Jerusalem’s Brothers

They held clubs in their hands and moved toward the front of the shop quietly without notice. Suddenly, they were upon Simeon and Rachel. With one blow from each man, they took down Rachel and Simeon. Both lay unconscious on the dirt floor inside the shop where no one could notice. The men swung their clubs and began shattering all of the pottery on the shelves and those in line for the kiln. They kicked Simeon and beat him mercilessly. Thinking they had finished him off, they ran to the back of the shop and escaped. Jacob met them at the back door. Not knowing what they had done, he let them pass but looked at them as they ran up the alley. He turned and moved toward the front of the shop. While he hesitated and gawked at the destroyed pottery, his heart throbbed in both anger and trepidation as he began to realize the men had destroyed the business. Jacob called out, “Simeon! Rachel!” There was no response. Then he saw the only parents he had ever known laying in a pool of blood slowly seeping into the dirt floor. Neither moved. He reached down and pushed aside Rachel’s long, black hair as he knelt beside her. Blood ran through his fingers as he lifted her head onto his lap and began to rock back and forth. He held Rachel as she gazed at her son Barely alive, she whispered, “Simeon.”