though. He remembered everything…
He remembered the first time he stepped outside the village. The hazelnut harvest was a success, and Ariel and his father and the other members of the clan hit the road, headed to town, to the market. Rabbi Eliezer joined them, but without any goods. Ariel took Barush with him on the journey. When he saw Barush, the rabbi winked at the donkey, grinned, and came closer, whispering:
“Well, hello, amazing creature…have you already finished learning how to write?” – he gently rubbed the donkey’s ear.
Barush was filled with pride; he had been praised by the wise Rabbi Eliezer himself.
The tedious, dreary road and the monotonous conversation of the people made Barush very sleepy. Soon, apparently, the travelers got tired, and an unexpected halt was timed perfectly. The donkey’s eyes began to close as he heard Rabbi Eliezer’s voice through his slumber:
“What should I do at the market, respected Ravil? I’m going to listen to the young rabbi. They say he is wise beyond his years.”
“Wiser than you, Rabbi?” asked Ravil, “ Personally, I’ve never met anyone wiser. And I’ve lived quite a long life.”
“Such praise from one of the elders is a great joy to my soul, Ravil. However, the young rabbi, along with his wise words, is said to perform miracles: He brings the dead back to life, makes the paralyzed walk again, and give sight to the blind.”
The words about there being someone wiser than Rabbi Eliezer, and especially about a miracle performed by some rabbi, instantly woke Barush up again. He listened to the rabbi’s words, absorbing every one. He was especially fond of the word “MIRACLE”. “After all, his mother said, too, that if Barush uttered a single word, it would be a miracle. Barush could never quite grasp the meaning of the word “MIRACLE”: whether it was an unexpected joy or a castle in the air. But for the first from the lips of intelligent man, Rabbi Eliezer, this cherished word sounded like an invitation to know that word. Barush became animated and hopeful that this “MIRACLE” would happen to him, and he, a mere donkey, would talk like a human. Nothing could compare to a human’s ability to speak! He remembered everything…
He remembered how they approached a hill of some kind. Many, many people gathered on that hill. At the very top stood a man saying something to the people, and the people listened to him silently. Rabbi Eliezer said:
“Well, here I am. And good luck with your trading.”
“Is this the Rabbi who performs miracles!” asked Ariel’s father. Rabbi Eliezer nodded.
Barush looked around, trying to figure out what kind of “MIRACLE” that man on the hill was producing. As he passed by the foot of the hill, Barush noticed that a cloud was glowing right over the young rabbi’s head. He had never seen anything like it. Maybe this is the “MIRACLE”, Barush thought, afraid to move. He wanted to get a good look at the “Miracle” in case he never saw the young rabbi again. But everyone moved on, and he had to go. Several times Barush looked back: Was the cloud still there? As long as the man on the hill was visible, Barush could clearly see that glowing cloud. He looked into Ariel’s eyes and those of the other traveling companions, hoping to hear some explanation for what he saw. But they wound their way down the dusty road in silence. Barush suddenly realized: They didn’t see that glowing cloud. A hitherto unknown feeling gripped the donkey; for the first time in his life, he had risen above humans – He saw that cloud which reminded him so much of the round moon on the hot desert night. He, a mere donkey, had seen in the whole time, and the people…none of them had discerned it! Barush’s soul rejoiced, and hope flamed up again: Maybe after what he had seen, he would be able to speak…after all, he had so much to say! True, Ariel often hears his thoughts, but only the meaning. And he can write, but slowly: It took time to pick up the right letter with your lips, put together a word, or even a sentence…He wanted to talk; he wanted to be able to fluently express his thoughts. He remembered everything…
He remembered how much he wished he hadn’t forgotten that man with the cloud over his head. He longed to see him again, hoping that the young rabbi who performed “MIRACLES” might do the same to Barush.
After selling all the hazelnuts, Ariel’s father decided to head towards Jerusalem; they had made a lot of money and needed to buy sheep.
“Son, you know I was ten years old when I first saw this sacred city.”
“Who built it, dad?”
“King David! A thousand years ago! It’s very old!”
Barush listened and did not understand why they had to go to a city that was very old.
“We have to choose a sacrificial lamb; Passover is coming soon,” – Ariel’s father spoke again.
