The Righteous Men (2006) (52 page)

My parents read early drafts and gave sage advice as well as moral support:
their influence can be spotted in several places in this book. My in-laws, Jo
and Michael, once again allowed me to turn their Suffolk home into a writer’s
retreat — while Michael proved an eagle-eyed reader. A special mention
should go to my late great aunt, Yehudit Dove, whose very real righteousness
inspired this story.

At Harper Collins, Jane Johnson proved herself to be a model editor, worthy
of her towering reputation. Not only did she root for this book but, backed by
the hugely able Sarah Hodgson, improved it at every stage. She is a writer’s
editor and I was lucky to work with her.

Three people should be singled out. Jonathan Cummings did more than just
research; he devoted boundless brainpower and energy to this project. He is a
genuine comrade.

I owe Jonny Geller a great deal. He is not just a world-class agent but a
true friend, a man who believed a late-night conversation could become a novel
— and whose belief, support and insight never flags. It is no
exaggeration to say this book would not have happened without him.

Finally my wife Sarah shared in the excitement of this project from the very
beginning. She managed not only to be a wonderful mother to our children, Jacob
and Sam, but to provide shrewd advice, a fine eye and constant love.

Marriage is one of the themes of this book — and I am loving every day
of ours.

The Righteous Men is a work of fiction — but it is
rooted in several key facts. First, the legend of the
lamad vav
, of
thirty-six exceptional individuals whose virtue upholds the world, is a thread that
runs through Jewish tradition. The books and essays Rabbi Mandelbaum cites in
his conversation with Will are real — and, for those whose interest has
been piqued, worth consulting. The obvious starting point is Gershom Scholem’s
The Messianic Idea in Judaism
(Schocken, New York, 1971), especially the
chapter, The Tradition of the Thirty-Six Hidden Just Men’.

Scholem tells the story recounted by Mandelbaum, one which appears in the
Palestinian Talmud and dates back to the third century. It speaks of the rabbi
who notices that, when a certain man is in the congregation, the community’s
prayers for rain get answered. That man is known as Pentakaka, a Greek-derived
name whose literal meaning is five sins: he rents out whores, he even dances
and drums in front of them. And yet when a woman offers to become a whore in
order to raise bail for her jailed husband, Pentakaka prefers to sell his own
bed and blanket rather than see her suffer that indignity. In other words,
Howard Macrae is not entirely an invention: his act of righteousness is
documented — and at least 1700 years old.

Jean-Claude Paul’s good deed in Haiti — creating a secret chamber
that preserves the anonymity of both the givers and receivers of charity
— has even deeper roots. The ‘chamber of secrets’, as it was
known, existed in the Temple of Solomon which stood, as Judaism’s holiest
site, in Jerusalem from 953 BC until its destruction in 586 BC. It was the
physical embodiment of a core principle: that the act of giving should entail neither
glory nor humiliation for those involved, but should instead be a simple act of
justice.

It is also a matter of fact that there is a large Hassidic community in
Crown Heights, one that still mourns for the Rebbe it lost a few years ago and
which continues its outreach efforts across the globe. The Rebbe of the
Lubavitch or Chabad movement was a remarkable figure, whom some of his followers
hailed as the Messiah. Some still do.

Finally, replacement theology and supersessionism are no inventions. Many
Christians do indeed hold that the Jews have forfeited their role as the chosen
people, a status which has been passed on to those who follow Jesus Christ. The
Wikipedia entry Will reads on the topic is not made up but quoted directly.

That much is fact. As for the rest, who can know for sure?

The Righteous Men

HarperCollinsPublishers

This novel is entirely a work of fiction.

The names, characters and incidents
portrayed in it are
the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, events or localities is
entirely coincidental.

HarperCollinsPublishers
77-85 Fulham Palace Road,
Hammersmith, London W6 8JB

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2006

Copyright (c) Jonathan Freedland 2006

The Author asserts the moral right to
be identified as the author of this work

Lyrics to God used by permission. Words
and Music by John Lennon

D 1970 Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK)
Limited.
All Rights Reserved.
Lyrics to Big Yellow Taxi used by permission.
Words and Music by Joni Mitchell
(c) 1970 Sony/ATV Music Publishing (UK) Limited.
All Rights Reserved.

A catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library

ISBN-13: 978 0 00 720328 4

ISBN-10: 0 00 720328 4

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Printed and bound in Great Britain by
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