Part Five: The Academy (Chapter Three)

Two months  later. 

The late  afternoon sun that poured into the room, illuminating the peaceful scene,  suddenly disappeared in the startling way it happens during Judea’s long summer.  With the habit of a lifetime of teaching, Shemaya and Avtalion anticipated the  exact moment it would happen, and finished the lesson just on time. The students rose from the floor, preparing to leave for the day. Hillel slowly extricated  his mind from the absorbing glow of the studies, a process that for him was much  like emerging from a deep sleep into the morning, through layer upon layer of  consciousness.
    The giant door keeper walked into the room. “A  messenger left a letter for Hillel ben Gamaliel,” he declared, handed it to  Shemaya, and left. He did not know any of the students by name, and refused to  have any personal contact with them. Most of the students resented him, but  Hillel felt  that the giant did  not want to befriend the people he might be asked to turn away if they did not  pay.             
     Shemaya gave the scroll to Hillel, who looked at it for a long moment  without breaking the seal. “It has my brother’s seal,” he said at last, rolling it between his hands. “I can see the small chip on the side of the letter…” 

    “Read it, my  son,” said Shemaya, “it’s better to know than to fear.” Hillel nodded and broke  the seal. Two separate sheets were rolled into the package. He took them to the  side of the room, sat on the floor, quickly read both of them, and returned to  Shemaya.          
     “The letters are from my wife and my brother,” he said to the teacher. “My wife  insists on joining me, and my brother says he can bring her, and of course  little Simeon too.”             
     The teacher smiled. “But these are good tidings, Hillel. Why do you look  so disturbed?”             
     “I am very poor here, Master. How can I keep my wife and  son?”             
     “Does she mind that?”              
     “No… she expects it. But she does not understand poverty, Master. She does not  know what’s it’s like to look at our son and tell him that he can’t have all he  wishes for. And in addition, I am not sure she realizes that life for a woman  here is not the same as in Babylon. There, she can own property, engage in  trade, study… here, she is subservient to men. I was surprised to find out how  differently women are treated here; they are almost  slaves.”             
     “Not exactly,” said Shemaya. “Yes, they are not as free as in Babylon,  but they are respected.”
    “She is so used to independence, Master. She is free, and a member of a  well educated, wealthy family. How could she live like that? And worse, if we  have daughters, how will she feel about their education, or their marriage  prospects?”             
     “You can educate your daughters at home, and then bring them back to  Babylon, to their uncles and aunts, before their time to be married comes. Also, you may very well return to Babylon someday. And  she is your wife, Hillel. She knows that with you to help and protect her, all  will be well. .”              
     “Yes, she says that... and mostly she is concerned that she is not  fulfilling her own duties and obligations of being a wife and a mother; she is  always so conscientious about duty, Master. She is worried that too much time will pass before she can have more children if she does not join me, and she also says… but this is sheer nonsense…”             
     “She fears that without her you are not protected from sin. Am I  correct?”             
     “Yes, Master. That is what she said.”                         
     “And she is right, my son. She wants to be by your side, she wants you to  educate your son, and I suspect, she simply misses you as well. She is a good  woman. Let her do as she wishes.”             
     Hillel laughed. “Let her? I suspect she is already overseeing the packing  of the trunks.”                 
     Shemaya smiled with the understanding and reason of old age. “I rarely  mention God’s name in vain,” he said. “But in your case, I must. Let Him oversee  everything, other than the packing of the trunks that we may safely leave to  your wife. You see, unlike many others, I do not believe that God pays attention  to the needs and wants of the individual man or woman. I maintain we must  conduct our behavior and maintain our integrity without expecting reward or  punishment… God is not a nursemaid. When I pray, I pray for the good of the entire nation. But sometimes, God might be watching people for whom He has  far-reaching plans. I feel, Hillel, that He has a plan for  you.”             
     “So I should just let everything fall into place, as always?” asked  Hillel, too distraught to protest the idea that he mattered to God or  man.             
     “Yes, this is exactly what you should do. Trust in the Plan. What does  your brother say?”             
     “That he wants to see me, that he intends to do some business here with  merchants he had been corresponding with for years, and that I should not make  trouble if he decides to make some money arrangements,” said Hillel, and  laughed. “He is such a good brother.”             
     “All shall be well, then,” said Shemaya. “I am sure of that. In the back  room, you will find everything you need to write your answers to your good  family. I’ll see to a messenger, and your letter will go with my usual  correspondence with the teachers in Babylon.”