“Dad! I don’t understand why is it necessary to slaughter any animals on Passover? Why shed blood on Passover?”
“It’s the law, son! And the law says: Innocent blood cleanses you of sins!”
“I still don’t understand…what do poor sheep and goats have to do with it?” muttered Ariel under his breath.
Barush listened to their conversation and was glad that he was a donkey.
In a village near Bethany they found a tavern where they stayed. Barush was given water, fed, and tied to the gate – which meant a long rest.
Early in the morning Barush’s sweet sleep was disturbed by a strange commotion: Two men were scurrying around the village, seemingly searching for something. Suddenly one of them saw Barush, smiled, and walked toward him with confidence.
“I found him, look! It’s the young donkey tied to the gate, as we were told!”
Barush’s heart sank, “I will be sold” – this disturbing thought, like a stone thrown to the bottom of a copper cauldron, “crashed” to his hooves.
At the stranger’s enthusiastic cry, a sleepy Ariel ran out, followed by his father.
“Who is the owner of this donkey?” asked the stranger.
“This is my son’s donkey,” answered Ariel’s father.
“Nobody has sat on him, have they?” – the stranger smiled, turning to Ariel.
“How do you know that?” asked Ariel in surprise.
The stranger went up to Ariel, took him aside, put his arm around the boy’s shoulder, and began to say something quietly to him. Barush started to scurry restlessly back and forth, the rope around his neck beginning to tighten painfully as he tried to free himself. After a few minutes, Ariel walked over to the donkey, stroked him affectionately, and looked him tenderly in the eyes and said:
“My dear Barush! Don’t worry, I won’t give you away to anyone! You are my friend and will remain so forever. But now we’re going to go with you wherever these people tell us to go. That’s what we have to do…”
Barush calmed down and obediently followed Ariel, his father, and the two strangers. He remembered everything…
He remembered how they came to the gates of the big, bustling city. There were a lot of people walking through the streets of the city; the noise, the music, the fun – everything in this city surprised not only Barush, but also Ariel. They looked at everyone and everything with interest.
“Here, son! This is the holy city of Jerusalem!”
“Dad! How huge and beautiful it is…”
A large crowd had gathered at the gate of the city and parted as the travelers and the donkey approached them.
Barush looked up anxiously and saw a young, handsome man with…Barush’s heart thundered – it was the same young rabbi with the glowing cloud over his head!!!
He slowly walked up to Barush, squatted down in front of him, looked into his eyes with a smile, and the donkey heard his soft, affectionate whisper:
“Here we meet again, Blessed One! Welcome!”
The young rabbi remembered him too, Barush thought. But how did he know his name? Barush’s thoughts were confused, intertwined with excitement and anticipation of something extraordinary. There was no trace of his anxiety. Even after the people in the crowd began laying clothes on the donkey’s back, the donkey stood still and waited with pleasure for the action to follow. He remembered everything…
He remembered the young rabbi with the cloud over his head sitting on top of him. No! He didn’t saddle up, as everyone usually did, with their legs hanging over each side and their heels knocking into you. He just perched on him, gently putting both feet on one side, stroking the donkey affectionately. At that very moment, the donkey felt something strange that he had never experienced before; the sensation of flesh and blood merging into a single whole with the young rabbi. Everything inside Barush seemed to glow like a sun, and he felt no burden, as if the young rabbi were not even on his back. But the feeling of boundless happiness and peace did not leave him, and he walked briskly along the road while people on both sides spread their clothes and palm leaves under the feet on the happy donkey carrying the young rabbi. All who accompanied them exclaimed: “ Hosanna, Hosanna!” I wonder what it is they are shouting, thought the donkey. And then the unexpected happened – he heard the young rabbi’s voice, though not in his ears, but in his head:
“That’s an exclamation of praise, my friend! It means ‘Save us!”
His voice was soft and gentle, but echoed warmly in Barush’s head, reminding him of rumbling thunder. Barush stopped cold in surprise.
“Don’t be afraid! Let’s converse.”
The donkey started walking again. After calming down a bit, he made up his mind.
“Who are you?”
“I am ALL LOVE!”
“That’s why these people love you.”
