Halaka The Laws Of The Universe Read online



 

  HALAKA

  THE LAWS OF THE

  UNIVERSE

  BY

  Tim Snyder

  2013

 

 

 

 

 

  PREFACE

  A Jewish family possessed an instrument that had been passed down for generations; it endured time and traveled the sea from the Middle East where it was first created. Once on American soil the family became successful and lost interest in the family loom and left it when they moved to California. The person that found the instrument sold it on an online auction on EBay. The man Todd that won the auction fell in love with the mosaic designs that were placed on the outside. After it sat in his garage for years he brought it out to show a friend, while examining the pieces to the mosaic he discovered a code, his friend a professor at UNC helped him with his connections at the University, to discover how to decipher a few of the many codes. Before they got a good start, the black suits from the dept. of Homeland Security confiscated the instrument and Todd ended up in jail.

  Once out of jail, Todd discovered that by stroking the strings on the instrument; he had heard Sacred notes that had triggered activation of dormant DNA. This proved to be a life changing event that led to him attending the school of Melchezidec during meditation. During this time he would learn the Secrets of the

  Enoch an ancient one to stop eating meat, Todd began hearing people’s thoughts and seeing in other dimensions, having visions and déjà vu. Which in most cases immediately following these; the visions happened in real life exactly as Todd had seen them. Once Todd heard a person’s thoughts he figured out that he had made a connection through a galactic energy source of sound and vibrations that have always been available. He could hear that person speak or think at anytime he wished, which would prove to be quite hard to get adjusted to.

  Join Todd as he starts the school of Melchezidec and learns the sacred knowledge, which will prove to be a true Pandora’s Box in his life, as well as the United States Government that will end up putting Todd on a list “Public Enemy Number 1”. Because Todd refused to work with them after they learn he had found what they presume was supernatural powers.

  The Journey

  03-01-1934

  In a small town outside of Warsaw, Poland called Lodz. A Jewish man named Ruben Cohen 55 years of age; was smoking a pipe while on the phone talking to his younger brother Joshua in Damascus, Syria. He was a math teacher and a musician; they were discussing how to avoid the persecution of the Jews by the Germans. That had been escalating for several years, Ruben was thinking of fleeing to America where he had heard there was potential for a prosperous and safe life. Ruben was a Merchant of diamonds from South Africa and was a very wealthy business man. He had a few contacts in America from his business trading that were willing to help him move to America. Ruben wanted to know if his younger brother Joshua wanted to move with him. Joshua was not a wealthy man, but rather a struggling math teacher that had to borrow money from Ruben from time to time. Ruben insisted that his connections were telling him they heard rumors of Hitler, and his growing agenda of hatred toward the Jewish people. He insisted that Joshua join him with as many of their family members that are willing to flee ASAP. But Joshua didn’t believe Rubens friends or their rumors, although there had been far too much persecution of the Jews.

  This hadn’t bothered Joshua in Syria as bad as the town near Warsaw where Ruben lived, and he tried to get Ruben to move to Syria instead. Joshua believed that YHWH would eventually give the Jews a land of their own, and they would all finally be free from persecution. If his brother moved to Syria, he would be further away from Hitler’s power. Meanwhile Joshua believed in (The Golem of Prague) and hoped that the mystic powers would destroy Hitler and his band of devils. But Ruben did not believe in the mystical powers of (The Golem of Prague) he was a very determined business man. He had big business plans in NY. New York... like so many times before, they couldn’t reach an agreement on the subject. So the phone conversation ended with a traditional Lehitra' OT (goodbye)

  Joshua was 49 years old; he cared only for his study of sacred geometry, his hobby of making mosaic inlay designs and his music. He played the harp, his father made a harp for him when he was 8 years old. He had kept it in his closet; his father taught him how to build the harp while telling him stories that had been passed down through the generations, about their forefathers who also lived in Damascus. One of the favorite legends was their distant Great Grandfather named Abraham Cohen had traveled to Cairo, Egypt to see the great pyramids. while visiting there, he met a priest who was also visiting the pyramids, upon further conversation, the priest remembered that he had heard tales of the master musicians named Cohen in Damascus, and asked Abraham if he could build a new instrument similar to the Jewish Harp, but not as big, and somewhat different, something he could easily carry back home with him. Abraham remembered the instrument that his father had designed according to the sacred geometrical proportions, his father called it; (HALAKHA) meaning (The Law) nobody was allowed to play the instrument, only to look upon the dimensions and design, to learn from them.

  The Cohen family had never reproduced any like it'. Abraham figured this would be a good time to reproduce one, he agreed to a fairly hefty sack of gold offered by the priest. He commenced to build the instrument, with precise accuracy according to his imagination. That one did not contain the inlay of mosaic, but rather a simple version. When Abraham finished it 3 days later, he played it for the priest, and the sound was pleasant to the ears of the priest, he loved it'. The dimensions were beautifully proportioned, the priest asks: Abraham what do you call it? Abraham replied: "HALAKHA" which means (the law) this particular one has dimensions that are calculated by some of the laws of the sacred geometry that our people posses. The priest remembered that the Jews were also well known master carpenters, and the priest respectfully considered the architecture of the instrument and replied: We also have a word that means (the law) and named it’ (The Cannon). Gladly the Priest paid Abraham the sack full of gold for he was very pleased, he said goodbye and went on his way.

