{"product_id":"2940013037519","title":"Gabriel, A Story in Prague","description":"It was the morning of a wintry autumnal day in the year 1620, when a\u003cbr\u003eyoung man stepped slowly and thoughtfully through the so-called\u003cbr\u003ePinchas-Synagogue Gate into the Jews' quarter in the city of Prague. A\u003cbr\u003estrange scene presented itself. The morning service was just over in\u003cbr\u003ethe synagogues, and whilst numerous crowds were still streaming out of\u003cbr\u003ethe houses of prayer, others, mostly women with heavy bunches of keys\u003cbr\u003ein their hands, were already hurrying to the rag-market situated\u003cbr\u003eoutside of the Ghetto. The shops too and stalls within the Ghetto were\u003cbr\u003enow opened, and even in the open street an activity never seen in the\u003cbr\u003eother quarters of the city displayed itself. Here, for instance,\u003cbr\u003edealers--in truth of the lowest class--were offering their wares\u003cbr\u003econsisting of pastry, wheat-bread, fruits, cheese, cabbage, boiled peas\u003cbr\u003eand more of such kind of stuff to the passers-by. Here and there too in\u003cbr\u003espite of the early hour emerged some peripatetic cooks, in peaceful\u003cbr\u003ecompetition extolling loudly the products of their kitchen, bits of\u003cbr\u003eliver, eggs, meat and puddings, and whilst in one hand they held a tin\u003cbr\u003eplate, in the other a two-pronged fork,--a very unnecessary article for\u003cbr\u003emost of their guests,--devoted their attention chiefly to the foreign\u003cbr\u003estudents of the Talmud. To them also the greatest attention was paid by\u003cbr\u003ethose cobblers who less wealthy than their colleagues in the so-called\u003cbr\u003eGolden St. offered their services to the students in open street, and\u003cbr\u003emost assiduously, while the owners were obliged to wait in the street\u003cbr\u003eor a neighbouring house, mended their shoes at a very moderate price,\u003cbr\u003ebut, it must also be allowed, in a very inefficient manner.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe young man who had just stepped into the Jew's quarter, gazed\u003cbr\u003eearnestly and observantly at this busy stir, and did not seem to\u003cbr\u003enotice, that he himself had become an object of common attention. His\u003cbr\u003eappearance was however fully calculated to excite observation. His form\u003cbr\u003ewas powerful and commanding; his dress that of a Talmud-student, cloak\u003cbr\u003eand cap. Out of his pale face shadowed by a dark beard, under heavy\u003cbr\u003earching eyebrows there shone two black eyes of uncommon brilliance;\u003cbr\u003eraven locks fell in waves from his head; the fingers of a white sinewy\u003cbr\u003ehand, that held close the silken cloak, were covered with golden rings;\u003cbr\u003ehis thick ruff was of spotless purity and smoothness. Had not the\u003cbr\u003estranger by the elegance of his appearance, perhaps also by his\u003cbr\u003egigantic make, struck a little awe into the curious dealers in the\u003cbr\u003estreet, of a surety at his first appearance, a whole heap of questions\u003cbr\u003ewould have been addressed to him. \"Who or what he wanted? What could\u003cbr\u003ethey do for him?\" and such like.... Under the circumstances, however,\u003cbr\u003eit was Abraham, a cobbler, who sat on a bench by the Pinchas-Synagogue\u003cbr\u003ethat after some consideration mustered up courage and as he laid down a\u003cbr\u003eshoe that had been committed to his artistic skill, began to ask: \"dear\u003cbr\u003estudent! whom are you seeking? Certainly not me, that I can see from\u003cbr\u003eyour beautifully made shoes with their glittering silver buckles;\u003cbr\u003e_they_ were not made at Prague.\"--This was put in more for the benefit\u003cbr\u003eof those about him and himself than the stranger.--\"You are surely a\u003cbr\u003estranger here? pardon me, you are perhaps a German, a Moravian or a\u003cbr\u003eViennese? do you wish to go to a lecture upon the Talmud, or perchance\u003cbr\u003eto the Rabbi, or to Reb Lippman Heller? Who do you want to go to? I\u003cbr\u003ewill gladly shew you the way to the Talmud-lecturers--or, perhaps, you\u003cbr\u003eare looking out for a lodging? I can very likely procure you a\u003cbr\u003econvenient one.\" \"I _am_ a stranger here,\" replied the student, \"and\u003cbr\u003emust, indeed, first of all look about me for a lodging. If you happen\u003cbr\u003eto know of an apartment where I could pursue my studies undisturbed I\u003cbr\u003eshall thankfully avail myself of your offer: but the apartment must be\u003cbr\u003elarge, light and cheerful.\"","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47121060888816,"sku":"2940013037519","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013037519_p0.jpg?v=1763576146","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013037519","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}