The Chosen resources
Teaching materials Chaim Potok
Reading Schedule: The Chosen
Book One
Day 1: Chap 1 (1-31) 31
Day 2: Chap 2 (32-53) 19
Day 3: Chap 3 (54-72) 18
Day 4: Chap 4 (73-92) 19
Book Two
Day 5: Chap 5 (95-99) 4
Day 6: Chap 6 (00-111) 11
Day 7: Chap 7 (112-148) 37
Day 8: Chap 8 (149-170) 23
Day 9: Chap 9 - 10 (171-182) 13
Day 10: Chap 11 (183-192) 9
Day 11: Chap 12 (193-203) 10
Book Three
Day 12: Chap 13 (207-233) 27
Day 13: Chap 14 (234-254) 21
Day 14: Chap 15 - 16 (255-266) 10
Day 15: Chap 17 (267-278) 12
Day 16: Chap 18 (279-291) 13
Study Guide: The Chosen
BOOK ONE
Chapter One
Hasidic - the members of a sect of Jewish mystics that originated in Poland in the eighteenth century
samovars - metal urns used throughout Russia for boiling water for tea
Yiddish - a language spoken by many European Jews and their descendants
Michna service - afternoon services
Shabbat - the Sabbath, the day set apart in the fourth commandment of the Bible to be observed as a day of rest from all labor, originally the seventh day of the week, Saturday, the day on which God rested from the work of creation
Yeshiva - a school or college for Talmudic studies, combining religious and secular studies
Apikorism - Jews who are not Hasids; an extremely negative term
Shamashim - an official in synagogue
Jewish Orthodox - strictly observing the rites and traditions of Judaism as formulated in the Torah and Talmud
Talmud - the collection of writings constituting the Jewish civil and religious law. It consists of two parts
tzitzit (zitzit) - the fringes or tassels worn by orthodox Jewish men
Torah - the first five books of the Old Testament
momzer - a curse; a term of abuse
1. Why do the Jewish parochial schools have competitive baseball leagues?
2. Briefly describe Mr. Galanter. What is his baseball philosophy?
3. What painful thing does Reuven do just before the start of a game?
4. Contrast the uniforms of the opposing team with the way Reuven’s team is dressed.
5. What does the first confrontation between the two coaches signify?
6. Briefly describe Danny Saunders. Why is Reuven angry when Danny calls the team apikorism?
7. As the game continues, why does Reuven find himself more and more angry at the opposing team?
8. For what reasons does Mr. Galanter put Reuven in as the pitcher for the last inning of the game?
9. List two possible reasons Reuven decides to throw a fastball to Danny for the last strike.
10. Briefly describe Reuven’s injuries. Why does Mr. Galanter go to call a cab after his team loses the game?
Chapter Two
kosher - food which is considered fit to eat by Jewish law
abba - father
tefillin - an assist and reminder used in Jewish prayer
1. Describe a few things which occur at the very beginning of Reuven’s hospital stay.
2. Briefly describe Mr. Savo, Billy, and Reuven’s father.
3. How does Reuven feel about Danny Saunders? What does his father think about his son’s attitude toward Danny? State a theme for this story based on Mr. Malter’s advice to Reuven that he should listen when someone wants to talk to him.
4. Why is Reuven worried about his eye? What insight does Reuven gain about life while worrying about his eye?
5. What does Reuven’s father do for a living?
6. Could Reuven’s thoughts about blindness also serve as a theme? If so, what?
Chapter Three
phylacteries - a leather box which holds passages from the Torah, worn during prayers
rabbi - the Jewish religious leader, similar to a priest or minister
blatt - a section of reading from the Talmad
1. What is happening in Europe that is exciting to the patients in the ward?
2. Why does Reuven need to ask the nurse for permission to pray during his phylactery?
3. Why does Reuven say to Danny, “. . .you can go to hell, and take your whole snooty bunch of Hasidism along with you!”? (pg. 63) In what way is Reuven being unfair to Danny and his team?