  When Abraham returned to Damascus, he brought out the instrument called HALAKHA from the closet where he kept it safe. He made another replica close to the original one. But did not inlay it with mosaic designs either, and took it to town to play during one of the festivals. There a famous musician of the king noticed it', he asked Abraham to bring it before the king and’ play it for him, and so he did. When the sweet sounds of the music pleased the Kings ears, he fell in love with the instrument and asked about its origins for they had never seen or heard anything like it. Abraham denied the king the facts of the original HALAKHA, then Proceeded to tell the king the story; about the priest hiring him for a sack of gold to make something new like a harp, only smaller and somewhat different, and continued to explain the likeness of the dimensions with sacred geometrical proportions. Explaining why the priest named it (the Cannon). The King looking at the new instrument with eyes of envy, decided to offer Abraham a very large some of silver for the instrument, a sum so large that Abraham could not refuse. So the King declared ownership of the beautiful sounding instrument and' said we also have a word that means (the law) so he names it' (the Qannun) or (kannun) the ki
ng was very pleased and paid Abraham with two sacks full of silver and gladly sent him on his way. With the gold and silver that their Grandfather Abraham had acquired by selling the replicas, he purchased the land where we all live.

  Joshua often told his son Isaac the legend, Since Joshua's father Joseph passed away in 1930; he inherited the traditional passing down of the original instrument called HALAKHA (the law) and the responsibility of telling the family stories about their forefathers at the dinner table on the eve of every Shabbat. (Sabbath) Joshua didn’t want to move away from Syria as their family was scattered about the area around the black sea, their father Joseph Cohen was a well known and loved math teacher that taught music on the side. Joshua had followed in his Father’s footsteps, this was the Jewish tradition.

  Meanwhile Joshua and his son Isaac started on his homework. Joshua had high hopes of passing on the knowledge of the Sacred Geometry that his father taught him. Although Joshua was a master of math he felt he will never know as much as his father Joseph knew. Joshua hoped his son could achieve what his grandfather knew. Isaac had always gotten into trouble for getting his Fathers favorite HALAKA out of the closet. He also had a small passion for music; he was used to hearing his father play his HALAKA that he and Isaac built together and the music lessons in the evening. Joshua was a family man at heart and spent as much time as possible with his son Isaac. Joshua's wife Ruth was a homemaker and was a very humble woman that loved her family, knitting and chatting with the local women about their children's progress. Joshua taught music to the neighborhood kids; Isaac had many friends because of it’. They came to his house for music lessons in the afternoons... a well mannered and loving family to say the least. Joshua didn’t charge the parents of the children for the music, unless their parents could afford it. Otherwise his only income was a small amount for teaching math at the local school. But they seemed to do ok and were a happy family. Ruth usually cooked in the kitchen, watching out the window as Isaac and his friends kick a ball around, after music lessons and listened to the chuckles and laughter coming from the children playing in the afternoon.

  01-01-1936

  Some time had passed and Ruben had just moved to NY, New York and was very happy that he was far away from the Middle East. He lived in an upscale loft in a high rise complex overlooking the city. He also wanted to buy a large house outside the city, to house his family when he finally got them to move there to escape the persecution. He wasn’t married nor did he have children, he had dedicated his life to being a merchant, and had become very wealthy. He was too busy with his business to start his own family, he felt that he would not be at home enough to be a good husband or father. He kept in contact with Joshua on a regular basis; he was putting hard pressure on his brother Joshua. His friend in NY, a spy for the US Secret Service by the name of Kenneth Harper had informed him (in secret) that he just returned from Berlin with sufficient evidence that Hitler was planning a brutal annihilation of the Jewish communities across Europe. Also the Yiddish News Paper, (Jewish news) circulated in NY, was reporting imminent danger for Jews in Europe.

  Joshua continued to live in Damascus, but he was contemplating making some sort of move in the near future, although confused about where he should move. The rumors were reaching Damascus from Warsaw about Hitler’s spread of persecution heading east of Berlin. He still didn’t want to move across the globe, to NY. His son was growing into a young man and started to show a darkening above his lip, for puberty was setting in. Although Ruth wanted Joshua to make a move now, he still hesitated to leave his hometown. (Where his ancestors had been for several generations) However he was slowly losing faith in the mystic power of the (The Golem of Prague). Frustrated he worried that if he moved to far away from their home town; his family would lose sight of their family traditions. (Like making mosaic designs, music, and the practice of the Sacred Geometry) he worried that he won't be able to find a school to teach math, and about how he would support his family. These eerie thoughts had caused Joshua to hesitate far too long already. Ruth told Joshua she loved him as she followed the gesture with a kiss on his cheek, with eyes tearing she told Joshua the news, she was planning to take Isaac south to her brothers tomorrow even if he refused to go with them. She feared for their lives, several families were moving at dawn tomorrow, and she intended on leaving with them. The rumors of the gossiping ladies in the community had reached epidemic proportions, panic and fear was the new rain descending upon the region for the Jewish people.

