She’d heard it several times in the past few years.
“Communist.”
There were boardinghouses crammed with people, rooms filled
with questions. And that word. That strange word was always there
somewhere, standing in the corner, watching from the dark. It wore
suits, uniforms. No matter where they went, there it was, each time
her father was mentioned. She could smell it and taste it. She just
couldn’t spell or understand it. When she asked her mother what it
meant, she was told that it wasn’t important, that she shouldn’t worry
about such things. At one boardinghouse, there was a healthier
woman who tried to teach the children to write, using charcoal on the
wall. Liesel was tempted to ask her the meaning, but it never
eventuated. One day, that woman was taken away for questioning.
She didn’t come back.
When Liesel arrived in Molching, she had at least some inkling that
she was being saved, but that was not a comfort. If her mother loved
her, why leave her on someone else’s doorstep? Why? Why?
Why?
The fact that she knew the answer—if only at the most basic level
—seemed beside the point. Her mother was constantly sick and there
was never any money to fix her. Liesel knew that. But that didn’t
mean she had to accept it. No matter how many times she was told
that she was loved, there was no recognition that the proof was in the
abandonment. Nothing changed the fact that she was a lost, skinny
child in another foreign place, with more foreign people. Alone.The Hubermanns lived in one of the small, boxlike houses on Himmel
Street. A few rooms, a kitchen, and a shared outhouse with neighbors.
The roof was flat and there was a shallow basement for storage. It
was supposedly not a basement of adequate depth. In 1939, this wasn’t
a problem. Later, in ’42 and ’43, it was. When air raids started, they
always needed to rush down the street to a better shelter.
In the beginning, it was the profanity that made an immediate
impact. It was so vehement and prolific. Every second word was either
Saumensch or Saukerl or Arschloch. For people who aren’t familiar
with these words, I should explain. Sau, of course, refers to pigs. In
the case of Saumensch, it serves to castigate, berate, or plain humiliate
a female. Saukerl (pronounced “saukairl”) is for a male. Arschloch can
be translated directly into “asshole.” That word, however, does not
differentiate between the sexes. It simply is.
“Saumensch, du dreckiges!” Liesel’s foster mother shouted that first
evening when she refused to have a bath. “You filthy pig! Why won’t
you get undressed?” She was good at being furious. In fact, you could
say that Rosa Hubermann had a face decorated with constant fury.
That was how the creases were made in the cardboard texture of her
complexion.
Liesel, naturally, was bathed in anxiety. There was no way she was
getting into any bath, or into bed for that matter. She was twisted
into one corner of the closetlike washroom, clutching for the
nonexistent arms of the wall for some level of support. There was
nothing but dry paint, difficult breath, and the deluge of abuse from
Rosa.
“Leave her alone.” Hans Hubermann entered the fray. His gentle
voice made its way in, as if slipping through a crowd. “Leave her to
me.”
He moved closer and sat on the floor, against the wall. The tiles
were cold and unkind.
“You know how to roll a cigarette?” he asked her, and for the next
hour or so, they sat in the rising pool of darkness, playing with the
tobacco and the cigarette papers and Hans Hubermann smoking them.
When the hour was up, Liesel could roll a cigarette moderately
well. She still didn’t have a bath.
SOME FACTS ABOUT
HANS HUBERMANN
He loved to smoke.
The main thing he enjoyed about smoking was the rolling.
He was a painter by trade and played the piano accordion. This
came in handy, especially in winter, when he could make a little
money playing in the pubs of Molching, like the Knoller.
He had already cheated me in one world war but would later be
put into another (as a perverse kind of reward), where he would
somehow manage to avoid me again.
To most people, Hans Hubermann was barely visible. An un-special
person. Certainly, his painting skills were excellent. His musical
ability was better than average. Somehow, though, and I’m sure
you’ve met people like this, he was able to appear as merely part of
the background, even if he was standing at the front of a line. He was
always just there. Not noticeable. Not important or particularly
valuable.
