Wilderness

Lev Lunts

IN THE WILDERNESS

Lightning fires around the camp at night, they slept in tents. And in the morning they traveled on - hungry and evil. They were many: who can count Jacob's sand and reckon Israel's multitude? Each took with him his cattle, and his women, and his children. It was hot and miserable. And it was more miserable in the day than at night, because in the day the sun shone with a golden and even light which was darker in its unchangeability than the nightly gloom.

It was miserable and dull. There was nothing to do - but walk, walk. Scorching boredom, hunger, desert misery, the need to do something with their hairy hands and dulled fingers drove them to steal from each other - utensils, skins, cattle, women - and then to slay the stealers. And then they avenged the slayings and slew the slayers. There was no water, and there was much blood. And ahead lay the land flowing with milk and honey.

There was no escape. Those lagging behind died. And Israel crept on, and behind crept the desert beasts, and ahead crept time.

There was no soul: the sun consumed it. There was only the body - black, dry and strong: the bearded visage that ate and drank, the feet that walked, the hands that slew, cut open flesh and embraced women in bed. Above this Israel, God - most gracious and ever-patient, just, merciful and true - was black and bearded as Israel, avenger and slayer. And between God and Israel was the blue, smooth, beardless, awful sky and Moses, Israel's leader, possessed.

Every sixth evening the clarions sounded, and Israel went to the tabernacle of the congregation and crowded before the tent of spun byssin and multicolored wool. And at the sacrificial altar stood Aaron, the priest - black and bearded, in a costly ephod - screaming and crying. About him, his sons, and his grandsons, and his kin of the tribe of Levi - black and bearded, in purple and scarlet - screamed and cried. Israel then - black and bearded, in goat skins, hungry and cowardly - screamed and cried.

And then was justice administered. Moses - beardless, conversant with God and inept in Israel's tongue - climbed up on the high platform. And on the platform his body heaved, from his mouth sprayed foam, and in the foam there were sounds, incomprehensible, but terrible. Israel shook and howled and, falling on its knees, prayed for forgiveness. The guilty confessed, and the guiltless confessed, for it was terrible. And they stoned the confessors. And then they traveled on, to the land of milk and honey.

When the clarions sounded -

- gold and silver and copper and wool - blue, purple and scarlet - and byssin and goat's hair and ram skins dyed red and badgers skins and shittim wood and perfumes for holy anointment and incense and precious stones -

- bore Israel to the tabernacle of the congregation, when the clarions sounded. Aaron then, and his sons, and his grandsons, and his kin of the tribe of Levi took for themselves this offering.

And he who had no gold, no purple, no precious stones - brought dishes and plates and cups and mugs for libation, and the best of holy oil, and the best of grapes and bread, and unleavened bread and leavened bread, and flat cakes anointed with oil, and sheep and calves and rams.

And he who had no oil, no grapes, no cattle, no utensils - was slain.

When they lacked the strength to go on, when the sand burned their soles and the sun their skins, and they had no water; when they ate mules and drank the mules' urine - then Israel went to Moses and cried and threatened: "Who will feed us meat and give us water to drink? We remember the fish we ate in Egypt, and the cucumbers, and the melons, and the onions, and the turnips, and the garlic. Where are you leading us? Where is your God who leads us? We do not want to fear Him. We want to go back to Egypt." And, in answer, Moses, Israel's leader, possessed, heaved on the platform. From his mouth sprayed foam, and there were curses, incomprehensible, but terrible. Aaron, his brother, in purple and scarlet, stood beside him and threatened and screamed: "Slay the grumblers." And the grumblers were slain.

And when Israel continued to grumble and cried out: "Is it not enough that you lead us from Egyptian soil to perish in the wilderness? You have not led us to the land flowing with milk and honey. You have not given us orchards and fields. We will not go. No, we will not go!" Then Aaron told his kin of the tribe of Levi: "Bare your swords and make your way through the people." And the sons of the tribe of Levi bared their swords and made their way through the people and slew everyone in their path. Israel screamed and cried in terror, because Moses spoke with God and the Levites had swords.

And then they arose and traveled on to the land of milk and honey. And the years crept as Israel crept, and Israel crept as the years.

If they met a tribe of people on the way, they slew them. They cut them open greedily, like beasts, and, having cut them open, traveled on. And behind, the desert beasts crept up and tore apart the remains of the people and gorged on them - greedily, like Israel.

The Edomites, the Moabites, the Bashanites and the Amorites they ground into the sand. They destroyed their altars and demolished their pedestals and burned their sacred wood. They left no man alive. But goods and cattle and women they took, and after they enjoyed a woman at night they slew her in the morning. They ripped open the pregnant womb and destroyed the fruit within, but the woman not pregnant they took till morning - and in the morning, slew her. And the best of utensils, cattle and women, the tribe of Levi took for itself.

