is nothing supernatural. You make it appear that everything is explainable.”
“That is precisely what I believe. Everything, and I mean everything , has a natural cause.”
“To me,” said Jacob, who had been glaring at Bento as he spoke about the prophets, “there are things known only to God, things caused only by God’s will.”
“I believe that the more we can know, the fewer will be the things known only to God. In other words, the greater our ignorance, the more we attribute to God.”
“How can you dare to—”
“Jacob,” Bento interrupted. “Let us review why we three are meeting. You came to me because Franco was in a spiritual crisis and needed help. I did not seek you out—in fact I advised you to see the rabbi instead. You said that you had been told the rabbi would only make Franco feel worse. Remember?”
“Yes, that is true,” said Jacob.
“Then what end is served for you and me to enter into such dispute? Instead there is only one real question.” Bento turned to Franco. “Tell me, am I being of help to you? Has anything I’ve said been of aid?”
“ Everything you’ve said has provided comfort,” said Franco. “You help my sanity. I was losing my bearings, and your clear thought, the way you take nothing on the basis of authority, is—is like nothing I have ever heard. I hear Jacob’s anger, and I apologize for him, but for me—yes, you have helped me.”
“In that case,” said Jacob suddenly rising to his feet, “we have gotten what we came for, and our business here is finished.” Franco appeared shocked and remained seated, but Jacob grabbed his elbow and guided him toward the door.
“Thank you, Bento,” said Franco, as he stood in the doorway. “Please, tell me, are you available for further meetings?”
“I am always available for a reasoned discussion—just come by the shop. But,” Bento turned toward Jacob, “I am not available for a disputation that excludes reason.”
O nce out of sight of Bento’s house, Jacob smiled broadly, put his arm around Franco, and grasped his shoulder, “We’ve got all we need now. We
worked well together. You played your part well—almost too well, if you ask me—but I’m not even going to discuss that, because we have now finished what we had to do. Look at what we have. The Jews are not chosen by God; they differ in no way from other peoples. God has no feelings about us. The prophets merely imagine things. The Holy Scriptures are not holy but entirely the work of humans. God’s word and God’s will are nonexistent. Genesis and the rest of the Torah are fables or metaphors. The rabbis, even the greatest of them, have no special knowledge but instead act in their self-interest.”
Franco shook his head. “We don’t have all we need, not yet. I want to see him again.”
“I’ve just recited all his abominations: his words are pure heresy. This is what Uncle Duarte requested of us, and we have done as he wished. The evidence is overwhelming: Bento Spinoza is not a Jew; he is an anti-Jew.”
“No,” repeated Franco, “we do not have enough. I need to hear more. I’m not testifying until I have more.”
“We have more than enough. Your family is in danger. We made a bargain with Uncle Duarte—and no one wiggles out of a bargain with him. That is exactly what this fool Spinoza tried to do—to swindle him by bypassing the Jewish court. It was only through Uncle’s contacts, Uncle’s bribes, and Uncle’s ship that you are not still cowering in a cave in Portugal. And in only two weeks, his ship goes back for your mother and sister and my sister. Do you want them to be murdered like our fathers? If you don’t go with me to the synagogue and testify to the governing committee, then you’ll be the one lighting their pyres.”
“I’m not a fool, and I’m not going to be ordered around like a sheep,” said Franco. “We have time, and I need more information before I testify to the
“That is precisely what I believe. Everything, and I mean everything , has a natural cause.”
“To me,” said Jacob, who had been glaring at Bento as he spoke about the prophets, “there are things known only to God, things caused only by God’s will.”
“I believe that the more we can know, the fewer will be the things known only to God. In other words, the greater our ignorance, the more we attribute to God.”
“How can you dare to—”
“Jacob,” Bento interrupted. “Let us review why we three are meeting. You came to me because Franco was in a spiritual crisis and needed help. I did not seek you out—in fact I advised you to see the rabbi instead. You said that you had been told the rabbi would only make Franco feel worse. Remember?”
“Yes, that is true,” said Jacob.
“Then what end is served for you and me to enter into such dispute? Instead there is only one real question.” Bento turned to Franco. “Tell me, am I being of help to you? Has anything I’ve said been of aid?”
“ Everything you’ve said has provided comfort,” said Franco. “You help my sanity. I was losing my bearings, and your clear thought, the way you take nothing on the basis of authority, is—is like nothing I have ever heard. I hear Jacob’s anger, and I apologize for him, but for me—yes, you have helped me.”
“In that case,” said Jacob suddenly rising to his feet, “we have gotten what we came for, and our business here is finished.” Franco appeared shocked and remained seated, but Jacob grabbed his elbow and guided him toward the door.
“Thank you, Bento,” said Franco, as he stood in the doorway. “Please, tell me, are you available for further meetings?”
“I am always available for a reasoned discussion—just come by the shop. But,” Bento turned toward Jacob, “I am not available for a disputation that excludes reason.”
O nce out of sight of Bento’s house, Jacob smiled broadly, put his arm around Franco, and grasped his shoulder, “We’ve got all we need now. We
worked well together. You played your part well—almost too well, if you ask me—but I’m not even going to discuss that, because we have now finished what we had to do. Look at what we have. The Jews are not chosen by God; they differ in no way from other peoples. God has no feelings about us. The prophets merely imagine things. The Holy Scriptures are not holy but entirely the work of humans. God’s word and God’s will are nonexistent. Genesis and the rest of the Torah are fables or metaphors. The rabbis, even the greatest of them, have no special knowledge but instead act in their self-interest.”
Franco shook his head. “We don’t have all we need, not yet. I want to see him again.”
“I’ve just recited all his abominations: his words are pure heresy. This is what Uncle Duarte requested of us, and we have done as he wished. The evidence is overwhelming: Bento Spinoza is not a Jew; he is an anti-Jew.”
“No,” repeated Franco, “we do not have enough. I need to hear more. I’m not testifying until I have more.”
“We have more than enough. Your family is in danger. We made a bargain with Uncle Duarte—and no one wiggles out of a bargain with him. That is exactly what this fool Spinoza tried to do—to swindle him by bypassing the Jewish court. It was only through Uncle’s contacts, Uncle’s bribes, and Uncle’s ship that you are not still cowering in a cave in Portugal. And in only two weeks, his ship goes back for your mother and sister and my sister. Do you want them to be murdered like our fathers? If you don’t go with me to the synagogue and testify to the governing committee, then you’ll be the one lighting their pyres.”
“I’m not a fool, and I’m not going to be ordered around like a sheep,” said Franco. “We have time, and I need more information before I testify to the
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