“See those happy faces? Pretty soon they’ll be yelling just as loudly, “Kill him!”
“But why?”
“Because they don’t know what they’re doing! All misfortune is from that…
“What does it mean not to know?”
“That means not to love! When the soul is completely immersed in Love, there is no room for anything else.”
“But why should they kill you?”
“To know for sure that I Am All Love.”
“We always kill animals once a year, they say, for cleansing. Really, I don’t understand how you can be cleansed by killing a lamb!”
“I will be the last sacrificial lamb for all, my friend…”
“I don’t want you to be killed…I don’t!” – the donkey stomped angrily, “Rabbi Eliezer said that you perform ‘Miracle’.”
“Do you want to see a miracle, too?”
“I have always dreamed of saying just one word, like a human. Ariel thought me how to read,” – Barush said confusedly.
“Is that your dream?”
Barush nodded his head quickly in agreement.
The young rabbi put two fingers around the tip of the donkey’s ear, and the donkey felt a slight tingling sensation.
“I left a mark on your ear. When it lights up, you can speak. Are you satisfied!”
Barush lowered his ear and saw a reddish spot at the tip.
“I still want to see you! As close as right now.”
“You’ll see, I’ll come for you…”
“We can take Ariel with us and go far away… Why should you die if they don’t know?”
“Do you remember? They said to me: ‘Save us’.”
I’ M READY…IT’S MY FATHER’S WILL.”
Suddenly Barush saw the steps of the temple right in front of him. The young rabbi slid off the donkey and entered the temple with a determined, quick step. Barush turned around and saw Ariel’s happy face. He thought to himself that he would tell Ariel everything when the ‘mark’ lit up. He remembered everything…
He remembered going back to the village, asking himself all the way back: What kind of father would want his son dead! The son who produced “Miracle” and whose soul is filled only with LOVE! This thoughts made Barush angry, and when they reached the tavern, his mood had finally soured.
“Why are you dejected, my Barush!” he heard Ariel’s voice. Barush only sighed sadly. Suddenly he remembered the mark on his ear and lower the tip of his long ear almost to his nose. Seeing the red spot on the donkey’s ear, Ariel’s father said:
“What’s wrong with his ear? It looks like a burn! Maybe he is in pain?”
“My Barush! Where did you manage to set your ear on fire? We’ll put olive oil on it, and it’ll be gone by morning. “
The donkey liked the boy’s concern. Knowing that the young rabbi’s “mark” was not a burn at all, he, feigning injury, with the downhearted head, allowed Ariel to administer the healing oil. But in his heart he was smiling, and for the first time in his life he was glad that no one could see his wide smile. There it is – another way a donkey is superior to a human: He can hide his smile, but a human cannot! Maybe it is not so bad to be a donkey?
He couldn’t sleep a wink that night, asking himself endless questions and wondering when the “mark” would light up? When will the young rabbi come for him? What if he doesn’t come..?
“Ariel, my son! Did you see the black lamb with the spot on his ear?”
“Yeah, he’s so cute!”
“That is our Passover lamb. “
“You don’t have to kill him, dad…”
“Son! Your mother and brothers are on their way. We will celebrate Passover here, in Jerusalem. The trading went well, and we can afford a celebration. And we’ll buy the rest of the sheep today. Rabbi Eliezer will consecrate our sacrifice.”
“So we will stay in Jerusalem until the end of Passover?”
“Yes! Tomorrow is the first day, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Mother will bake unleavened bread.”
Barush listened to the conversation between father and son and remembered the words of the young rabbi – “I am the last sacrificial lamb.” Maybe they won’t slaughter this little lamb since the young rabbi said so, Barush thought.
At the market, they choose ship to replenish the flock.
Ariel’s father took out some round coins and handed them to the merchant.
“Dad! Did you pay with silver?”
“Yes, son, I had to. But I have a Passover gift for you,” – he handed his son a bright yellow round coin, and Ariel gasped:
“Dad! It’s a gold denarius!!!”
“It’s for you! You’ve been working your fingers to the bone all this time. I couldn’t have done it without you. Let this gold coin become an amulet for you, let it attract wealth. No matter what happens, never trade it in!”
All that day Ariel fidgeted with that coin in his hands.
