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"You know. The anesthetist wired those ear phones to a hi-fi and you were hearing 'Fiddler
on the Roof.'"
"I didn't hear any 'Fiddler on the Roof,' " he answered. "I was quoting the 119th Psalm over
and over again. I think maybe twenty times. I didn't hear 'Fiddler on the Roof.' I only heard God."
Some time later, one of the hospital personnel said to me, "Did you know Rabbi died last
night?"
"No, I didn't. I didn't even know he was in the hospital."
"Yes, they brought him in yesterday afternoon."
"Was there anyone with him?" I asked.
"I think they had all gone home and there was just a special duty nurse."
I inquired who the special-duty nurse was and went to her. "Tell me," I said, "how did
Rabbi die last night?"
"What do you mean, 'How did he die?' He just died." "I know, but tell me, how did he die?
Did he die hard? How did he die? Usually, Jewish people die very hard."
"I know that," she said, "and that puzzled me too, because he didn't die hard. He died with
a smile on his face."
"Well, tell me, did he say anything before he died? Did he say anything?"
"Of course, you know he was in a comatose state," she answered.
"Yes, I heard he was, but did he say anything? Even though he was in a delirium, did he say
anything?"
"O," she said, "he was mumbling and talking to someone whose name was Shendal. I didn't
pay any attention. He was just saying, 'Shendal, are you here? Come close, I want to tell you
something. It's all right, Shendal. He's my Messiah. He is the Saviour. I love Jesus.' But he'd go off
to sleep again and then he'd say, 'Shendal, I'm glad you didn't leave me. He's the Saviour. It's all
right. It's all right.'"
I left her. I did not tell her I was Shendal. I went into the linen room, locked myself in, and
there I had a time of weeping and rejoicing because God's seed again had taken root in fertile soil.
* * * * * * *
13
A SOUL-WINNER AT EIGHTY