"Harlan Ellison - Toward The Light" - читать интересную книгу автора (Ellison Harlan)

eight days, giving the Kohanim sufficient time to prepare and receive fresh
uncontaminated oil that was fit for the menorah.

A time of miracles. Like, for instance, you're on the Interstate, seventy-five
miles from the nearest gas station, and your tank is empty. But you ride the
fumes seventy-five miles to a fill-up. Sure. And one day's oil bums for eight.
Not in this universe, it doesn't.

"I don't believe in old wives' tales that there's a 'miracle' in one day's oil
burning for eight," I said.

And he said: "That wasn't the miracle."

And I said: "Seems pretty miraculous to me. If you believe."

And he said: "The miracle was that they knew the oil was uncontaminated.
Otherwise they couldn't use it for the ceremony."

"So how did they know?" I asked.

"They found one cruse, buried in the dirt of the looted and defiled Temple of
the Mount. One cruse that had been sealed with the seal of the high rabbi, the
Kohen Gadol, the Great Priest."

"Yeah, so what's the big deal? It had the rabbi's seal on it. What did they
expect, the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval?"

"It was never done. It wasn't required that oil flasks be sealed. And rules were
rigid in those days. No exceptions. No variations. Certainly the personal
involvement of the Kohen Gadol in what was almost an act of housekeeping . . .
well . . . it was unheard-of. Unthinkable. Not that the High Priest would
consider the task beneath hims" he rushed to interject, "but it would never fall
to his office. It would be considered unworthy of his attention."

"Heaven forfend," I said, wishing he'd get to the punchline.

Which he did. "Not only was the flask found, its seal was unbroken, indicating
that the contents had not been tampered with. One miraculous cruse, clearly
marked for use in defiance of alllogic, tradition, random chance. And that was
the miracle."

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I chuckled. "Mystery, maybe. Miracle? I don't think so."

"Naturally you don't think so. You're a Bad Jew."