to read Hebrew and the Chumesh
or Five Books of Moses, with all their explanations and commentaries;
after that they came under the tuition of Reb Moshe and were
introduced to the Talmud, with all its chapters, paragraphs,
debatable points, and commentaries above commentaries.

All this would have been more than sufficient to enlarge or confuse
the minds of those pale, miserable children; but Reb Moshe in his
zeal did not content himself with exercising the memory of his
scholars; he wanted also to develop their imagination, and sometimes
treated them to extracts from the metaphysical Kabala. The reading or
expounding of parts of those books was looked upon by him as a kind
of rest or recreation, which sometimes it proved to be when the
melamed was too deeply absorbed to watch his audience.

The melamed was thus occupied when Meir looked through the window. He
was bending over a heavy book with an expression of ecstatic rapture,
and rocking his body to and fro with the chair upon which he sat. The
scholars with their books before them were also rocking themselves
and repeating their lessons in a loud murmur, sometimes smiting the
edge of the bench with their fists by way of emphasis, or burying
their hands in their already tangled manes.

Suddenly the melamed left off rocking himself, took the heavy book in
both hands and struck it with all his might on the table. It was the
signal for silence. The scholars left off rocking and raised their
eyes in sudden alarm, thinking the time bad come to give out their
lessons.

But the melamed was not thinking of the lessons; his spirit had been
carried away into other spheres altogether, but he was still dimly
conscious of his duties as a teacher, and wanted his scholars to
share in his spiritual rapture. He raised his finger and began to
read a paragraph from the Scheier Koma.

"The great prince of knowledge thus describes the greatness of
Jehovah: The height of Jehovah is one hundred six and thirty times a
thousand leagues. From the right band, of Jehovah to His left the
distance is seventy-seven times ten thousand leagues. His skull is
three times ten thousand leagues in length and breadth. The crown of
His head is sixty times ten thousand leagues long. The soles of the
feet of the King of Kings are thirty thousand leagues long. From the
heel to the knee, nineteen times ten thousand leagues; from the knees
to the hip, twelve times ten thousand and four leagues; from the