Shelamzion
The next year finally brought peace and safety to Jerusalem. For the most part, John Hyrcanus remained at home with his wife, and I admired her more than ever. To me, Alena was the most beautiful, intelligent, and capable woman alive. Uncle did more than love her—he respected her and frequently asked her opinion about how to handle situations that arose with foreign dignitaries. It was unlikely, however, that he sought her guidance on matters dealing with the Temple. And while members of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of Sadducees, were more than willing to share their learned opinions, many times at dinner Uncle would ask Alena for advice on how to handle the quarrelsome merchants of Jerusalem, the disgruntled envoy from Egypt, and unruly Samaritan traders.
My mother did not seem to think much of Alena during the siege, but in the end, Alena was proved right—Uncle did open the doors and let us return once he knew Jerusalem would be safe. So while I did my best to honor my mother as the Torah commanded, when Kissa began to bleed, I took her to Alena for an explanation. There we received instruction on what happens to a girl when she becomes old enough to consider marriage and her future children.
“You may have noticed that sometimes I am not at dinner or present in other rooms of the palace,” she said. “That is because once a woman begins to bleed, for the next seven days she should remain in her room lest she defile the house. Neither can she go to the Temple but should remain in one place, with her own bed and her own chair. These are the laws of niddah.”
My head swarmed with questions, then one escaped: “Why?”
Alena laughed softly. “Because the Torah tells us that life is in the blood. Blood is sacred, not to be treated as if it were of no importance. Blood is what must be shed to atone for our sins. Blood is what the high priest carries into the Holy of Holies and sprinkles on the altar. So as long as a woman is bleeding, she should be thoughtful enough to confine her bleeding to one place so that others in the house are not made unclean, as well.”
Alena had changed over the past months, her belly swelling like a ripe apple beneath her tunic. When I asked what had happened to her, she smiled and told me she was expecting a child.
“One day this bleeding will happen to you, Shelamzion,” Alena said, dropping her hand to my shoulder. “And when it does, we will find you a suitable husband so you can have children, too. The high priest has already given much thought to your future.”
I frowned, unable to imagine how any future could be better than the life I enjoyed at the high priest’s house. I had Alena to admire, Kissa for companionship, and freedom to roam and explore.
Alena’s hand rose to my cheek. “One day you will be an important woman, Salome Alexandra. You are a Hasmonean. Because your ancestors are greatly respected and highly honored, people will expect great things from you.” She paused and smiled. “I think the time has come for you to have a tutor.”
I blinked. Sons had tutors, not daughters. Sons learned at their fathers’ knees and then went to school to study Torah. When they were old enough, they were apprenticed to a trade. But I had never heard of a girl being taught anything other than how to cook, sew, weave, and keep a house.
“Yes, a tutor,” Alena repeated, as if reassuring herself. “I will ask my husband tonight, and we will find the perfect teacher for you.”
“What will I learn? I already know how to grind wheat and fetch water—”
Alena laughed. “You will learn far more important things than that, dear one. You will learn how to speak proper Greek, how to add numbers, and how to identify the stars in the sky. You know how to read, but you must learn how to write. You will also learn how to buy and sell, and how to conduct business for a household.”
I looked at Kissa in bewilderment. “My head is not big enough to contain all that knowledge.”
Alena brought her fingertips to my chin and turned my face toward hers. “Your head is more than big enough. You are a bright girl, Shelamzion, and you will do well. Never doubt it.”