THE JERUSALEM FACTOR

Kayd parked his car next to the outdoor court, and started loosening up. He was just starting his warmup routine when Adam peddled in. He had shown Adam some stretching exercises in some of their earlier sessions, and Adam had come to appreciate the value of warmup.  Kayd loved these Saturday morning workouts, and it seemed like Adam did too. He was pushing Adam to find out what he could do with a basketball. Although Adam was barely six feet tall, he could leap to the hoop, and was close to dunking. Kayd had set him up with a weight program at the university, and was talking to him about joining his recreation league team. Kayd was constantly setting up an imaginary game situation and provide a running commentary designed to test the instincts of his young friend. He had figured out that Adam had been a shooting guard. He had revised his opinion about Adam’s ability level. He decided Adam could have starred at a small college.

After a hard and exhilarating 30 minutes of one on one, the two men sat down on a bench, and Kayd opened up his notebook. “Adam, I have a new idea about our search for your identity. I’ve talked to Sarah and Berakah about it, and they are going to help. We’re going to try to get a profile of everything that you do easily and well. The theory is that you gravitate easily to things you were good at in your past life. For example, all the basketball skills came back as easily as riding a bicycle, but there is no capability in soccer. Even I can fake you out, and you’re helpless with your feet. I take it that you have played a lot of basketball somewhere, but little soccer. That may mean you grew up in America, since soccer is more common in most other countries.”

“We want to do the same with language and educational subjects, including music, history, literature, science, and art,” he continued. “I think we can narrow down the area of the world where you were educated. Meanwhile, Berakah is going to help you keep a journal of anything and everything that seems familiar to you on first contact.  For example, we think you may have been a mathematics major because of the way that math seems to unfold for you.”

Adam looked down. He was overwhelmed. Amazingly, he had stumbled on the same idea since Berakah had suggested he keep a journal. He hadn’t dared to raise his hopes. Now Kayd had carried the idea way beyond his thoughts.

“Do you think we can find out where I was brought up, Kayd?”

Kayd hesitated, not wanting to raise his expectations too much.  He decided to take the plunge. “Yes, Adam. It could take many months, maybe years. But I think we can narrow it down. By the way, did you ever hear of the Sudan, or Omar Hassan al-Turabi? Or Khartoum? The Nile River?”

Adam was staring at him. His eyes took on a faraway look.

“The White Nile?” He said slowly, as a recollection flickered in his eye. “I can picture a motor boat heading down a river at top speed.”

Then nothing. He shook his head. He had that vague, empty feeling in his stomach. It seemed like he should know it, but he couldn’t bring up any memory. He looked down and shook his head again.

“That’s it, Kayd. That’s all I can remember.”

“That’s great, Adam. I’ll follow up on that later.”

Kayd could see he was affected, and decided not to pursue it any more right then. He knew the Nile had head waters in Sudan, flowed from there through Egypt. He wondered about the ‘white’ Nile.

“I’m sure we’ll be able to find out where you’re from before too long, Adam.  We have so many tools available. Sarah has talked with neurologists, and they say it’s possible that events in your life may still trigger some memories, and eventually the whole thing will come back. Meanwhile, you have a lot to be thankful for. How did your week go on tour?”

Adam brightened up. “The tour is great. Every day gets better and better.  The people are all enjoying it and friendly. Of course, Dad is dynamic and full of information. And Prof. Jay Wilbur really makes me think. Sometimes he brings out that sense you were just talking about. I feel like I’ve heard this before. I wish you could meet him, Kayd.”

“Let me know if he gets down here in Tel Aviv and has the time. I would like to meet him.”

“I’ll find out if that’s possible, Kayd. Right now I have to leave,” Adam said. “Berakah is coming over for a session in a few minutes.”

“O.K., Adam. See you next week.”

Berakah rang the doorbell at the Berit house.  She was looking forward to hearing what Adam had to say about his tour of Galilee. She heard the familiar footsteps hurrying to the door. Soon they were at the kitchen table in deep conversation. Adam opened his journal and told her about Megiddo, and showed her the entry in his journal when he had asked himself whether he had “known this before.” He told her about his growing understanding that religion properly understood was not “tacked on,” but foundational to all of life. He told her about the boat ride on the Galilee, and how the story of Jesus calming the storm had seemed familiar. He told her about visiting the synagogue in Capernaum, and about disagreement between Jay and Daniel over Jesus.