21st Century Bogatyr: Tamar's Sketchbook

by Zvi Baranoff

By Tamar's third birthday, it was obvious that she was her father's favorite. Dovid strived to treat all of his children the same but his particular affection for this little girl could not be denied. There was a brightness in her eyes that was unique and she seemed to be cut from a different cloth than the rest of the brood.

Try as he would, Dovid could not remember Tamar's birth. Her birthday was celebrated just before the beginning of Hanukkah. Dovid believed her to be Rifka Leeba's daughter because of the child's complexion and hair color, but he couldn't be certain. He had been traveling a lot during those years and some domestic matters were obfuscated as a result. He certainly would not ask.

Once Tamar was fully weaned, she was by her father's side whenever it was possible.

Tamar clearly loved her father. It wasn't just that he always had some fruit or nuts or candy in his pocket, although that was certainly a plus. She was particularly fond of delicacies made with dates, her namesake. These were also Dovid's favored snacks.

Tamar was fascinated by everything her father did. She would watch him putter with tools and wiring. When the puttering resulted in lights or sounds, Tamar was thrilled.

It may not have been quite accurate to speak of this young girl as an apprentice. She was, however, at her father's side or in his wake whenever he was not at work or traveling.

Tamar took an early interest in drawing. Her father had given her color pencils and a sketchbook for her birthday. She carried them everywhere in a small rucksack. Her drawings were pleasant, in a childish way and Dovid encouraged her in a doting manner. Tamar particularly enjoyed her doodling when they sat together in wild places where they would hike.

The two were on a long hike near the place where Dovid had first seen Rifka Leeba from afar. The youngster was not much older than five. They were walking side by side when Tamar turned to Dovid. "Do you hear, Tate?" she blurted and just as suddenly began running ahead of her father.

When Dovid caught up with Tamar, she was standing in a bloom of mushrooms. They had called out to her as they had done to her father when he was a boy. She was happily chewing on one mushroom and held out another in her hand extending it towards her father.

A few minutes later, father and daughter were sitting quietly side by side, each absorbed in their personal mushroom induced trance-like state. Linear time for them faded away.

After an undetermined number of hours, when Dovid again became aware of his surroundings, he saw that Tamar held her sketchbook in her lap. She was fervently drawing what appeared to be highly detailed technical plans surrounded by tightly scripted mathematical calculations and instructional notes.

When Tamar finished, she closed her sketchbook and climbed into her father's lap. The two sat like that without speaking for a while. Tamar was the first to break the silence. "Tell me about my mother, Tate," is what the girl said.

"Rifka Leeba and Hannah Leah are your Mamas," Dovid replied. "What do you want to know?"

Tamar looked at her father with the utmost seriousness. "I know that," she said. "I do love them both dearly. But…" and she paused briefly before continuing.

"Tell me about the woman that gave birth to me and then brought me to live in your house." Tamar opened her sketchbook as she said that and turned to a finely detailed drawing of a woman on a beach of pink sand, lying on a blanket, wearing nothing but henna and the sheerest of gauze.

Of course, Dovid recognized the woman in the drawing. Before Dovid could formulate a response, Tamar rested her head on her father's shoulder and fell asleep.

While Tamar slept, Dovid examined the technical drawings in her sketchbook.

In the sketchbook, Dovid found detailed diagrams of the mushrooms. The next page consisted of instructions for harvesting and transplanting the fungi. The following pages were very exacting directions for building an enclosed mushroom growing environment.

The next morning, construction of a mushroom growing facility began. Tamar took on a supervisory role, assuring that every detail of the plans were meticulously followed. Much to Dovid's relief, Tamar asked no more questions about the woman that she had drawn in her sketchbook.

This is not a Jewish story. It is, however, a story about Jews. One does not need to be Jewish to read this tale any more than one needs to be a Hobbit or an Elf to read Lord of the Rings.

This story is a work of fiction. The setting for this tale is in the distant future, on the far away Planet Birobidzhan. This planet was settled by Jewish exiles from Planet Earth.

The population of Planet Birobidzhan has been cut off from the Home Planet for a long time. They have developed their own unique culture, traditions and linguistics.

The language spoken on Planet Birobidzhan is primarily Yiddish. I have sprinkled a significant number of Yiddish words and phrases throughout the telling of the tale. I also refer to various Jewish religious and cultural touchstones.

To make this story more accessible, I have included a glossary of words and phrases in Yiddish and Hebrew that are used as well as some explanations of religious terms and holidays.

I hope that readers find this to be useful.

The link to the Glossary is here:

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2023/01/a-useful-guide-glossary-to-planet.html?m=1

פּלאַנעט ביראָבידזשאַן

Do you want to read more about Planet Birobidzhan? Here are all the posted installments so far, in the order that they were posted. Just click your way through the story!

1 On A Planet Safe for Yidden

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/02/on-planet-safe-for-yidden.html

2 Yenne Velt: A History of Planet Birobidzhan

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/02/yenne-velt-history-of-planet-birobidzhan.html

3 Another Globe, Perhaps?

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/02/another-globe-perhaps.html

4 Bereshis: The Transport & Transformation of the Founders

http://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/03/bereshis-transport-transformation-of.html

5 The Town of First Landing

https://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-town-of-first-landing.html

6 A Personal History of an Early Settler on Planet Birobidzhan

http://21stcenturybogatyr.blogspot.com/2022/05/a-personal-history-of-early-settler-on.html