  Joshua fell to his knees and begged Ruth to give him more time, but Ruth insisted that his hesitation was going to cost them their lives, she couldn’t wait any longer. Joshua continued to beg Ruth, but to no avail and Ruth started packing clothes and pertinent items she and Isaac would need for their journey. Joshua was devastated by the news; he knew that Ruth was right. He went to his private study room, where he began to cry as he looked at a portrait of his parents, many of the things in his study room belonged to his father. Joshua knew that if he left, he would not be able to take them all. The pain was unbearable, in a fit of rage he took (The Golem of Prague) and choked it’, shook it’ back and forth, sprouting a few choice words, then kicked it’ to and fro about the room, busting lamps and other items of glass. He felt like his heart was being torn out, for his whole life and all of his memories were there in that town of Damascus, in a since he felt like he was losing his father all over again. (Whom he loved with all of his heart) after settling down, Joshua looked at the broken glass overlaying the portrait of his father. Tears fell from his eyes onto the broken glass. He fell to his knees, cried with anguish that was heard throughout the house. He relieved himself of the devastating pain, and then he fell asleep. He dreamed of Hitler coming to Damascus and brutally killing all the Jews. When he awakened, not knowing what time it was or how long he had been sleeping, he ran out to see if Ruth had taken his son and left. He found them in Isaac’s bedroom asleep, both piled in the bed together. He could tell by the way Ruth was snuggled against Isaac with her arm over him, she was afraid for Isaac. He returned to his study and started gathering the most valuable and memorable things of his father, he decided Ruth was right, now was the time to move on, he couldn’t live without his family. He would not allow them to leave without him. Joshua awakened Ruth at sunrise, informing her that he had packed what he intended to take, as he was not letting her and Isaac leave Syria alone. Although he hated to admit it, he was wrong to wait so long and apologized to her for making her worry. Ruth was very happy to hear the news as she rose from the bed she hugged Joshua and said thank you very much, I was worried how we would survive without you. Joshua replied I'm sure you were, but I would never let you leave without me. They rushed to the kitchen to fix breakfast. While eating Joshua informed Ruth that not only were they leaving the area, they were going to board a ship in the city of Alexandria, in Egypt. (A town north of Cairo on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea) He further informed her that they were moving to America, where Ruth had always dreamed they would go, especially after Ruben had sent letters back describing of the advanced luxuries that the Americans enjoy, like electricity and running water inside the house. Ruth rejoiced in the midst of their crisis, although Joshua loved his wife very much, he wasn’t happy. After eating breakfast they packed all the remaining food, and loaded the wagon. Joshua had to leave many things behind that he cherished, but he did not leave the HALAKHA that his family had passed down for generations. He denied the temptation to burn the place to the ground. Inside he still had a glimmer of hope that one day they could return, and all would be as they had left it. But he did bring out the (The Golem of Prague) and burned it in the middle of the road, as it was smoldering with smoke, He walked back to his house and bowed to his knees and said one last prayer and kissed the ground. He tied all the goats and sheep in a line behind the wagon like a train, and they headed to the south end of town where all the towns Jewish people had agreed to meet by 9:00 am.

 
They were a little early and the children were kicking the ball around playing as if nothing was wrong. The parents all had a look of disillusion about them, but they conveyed no negative thoughts to the children so they didn’t cause them fear. The time had come for all the men to assemble and figure out a plan of action. Most of the families were related. They thought most importantly they must have a central means of communications after they split up. Most of them knew the relatives they had in Egypt, so they chose the home of a doctor there named Benjamin Levi to send letters there and keep in touch with each other by mail. Then the whole lot of Jews came together for prayer, and parted their separate ways, many by foot many by horse and wagon some by horseback. Ruth asked Joshua what they were going to do, Joshua replied we are going to sell this horse and wagon and take a train to Alexandria. She was so relieved to hear that his plan wasn’t to save money and make the journey in that old beat up wagon. They arrived close to the train station at the south end of Damascus. Joshua spoke to a business man there about selling him the wagon and live stock; he agreed to follow them to the train station only about a half mile away, so they could unload their belongings. Joshua made the purchase of three tickets to Alexandria, and there was a small fee to carry other items in the cargo boxcar, with plenty left over Joshua gave his wife and son a hand full of money. He was overwhelmed with emotion, like symptoms of bi-polar; he was not comfortable at that point. He was realizing he had never moved away from home, and really didn’t know how to settle his nerves. Joshua made a comment that if I was a drinking man, I’d sure down a bottle right now. Ruth laughed as she anxiously awaited the train. Soon they could hear the trains engine churning as it rounded the curve in the tracks about two miles away, every Jew that was there was bursting with joy, to see that train smoke puffing from the top of the engine. You would have thought they hadn't ever seen a train, the way every eye was fixed upon its arrival. As the train came to a stop, people were jumping aboard with an even since of fear and happiness. When all of the Cohen’s family things were loaded Joshua and Ruth had found their seats, Joshua leaned his head back and said: I’m going to sleep. I’ve been up all night packing. Ruth responded you go right ahead my love, Isaac and I will be right here when you wake up, as the train pulled away from the station Isaac and his mother watched out the window wondering what the world will look like. With anticipation burning inside of Ruth, she couldn’t stop asking the other passengers on the train about areas on their path to Alexandria. She was curious about the world; Ruth was raised in Damascus also and never been outside of Syria. She was like a kid in the candy store for the first time. Joshua pretended to be sleeping; he didn’t want to spoil her moment of joy. But her constant chatting was keeping him from falling asleep. Not to mention the shaking and noise of the train. So he lay there resting his eyes, and listening to his wife. He knew deep down inside this was going to be a big change for him. But he was delighted to see Ruth happy; she had been worrying so long that she went into a mild state of depression. She didn’t find anything funny about the atmosphere surrounding their area at all. Suddenly she was bursting with excitement, it reminded him of their younger years when they were both worry free and starting out a life for themselves. Finally after awhile, Ruth had talked so much she made her own head hurt, so she leaned back in her seat and began to absorb the moment in silence.

