Benjamin the Wolf
"Glorified and sanctified be God's great name throughout the world which He has created according to His will."
These words had become all too familiar for Benjamin Cohn the wolf. The words were the start of the Mourner's Kaddish, which meant that another one of his friends had passed away, this time Issac Alvarez, his college friend. The lion ancient as Benjamin was committed to the earth several weeks after his 96th birthday after passing in his sleep. Benjamin's wife, Sarah, a wolf just as he was had died a few months before, at the advanced age of 98, on the Day of Atonement. A rare blessing it was for anyone to live to be 100 but this wolf.had accomplished it- now the patriarch of a large family of sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughters, as well as a large number of nieces and nephews, the wolf had seen much in his life.
Which made him think back to his fond memories of Isaac, back when they were both young university students living in the East Side of Brooklyn, studying at the famed Mirrer Institute. Both were astounding students in their high school but when the time came for them to take jobs, the two were both fascinated by the incandescent light of the Torah, the wisdom of the Talmudic commentators, and the earthy nature of the Chassidic stories told through countless generations, retold in countless Jewish families. Yet neither Mr. Alvarez or Mr. Cohn would finish their rabbinical studies as secular pursuits came calling. Inspired by Rebbe Nachmann's words that "the grass will join in your prayers before the Holy One", Benjamin became an arborist, and later a biology professor in upstate New York. Alvarez, a child of Sephardic ancestry would leave to pursue a career working for the U.S. government- he was one of the first to hear the reports of the Holocaust, findings which shook his faith from that day onward. He struggled to maintain his faith and became an atheist, a position he held until his final years.
When the time came for him to eulogize his best friend and neighbor, Cohn remembered the warmth the two had shared as friends, the shared experiences the two had both being grandfathers to Jewish families who had spread from New York all over the country, even in some cases around the world. (Alvarez's son Natan and daughter-in-law Maryam were olim who left for Tel Aviv in 1962.)
The wizened wolf, his gray fur disheveled by age spoke with as much as strength as his old frame could muster, while holding tightly onto the pulpit to keep his balance. His sons helped him get there as walking was very difficult for him.
"We bury a good friend, a mensch to the entire community today, one known for philanthropy. He gave a tenth his entire life to Bet Noach to make it a 'house of rest' for those who entered this threshhold. Even if he didn't agree with what was being taught." Some members of the congregation looked around at the ornate temple partially renovated in 1971 with his money which he had made as a lobbyist in Washington DC. There was a long pause during which the wolf cleared his throat.
"At times, he wrestled with God as Jacob did. In time, he adopted a view which would not fit our own, like Elisha ben-Abuyah but like Elisha we still viewed him as an authority on matters of education. This is the Yom Kippur and he will stand before God, atoned. For him... for him just as for all of us, the words of Rebbe Nachmann apply. Life is a narrow bridge and the key is not to be afraid. And he will join Rebecca, his wife."
The very mention of his friend's deceased wife brought back memories of Sarah. A beautiful woman, she was Benjamin's princess. As he delivered his short eulogy, he was standing just feet from where he was married underneath a chuppah constructed by Sarah's mother. She was a young Zionist who clung tightly to the ideal of a Jewish state before they met and fought for its survival in a world she saw as anti-Semitic. But when it seemed that the world was closing in on her, her husband would be there to tell her that every The union of these two wolves seven decades ago brought twelve talented scholars into the world. Scientists, authors, mathematicians, doctors, and lawyers even a Broadway actor were there all to give their ancient father support at what was a very trying time.
As the service ended with Benjamin gathering dirt to sprinkle over the coffin (he could no longer shovel in his current state), he thought back to the old friends he had lost some to old age, some to violent acts, some to accidents and others to disease. He knew at some point, as he had read Azra'el the destroying angel would come to take him away. But he felt that at this point he had accomplished much. He knew for the rest of his days, he would be provided for by his sons and daughters as he was driven to his grandson David's home. And with that he could be peaceful.
Six months later,
"Benjamin, I'll be leaving to get groceries," David said from across the hall. But when his grandson felt Benjamin's paw, his body had turned cold. He knew from then on that he would have to call members of the family to tell them the terrible news. Benjamin, the ravenous wolf who would often speak of "devouring the prey in the morning and dividing the plunder in the evening" had left this world with its unending tragedies for someplace better.