In this episode, a look into the happy life of a typical Jewish community.

The Ahrida opens its arms to us. Days of Awe are drawin’ near, and as an honor, their esteemed rav, Moises, bestows his privilege on one of our sages from Aragon, Shmuel ibn Nahmias, to speak a d’var on the second day of Rosh HaShana. And here, a-scribed, be what he declares (as I later recalled):

“Behold! The Lor makes demands and who can comprehend the meaning? Expelled from Spain on Tisha b’Av,* Iberia’s Temple destroyed that day by another caesar from another Rome, their inquisitions of immoral hate disguised in fraudulent words of faith. Now seven weeks later a new year, and days of atonement to turn around. And we read that dread Akeda** where our beloved Father will sacrifice us. But now behold with your clear eyes these same words in this current age: it’s a rogue father who usurps the place of Aberham, and he meant to kill his holy son, us Iberian Jews. And not an angel but the devil’s own in Torquemada, the inquisitor. And yet an angel stays the hand and saves a remnant from the knife, or worse yet, the poison font to baptize us and drown our souls. But saved and brought to these Turkish lands by merciful Sultan Bayezid. May the Lor bless our sultan’s House, and may we all declare ‘amen’.”
* 9th of Av, a day of mourning, remembering destruction of our Temple by Babylon and Rome; ** Binding of Isaac, Berraysheet/ Gen. 22:1-19

And all us Sephardim........

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