“Look, Barush! There is nothing in this world more precious than gold. A person’s wealth is determined by it. “
Barush looked at the round coin and didn’t understand why a shiny yellow round coin could be the most precious thing ever.
Rabbi Eliezer consecrated the poor lamb and…it was slaughtered. Barush hoped to the last the “MIRACLE” would happen, since the young rabbi had said that he was the last sacrificial lamb. He remembered everything…
He remembered that Rabbi Eliezer had come running to them: With his palm, he was wiping droplets dripping from his eyes; he was indignant; clutched his head with his hands. Barush had never seen him like this and could not understand what had happened.
“They seem to have gone crazy!” Rabbi Eliezer said indignantly, “ The crowd has lost their minds! What can we do? What can we do?” – There were no bounds to the old rabbi’s despair. “ I must be there!” – and with these words, he hurried out of the tavern.
“Dad! I’m coming with you! Just let me untie Barush!” – Ariel grabbed the donkey’s bridle.
Barush followed them obediently, not understanding why there were so many people headed up the narrow road.
“Rabbi Eliezer!” – Barush heard Ariel’s agitated voice, “Why do they want to kill him? What is he guilty of? You yourself said that he called for love and healed the sick and infirm!”
“My boy!” – the rabbi’s voice trembled treacherously, “ we are witnessing Universal pain…”
Barush listened to their words, looked into the crowd and understood nothing – Who do they want to kill? For what? What does “Crucify” mean? The word came from all directions.
The crowd of people swelled, grew larger and larger. There were crowding around something, pushing each other, shouting some words. “What’s the matter with them,” thought Barush. Rabbi Eliezer led them up the next narrow street, which also headed uphill – there was no jostling here. Barush noticed familiar faces in the crowd. Yes, of course, he had seen the the day he carried the young rabbi: There was the woman who had spread her scarf under the donkey’s feet; there was the boy who had run merrily ahead of them, waiving his cap; and there was the young man who had put palm leaves under their feet. But why are they so angry now? Who are they throwing stones at?
The higher they climbed, the more the crowd reminded the donkey of the Judean Desert, with its wind-driven shifting sand dunes.
Suddenly there was a thud, and people parted. The donkey’s heart trembled: He saw the young rabbi in the crowd, carrying something very heavy on his back. He recognized him by the cloud over his head…
“What did you all do to him? For what?” – the donkey shouted as he saw the young rabbi’s bloody back. But his roar was drowned out by the droan of the crowd.
Barush’s legs buckled as two people in the crowd, dressed in strange clothes, began to whip the young rabbi.
“Why are they whipping him, Ariel?” – cried Barush. But the boy, his father, and Rabbi Eliezer did not hear the donkey’s cry of despair; they stood frozen in place.
“What is that heavy load on his back. His hands and head are covered in blood! He’s in a lot of pain…”
“Shut up your long-eared friend, son!” – Barush heard the boy’s father whispering angrily, “You shouldn’t have brought him along… a donkey’s braying is the last thing we need here…”
He remembered everything…
He remembered everything that happened that day in great details. At first, the young rabbi was placed on what he had been carrying, which was so heavy that his legs shook under its weight. When they removed his dirty robe, the donkey’s heart ached: the young rabbi’s entire body was covered with bloody abrasions and deep wounds. Only the cloud over his head continued to glow. Then Barush heard loud thumps, strongly reminiscent of the sound coming from the master blacksmith’s hands. When they started to lift what the young rabbi had been carrying, it turn out that he was hanging on it and would not fall of. Seeing the rabbi’s outstretched arms, the donkey rejoiced, “Now he will fly up like a bird and fly far away!” But the rabbi continued to hang, and men in strange clothes tried to put huge thorns woven in a circle on his head. As the thorns crashed into the Rabbi’s head, Barush clearly saw blood splashing in the cloud, which began to rotate slowly, gradually filling with blood.
Barush felt the young rabbi’s anguish in his gut, and his helplessness caused him to rush from side to side.
The glowing cloud turned bloody; it spun faster and faster.
The sun began to fade, and people fell silent in fear.
“Look! – Rabbi Eliezer whispered loudly, – “ Look in his eyes! There’s only Mortal Sorrow of Soul,” – he cried softly.
