During the late 1980s and the earlier part of the 1990s, my wife Judith and I rode on mountain bikes all over northern New Jersey. Our objective was to reach at least 100 miles per week. On most weeks, we met that objective. From time to time, we would stop to rest, usually in preparation for the final leg of the trip back to our house. Maybe it was the hand of providence, or maybe it was just an old man’s legs giving out, but from time to time we stopped in front of synagogues to take our break. We noticed that synagogues often had stone slabs set in their outside walls that carried a citation from the Bible. We learned a good bit about the Bible from reading the stones with the inscriptions on the various synagogues.
One of the Bible verses cited on a synagogue proclaimed, “And the bush was not consumed.” That is from Exodus 3, verse 2. We did quite a little bit of riding around the area of Westfield, which has a large synagogue, and the inscription there contains a verse from Micah: “And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” That is from a book that Micah wrote in the Bible. It is in the sixth chapter, sixth verse. Quoting the verse from Micah is more than likely what led to the double mistaken identities.
For years, we have dealt with the Short Hills Pharmacy here. The gentleman who receives the prescriptions, delivers them, and collects the cash is named Brian. Brian is a taciturn gentleman who has not much
to say. He is pleasant enough but small talk is not his idea of a way to pass time. On occasion, Brian will begin to speak about various things in town and when he does, I tend to pay attention. Brian had told me of a new store opening on Main Street in Millburn which handled Judaica. He said that he had visited the store on his lunch hour and had borrowed several books to read and he seemed to treasure them. So, for better or for worse, I assumed that Brian was Jewish because of his interest in Judaica.
Later on, in another conversation, I mentioned the inscriptions we had read on the synagogues, including the one from Micah. Brian said, “That’s very interesting because I was reading that very verse this morning before I came to work.” Apparently Brian seems to read from the Bible before he comes to work. My limited research tells me that Micah was a minor prophet who lived 2800 years ago. Nonetheless, Micah’s advice about loving mercy, doing justly and walking humbly is good advice for these days as well.
At this point, I was proceeding on the assumption that Brian was Jewish. Somewhere during these events, I presented a card to Brian for my pharmaceutical needs which had my full name on it. My first name is, of course, a Hebrew name, Ezra. Brian asked me if that was my card, and I said it was. As Brian and I knew, Ezra was a scribe in Jerusalem many years ago, who contributed a book to the Bible. The fact that he was a scribe also suggests that he could read and write, which was a major achievement at that time. There then followed a discussion about the fact that people are naming their male children Micah and Ezra these days.
All of this obviously led Brian to assume that I was Jewish because I had Ezra as my first given name. The fact of the matter is that I did not have the guts to tell Brian that I am a gentile Irishman. So I let the matter ride, hoping for a better day when I could disclose these enormous facts.
My hesitation to disclose my background to Brian was in accordance with the cautious advice of a neighborhood resident philosophical consultant, Mrs. Frances Licht. As it turns out, my true religious affiliation was disclosed not by me, but by my wife.
So here we were, with each of us thinking the other was Jewish. On at least two occasions, I congratulated Brian during the High Holy Days and wished him a happy Hanukah. Brian did not use those occasions to tell me that he was not Jewish but rather Brian accepted my congratulations and wished me well. So you see, no one or everyone was at fault in this failure to communicate.
I am not sure exactly how this has worked out but after I lost my sight, my wife Judith has more or less attended to the drugstore and she seems to make Brian forget his taciturnity and speak in greater volumes. Recently, Brian stated to my wife that he was not Jewish at all. My wife stated to Brian that I was not Jewish either. I have no idea what all this means except that it was the verse of a minor prophet who wrote some words that are inscribed on a stone slab on a Westfield synagogue. When I recently visited the drugstore after an absence of several months, Brian and I shook hands. He greeted me warmly, so I suggest that we continue on good terms, even though we are just two ordinary gentiles.
Nonetheless, it was our reading that brought us together and I am pleased to call Brian my friend even though he is just a fellow gentile. He may even be an Irish gentile, but I have not had the courage to ask him about his surname. Again, following the advice of the neighborhood resident philosopher, I believe at this point, it would be wise to let matters rest right where they are.
E. E. CARR
July 18, 2006
Kevin’s commentary: A refreshing twist on the normal stories about the atheists who are waging a “war on Christmas” which I’m sure we’ll be hearing about again in a few months. I like the idea that Pop and this guy went around wishing each other a happy Hanukah, not because that made sense to either of them, but rather because they though it made sense to the other party.