The years crept as Israel crept. And together with the years and Israel crept hunger and thirst and terror and fury. There was nothing to bring to the tabernacle of the congregation when the clarions sounded. And Israel slew its cattle and took it to Aaron and his kin from the tribe of Levi. Those who came with empty hands - were slain. And more often Israel went to Moses and screamed and grumbled, and more often the sons of the tribe of Levi bared their swords and made their way through the people. And children were born, and years, and terror, and hunger.

And it came to pass that Israel met with the Midianites. And there was a great battle. It was Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, who led Israel. And Israel triumphed and, having triumphed, ravaged. And then it divided the cattle and women. And Phinehas, grandthe son of the priest, took the best flock and the best women.

And then one morning Phinehas took his sword to slay the woman he had enjoyed. But the woman was lying naked. And Phinehas could not slay her. And he left the tent, called a slave and said, giving him the sword: "Go into the tent and slay the woman." And the slave said: "Very well. I will slay the woman." And he entered the tent. Time passed, and Phinehas told another slave: "Go into the tent and slay the woman and the one who lies with her." And then he told a third, and a fourth, and a fifth slave. And they said, "Very well," and entered the tent. Time passed, and no one left the tent. Then Phinehas entered the tent, and there on the ground were slain slaves, and the last slave lay with the woman. And Phinehas took his sword and slew the slave and was ready to slay the woman. But the woman lay naked. And Phinehas could not slay her, and he went and lay down by the entrance to the tabernacle of the congregation.

And a great madness and fornication began in Israel. For the woman was lying in bed, and Israel's sons slew each other at the tent's entrance, and the conqueror lay with the woman. And when he came out of the tent - they slew him.

Thus passed the day, and the darkness behind the day, and the next day behind the darkness, and the next darkness behind the day. There was no bread, but no one grumbled; there was no water, but no one thirsted.

And, on the sixth evening, the clarions did not sound, and Israel did not go to the tabernacle of the congregation, but crowded about the tent of Phinehas, the son of Eleazar. Phinehas himself lay by the entrance to the tabernacle of the congregation.

And the seventh day passed, the Sabbath, and Israel did not gather at the tabernacle of the congregation and did not bear offerings. And the sons of the tribe of Levi came to slay the woman, but slew each other, and the conqueror lay with the woman.

And Moses, possessed, heaved in the pulpit and screamed and vomited foam and curses, but no one heard him.

And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, lay by the entrance to the tabernacle of the congregation, but no one looked on him.

And the camp of Israel did not creep on to the land flowing with milk and honey, but stopped. And the desert beasts that followed stopped, and time stopped.

And then, on the tenth day, the woman came out of the tent and walked naked through the camp. Israel crept after her through the sand and kissed the tracks of her feet. And the woman said: "Destroy the altars of your God and build a pedestal for Baal Peor, for he is the true god." And Israel destroyed the altars of their God and built a pedestal for Baal Peor. And the woman went to the tabernacle of the congregation, but at the entrance to the tabernacle lay Phinehas, the son of Eleazar. And the woman decided not to enter the tabernacle, but said: "Why are you lying there like a desert dog? Come and lie with me in your tent." And she said further: "Strike this man!" And Zimri, the son of Salu, leader of the Simeon tribe, came and kicked Phinehas. And the woman went into the tent. And Zimri, the son of Salu, followed after her.

And then, in the evening, Phinehas got up and went into the gent to lie with the woman. And Israel saw where Phinehas was going and parted before him. And Phinehas entered the tent, his javelin in his hand. And there lay the woman naked in bed, and upon her lay Zimri, the son of Salu, naked. And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, stabbed him above the sacrum and pierced his bowels and the woman's bowels and fastened the javelin to the bed. Then Phinehas turned over the tent, and Israel saw the woman and Zimri, the son of Salu, bare and pinned to the bed. And Israel began to howl and scream. But Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, went and lay down at the entrance to the tabernacle of the congregation.

10.

And then, in the morning, they had no bread, and no meat, and no water. And hunger, and thirst, and terror, and fury awakened. And Israel went to Moses, possessed, and told him: "Who will feed us meat and give us water to drink? We remember the fish we ate in Egypt, and the cucumbers, and the melons, and the onions, and the turnips, and the garlic. Why do you lead us into this wilderness, where we and our cattle shall die? You have not led us to the land flowing with milk and honey. We will not go. No, we will not go!" And, in answer, Moses, conversant with God, heaved on the platform. From his mouth sprayed foam, and there were incomprehensible curses. And Aaron, the priest, arose and told his sons of the tribe of Levi: "Bare your swords and make your way through the camp." And the sons of the tribe of Levi bared their swords and made their way through the camp and slew everyone in their path.

And then, in the evening, Israel arose and crept on to the land flowing with milk and honey. Ahead crept time, behind crept the desert beasts and on crept darkness.

Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, went last and looked back as he walked. And there were the woman and Zimri, the son of Salu, leader of the Simeon tribe, bare and pinned to the bed.

And above Israel, and above time, and above the country flowing with milk and honey - black and bearded as Israel, avenger and slayer - was God, most gracious and ever-patient, just, merciful and true