“Why is it getting dark so early, Father?” – Ariel asked with fear in his voice, “It’s still noon…I’m scared.”
“I don’t know, son…”
Soon the sun faded and a chilling darkness set in…
The young rabbi said something, but only two words reached Barush’s ears: “Father” and “Forgive”.
Even in this darkness, everyone could see how slowly and heavily the young rabbi’s eyelids dropped and his body went limp…
Barush had never heard such Soul-crashing Silence!!! He closed his eyes tightly in confusion, horror and fear, but still darkness was all around him. As he stood with his eyes squeezed shut, his legs began to loose strength, and the donkey slowly crouched down. He felt his eyes become unbearably painful, and something warm and wet dripped onto his bent knees: Barush realized – he was crying… He mourned for the young rabbi; he wept from spiritual pain and fear, from injustice and cruelty. After crying, the donkey cautiously began to open his eyes, and…
could not believe what he saw: the cloud filled with blood began to change color and stopped spinning altogether. Sun huge bright beam of light broke through the darkness from the sky, filling the cloud with a light-bright yellow color. It was turning into a cloud similar to the gold one that Ariel called the most precious.
Finally, a giant golden denarius hung over the young rabbi’s head, and it became light all around.
“My God! It’s so dark…” – the donkey heard the voice of Ariel’s father.
“God himself has covered his eyes! Rabbi Eliezer replied in a whisper.
“So that’s how it is!!! So they don’t see this beauty!!!
The donkey’s heart beat with frantic speed, and seem to jump out of his chest. “Let it now be said that humans stand above all…” His sense of pride in his pursuit of human abilities suddenly vanished into thin air, and ANGER took its place… He would never forgive people for killing a young rabbi!!! He would never believe people! He would never want to be human again! He didn’t want to talk or read! Not even sacrificial lambs were killed so cruelly! He wanted to be a DONKEY! Not one DONKEY in the WORLD would have done what the people did to the young rabbi! In his donkey head, only one question-thought reverberated like that blacksmith’s clopping: “ For what? For what? For what?”
He remembered everything…
He remembered not wanting to look at people – they annoyed him. He only honored Ariel by meeting his glaze.
A few days later, Rabbi Eliezer and Ariel’s family started on their way back home.
“Rabbi Eliezer! Why did Barush stop speaking to me?” – Barush heard the boy’s conspiratorially quiet voice, “ I used to hear his thoughts, but now I don’t.”
“ I don’t know, my boy! Maybe his mind is drained?”
Rabbi Eliezer replied somewhat languidly, “ I still can’t believe that a donkey can understand human speech and, what’s more, can read.”
“I feel so lonely without him…maybe someday Barush will start talking to me again…”
The donkey, dangling his head, clip-clopped dejectedly beside the boy. He was in no way moved by Ariel’s words. He had decided for himself – I have nothing in common with people. Born a Donkey, a Donkey I will remain.
The monotonous creaking of the wagon and the heat began to annoy Barush. He was always happy when he went on the road with Ariel, but now…now he wanted to see his mother as soon as possible.
“My God!,” Ariel’s mother exclaimed loudly. At her cry, everyone perked up.
On the side of the road in a tree, a man’s body was hanging and swaying from side to side. Everyone hurried to that tree. This was not the first time Barush had seen a dead man this close. He was not surprised by the empty, bird-pecked eye sockets, nor by the bluish tongue hanging down to his side. He was surprised by what was hanging out of those gaping, empty eye sockets – they looked like black, slimy, sticky snot, reminiscent of black beads.”Who is this man?” – Ariel asked in awe.
“Oh, this…?” – Rabbi Eliezer noisily exhaled. “Just as Cain will remain an eternal fratricide, so this worthless man will remain forever, until the end of time, the lowest traitor… It was he who betrayed his Master and sent him to his death…
The donkey understood nothing of the old rabbi’s words. What kind of teacher is he talking about, Barush thought.
“But Rabbi, why? You said he was talking about Love and Forgiveness “, Ariel said indignantly.
“Sell your Master for 30 pieces of silver!!!Sell the Lord himself for the price of a mere slave!!! – the rabbi stepped closer and spat at the dead man.
