15 November, 2024 11:00

Mr Blank and The Messiah

I lived among evangelicals. Every Sunday the radio and TV filled with preachers. Orators of great skill.

The dominance of the mainly Protestant church was vast. Blue laws – places, cities, counties that did not sell beer/alcohol – at all, or if they did only at specific locations.

People – as more than 70% of the population went to Church [mainly of the vast array of Protestant variety]. There are over 900 variations of the Protestant movement in the US alone. Now "some" countries, locations are Catholic dominated. Spain, Portugal, Italy in Europe. In North America, mainly it is specific cities, the most well known, is Boston. Mexico, and almost all of Central and South America, are dominated by the Catholic church. Now one can easily ask – what is difference? That is a long conversation and not for now.

I am Mr Blank and this is about the time I met the Messiah.

As a jew… we seem to have to start our conversations with this nugget. We are long exiled Nation, scattered amongst the Nations of the world. Almost half us lived for nearly 2000 years in locations dominated by the Catholic or Protestant church. Another almost half ended up in countries dominated by Islam. [Which also has two main streams].

And the Catholics fought wars with the Protestants. And the Protestants fought wars with the Catholics. And before the Protestants, the Catholics faught wars with Islam. The Catholics and Muslims wanted to control Israel – specifically and most important Jerusalem.

Go read about it on your own time.

And generation after generation, we the Jews sat and cried and prayed for a return to Jerusalem, a rebuilding of Jerusalem, and.. the Messiah.

The End of Days [or Day]. Is it 1 day, or many days? When is it going to happen. The many Prophets that spoke about it lived so so so so very long ago. Ancient history – really!

And time passed, and we the jews sitting in our locations that the nations allowed, always looking over our shoulders for the next pogrom, slaughter, rape, held hostage, kicked out event… we morphed our Savior into something one might call a superhero.

Yes, from the comics. Is it any wonder that the original co-creators of the "comics" as we in the West know them, were Jews?

Superman fought Hitler. Captain America fought Hitler. The jews needed an "uberman" — how else were we to actually defeat these major powers, and get back our Land and our Capitol? We were so small, so scattered, so beaten down, mauled and tortured in all our locations that the ONLY way our Messiah could win, was if he himself was not like other humans. So our imaginations and hopes over long exile morphed.

We had a brief Golem period. The Jews of Yemen had Pusha. Jews in some cities in Europe had Hersehley, or most specific and well known the Golem of Prague.

This story is not about these "protectors" of the jews…. it is interesting that these creations were of and came from Jewish sources [in the example of the Golem of Prague created by the local rabbi[s].

There was not an example of an outsider – non Jew who would be our Savior. Our Redeemer had to be from the Line of King David. Period. End of Story.

But Jewish stories never end, the roll on.

And now, the true fictional version of Mr Blank meeting the Messiah. I, Mr Blank say it is true, but no one will believe me. Since I am a no one, a nobody. I am not a Youtuber influencer, or have thousands and thousands of peolple following me on X.

I am Mr. Blank. A normal every day Jew.

Not a chochom. Not a yeshiva guy, although I did study at many many many places.

I am a wanderer, a traveler, a steak [kosher for now nearly 20 years]eating red-blooded American. Oh, also Jewish, so I am not "really" an American. Even though my birth certificate says so. We all know that can be faked right? That my place of birth can be openly challenged by our latest and new Savior. But I digress.

One day, or maybe in the words of the Prophets, it was days? Once – and in actual truth, I was in Tzfat.

Tzfat is a small city, on top of a mountain [?] — I mean, by Israel standards, it is a mountain, but come on ain’t the Alps.

Have you ever seen the Alps? I, Mr Blank and I guess you don’t have to take my word for has been to the Alps. Not to discredit the mountain that Tzfat is on, but no one would ever say it is anything like the Alps.

One day or days, I, Mr Blank was walking the narrow — and if you’ve been to Tzfat, you know, that this is at least true – that the streets are in fact narrow. I guess do your own research.

One day, or days, and it might have been close to dusk, and cloudy and I distinctly recall that the street, path I was on was wet, so maybe it was the rainy season. In Israel that could be anytime from mid October to about March. Sometimes April.

I was walking, wandering around self absorbed in myself, when … it happened.

This guy [and he was most definitely real and male]. It vastly important to the Messiah journey that he is a man.

Take it up with all of the tradition, I am not going to use AI to bring the thousands of pages that say the messiah must be a man.

You will – I mean you do not "have" believe anything. Especially, from me, Mr Blank.

This guy, bumps into me, and I said [in English], [and because my mom raised me to be polite], I said "excuse me".

This man — he was roughly the same age and height I am [and was at the time] This entire incident took place sometime in either 1994, or 1995. Potentially in 1999 – before I made Aliyah. After that, I did in fact and I guess you will just have to believe me, — but since is true fiction by Mr Blank, you do not have to believe anything, I [Mr Blank] lived in Tzfat.

But the incident happened before 2003, … and where was I?

Oh — "excuse me"

He [and it is super important to know that this person actually existed — he might of died since then], said to me "oh – that is okay [he also spoke English. What are the odds?].

That is okay, I wasn’t paying attention.

"I am the messiah" he says as if it is a known fact. Without pause. Without any explanation.

"Really?" – I mean, what else am I supposed to say. He and I and had just bumped into each other.

"Yes, I am."

"Uh, so.." ..

" I am off to go learn, come with me". He said.

"Uh, well, I am on my way "…I replied.

And the next thing I recall, was his walking away, turn a corner and "poof".

I never saw this person again.

Now over 20 years later, this entire story came to me, and I thought I would share it with you.

Love, Mr Blank