Golem

Maciej Płaza’s novel must be the product of a fascination with a world that no longer exists. It’s about a small, closed society of Hassidic Jews, typical of the cultural landscape of Poland in the past, especially the small towns situated within its south-eastern borderlands. In one of these places, early in autumn 1911, a strange man appears, a repulsive-looking vagrant. He’d have been chased away at once, if not for the intervention of the local tzaddik, who recognises the stranger as a holy man, perhaps an envoy of God Himself. So the tzaddik names the stranger Rafael and lets him stay at his manor; the man forms numerous relationships with the residents of the shtetl and becomes familiar with the local conflicts – the ongoing quarrels and those that have occurred in the past. This gives the novel’s readers the opportunity to learn about the culture and mores of the Hassidim – they’re presented with a sea of knowledge about Hassidic religious practices, established rituals, unusual imperatives and prohibitions. What makes Płaza’s story exceptional is that it is rooted in cabbalistic tales and sacred scriptures that belong to the Judaic canon. For Płaza is most strongly drawn to themes concerning Jewish mysticism, which he endeavours to reinterpret in his own way. In the world of the novel this interest is explored through a debate on the possibility of the Messiah appearing on Earth. There are those who maintain that Rafael is the Messiah. Whereas the eponymous Golem, moulded from clay in the shape of a man, appears towards the end of the story and is also an attempt at reinterpreting this highly familiar figure from Jewish legends. When the Hassidim in the town where Rafael suddenly appears are threatened by a pogrom, the tzaddik and his assistants mould and animate the Golem, who routs the people taking part in the newly launched pogrom. Equilibrium is restored, and not without the involvement of Rafael himself.