The Coffee Trader

Miguel goes to the synagogue for his meeting with the Ma’amad. He is charged with “irresponsible conduct bringing shame before the Nation” (228), involving consorting with disreputable gentiles. Miguel apologizes, saying he had contact with a poor beggar to give him charity, never thinking he would become aggressive. Miguel believes the Ma’amad intends to let him off with a warning, but Parido says, “We must not forgive too easily or too often without damaging the community” (231). He then insists that Miguel tell the council exactly what his new business venture entails.

Miguel refuses to divulge his plan, saying that his business dealings depend on privacy. He then compares the Ma’amad to the Inquisition: “this council has established itself in the hopes that our people may never had to face those horrors again, but I fear that in truly understanding our enemy we may have become too much like them” (233).

The council sentences Miguel to one day of excommunication. They warn Miguel that if they find out he has lied, he will face a far greater punishment. Miguel apologizes again and heads home. He knows that Parido is now his enemy and that he is “now far more dangerous than ever before” (236).