'and joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. and it came to pass that his master's wife cast her eyes upon joseph....'
the congregation looked startled. really this was not a text which they wished their pastor to enlarge upon. there were things in the bible that should be left in the obscurity of the hebrew, especially when one's womenkind were within earshot. uneasily their eyes lifted towards the bonnets behind the balcony-grating.
[130]'but joseph refused.'
solomon barzinsky coughed. peleg the pawnbroker blew his nose like a protesting trumpet. the congregation's eyes returned from the balcony and converged upon the parnass. he was taking snuff as usual.
'my brethren,' began the preacher impressively, 'temptation comes to us all——'
a sniff of indignant repudiation proceeded from many nostrils. a blush overspread many cheeks.
'but not always in the shape it came to joseph. in this congregation, where, by the blessing of the almighty, we are free from almost every form of wrong-doing, there is yet one temptation which has power to touch us—the temptation of unholy profit, the seduction of sabbath-breaking.'
a great sigh of dual relief went up to the balcony, and simeon samuels became now the focus of every eye. his face was turned towards the preacher, wearing its wonted synagogue expression of reverential dignity.
'oh, my brethren, that it could always be said of us: "and joseph refused"!'
a genial warmth came back to every breast. ah, now the cosmos was righting itself; heaven was speaking through the mouth of its minister.
the rev. elkan gabriel expanded under this warmth which radiated back to him. his stature grew, his eloquence poured forth, polysyllabic. as he ended, the congregation burst into a heartfelt 'yosher koach' ('may thy strength increase!').
the minister descended the ark-steps, and stalked back solemnly to his seat. as he passed simeon [131]samuels, that gentleman whipped out his hand and grasped the man of god's, and his neighbours testified that there was a look of contrite exaltation upon his goodly features.
