
Soul Journey
by Rosally Saltsman
Troyes, France in the late 11th century was a port in the storm of
Jewish expulsion and oppression. And along with this respite came
scholarly acquisition and financial and spiritual wealth, which for
many Jews was a delicate balance precariously resting on the whims of
the crown of their host country.
Elinor Levy had every advantage a girl of her time, or indeed any time
could possess: Beauty, lineage, wealth and charm. Her father was a
landowner, the landlord of several farms and vineyards. He was, more
importantly, also a scholar and delegated most of his responsibility so
he could learn and oversee his charitable affairs.
Elinor’s mother was an olive-skinned black-haired beauty whom her
father had tempted away from the sun-laced shores of Spain to the
colder clime of Northern France. She was never sorry. As her father was
originally from England, Elinor spoke all three languages, French,
English and Spanish, fluently, though she found Spanish served her best
when she was emotional, English when she was being philosophical and
French the rest of the time. She also knew some Hebrew and Ladino and,
in her quest to pick up even more linguistic variety, she would sit and
sew when her father was engaged in Talmudic discourse with his chavruta
thus gleaning a harvest of Aramaic terms on dark winter evenings. She
thought she would have preferred to be a man, engaging in intellectual
pursuits which, she was sure, would have pleased her more than sewing,
embroidery and gardening. But one makes do. Besides being beautiful and
intelligent, too intelligent her father would say, Elinor was
even-tempered and sweet and had a winning sense of humor. There was no
doubt in anybody’s mind that she would make a superb match. This
was at the forefront of everybody’s thoughts as her birthday
approached, not least of all her father’s. Though Elinor was in
no hurry to get married, she had no opposition to it. She knew that her
generous dowry would mean that changing her marital status would not
have too marked an effect on her lifestyle. However, being industrious,
she hoped it would keep her a little more occupied, at least when she
began having children. She wanted as many as possible.
Daniel Doré, a native of Troyes, was a young man full of
promise. He was handsome, rich and charismatic. He was everyone’s
friend and confidante, both Jew and non-Jew, which the Jewish community
saw as a great advantage - someone who straddled both sides of the
fence so to speak. He was also very learned, but his aspirations were
more of a political nature. He hoped to achieve great political
influence, both with the monarchy and church, become indispensable to
both and then secure his future and those of his countrymen and
co-religionists. His personal attributes provided all the resources he
needed. What was lacking was a helpmate, a soulmate, a wife.
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