The Sunflower_ On the Possibilities and - Wiesenthal, Simon copy

swallowed it ravenously. Soldiers stood around watching us as if we were animals being
fed.
For the rest of the day I worked in a trance. When I was back again on the parade ground
in the evening I could hardly remember the return march. I had not even glanced at the
sunflowers.
Later I told my friends about the death of the SS man, but they were not interested. The
whole incident was closed in their minds after the tale I had told them the day before. But
they all agreed with me that I had done well to refuse the dead man's possessions. Josek
said: “In the story you told us yesterday there were points that seemed to need further
thought. I should have liked to discuss them with Reb Schlomo, but he alas is no more. He
could easily have proved to you that you acted rightly…But even so I am afraid that you will
continue to worry about this business. But don't cudgel your brains over it. You had no right
to forgive him, you could not forgive him, and it was quite right not to accept his things.”
After a while he added: “The Talmud tells us…”
Arthur lost something of his otherwise unshakable self-possession. He said to Josek,
“Don't make him any madder; he is already dreaming about it and shouting out in his sleep.
Next time it may bring us misfortune. It only needs one of the guards to hear him shouting and
he will put a bullet through him. It's happened before.
“And you,” said Arthur, turning to me, “do stop talking about it. All this moaning and
groaning leads to nothing. If we survive this camp—and I don't think we will—and if the
world comes to its senses again, inhabited by people who look on each other as human
beings, then there will be plenty of time to discuss the question of forgiveness. There will be
votes for and against, there will be people who will never forgive you for not forgiving