The Butchers
“The animal was stripped. The men began to divide her into pieces, cutting off her head and her legs. One butcher couldn檛 restrain himself. He took the fat liver and put it on the hot coals that been placed in the corner. When the blood reached the flames, everyone ate it without proper salting and with ravenous hunger, licking their fingers eagerly. A large bottle of brew was ready so they ate and drank until they satisfied their lust. They were like priests of Ba檃l when the sacrifice was on the altar. But this did not happen at Beth El or at Dan; it happened in the Jewish city of Dashia, not at the time when the ten tribes were exiled from the Northern Kingdom, but in the year 1884.”
“谞驻砖讟讛 讛讘讛诪讛, 讛讞诇讜 讛讗谞砖讬诐 诇讞诇拽 讗讜转讛 诇讞诇拽讬诐, 诇讞转讜讱 讗转 专讗砖讛, 讗转 专讙诇讬讛. 拽爪讘 讗讞讚 诇讗 讬讻讜诇 诇注爪讜专 专讜讞讜, 讜讬拽讞 讗转 讛讻讘讚 讛砖诪谉 讜讬砖讟讞讛讜 注诇 讙讘讬 讙讞诇讬诐 讘讜注专讜转, 砖砖诪讜 讗讞专讬诐 讘驻讬谞讛. 讜讘讘讜讗 讛讚诐 讘讗砖 讗讻诇讜 讗讜转讜 讻讜诇诐 讘诇讬 诪诇讬讞讛 讜讘转讗讜讛 注讝讛 谞诪专爪讛 讜讬诇讜拽讜 讗转 讗爪讘注讜转讬讛诐 讘讞诪讚讛. 讜讘拽讘讜拽 讙讚讜诇 砖诇 讬讬”砖 讛讬讛 注讜诪讚 诪讜讻谉 注诇 讛拽专拽注 讜讬砖转讜 讜讬讗讻诇讜 诪诇讜讗 转讗讜转诐. 讻讻讜讛谞讬-讛讘注诇 讘砖注转诐 讛讬讜 讛讗谞砖讬诐 讛讗诇讛 讘砖注讛 讛讛讬讗, 讘讛讬讞指诇拽 讛拽专讘谉 诇驻谞讬 讛诪讝讘讞 讜讛讚讘专 诇讗 讛讬讛 讘讘讬转-讗诇 讗讜 讘讚谉, 讻讬 讗诐 讘注讬专 讛讬讛讜讚讬讛 讚砖讬讛, 诇讗 诇驻谞讬 讙诇讜止转 注砖专转 讛砖讘讟讬诐 谞注砖讛 讛讚讘专, 讘诪诪诇讻转 讬砖专讗诇 讛爪驻讜谞讬转, 讻讬 讗诐 讘砖谞转 讞诪砖转 讗诇驻讬诐 砖砖 诪讗讜转 讗专讘注讬诐 讜讞诪砖 诇讬爪讬专讛. . . ”
�”The Red Heifer” by Micha Josef Berdichevsky (Translation by William Cutter)
The ritual of the red heifer (Num. 19) has always fascinated readers. Not only is it elaborate and mysterious, it is also based on a rarity: a red cow. The paradoxes and power of this passage attracted the attention of modern Hebrew writers. Set in Eastern Europe, 淭he Red Heifer� tells the story of butchers who steal a beautiful and vigorous cow, butcher it without a 蝉丑辞丑蹋别迟 (a ritual slaughterer), and sell the meat as kosher. The centerpiece of the story is a gruesome, blow-by-blow description of the slaughter, the great animal quivering and gushing blood.
Why is Berdichevsky writing this story? We can take guidance from the divided narrator. On the one hand, he views the theft and slaughter with horror and judgment. He also assures us that all of the butchers came to a bad end. On the other, the narrator is transfixed by the fact that there exist, in the depth of the Diaspora, Jews who are muscular and powerful and not afraid to use force. If the butchers� knives were used for deceit, he notes that when faced with the perpetrators of pogroms, these same weapons were wielded to protect Jewish lives.
Most important, the narrator makes the connection with the pagan sacrificial cult of ancient Israel. Berdichevsky bemoaned the fact that over the millennia, the Rabbis suppressed the vitalistic energy that had once been part of Israel prehistory. He did not extol paganism, but he did offer a barbed critique of the over-intellectualized regime of normative Judaism and urged modern Jewish culture to recover the primitive in neglected or suppressed traditions. His critique was adopted by the nascent Zionist movement in its assessment of Diaspora Jewish life and became a fundamental tenet of the return to the body and to the Land.
The attitude of many modern Jews to the sacrificial ritual is similarly divided. We understand that the biblical sacrifices were an advance on the pagan cults they replaced; we appreciate them in their context, but we do not wish to resume their practice. We are enlightened people. Nevertheless, like the narrator of Berdichevsky story, we cannot help being fascinated by the primordial power of the red heifer.
