“Is Leiden far from here?” Leaving her new friend would be a great loss for Miriam, even if it meant Mother would be able to join them.

“Leiden is in the western part of the Netherlands,” Abba replied. “Twenty-five miles or so from Amsterdam. Not far from Den Haag.”

“They allow Jews to be professors there, Abba?”

“Yes, of course. Leiden is a very old university, founded in the sixteenth century.”

“Maybe you could come too,” Miriam told Avi. “You could finish your engineering degree.”

He nodded, but his smile was an indulgent one, as if he really didn’t believe it could happen. “Now we have even more reason to thank the Almighty as we celebrate the Sabbath,” he said. He gestured to the tall white candles he’d fitted into the holders and pushed a box of matches into her hands. “It’s time to light the candles, Miriam.”

“Wait!” Abba said. He pulled a small skullcap from his pocket and fitted it over his dark, slicked-back hair. “There is a blessing you are supposed to recite, Miriam. Shall I say it for you this time until you have a chance to learn it?”

She looked at him in surprise. “How do you know it, Abba? Mother never lit candles that I can remember.”

His eyes glistened. “I heard my mother and grandmother recite the blessing every week when I was a boy. I will tell you about it after you light them.” She lit the candles, then listened in amazement as he recited words in Hebrew, his voice choked with emotion.

“Abba . . . I didn’t know . . .”

“Everyone sit down and we can begin,” he said.

Miriam looked around at the other guests as they took their places and saw their hushed excitement. Miriam didn’t know the traditional Sabbath rituals, but the flickering candlelight and expectant joy in Avi’s eyes made the rustic dining hall seem like a holy place.

“First, it is a father’s privilege to say a blessing for his children on Shabbat.” Abba laid his hand on Miriam’s head as he recited in Hebrew again, then kissed the place where his hand had rested.

“Professor, would you do us the honor of saying the blessings on the bread and wine, too?” Avi asked.

Abba poured wine into the silver goblet that one of the guests had contributed and recited the blessing. They passed the goblet around, each taking a sip. He blessed the bread, then broke it into pieces and passed them around.

The food was the same dining hall fare as usual, but it seemed different tonight as they laughed and talked and listened to Avi explain what the Torah said about celebrating the Sabbath day. Later, when the food and wine were gone and a happy glow had settled over the table, Miriam asked Abba how he’d learned the Sabbath rituals.

“My parents were Orthodox. My grandfather was a rabbi.”

“I never knew that!”