Chapter 14: THE HIGH HOLIDAYS
God's Little Drop of Water
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The next day, Sunday, Taliya and her brothers awoke with great joy, for the High Holidays were upon them, which meant a lot of celebrating with family, plenty of delicious food, and, of course, no school. Taliya would not have to endure more relentless teaching by Gal. Taliya knew Gal was doing her best, and that most of the other children in her class were also doing their best. But she did wish there were a way she could somehow learn faster.
Oh well. No matter. Rosh Hashanah was upon them.
Less than a day later, Taliya was bored out of her mind.
She therefore developed a solution: she would be the teacher. She declared that the doors of Taliya’s University were once more open. She further declared that her brothers Yair and Yaroni would be her students and that she would be the teacher.
Taliya gathered her brothers before her in the living room, bade them open their notebooks, and proceeded to teach English. She began the lesson by introducing them to several important vocabulary words which they would be required to know in order to understand the rest of the lesson: Debby, Gabby, and magic stick. She then turned on the television and the three of them began to watch together.
In Taliya’s learned opinion, the first lesson on the first day of Taliya’s University was a complete success. Debating which of the three of them would go to the television and flip the color switch every few minutes was of minor consequence.
Later that evening, Taliya and Yair were talking and Yair said that the afternoon geography lesson had been quite informative. He asked if perhaps they could have a lesson on science.
Taliya went immediately to her room and began preparing just such a lesson plan. She had seen her mother create dozens of lesson plans, so she was confident that she could do it as well. Taliya searched her science textbook, looking for a topic which would be appropriate. In a matter of minutes, she’d found one. There was but one small problem: she would need a fish.
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“Dag?” Ima asked. “A fish?”
“A fish?” said Abba.
“Yes, a fish!” Taliya replied, for what felt like the one millionth time.
“You can’t have a fish,” said Ima. “You don’t need a fish.”
“Not a live fish,” said Taliya. “One from the supermarket. A whole one.”
“A whole fish?” cried Ima.
“What do you want it for?” Abba asked.
“I need it. For a science project.”
“What sort of science project?” Abba asked.
“I’m teaching Yair and Yaron. Yair wants a science lesson.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Abba asked.
Taliya nodded vigorously.
Abba said that he would purchase a fish tomorrow when he was out doing errands.
Taliya hugged Abba fiercely.
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Taliya, Yair, and Yaron stared down at the fish.
It was bigger than Taliya had imagined it would be.
Smellier, too.
Ripe with the smell of, well, fish.
The fish was about as long as a loaf of bread, with shiny silver scales.
“Ready,” said Taliya. She donned her protective eye goggles.
Yair and Yaron donned theirs as well.
Taliya took up the small knife. She’d wanted a scalpel, like the one the man was holding in the photographs in her textbook. Abba had assured her that the knife was very sharp and would more than do.
Taliya prepared to make the first incision on the belly of the fish, just the way the man in the textbook had done.
The fish lay on the old brown wooden cutting board Ima had loaned them for the science class. The fish seemed to stare up at Taliya with its yellow-and-black eye.
As though it were still alive somehow.
Eyes are the window to the soul.
She couldn’t do it.
Taliya put down the knife and ran from the room.
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Yair found Taliya sometime later, downstairs, sitting beneath the mango tree. He asked Taliya what they should do with the fish.
Taliya replied that she didn’t want to look at it. She asked him to please get rid of it.
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That evening, during dinner, Ima stated that they had asked Taliya repeatedly if she were certain that she wanted them to get a fish, and now that they had, it had been wasted.
Yaroni suggested Ima cook it.
But Ima said she didn’t want to cook and eat a fish which had been sitting out all afternoon.
Taliya lay in bed that night, trying very hard not to think about the poor fish. She never wanted to know what had become of it.
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The next day was Rosh Hashanah, and the family gathered around the table for a magnificent feast.
During the blessing, Ima removed a small white towel from a plate, revealing the severed head of a fish. Taliya saw it and screamed, and covered her eyes, begging her parents to please get rid of it.
When they assured her that it was safe to open her eyes once more, Taliya peeked through her fingers.
The fish was nowhere to be seen.
It was customary during the new year celebration to declare that with God’s help they would be the head of the fish and not the tail.
But Taliya wanted nothing whatsoever to do with fish of any sort.
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After Rosh Hashanah came Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It was customary to fast for an entire day, from sunset to sunset, during which time one would reflect on one’s life and deeds in the hopes of learning how to be a better and kinder person, in the hopes of being signed and sealed into The Book of Life.
Taliya and her brothers were too young, of course, and were not required to fast. But they sat quietly the day before, and all throughout the day itself, reading and drawing pictures with crayons, discussing when they would be old enough to fast, and if they would be able to do it.
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After Yom Kippur came the festival of Sukkot, which would last for ten days. It was quite complex, with Aleph, Bet, Simhat Torah (which meant the Happiness of the Bible), followed by the building of a sukkah, and then Hanukkah, Purim, and Lag BaOmer, followed finally by Shavuot. Taliya did not yet fully understand the calendar of events, but she enjoyed the holidays very much, for it meant a great deal of time spent with her family, which was what she liked best.
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