“My boy! You asked why? Because there was no room in his lost soul for a drop of Love! He betrayed Universal Love…just like that!”
So that’s it!, thought Barush. So it was because of him that the young rabbi died!!!
Not knowing how to express his indignation, the donkey came closer to the dead man and began to bray so loudly that a huge black crow flew from the tree with a loud caw.
He remembered everything…
He remembered that Ariel had been silent the whole way. The boy could not return to his senses after what he had seen.
In the evening, the travelers stopped to rest under a large eucalyptus tree.
“Let’s go, Barush! We’ll lie down there.” – Ariel took Barush by his bridle and dragged him toward the slanting ravine.
“We’ll rest he-r-re under this almond tree.”
The donkey was awakened by a rustle and an unpleasant smell. The bushes stirred, and in the darkness Barush saw the figure of an animal – it was a huge stripped male hyena, slowly approaching Ariel. Everyone, people and livestock alike, knew how dangerous these treacherous wolf-sized killers were.
The blood ran cold in the donkey’s veins: He saw the predator’s eyes flash with green fire, and heard the teeth of the hungry beast gnashing as it prepared to leap…
The beast’s sharp teeth ripped into the donkey’s right side as it tried to shield the boy with its entire body. Ariel, who jumped up from his place, shrieked in fear and backed away. Barush managed to grab the beast by the ear with his teeth and tugged it sharply to the side. The beast howled in pain, and the donkey spit out the hyena’s severed ear. Taking a few steps back, the hyena got a running start and jumped on the donkey, splattering blood on all sides. The beast’s teeth dug into Barush’s neck, and his jaw seemed to lock. The blood-curdling roar of the daring donkey was heard across he plain. The adults who ran up saw a strange sight: The braying donkey was moving in circles, holding the striped male hyena on his back as the beast dug into his neck.
Two spears of Ariel’s older brothers flew into the predator, and his father who ran up to them managed to smash the predator’s head with his bident…
The bloody donkey was laid on an expensive rug purchased at the market in Jerusalem. Ariel held Barush’s head in his lap and wept bitterly. The boy’s father knelt down in front of the donkey.
“Thank you, Barush… you saved our son!” – the boy’s mother wiped away her tears, and carefully covered the bloody side of the donkey with her headscarf.
Barush didn’t moan, though he was in unbearable pain. He was breathing shortly and knew he was dying. But somehow he wasn’t scared. Yes, he remembered everything. Lying there with his eyes closed, Barush suddenly realized how lucky it was that Ariel was alright! Warm droplets poured from the boy’s eyes, dripping now and then onto the donkey’s forehead and nose. His long ears dropped and touched his muzzle. Suddenly he remembered the young rabbi’s words, “ When the mark lights up, you can speak!” The donkey slowly opened his eyes and look at his mark…it wasn’t glowing. Yes! This dream has to end, thought Barush. If only the young rabbi were alive…he would surely come, as he promised. The donkey sighed sadly and closed his eyes again. How many interesting things he had been able to take from humans, Barush thought: the ability to understand human language; the ability to communicate mentally with Ariel; he learned to read and even…spilled a lot of droplets from his eyes when the young rabbi died.
Suddenly he noticed that he felt no pain, and the mark on his ear began to tingle as it had done then. Barush opened his eyes warily and… Oh, what a joy! The mark had lit up! He gathered air in his lungs to risk uttering a single word and froze…among all those sadly bent over him, the donkey saw the smiling face of the young rabbi:
“ Did you come? You came for me, as you promised!” whispered Barush and smiled.
“Did you hear that?” exclaimed Ariel, “ Barush has spoken! My Barush is speaking! My Barush smiled!”
After the boy’s rapturous cry, Barush somehow stopped hearing anything. The young rabbi easily took him in his arms, gently folded all four legs and cradled him affectionately:
“ We’ll, Blessed One! You got the Miracle you dreamed of. Now, get ready encounter something you never knew you had!”
The young rabbi with the donkey in his arms moved gently upward, farther and farther away. Barush raised his head and looked at the plain for the last time:
His lifeless body was lying on the carpet, and little Ariel was shuddering, crying bitterly …
He remembered everything… And he took it ALL with him.
January 10, 2018