The frustration of that appearance, as you can imagine, was its
complete misleadence, let’s say. There most definitely was value in
him, and it did not go unnoticed by Liesel Meminger. (The human
child—so much cannier at times than the stupefyingly ponderous
adult.) She saw it immediately.
His manner.
The quiet air around him.
When he turned the light on in the small, callous washroom that
night, Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father’s eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver. Like soft silver, melting. Liesel,
upon seeing those eyes, understood that Hans Hubermann was worth
a lot.
SOME FACTS ABOUT
ROSA HUBERMANN
She was five feet, one inch tall and wore her browny gray
strands of elastic hair in a bun.
To supplement the Hubermann income, she did the washing and
ironing for five of the wealthier households in Molching.
Her cooking was atrocious.
She possessed the unique ability to aggravate almost anyone she
ever met.
But she did love Liesel Meminger.
Her way of showing it just happened to be strange.
It involved bashing her with wooden spoon and words at
various intervals.
When Liesel finally had a bath, after two weeks of living on Himmel
Street, Rosa gave her an enormous, injury-inducing hug. Nearly
choking her, she said, “Saumensch, du dreckiges—it’s about time!”
After a few months, they were no longer Mr. and Mrs. Hubermann.
With a typical fistful of words, Rosa said, “Now listen, Liesel—from
now on you call me Mama.” She thought a moment. “What did you
call your real mother?”
Liesel answered quietly. “Auch Mama—also Mama.”
“Well, I’m Mama Number Two, then.” She looked over at her
husband. “And him over there.” She seemed to collect the words in
her hand, pat them together, and hurl them across the table. “That Saukerl, that filthy pig—you call him Papa, verstehst? Understand?”
“Yes,” Liesel promptly agreed. Quick answers were appreciated in
this household.
“Yes, Mama,” Mama corrected her. “Saumensch. Call me Mama
when you talk to me.”
At that moment, Hans Hubermann had just completed rolling a
cigarette, having licked the paper and joined it all up. He looked over
at Liesel and winked. She would have no trouble calling him Papa.
Fascinating, Martha!
Thank you
The Xtian ‘Word of God’ has no portion with Sinai
The בראשית Divine Names אל שדי אלהים אל וכו stand apart from the revelation of the שם השם לשמה revealed in the first Sinai commandment. Hence the Avot did not “know HaShem”. The Mishkan פרט teaches a profound משל which requires the generations to make the דיוק נמשל. The kabbalah-שכנה refers to rabbi Yechuda’s Yatzir Ha-Tov in his kre’a shma interpretation לבבך\כם; consistent with the dedication of Horev spirits/middot 13 followed up by Talmud Yerushalmi/Bavli middot 7 Hillel, 10 Akiva, 13 Yishmael affixed to interpreting Gemara common law halachic precedents and HaGallil 32 middot/aggada – to re-interpret (משנה תורה) the language of the Mishna which Gemara common law serves to interpret as a mirror of courtroom witnesses who testify based upon their given “fixed” perspectives. Akin to the front-top-side views of a blue print.
The theological abomination of Monotheism perverts the reality that each nation unique, because each nation worships its own national God. The 30 Year War a strong precedent. A T’NaCH source precedent, the permanent split between the kingdoms of Yechuda and Yisroel serve witness before the אלהים court. First the kingdom of Israel assimilated and embraced alien cultures and customs and abandoned the Oral Torah which serves to define the culture, customs, social practices which define the identity of the chosen Cohen people. Then Yechuda also worshiped other National Gods by embracing foreign cultures customs and forgetting and abandoning the revelation of the god of Sinai. Hanukkah serves witness. The Rambam serves as a prime example of how assimilation and intermarriage define the k’vanna of the 2nd Sinai commandment. Herein explains the failure of Reshonim scholarship to inspire Israel to conquer our homelands, based upon the model of Moshe Rabbeinu.