  The Journey

  Once the train stopped at the railroad station in Haifa, Isaac asked: Are we there? Ruth said: Not yet honey, but let’s get out and stretch out a bit, and you can play around a few minutes. Joshua said: I'll just watch you two from the window, I’m really tired. Ruth answered: Ok. The sun was high noon, Isaac noticed a cute young girl getting on the train, close to the car he was riding in, being 13 years old Isaac was growing more curious about girls so he walked closer to see the beauty he observed from a distance, she sat down right by the window where Isaac was looking in. Which startled Isaac, he lost his gall and was slightly embarrassed by the event, so he walked away toward his mother, glancing back he noticed a smile on her face. His mother was chatting with a lady heading to America, by the name of Sarah who told her of her daughter Rebecca, who was traveling with her, who was already on the train. At that moment Isaac walked up to his mother, Ruth introduced him to the lady Sarah. Sarah said: hum about the same age as my daughter, maybe I’ll introduce you two at the next stop in Cairo Egypt. Isaac thought; (wouldn’t it be great if she were that pretty girls’ mother) on the train Isaac kept thinking to himself about the pretty girl he saw and asked his mother: Mom did that lady describe her daughter to you? Ruth replied: ha-ha no why do you ask (knowing exactly why) as she smiled. Isaac replied: oh nothing, I was just wondering. (While leaning back in his seat) all the way to Cairo Isaac was thinking of the pretty girl, Joshua was sleeping and Ruth was looking at the landscape out the window, humming and rubbing Isaac's head as he drifted off to sleep.....

  Arriving at the Station in Cairo, Ruth woke the two sleeping beauties, to see the sun had set and the night was in full effect. In a hurried fashion, Isaac worked his way to the restroom to fix his sleepy head. Just in case he saw the pretty young girl he had seen earlier. Joshua was attending to the family belongings coming off the boxcar to the rear of the train. They intended to stay with Ruth’s brother in Cairo until his brother sent the money that he had asked him for. Ruth was overwhelmed with happiness to see the big city, as she took in a deep breath, and sighed with relief. Sarah whom she had met in Haifa stepped off the train and said: Oh hello again Ruth, where is your cute little son, she had her daughter with her now, He will be out soon; Ruth replied, then Sarah introduced her daughter to Ruth as Rebecca, Aw what a pretty name for a pretty girl as well. Ruth replied, just as Isaac steps off the train, Rebecca? he said: I couldn’t help but notice you at the last stop as you are the prettiest girl on the train, Rebecca was blushing but smiled and replied: hello. Ruth said: This is my son Isaac who has never been so forth coming; I’m shocked that he even spoke, he has always been timid. Isaac said: Oh Mom, stop it. He kind of played it off trying to be cool. Ruth smiled at Sarah as they both see the actions of their offspring. Sarah said: Do you want to get a bowl of soup, I hear these Egyptians make a very good bowl of soup. Ruth replied: Of course, Isaac can you go inform your poppa that we will be waiting on him in the station for dinner? Isaac never before so happy said: sure, as he took off running. Joshua saw Isaac running towards him, fearing something was wrong; he made haste toward Isaac saying: What’s wrong, what’s wrong? Isaac replied: Nothing poppa (out of breathe) nothing, then why are you running so hard said Joshua, Isaac catching his breath replied: Oh I just felt like running as I’ve been cooped up in that train for so long... Momma wants you to meet us in the station for soup. Joshua said: Okay, Wow you ran that hard all the way down here to tell me that? Isaac replied: Yea I know. Joshua said: Okay I’ll be through here shortly. I’ll see you and your mother in a few minutes. Isaac was heading back before Joshua could finish, Okay poppa hurry up; as he took off running again, back to the cafe at the station. Isaac sat down and tried to hide the fact that he was out of breathe. Cautiously peaking at Rebecca, hoping she wasn’t looking. Ruth asked: Sarah how is your family? Sarah replied: oh we've heard that some of our family has been killed in areas surrounding Berlin. Ruth replied: “Oh my goodness we have too, as the lady next to them overhears, she said: Excuse me but I just heard that Hitler the dog is killing Jews in the far east of Berlin. Is it true? Sarah answered: Yes he is the son of Satan. Ruth covered Isaac’s ears she shook her head to agree, while looking at the lady next to them. Sarah said: Ruth I’m sorry, I’ve lost several of my family members and I’m not in a good mood. Ruth replied: I know exactly how you feel; I’ve been begging my husband for two years about us leaving, but we didn’t have the money to just up and leave. Sarah informed her that she had been through the same thing but he
r husband, he had just passed away of some type of cancer issue with his lungs. She was not bound by his authority any longer; she sold the house and was moving from Warsaw to Deep South as far as she could get from Hitler the dog. This is how she kept referring to him anytime she said his name.

  Joshua approached the table with a traditional greeting: Baruch Hahshem, He is met with several shalom coming from people at the table, as Ruth introduced her newfound friends, Joshua Replied: My, what a beautiful daughter you have. Now I see why Isaac was in such a hurry to get here. (With a chuckle) Isaac blushed with embarrassment he looked away from Rebecca. Ruth said: Honey, try the soup it is wonderful. Thank you honey, he replied, as he sat to the cooling bowl Ruth had ordered for him. Isaac got up and leaned to his mother’s ears and whispered, she said: Ok, when he walked away she looked at Joshua and said he’s going to the bathroom.

  Sarah can you give me your address so we can keep in touch? She said; Sure and wrote it on a piece of paper and gave it to Ruth. She in turn gave her Rubens address in America. She informed her that they are going to stay at her brothers for a week before finally sailing the sea to America. (The sound of the train horn) Sarah said: We've got to go, glad to have met you, may you be blessed on your journey. As they got up to leave, Ruth said: The same to you, Thank you so much for your time and friendship, and away they go in a hurry as if they were going to miss the train. (Joshua slurping spoons from the bowl of soup) Isaac returned from the restroom said: Where did they go? Ruth replied: They had to leave didn’t you hear the horn? Isaac said: Yes, did you ask her what I told you? She said: Yes and I’ve got it too. Looking at his dad he said: poppa you embarrassed me. Joshua replied: Son I’m sorry, I meant you no harm, sit and finish your soup. A few minutes later, Ruth’s brother Nehi came in and found them all stuffed full, He said: My refugees have come home. Laughing, referring to the exodus. Joshua watched as Ruth jumped up and hugged her brother. Ruth replied: Don’t worry this is not a return, but merely a stop on our exodus from this continent all together.

