Please feel free to use this article as long as credit is given to the resource box.
© Arthur Levine 2007
Words 655
Keywords: Kabala, Prophet, God, New Religion, Old Religion, Wiseman

Johnny couldn’t believe it, but he actually felt nervous. Sahara, the love of his life was taking him to meet her father who was the leader of an ancient sect of Jewish mystics who practiced a religion called Kabala. It was a meeting of the old and the new, which would not go well for Sahara or Johnny. The setting was an old stone house surrounded by a high yellow limestone wall in the village of Ez in the South of France. Johnny felt like he had been taken back in time to medieval days. Sahara introduced them and was immediately interrupted by her father, who was dressed in a black velvet robe and faded grey slippers.

Rabbi Fabren, a short thin man with piercing blue eyes, said, “Greetings young man, who are you to claim to be a prophet? What do you know? Have you studied the ancient texts and leaned the wisdom of our ways? What gives you the right to claim that you have divine guidance and a new religion to share with us? My daughter has told me about you.”

Johnny was taken aback, but managed to mumble, “I came here to discus my love for your daughter, not my Dialectic Rationalization of Materialism religion or my status as a prophet. What I know, I know from God, and His ‘words’ of wisdom are more important than anything your old rituals can tell us.”

“Blasphemy,” shouted the Rabbi. “Kabala is the word and way of God. Who are you to question what you do not even understand? Who are you to question the true meaning of our ancient religion? I will never give you my blessing to marry my daughter. You are an infidel – a non-believer. It is forbidden”

With this Sahara started to cry. She turned to her father and took his hand and said, “Please listen to my Johnny. I have heard his ‘words’ of wisdom. They only add glory and wisdom to our religion. We can combine the old and the new to achieve God’s will. I believe this to be so. Please hear my Johnny out.”

The old Rabbi seemed shocked at his daughter’s plea. He was used to total unquestioning obedience from his daughter. He started to tremble and said, “ All right, all right, I will listen. I am not to old to learn, but I will not hear anything that goes against the word of God as it was written in our ancient texts. I will not let this young upstart of yours denigrated centuries of true belief and worship.”

And so began a discourse that went on and on through the night. The old fanatic and the young fanatic argued over everything of a religious nature that one could conceive of. The only thing the old Rabbi eventually agreed to was that Johnny could become engaged to his daughter if he studied the ancient texts of Kabala, and he insisted that if they were to marry it would be in a ceremony at which he himself officiated, and would include all the old religious rituals that he held so dear.

Johnny was exhausted and said, “Whatever makes my Sahara happy. That’s okay with me. God will be my witness to the sanctity of this ceremony so I don’t care what you do or say old man. You will see. You will see the hand of God bless my union with your daughter. I am a prophet and I know this to be true.”

MLMF (More later my friends)

Author's Bio: 

Hi, I am Arthur Levine, the author of the novel Johnny Oops. To read more about Johnny and his wild escapades please access: johnnyoops.blogspot.com