Read Online My Guardian Angel by Sylvie Weil - Free Book Online

language means ‘celebration,’ he has a toothache so he dribbles and spits. It’s not really his fault. He has too much saliva.”
    At that, the two started laughing again, but I must admit that this time their laughter sounded rather good-natured.
    â€œThat’s enough, girl.” The man with the bushy eyebrows grinned. “Your little lies don’t fool us, but you have shown kindness toward our friend and we will do the same for you. We will bring back your brother and your cousin this evening. They’ll get off lightly with having had the scare of their lives.”

XI
    What girl could sleep after being so shaken, so frightened, and so upset? Your Elvina is so sad, Mazal. I’ll tell you why, just in case you don’t already know. Right now, the wind is howling and huge raindrops are beating against the canvas stretched over the window. I thank the Lord that my family and I are warm in bed, but still I can’t sleep.
    When my father and grandfather returned, they found me huddled in a corner, shivering with terror, still clutching the jug of wine I had served the Crusaders before they left.
    Samuel and Yom Tov came back at nightfall, dirty, disheveled, and green with fear and exhaustion. They had put up a brave fight against their captors; their tunics were torn in several places. Their teeth were still chattering, but they had not been harmed.
    I quickly gave them mulled wine to drink and began to tell them they should be grateful to me, but my father did not let me finish my sentence. Mazal, you know that I had played no part in their misadventure, so why did my father direct his anger at me?
    â€œAre you never going to behave like a self-respecting daughter of Israel?” he shouted. “Are you always going to meddle with things that are none of your business?”
    Finally, he told me that he was sorry he had paid me compliments earlier.
    Zipporah, who was bringing in the lamps, made things worse for me by repeating at least ten times that she had tried to stop me from opening the door to the Crusaders. And poor me sitting there sniffling, stuttering that I only thought I had been doing the right thing.
    Then my grandfather spoke, and according to the rules of respect toward Solomon ben Isaac, everyone fell silent. He spoke as he teaches, beginning with a question: “What is one supposed to do if a sick or wounded person arrives on the Sabbath and the person is not one of our community?” Without waiting, he gave the answer himself: “In such a case we must think carefully whether there are lives in danger. Not only the life of the injured person, but also the lives of those on whom his companions might take revenge.”
    From the corner of my eye I saw my father biting his lip and fidgeting with his beard, as he does when he is displeased but unable to say anything. Solomon ben Isaac is not just his father-in-law. He is also his
teacher
! Throughout his whole life, a man remains the pupil of the teacher he has had in his youth.
    My grandfather concluded, “We must be cautious, but we must also show charity.” He remained silent for a few seconds, and so did we. You could have heard a fly, if there were flies in winter. My grandfather continued in a lower, sadder voice, “It is only in this way that we may avoid catastrophe.”
    He laid his hands on my head. “In the future, Elvina will not sit by the window when she is alone in the house. But for today, Samuel and Yom Tov owe her their gratitude.”
    â€œWe would have gone to fetch them,” my father said, half-protesting.
    â€œOf course we would have gone to fetch them, but this afternoon God willed that Elvina’s kindness not go unrewarded. We should all be grateful and thank the Lord. And now that the Sabbath is over, we shall recite
Havdalah
.” He asked Samuel to bring the spice box and fill it up. He blessed the wine and the spices. We all smelled the spices and