  Nehi responded: (Jokingly) let’s get you to our house so you can rest as I’m sure you are all tired. The wife is at home anxiously awaiting your arrival. They left the cafe, gathered their things into Nehi's wagon and went to his house. There they chatted for an hour or so reminiscing and then head off to bed. The next morning they rose to a hearty breakfast, where the chatter sounded like that of a band of crickets with everyone talking at the same time. Joshua had to get up and go outside for relief of his headache; he was a simple man, orderly and couldn’t stand the fashion of chaos at the table. He looked toward the pyramids in the distance; he sighs and said to himself, I’m going to miss this place. Then he bows his head in grief and prays for his family’s safety. Nehi came out on the porch with Joshua and said: We've heard the tales of the atrocities happening in the north. Isn’t it a shame? Joshua shook his head and didn’t respond. Nehi saw the grief of Joshua and said no more, he sat quietly with Joshua taking in the morning air and sunrise.

  For the next few days Joshua tended to things around Ruth's brothers house, like minor repairs to the fence, working the garden, feeding the animals. To help pay their way for room and board, not to mention help relieve the mental stress of what was uncalled for Sinicism against the Jews for no reason. Isaac had already written a letter to the cute girl he met on the train, he played with the kids close by as Ruth watched on. Knitting while she hummed, daydreaming about the new life in America. At daybreak, the family was loading up and headed to the train-station to go a little ways north to Alexandria. There they would board a ship sailing the seas to America. Ruth was nervous as she just knew something was going to happen before they got to America. At the train station in Cairo, Ruth told her brother she didn’t want to come back. She bade him to move to America ASAP! As Joshua and Isaac were loading their belongings in the cargo box, they all gave hugs and said their goodbyes.

  The train ride was short and sweet; Ruth was boiling over with anxiousness to get off the continent. The ship was scheduled to take on boarding passengers in about an hour from then. After they’d settled in the local cafe for lunch, another Jew eating there sat beside them and introduced himself as David. He then asked what of the latest in their area? Joshua replied with: We were living in Damascus, Syria, the devil Hitler is determined to kill us all. The rumors of the ruthless slaughters have been coming south more and more, until we finally decided it was time to leave! Ruth clears her throat and said: We've been decided; we just didn’t have the money to leave until now. The stranger David proceeded to tell them; he had barely escaped Berlin. By way of hiding in a truck bed full of dung, he literally crawled inside the heap of dung, he knew the truck always left Berlin, but he didn’t know where it was going. Nor did he care. As Soon as they were out of town he got his head out of the dung to breathe, he was sick to his stomach from the smell. Ruth said: See Joshua, it is true! He lost his whole family, my lord at such a young age. The horn blew on the ship, Ruth wasted no time jumping up in a hurry; Isaac come on she said, she grabbed Joshua’s hand and clang close to his side as they approached the ship.

  Joshua asked the attendant taking tickets, about the boxes they had packed. The attendant said: The boxes are packed with your ticket numbers marked on the sides and top. So where ever you are going it will be loaded on the center of the ship and unloaded at your destination. Comforted with the answer, Joshua said: Thank You Sir and pulled Ruth’s hand, they continued up the ramp to board the ship. Finding their way to the rear of the ship, Joshua wanted to see his homeland as long as he possibly could. As the ship started to sail, Ruth sat back and sighed: Thank You YHWH, we are going to be ok now. Joshua smiled at her and rubbed his sons head, Joshua said: Son I’m going to tell you another story about your forefathers, Isaac replied: Dad do we have to? Joshua laughs and said: Ok we can wait.

  The ship made several stops on its way to the narrow exit through The Strait of Gibraltar, with Spain on the North side and Morocco on the South side. Once they sailed out into the open sea of the North Atlantic Sea, Ruth started rejoicing in psalms singing at the clouds, raising her hands toward the heavens. Isaac asked his dad: Poppa why is momma so happy? He answered: Son she’s always wanted to go to America, she’s happy we are finally on our way. Isaac asked: But why what’s so good about America? Joshua looked with a half smile and said: Son it’s the greatest country in the world, they have everything! Isaac watched his mother dance and sing. Joshua told Isaac: If anything ever happens to me promise me that you will take care of your mother. Isaac responded: I will Poppa, Joshua watched Ruth dance and he smiled with amazement in her happiness.

  Calming down from her overwhelming happiness, Ruth asked Joshua if he could go get her yarn from the packed goods, so she could make Ruben a special sweater for his kindness. Of course Joshua does what she asked of him, he politely asked her to make him and Isaac one to match Rubens if she had time. She replied: If the good father is willing, I won’t die before I do. For the next several days Ruth was working her needles, Isaac and Joshua were looking back at the beaches of Spain and Morocco; until no land could be seen either way they looked. Joshua continued to tell Isaac stories about their forefathers, and the dreams they all had of passing on the Sacred Geometry that their people had always possessed. In hopes of one day a time of peace would come to their people, then they would all come together and build a New Jerusalem. Only then would they be able to truly bring to the forefront, their wisdom and utilize it as their forefathers did. So it was important that they kept the tradition of teaching their children the knowledge of the Ancient Ones.