Mesechta Avoda Zarah specifically instructs that only Israel accepts the Torah. Hence the דיוק – the god of Sinai only a local tribal god. Clearly the god who delivered Israel out of Egypt not confused with the Gods of Egypt. בראשית ברא אלהים introduces Av tohor wisdom commandments taught through the משל of the world created in six days. The נמשל introduces time-oriented Av Torah commandments which require k’vanna & creates the chosen Cohen people in all generations through the sanctification of time-oriented wisdom commandments. Hence Torah commands mussar, the definition of prophetic wisdom. Torah does not teach history. T’NaCH & Talmud, Siddur & Midrashim establish the culture, customs, practices and identities of the chosen Cohen people. Just that simple, no fancy dancing.
The god of Israel judged the Egyptian Gods. The Av tuma witchcraft which declares: as above so below – rejects the Revelation of the Torah first Sinai commandment: השם לא בשמים היא; the god of Israel post Sinai vs. the Gods of Egypt serve as the eternal הבדלה that differentiates the revelation of רוח הקודש מידות which quicken and cause the Yatzir Ha-Tov to live & breath. Herein defines the k’vaana of Oral Torah common law Court-room justice as the substance of the revelation of the Torah at Sinai. The Goyim world contrast-view reads their Bible or Koran — Egypt’s Gods either false or subordinate inferior Gods, who do not actually exist at all. Hence their Av tuma avoda zara promotes the theology known as Monotheism. Goyim never accepted the Blessing/Curse brit of Sinai. Just as Goyim aliens do not determine the k’vanna of the mitzva of Moshiach so too Goyim theology does not determine the god of Israel.
The curse of g’lut: Jews lose the skill required to do mitzvot לשמה – based upon the first Sinai commandment – Egypt לאו דוקא. The temple of Shlomo – av tuma avoda zara made by a fool. The Book of Kings makes a דיוק satire by referring to Shlomo as the “wisest of all men”. The god of Israel binds only Israel because only Israel accepts the revelation of the Torah at Sinai. Assimilated Rambam, another ‘latter day’ Mormon-like fool; he embraced the Arab tawhid and ruled that Jews could daven in Arab mosques, and his Guide philosophy based upon Aristotle rather than פרדס logic; that Allah the same god of Sinai – despite the cold hard fact that Goyim, specifically Muhammad, reject the revelation of the Torah at Sinai. Prophets never sent דוקא to Goyim; both Moshe and Yona sent to lands not included in the oath sworn to the Avot as the inheritance of their Cohen seed to cause g’lut Israel to remember the brit and do t’shuva. The Pauline ‘original sin’ replacement theology perverted the introduction of the Torah curse/theme of g’lut\exile and substitutes – the belief system, messiah Jesus God saves from sin.
The Nicene Creed which equates Jesus as God, perhaps the strongest proof; international law a myth of propaganda morality, not a binding authority. Political conflicts throughout history falsely classified by some as a failure of diplomacy. But casting this political rhetoric upon the dust bin of history together with the NT & Koran, political conflicts express a natural clash of sovereign “Gods.” Restated: A nation‑state — a functional “God.” Theological Universal Monotheism\tawhid, often called “international law” by UN member states who oppose Israel, attempt to override national sovereignty through Religio-political rhetoric. But history provokes-proves that nations create their own sacred narratives, “Word of God”. Universal monotheism directly resembles Great Power imperialism. The revelation of the Torah at Sinai establishes faith as judicial Sanhedrin court justice limited to the bnai brit people alone.
Other nations never bound to the 7 mitvot other than Gere Toshav living within the borders of the Cohen brit republic. Why? These mitzvot make a required הבדלה which separates ger toshav from na’creeim. The Talmud always remains within the judicial boundaries which the Written Torah written Constitution determines. Post sealing of the Shas Bavli all opinions made by scholars compare to US Supreme Court rulings which later Courts can overturn.
The Blessing/Curse Torah oath brit faith never presumes any conclusion that g’lut applies to HaShem as its applies to Israel, based upon the contrast between the בראשית Divine Names from the first Sinai Name. Any reading that attempts to teach this metaphor – if taken literally – merely a טיפש פשט. The sophomoric Bible mistranslations and Koran serve as witness. For example: among the Reshonim, only Rambam ruled halacha from aggadic sources. His Universal Monotheistic God permits Jews to daven in av tuma avoda zara Mosques.
