Raisins and almonds - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)

Chapter Sixteen
‘I challenge you,’ said the young man, ‘to tell
me the whole of the Torah while standing
on one leg.’ ‘That which is hateful to you,
do not do unto your neighbours,’ snapped
Rabbi Hillell. ‘All the rest is commentary.
Go and learn!’
—Leo Rosten, The Joys of Yiddish
It was a terrible argument.
The Abrahams were forbidden celebration by the requirement
to sit shivah for seven days to mourn the death of their brother
and uncle Chaim. Equally, Chaim had killed himself only after
he had tried to kill Simon, and Simon was alive and Chaim was
dead. A suicide was denied ordinary burial and mourning; the
body was in any case being held by the police for post-mortem
and a subsequent inquest. Then again and on the fourth hand,
suicides were not condemned as murderers if the balance of their
mind was disturbed, and there was no doubt that Chaim’s mind
had been disturbed, but also there was no doubt that he had
murdered poor Shimeon. Confusion was becoming endemic.
Rabbi Elijah was recovering in hospital from his heart attack,
and was not available for comment. Phryne finally extracted
herself from the argument and went to telephone the gentle and