  On the 13th day of the trip, a Rejoicing broke out at the front of the ship, known as the yell of sight to all sailors. The continent of America was in sight, the captain blew his horns in a traditional manner (several small chirps) not to alarm the people but to make them aware that there was something in front of the ship to see, their destination. The anticipation was coming to a rea
lization now for the Cohen family. They all stood with arms wrapped around each other, each with their own ideas flowing rapidly of what to think of the land of promise. The next day they reached landfall at the Harbor of New York, Where Ruben was awaiting with a car and trailer to haul their belongings the short drive to his newly acquired house in Kings, New York. This was an ideal location for Ruben. He often sailed and since the Harbor of New York is close by Kings, he thought what better place for his business and his family. When the ship docked Ruben was waving a white flag marked with the blue Star of David, to signal his brother; “I’m over here”, he was shouting and tearing up, he had nearly lost his hair worrying for his younger brother. You could see the joy and the relief calming him as he felt the battle was over. Ruben had pleaded with Joshua for years to move to New York and the day was finally there.

  The Cohen family finally united, the happiness had settled somewhat, they awaited the ship to offload their boxes. Ruben was telling his family of all the great plans he had for them and the wonderful things about America. Isaac was amazed at the size of the cities he saw along the coastline, he wondered to himself if this was not the New Jerusalem his father had always told him about. At the house; unloaded and settled in for the eve, the feeling of complete happiness had never been so overwhelming for Ruth. She laughingly expressed her need to get in a hot bath and sleep as long as she could. Everyone got a hot bath, and ate dinner which Ruben had made sure would be a new item for their tasting, A Pizza straight from one of New York’s finest Pizza Parlors. They were all very satisfied, with the taste and the simplicity of eating with their hands and not getting messy. With full tummies, tired of all the chatter each turned to the sheets for a comfortable nights’ rest, as each was weary and tired inside and out.

  Ruben gave Joshua a job as salesman in one of his jewelry stores, and taught him the ropes of fine diamonds. Ruth tended to the new house and Isaac as she always had. Isaac had written the cute girl another letter, with his new address labeled in the return section, and was anxiously waiting to hear from her. Meanwhile the tales of the brutal dictator Hitler were never so close to the ear, as if they hadn’t just traveled thousands of miles to get away from it. Joshua asked Ruben why are the Americans so concerned about what happens in the East? Ruben informed him of the global trade and allies that the US had built. Also he told him: I’ve heard that the USA may even get involved against the evil dictator. Joshua replied: Wow Now that is something new, someone standing up for our people, a big country like this. Ruben said: This country will crush the evil doer too if they go after him. Joshua Immediately thought to himself, chewing the side of his lip. But Ruth Quickly said: Don’t you even think about it mister, Joshua with a raised eyebrow look said: What? She replied: Don’t “what” me mister, you know exactly what I mean, don’t you even get in your mind of going back if the US of America kills the dog Hitler. I mean don’t even think of it, this life is so much better, I’ll NEVER EVER go back. Joshua said: Okay, Ruth with a short "Huh I can’t believe it" shook her head in disgust. Ruben was smiling and giggling; inside he knew that Ruth would make sure Joshua never left him again.

  20 yrs Later,

  The holocaust, the war it was all behind them now, the feeling in the air was one of contempt for the Cohen family, but Joshua fell sick and couldn’t seem to recover. The doctors said he had cancer and would not live long. Isaac sat with his dad in the back of the jewelry store when they had no customers shopping, Ruth wanted Joshua to quit work and stay home with her, but Joshua wouldn’t do it. He felt like he owed Ruben too much for all he had done. Ruth told him: Isaac makes just as much money for Ruben without you as he will with you. But Joshua refused to stop going to the store, until the day he passed away. It was a sad day for the Cohen family. Isaac continued to run the store. Ruth started going to the ladies meetings as she had grown bored without a child to tend to or a sick husband. Ruben told Isaac he was leaving him the stores, also he informed Ruth that he was leaving her all his wealth, Ruth said: I don’t know what I’ll ever do with it, Isaac gives me way more than I need, but Thank You so very much for all that you've done for us. Ruben nodded his head in a yes fashion and said: Make no mention of it.

  Isaac was now engaged to the sweet girl Rebecca he met on the train when he was young. He realized he had no real interest in math or music, he thought to himself; what will I do with all this stuff poppa left me? He asked his mother: Momma what should I do with all poppas things when Rebecca comes to live here? She replied: Keep what you want and let me go through what you don’t want, and we will donate the rest of his stuff to the poor. Isaac thought; there wasn’t a more Nobel thing to do. As he was going through all the stuff his father owned he recalled all the stories his father told him and tears fell from his eyes. So he kept a book of stories his dad wrote down, and a few other small items he cherished, Ruth went through the rest. Ruth asked Isaac: Do you want this big box with that Halaka in it, Isaac says: Not really mom, I never learned how to play it, poppa wouldn’t let me touch it. She replied: Well he’s not here to stop you now. He said: Nah I’m going to let that be, if poppa didn’t want it played, I’m not going to do it now, but I’ll keep it in the attic for good measure. Ruth smiling said: That’s good he would be happy that you kept it. It meant everything in the world to your poppa it’s been in our family for as long as the stories he used to tell.

  Isaac married Rebecca, she was very happy with Isaac and Ruth; she helped Isaac run the jewelry stores. Ruth was still running around town and being the happy person she always knew America would make her. Several years had passed now; Isaac was still running the family business. Ruben came in to see Isaac at one of the stores, while talking to him he fell to the floor with a heart attack and did not recover, Isaac phoned his mother to tell her the news. Not long after the funeral, Ruth wanted Isaac to move to Staten Island and open a new store there. Which he did and they were very happy in their new home on the beach. They sold the old house and don’t even bother to get all of their things out of it. They were very wealthy from Rubens will.