That later Goyim, such as Hobbs, Schmitt, or modern nationalism “influenced” by the Torah, (the Founding Fathers of the American Republic serve as witness), does not invert this Torah “Nation-State as Functional God” as post Talmudic; based upon the Torah premise: the chicken created and later laid eggs. Church rejection of the פרדס Oral Torah combined with their Jesus God NT theology – invalidates its literalist reading of the Creation story. Just as Muhammad’s equal redefinition of prophets as persons sent to all nations invalidates the revelation of the Torah first commandment. Allah simply a Golden Calf word substitution.
Rambam’s universalist Noahide framework only a philosophical systematization; it does not appear explicitly in the Talmud or Tanakh as a normative precedent. Hilchot Melachim 8–10, expresses a foreign philosophy — a Greek-influenced natural law perspective. The Talmud does not frame Goyim as bound by any such universal natural law – in a systematic, Greek-like sense. Rambam abstracts from Talmudic rulings unto a universal ethical schema — a philosophical move, that created a new Judaism religion. There is no canonical Talmudic or Tanakh precedent for universalist moral obligations like Rambam “God” imposes through his Roman-like statute law religious codification. Oral Torah logic employed by Sanhedrin justices to interpret law based upon precedents. The lights of the P’rushim hanukkah serve as witness that assimilation to Greek culture and deductive reasoning causes Israel to forget the Torah.
T’NaCH prophetic sources such as found Isaiah 13-14, 40-48 directed toward the failure of Israel to do t’shuva and remember the Sinai oath brit. Never to Goyim – who to this very moment in time do not accept this Sinai oath brit blessing\curse-Life/Death judicial justice-g’lut oppression faith obligation. Yonah sent to Nineveh, serves witness. Repentance made by Goyim shares nothing with the Torah mitzva of t’shuva. Because t’shuva centers upon remembering the oaths sworn by our fore-fathers; repentance refers to regret made over personal sins – based upon the Pauline theology-doctrine: Original Sin. The “repentance” made by the king of Assyria – only an Indian Summer. Goyim not delivered from Egyptian slavery, therefore Goyim incapable of remembering the oaths sworn by the Avot to cut the time-oriented Torah brit which creates the chosen Cohen people throughout the generations.
The בראשית “Creation story” introduces Av time oriented wisdom commandments. בראשית does not introduce something other than the revelation of the Torah at Sinai judicial common law. Based upon the כלל that a opening “Thesis Statement” followed by “particulars which validate” the thesis statement through specific particulars כלל-פרט.
The Bavli aggada -does – mention Noahide categories, but not as a system, any more than the Creation story instructs that the Universe created in some silly טיפש פשט literalist reactionary reading. D’varim defines two types of Goyim in the brit oath-land inheritance of the chosen Cohen people. Mesechta Sanhedrin aggada address ger toshav and mesechta Baba Kama halacha – Nacreeim. Talmud does not ever refer to Goyim in foreign lands as having to obey the 7 mitzvot bnai noach. Why? Because Goyim never accept to this day the revelation of the Torah – inclusive of the Book בראשית.
Mesechta Avoda Zara and Chullin teach that a Hebrew Goy slave – a ger toshav. Another proof: Orpha decided to return to her Moavite family. The דיוק clear, she returned to Moav and abandoned keeping the 7 mitzvot bnai noach. Ruth by contrast, returned to Israel and serves as the model of the mitzva ger tzeddik.
[If] every nation establishes its own god, such as did Casear, and Mao; and HaShem breaths tohor middot – only the Oral Torah god of Israel – when we rule our homeland with righteous judicial common law courtroom justice — [then] What status of divine justice operates outside this Sinai brit? Each people by making their own Gods, as either Heads of State or theological belief systems etc. The Code of Hammurabi – approximately 600 to 800 years older than the commonly accepted date for the Sinai revelation after the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt, serves as witness. History testifies that throughout human history national leaders have assumed the role of God of their people/kingdom. Sinai does not sit atop of any universal pyramid. Rather the revelation of the Torah at Sinai — a different “mountain” entirely.