4. What rule from the Talmud does Reuven violate when he sends Danny home?
5. While talking to Danny in the hospital, why does Reuven have “the feeling that everything around [him] was out of focus”? (pg. 67)
6. How does Danny learn “two blatt” of Talmud each day?
7. Why is Danny surprised Reuven wants to be a Rabbi? What does Danny want to be?
8. In what way is Reuven partly responsible for his own injury?
9. Why does Reb Saunders not like to write? What does he mean when he says “he wishes everyone could talk in silence”?
10. What is ironic about Danny’s answer that his father is “quite a man”? (pg. 22)
Chapter Four
1. State a theme for this story based on the following passage from this chapter:
“I wish I was outside now,” I said. “I envy them being able to walk around like that. They don’t know how lucky they are.”
“No one knows he is fortunate until he becomes unfortunate,” my father said quietyly. “That is the way the world is.”
2. State another theme for this story based on Mr. Malter’s reaction to Reuven’s story of Danny Saunders’ visit.
3. What two things does the Talmud say a person must do for himself? How does Mr. Malter define friendship? Why do you think he wants Reuven and Danny to be friends?
4. State why you agree or disagree with the following statement made by Mr. Savo when he is warning Reuven to be careful about making friends with Danny:
“You’re a good kid. So I’m telling you, watch out for those fanatics. They’re the worse cloppers around.” (pg. 76)
5. What, according to Danny’s father, is a Jew’s mission in life? Why is Danny confused by this idea?
6. Why is Reuven confused about Danny?
7. In what way is Danny’s life similar to Billy’s?
8. How does Danny feel when he first realizes Mr. Malter is the same man who has been suggesting books for him to read in the library? What happens to make Danny comfortable again?
BOOK TWO
Chapter Five
1. Briefly describe Manya.
2. What does the following passage from the novel tell the reader about how Reuven’s experience during the last five days have changed his life?
“I felt I had crossed into another world, that little pieces of my old self had been left behind on the black asphalt floor of the school yard alongside the shattered lens of my glasses. . .I lay very still on the lounge chair and thought a long time about Danny.” (pg. 96)
Chapter Six
shofar - a wind instrument made from a ram’s horn
tallit - a shawl for prayer
kabbalah - a book of Jewish mysticism
mitnaged - a sect which opposed the Hasids
1. Briefly describe the relationship between the Jewish people and the nobles of Poland. In what way did the Jews act as a buffer between the nobles and the serfs? How did this position lead to the destruction of the great Jewish community in Poland?
2. What happened to the faith of the Jewish people after the Chmielnicki uprising?
3. Briefly summarize Israel’s (Besht’s) teachings, known as Hasidism.
4. Reuven’s father tells him the story of the evolution of the Hasids. Who is the tzaddik of the Hasidic community? How does the Hasidic movement begin to degenerate? Which kind of Hasidic sect does Danny belong to?
5. Why is the story of Solomon Maimon sad? How is he similar to Danny?
6. The character of Reuven’s father is frequently the author’s voice, stating the themes of the book. He often finishes a statement clarifying a theme with the words, “That is the way the world is.” Find a similar quotation at the end of the chapter. What theme is he summarizing for the reader?
Chapter Seven
shtibblach - the name for the house of worship in a Hasidic sect
shul - school
ark - an enclosure in a synagogue or temple for the scrolls of the Torah
caftan - a long garment like a jacket
kaddish - a prayer for someone who has died
challah - type of bread
amalek - heathen
b’kuit - simple interpretations of the Talmud
nu - “good," “well,” “continue;” the word has many different connotions; similar to “so”
gematriya - a mystical method of interpretation of the Hebrew scriptures based upon the numerical value of the letters in the words.
Havdalah - a brief service at the end of Shabbat
1. Why is Danny’s uncle, his father’s older brother, not inherit the rabbinical position? How did Reb Saunders save his Hasidic community?
2. Why, according to Danny, did the devotees of Reb Saunders all follow him to America? What is Reuven’s opinion of that?
3. What is the author saying about Danny by using this extended metaphor to compare him to a blind soldier?
“I began to hear, distinctly, the tapping sounds of Danny’s metal-capped shoes. . .and I remembered the old man I often saw walking along Lee Avenue, moving carefully through the busy street and tapping, tapping, his metal-capped cane, which served him for the eyes he had lost in a First World trench during a German gas attack.” (pg. 116)
4. What is “number one on [the Hasidic community’s] catechism? How does the community react when Rabbi Saunders enters the synagogue? What is symbolic about his appearance?