  20 years later; Isaac had become a very successful businessman, like his uncle Ruben was. He sold the whole business and moved to California to retire and live happily with his family. Meanwhile back at the first house they lived in, before they moved to California, the tenant that bought the house had a 16 year old son named Wesley, one day he was wondering around the house and found the attic door attractive, he proceeded to climb up and found the attic full of junk the Cohen’s had left behind. He plundered through all the boxes and found the odd shaped box that held the instrument that Joshua had cherished so dearly. He brought it down from the attic, his mother said: What have you got? He replied: I don’t know it's so old when I tried to play it, the strings were breaking, I just thought I would bring it down and let dad see it. His mother replied: That’s old and it will bring a pretty penny in my next yard sale. Wesley said: What about we split it, because I found it? his mother agreed… it brought a whopping 55.00 (lol) Wesley said: We better not plan on retiring on that, his mother said well it didn’t help that nobody knew what it was. Wesley said your right, but we got 55.00 more than we had.

  The man that bought the instrument (Halaka) was a hoarder very old in age, He had no clue what it was He just like the odd shape and the old look that it had, he was a yard sale king. Buying things cheap to fill every building he could build. The Halaka once again landed in a storage building, with more and more being piled in until you couldn’t see it anymore. So it was forgotten again for another 30 years.

  The year was 2010 the old man’s son was cleaning out all the buildings filled with his father’s hoardings. He had an eBay account and his wife was listing anything of value for sale. She searched on the internet to find some idea of what the instrument was worth they couldn’t find anything like it. But they do find a Zither and a Dulcimer that looked somewhat like it, so they listed it as a zither/dulcimer.

  A man d
own south Named Todd in N.C. was surfing eBay and stumbled across the item when he searched the word harp; for his elder Uncle Tommy was looking to buy one. His Uncle Tommy was an old timer, and couldn’t even turn on a computer, much less use one. It was customary for Todd to do the surfing for his uncle anytime he got an itch to buy something. Todd loved to surf the web and EBay was one of his favorites along with craigslist, this item had an unusual shape. One that neither of them was familiar with, But Tommy was not interested, he wanted a harp. However Todd was intrigued by the instrument's design, and decided to save it in his watch list. They continued surfing with hopes of finding a nutcase with a 20,000.00 Selma grand Harp that was hurting so bad that they would take 500.00 for it... like all EBay shoppers would. Not to Todd's dismay, they don’t have a deal that good as of yet. Tommy was in his own way a hoarder, but only if he got it so cheap that he had a bragging right, he would often tell people when he bought something: “I bought one and you can hardly find those anymore”, you always knew what was coming next... Guess what I paid for it? That’s how you knew he nearly stole it, it was so cheap...Tommy was a wealthy man, but very frugal with his money, (lol he is truly one of a kind, Todd often thought to himself...) Tommy called Todd on the phone on a daily basis, and Todd nicknamed him "talk a lot Tommy" Todd would often tell his friends; If Tommy can’t get you on the phone he will call 15 to 20 times that day. If you call back the line is usually busy, he keeps that phone tied up most of the time he’s not sleeping, hence the nickname. Tommy was 6'6 and weighed close to 320 lbs. He was 70 years old and was still strong as an ox and healthy as he was when he was young, he hardly ever shaved, and he wore a white beard roughly cut to about 6 months in length. Todd was 44 and is 6'2 he weighed close to 220lbs smaller in statue but no midget to say the least, he was cleaned shaved most of the time. He was married to a Philly from Pa. who didn’t care for a beard being on her husband’s face.

  Todd and his Uncle traveled the United States working for power company contractors, building power plants. They were pipefitters by trade. Todd, who was a carpenter before his Uncle taught him the ropes of pipe, was back on the laptop for another glimpse at that odd looking stringed instrument with the inlay of some sort. Looking at the inlay closely he said to his wife Kathy: I’ve seen these designs on The Discovery Channel over in the Middle East. I'll bet it took this person a long time to build this thing. Fascinated by the inlay, Todd would spend another hour just looking at the designs. He had no interest in the musical aspect of the instrument; just the design and probability that it took someone literally hundreds of hours do such a design. When Tommy called later that night, Todd couldn’t help but to say: That darn instrument we found is fascinating, I've looked at it more closely and I’m shocked at how much time someone took to do that inlay, it has to have tens of thousands of tiny pieces in its design. Tommy just said: Well if you like it, get it, that’s always been my philosophy, you let it slip away and you’ll regret it, if you can’t find another one. With this being said, Todd was clicking back on his EBay watch list again to look at it. He did a search in the Google search bar, for the name which the seller listed it as a zither/dulcimer. After an hour of listening to talk-a-lot-Tommy, Todd frustrated because he couldn’t find one shaped like the one for sale, got off the phone with Tommy, and called a friend who played in band with him back in high school. Todd sent him the link to the ad on EBay, but the friend said: I've never seen one sorry I don’t know anything about it. So the goodbyes were said and Todd was puzzled even more, he thought to himself (I’ve been surfing the web since the internet was born, why can’t I find this instrument.)

