All this, needless to say, was on the level of generalities. “In regard to your specific case, I’m very sorry to tell you that at the moment we have no room for you. If you come back in early summer, when there’s lots of weeding and fruit thinning to do, or even in midsummer, when we begin picking the grapes and the citrus fruit, I’ll, of course, reconsider. Maybe we’ll have some vacant rooms by then. Maybe some temporary help will have left. And maybe you’ll have found another kibbutz, or changed your mind altogether. After all, life changes and so do we. And next time, if there is one, it would be a good idea to write to us first. Yes. It’s half-past seven now. And talking so much is hard for me. I’ve got the grippe and some sort of allergy too. Soon my friend Hava will be here. She’ll take you to the dining room for a bite to eat so that you won’t leave on an empty stomach and all disillusioned with kibbutz life. She’ll find a seat for you in the pickup truck that’s taking some of us to a show in the city tonight. Are you sure you won’t have a glass of tea first, though? No? No it is, then.

“Everyone has a right to his opinion, and we won’t force anything on you here. And yet, my young friend, I must say that if everyone has a right to his opinion, not every opinion is right. Spinoza, now. Did you learn about him in school? Or did you discover him by yourself? In any case, perhaps you’ll be so good as to allow me to correct you slightly. It hasn’t been a thousand years. You said he lived a thousand years ago. But Spinoza died in Amsterdam only some three hundred years ago. That’s a long time too, of course—but still.

“Eh? You’ll walk? But why should you walk all the way to the junction in weather like this, and in the dark? Didn’t I tell you there’s a truck leaving for the city? Are you trying to punish us? There’s no need to act foolishly. And you can see that it’s starting to rain again. Look here, what’s the matter with you? You surely don’t expect me to keep you here by force? Suit yourself, though. Have a good trip. If you should happen to change your mind, you’ll find the truck in the square in front of the dining room. And by the way, our own Maimonides and Ibn Ezra influenced Spinoza every bit as much as Plato and Aristotle and all those other non-Jews.