Saved by his Enemy

It was the last night of Chanukah, and the Beykoz Quarter’s Jewish inhabitants used the occasion to enjoy this Shabbat. While singing Vos Ke Sosh Padre Rahman could be heard from all the houses, at the house of Yosef the fisherman, silence reigned, even though there were many guests. In one of this house’s narrow rooms, many lights illuminated the multitude of people, crammed up to the door.

What was happening?

It was an engagement celebration. Yosef the fisherman gave his daughter Rachel’s hand to Menachem, a young man who was a fisherman like him. Amidst the silence, a rabbi seated on a chair asked: “Who is the groom?”

A young man rose to his feet and neared the rabbi. “Do you judge the bride to be good?” the rabbi asked him. “Are you pleased with her?”

The young man blushed and nodded his head to signal his approval.

The same question was presented to the bride, and upon her approval, the rabbi concluded the engagement. Now the celebration could begin. Sweets and glasses of raki were offered, and beautiful girls began singing to the delight of the bride and groom. That is how they passed the time until the middle of the night, when guests began leaving, wishing the betrothed couple joy and happiness.

Half an hour later, the bride and groom were at the door. They exchanged the sweet words used by the newly betrothed, and Menachem departed. Rachel stayed at the door until she saw the figure of her fiancé disappear into another house.

Suddenly, a voice made her halt: “Rachel, wait!”

A young man came to the door.

“Bravo, Rachel,” said the young man, and added, “Congratulations on your engagement.”

“My darling Abraham! I couldn’t disobey my father.”

“And now what? I lose all hope of ever having you?”

“It seems that way, yes. But if time will bring about some sort of miracle, that I don’t know.”

“Bravo, Rachel, such promises! Such oaths! Are you going to break them all?”

“But what did I do to you? I swear to you that I love you with all my heart. Tonight, before the engagement, I begged my father to cancel it, but. . . ah! I failed! My father’s stubbornness defeated my own. I was forced to agree.”

“Rachel, I love you! You must be mine! For three years, you loved me, you promised me! You swore that you loved me. . . those promises, you must keep them!”

“If it were up to me, I would happily do so, my dear Abraham, but. . . You know very well that my father is behind all this. He says you are a simple worker who makes only eight or ten grushim a day, while Menachem has three boats, eighteen employees, and he makes much more than you. But despite everything, I love you, and who knows, maybe one day we’ll succeed.”

“And when is the wedding?”

“In one month.”

“In such a short time, nothing can be done. Go, go and be happy. It is meant to be.”

And without saying another word, trembling and with tears streaming from his eyes, Abraham walked away. He walked straight home, entered his room, and cried like a baby.

“Three years of love! Three years of joy! Oh, God! And now it’s all gone!”

He was out of breath, and the sobs drowned out his voice. He continued: “No! Never! I must leave Constantinople! I can’t watch the woman I loved for three years marry another man. The best cure for forsaken love is distance. I must leave my homeland at all costs! That is the best remedy. I cannot stay here.”

That night, he tucked away his bedding. At the crack of dawn, not having shut his eyes for a moment, he prepared for his voyage.

“I will go to Smyrna. There is a port there, too, and my trade as a fisherman can be put to good use there.” He dressed hurriedly and went down to the docks to take a ferry into the city, where he procured a passport. The sea was stormy, and the southern winds hit forcefully as everyone eagerly awaited the ship’s arrival.

If anyone had seen Abraham leaving his house, they would have mistaken him for a drunkard. He was in a daze and did not pay attention to anything or anyone along his way. At the docks, he encountered a friend who asked him, “Where are you going, Abraham?”

“I’m going to Smyrna.”

“Did you pass by the coast?”

“What is it? Many waved?”

“More than that. Menachem, the new son-in-law of your master, had the courage to go out to sea this morning. The boat capsized. The four sailors drowned, and they’re still trying to find Menachem. Go to the other end, and you’ll see all the people who are looking for him with ropes and hooks.”

“Is the boat far away?”

“Not too far.”

“Let’s see then.”

Abraham went to the place where all the people were congregating. He saw the force of the many waves. At a distance, he saw the boat spinning and Menachem on top of it. The waves tossed him in different directions. He did not know how to swim and was screaming, “Help me! Help!”

Abraham stood for a moment, looking at the sad scene. A thought suddenly shot through his mind: “If Menachem were to die, Rachel would be miserable, and I can prevent the sorrow of this woman whom I’ve loved for three years. I can swim well. I can save him.”

He undressed and hurled himself into the water. Battling the waves with all his powers, he got near the boat and yelled: “Menachem, get on top of me!”

But Menachem was scared. They could both drown.

“Menachem! There’s no time to waste! Just do it!”

The poor, newly betrothed man realized he was about to drown and was forced to comply. With an effort of will, he jumped on top of Abraham, who began swimming to shore. Poor Abraham suffered greatly. Many times, it appeared as though the waves were swallowing him, and his arms felt like they were breaking. But he gathered his strength and battled the waves forcefully. Twenty minutes passed that way. On the shore, everyone was screaming with joy. Eventually, Abraham managed to save his adversary and bring him to the port, throwing him like a piece of cargo onto the dock. He then took his clothes and disappeared. His mind empty, Abraham got dressed and, without anyone seeing him, he headed back to the station. The arrival of the steamship was just announced. He got a ticket and boarded.

Eight days later, Abraham was in Smyrna. He slowly began to forget his old pain and went to find work. He had to find a way to make a living. There had to be fishermen at the port, he thought. I must go and find out what kind of work there is around there. He left Han Abd al-Qader Pasha, where he was staying, and headed to the Frank quarter to get to the port. In the Frank quarter, a lovely surprise awaited Abraham. There was a charming market, and as he was walking around and looking into the shop windows, someone grabbed his arm: “Excuse me, Abraham, for showing up this way. You left in such a hurry!”

The young fisherman turned around, and to his surprise, he saw Menachem, whom he had saved from death eight days earlier. Abraham was puzzled by the sight of Menachem and began recalling the three years of love that he was trying to forget.

Menachem understood everything and went on: “Abraham, come with me! I came to Smyrna looking for you to save you from your suffering.”

“But what suffering have I got? My only worry is that I haven’t been able to find work yet.”

“Come, Abraham, come. You saved my life, and I will save yours.” This phrase left Abraham dumbfounded. He did not understand what Menachem was trying to say.

“Yes, my friend, yes,” Menachem continued. “I must save your life. Listen, when you saved me from the sea, eight days ago, I went straight to Rachel and told her what you did. I asked her to advise me on how to repay you, and she began to cry.”

Abraham looked at Menachem like a child and signaled him to continue.

“Eventually, Abraham, after asking for a long time about why she was crying, Rachel told me everything. Three years! Ah, Abraham! At that moment, I had a thought: When I was already half dead, when the devil tried to pry my soul out from me, you risked your life to save mine. And for my part, I must make a sacrifice for you, and the most I can do is give you Rachel.”

Abraham was overcome with joy. He felt as though he was in a dream, and he rubbed his eyes to make sure that it was really happening.

Menachem understood and held his hand, saying: “Come, Abraham, come! It is true, Rachel is yours! You saved my life, and I will save yours!”

Three days later, the two young men returned to Constantinople. The following night, at the same house where, on the last night of Chanukah, our readers witnessed the engagement of Rachel and Menachem, a new engagement was celebrated. Rachel became Abraham’s betrothed, to the joy of Menachem and the bride’s father. One month later, Rachel and Abraham were married.