  The next day the instrument was on Todd's mind again. He decided to search using different search engines. Again another hour was wasted and Todd was frustrated. His wife Kathy called him to the kitchen for dinner, during dinner that’s all Todd talked about, and asked if the family would all get their laptops out after dinner and see if they can help him find some information about the instrument. They agree; just to shut him up about it for awhile. After dinner Tommy called again, he asked Todd: Did you find out anything about it? Todd replied: No, I can't talk right now, the time is ending on the auction in two hours, and I've got to find out something about it. I'd like to have it, but I don't want to make a bid without knowing anything at all about it. That’s crazy... So Todd hung up and started his search again, 3 search engines and another hour gone by, nothing. Todd was totally frustrated; he asked his wife and kids to help him look for it. His Son Justin agreed to help, and made the remark: Dad you're supposed to be the computer guru, but I'll bet you I can find it. Todd replied: “Well stop talking and get on it, time is running out”. They both searched for another 45 minutes but to no avail, there’s was only 15 minutes left until the auction ends. The bid was at 150.00 with no reserve, and 4 bids had been made. All the while Todd had been contemplating a guess about the value of such an item, He called his Uncle Tommy for some advice, but Tommy wasn’t giving any as he had no clue about the value. He didn’t even know what it was. But he doesn’t hesitate again to reiterate on the subject about losing something rare if you really like it. Tommy said: It’s only money and you only live once. Todd’s wife was very frugal like his Uncle Tommy, but Todd on the other hand didn’t mind spending money even if he had to overbid on an item. If he liked it, and it was rare he would pay extra for it. So Todd decided on the high bid of 250.00 so he enters the bid of 175.00 with intentions of using 250.00 as his high bid. But as soon as he put in the bid of 175.00 eBay informed him immediately, that he had been out bid, with 7 minutes left he entered the high bid of 250.00 the auction took the bid and informed him he was in the lead. However as all good eBay shoppers knew, it wasn’t over until the last second counted down. This made Todd nervous as he didn’t know what he was bidding on, but his gut feeling was telling him the inlay labor alone was worth a few hundred. As it had to take someone hundreds of hours to design, Todd recalculated his high bid, and reset it to 500.00. Feeling confident for a moment he sat back and watched the clock winding down to the two minute mark, the bid hadn’t changed. But Todd knew how he had won so many bids waiting until the last few seconds to enter the high bid, denying the competition time to re-bid. As the clock wound down to the final ten seconds he watched with his blood pumping hard, at 5 seconds the numbers on the bid were going crazy running up, when the clock stopped, the last number he saw was 300.00. When the clock ran out eBay tallied up the highest bid and it took a few seconds for the results to get back on the screen, Todd had to wait for the screen to refresh. He questioned whether his 500.00 bid was enough, his heartbeat is pounding and his adrenalin had peaked. BAM!!!!!!! the screen shows "Congrats you just won this auction, surprisingly the poor person that lost only set his bid to 482.00 and had lost thinking that, including the 133.85 shipping 615.85 would be enough to win the bid, but he was sadly mistaken, although just taking the bid over 600 by a few bucks was a smart bid, he just didn’t bid high enough to win, and never was Todd so happy. His decision to bid a high bid of 500.01 was enough to win including shipping he paid 620.85 in total. Just 12.15 shy of his maximum bid, for that kind of bidding, 12 bucks was not a lot, and wow how the bid went up at the last minute, talk about (bid-snipers) the rush of the win was exhilarating. Now the fear of the value was setting in fast, had he overbid compulsively?

  Todd couldn’t wait to get the package, which came 7 days later by way of FedEx delivery. When Todd finally got it opened, his daughter and her friend were playing in the packing worms that were in the box; Todd was amazed at the instrument. He stroked the old and wore out strings; they made a slight unusual sound but very pretty. He got cold chills running up and down his back, and felt a little dizzy. He would spend about 2 hours looking at it with a magnifying glass, he was so happy he didn’t let it slip away. He asked several of his neighbors, if they knew anything about it. But no one knows anything about it; they all like the instrument but no good information. One elder offered her op
inion: Todd if I were you I'd take it to a music store or a museum and ask them if they know anything about it. Todd at a loss for ideas said: Maybe I will, there’s a sticker inside of it, it appears to be Aramaic or Hebrew but I’m not sure. She replied: If that’s the case then you might try a Jewish Temple also. Todd shook his head in agreement and said: Goodbye. Several days went by with periodical searches but to no avail. Todd decided to take it to a music store, where the youngsters there all had the same answer; No, we haven’t got an idea what it is. One of the guys said I'll go get Mr. Mason, he is the store owner and might have more knowledge about it Todd replied: Thank You, while waiting several of the people in the store overheard the commotion and came over to see what all the fuss is about, when the store owner came out. He took a glance and said: I’ve only had 1 of those come through this store in all my 50 years of business, but nothing like that inlay. He said he forgot the name of it, but it’s definitely from the Middle East as those are mosaic designs, so he went behind the counter and pulled out a rather large book, they started thumbing through the pages, looking for the foreign instruments picture. Low and behold Mr. Mason found it, he said: Here it is. It’s called a Halaka made by the Jewish people. It also says the Syrian people have their version, they called it a Kanun or Qanun...But yours my friend is extra extraordinary it has all sorts of ivory inlay. How much are you trying to get for it? Todd shocked replied: Sir I'm not selling it, I just wanted to find out what it is, and where it’s from, Mr. Mason replied: It’s hard to say how old it is, maybe someone from the middle east that is more familiar can help you with the age, but this book says the name Halaka and or Kanun depending on where it’s from. Todd asked: How much do you think it is worth? Mr. Mason raising his eye brows said: I'm really not 100% sure but I'll offer you 2,500.00 for it. Todd responded "Holy smoke, well I'm glad to hear that but I'm going to keep it, Thank You so much for helping me find out what it is. Mr. Mason replied: You’re welcome and thank you for bringing it by.