Satan in Goray

great prayer bag. Selecting some dry bread from the kneading trough, he washed his hands and wiped them on the tail of his kaftan. First he dipped the small piece of bread in salt, then shook off some of the salt and dipped the bread again--thus three times. Afterward he rubbed a clove of garlic into the crust. After the meal, he leaned his forehead on the corner of the table, and dozed for a quarter hour. Occasionally his shoulders would jerk. Suddenly he wrenched himself from sleep. There was a red mark on his forehead, and his eyes stared confusedly. Rechele spoke to him, but he seemed unaware of her presence, and did not respond. Presently he stood up, kissed the doorpost sign three times, and went off again--until evening....
    When the seventh day of the Seven Days of the Marriage Feast was passed, Rechele was still a virgin. Young women who spoke of it in the shops pitied Rechele who, they said, had had "her head cut off with no knife." Everyone believed that sorcery had prevented the bride and groom from consummating their marriage. The fringes of Rechele's shawl were searched for knots, and the folds of her dress for hidden evidence of witchcraft. All the brooms were taken from her house and burned. The bridal bedding was smoked out and amulets were hung in every corner, to drive off evil spirits. Led separately to the bath, •Red Itche Mates was examined by the men for signs of maleness....
    And the good-for-nothings who sat in the tavern making fun of law and order had found a nickname for Reb Itche Mates. They called him Gelding.

    Reb Gedaliya

    Some time before the Feast of Purim there arrived in Goray an emissary with amazing, if bewildering, news.
    Sabbatai Zevi--he related--having already, with God's help, been revealed as the Messiah, had departed for Stamboul to claim the crown of the Sultan who ruled the Land of Israel. Not through the might of hosts had Sabbatai Zevi conquered, but through the power of lords and prophets from the other side of the River Samation who accompanied him riding on the backs of elephants, leopards, and water oxen. Sabbatai Zevi himself (may his name be praised!) rode before them on a wild lion, wearing garments of purple and spun gold and numerous precious stones that shone in the darkness. A sash of pearls girdled his loins. His right hand clasped a scepter, and he was fragrant as the Garden of Eden. The sea parted before him, as it had in days of old for our Master Moses (peace be with him!), and he walked upon dry land in the midst of the waters, he and those that were with him. A pillar of fire went before him to show the way, and angels flew after him, singing hymns in his praise. At first the kings and princes of the earth had dispatched hosts of giants with drawn swords against Sabbatai Zevi, that they might take him prisoner. But a torrent of great stones rained from heaven as had been promised for the day of Gog and Magog, and all the giants perished. The world was astounded. The people of Judea were now in high repute. Princes and kings came to honor them and prostrated themselves before them. Earth and Heaven would rejoice on the day that Sabbatai Zevi arrived in Stamboul. All the Jews would certainly celebrate the Feast of Weeks in the Land of Israel. The Holy Temple would be restored, the Tables of the Law returned to the Holy Ark, and a High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies. Sabbatai Zevi, the redeemer, would reign throughout the world....
    The bearer of this news was no common person, no ordinary traveler, but Reb Gedaliya, the ritual slaughterer from ZamosC, a man who was held in high regard, an individual of standing; Reb Gedaliya was tall, heavyset, with a great belly and creases in his neck. His coat was of beaver and covered with silk, and the hat he wore was sable. His black, broad, fan-shaped beard hung down to his waist, his curly hair fell over his shoulders. Reb Gedaliya's name was well known to the Sabbatai Zevi sect, for he was renowned as a cabalist; it was because of his belief in Sabbatai Zevi that he had been forced to leave his native town. Reb Geda-liya had come to Goray to rally the believers--perhaps also to take over the office of slaughterer which had been vacant in Goray since 1648. Beasts and fowls could be purchased cheaply in the nearby villages, and all the people of Goray longed for meat. Levi, who now occupied the rabbinic chair in his late father's place, led Reb Gedaliya respectfully into the study house, seated him at