5. Reb Saunders shakes hands with Reuven twice in this chapter. How is the second time different from the first?
6. Briefly describe Danny’s little brother. How does he behave during the service?
7. Who is the Master of the Universe Reb Saunders refers to when he speaks? How can the Master of the Universe fulfill a man’s wishes?
8. List two parts of Reb Saunders’ service that Danny disagrees with?
9. What ritual does Danny endure each week?
10. List one way Reb Saunders approves and one he disapproves of Mr. Malter.
11. Who is Rav Gershenson?
12. In what way does David Malter defend Reb Saunders’ practice of publicly arguing the Talmud with Danny?
13. Find a passage in this chapter where the character of Mr. Malter, while discussing Danny’s training, restates a theme for this novel.
14. What is David Malter’s opinion of Reb Saunders as a leader for his community?
Chapter Eight
goy - a non-Jew
1. Why is Danny bothered by the history he reads concerning Drov Baer, a man is father considers to be almost a saint?
2. State a theme for this story using the following passage from the novel.
“Your father said I should read a Jewish history. He said the first important step in anyone’s education is to know your own people.” (pg. 147)
3. Cite a passage from this chapter to support or refute the following statement: Not everything you read is true; it is important to understand the biases and limitations of the author.
4. How does Mr. Malter justify his decision to suggest books for Danny without Reb Saunders’ knowledge?
5. List the two ways Rabbincal literature can be studied. Which way does Reuven’s father prefer? In what way is Reuven’s knowledge of the Talmud equal to Danny’s?
6. One of the overall themes in this story is the theme of true friendship. What do you think of Reuven’s decision to answer Reb Saunders’ questions about Danny’s reading? Is he being disloyal? What information about Danny does Reuven not tell Reb Saunders?
7. Find a clue in this chapter that might help the reader understand why Reb Saunders believes in silence.
8. In what way is Reuven a buffer between Reb Saunders and Danny? What lesson from Jewish history lets the reader know that Reuven in in a dangerous position when he becomes a way between Danny and his father?
Chapter Nine
1. Find the extended metaphor in this chapter about the spider and the fly. How does it relate to Billy, his blindness, and his unsuccessful operation? What does Reuven learn about life from Billy’s situation?
Chapter Ten
kashruth - the laws applying to food preparation
1. Danny is having difficulties understanding Freud written in its original German. How does he solve his problems with the writings. In what ways might studying Freud contribute to Danny’s reluctance to be his father’s replacement?
2. How does Reuven try to add balance to the new world of knowledge Danny discovers in the library?
Chapter Eleven
1. What is wrong with Danny’s eyes?
2. What major figure dies?
3. How do Danny’s father and Reuven’s father react to the news from Europe that six million Jewish people have been killed in the concentration camps? How does this tragedy help the reader understand their differing opinions on how God wants them to conduct their lives?
4. Why does Reuven go to live with Danny’s family?
Chapter Twelve
1. In what way does Freud contradict the teaching of the Talmud?
2. What ironic element seems to be occurring in the book?
3. Define Zionism.Why is Reb Saunders against the idea of Palestine becoming the homeland for the Jewish people?
4. Why is Danny really concerned about his brother’s health.
5. How does Danny feel about his father?
BOOK THREE
Chapter Thirteen
1. What two pieces of advice does Reuven offer Danny to help him deal with his frustration at college?
2. In what way is Mr. Malter’s method of teaching Reuven the Talmud similar to Professor Appleman’s method of teaching psychology?
3. What is the Irgun? Why does Reuven’s father have mixed feelings about its activities?
4. What is Reuven’s father saying when he tells his son,
“I learned a long time ago, Reuven, that a blink of an eye is in itself nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something.” (pg. 204)
5. One of the overall themes of this story is friendship. Find a statement in this chapter where Reuven’s father tells his son that good friends can disagree and still remain friends.
6. Why does Danny decide to learn experimental psychology?
7. How does Danny feel about Zionism? Why does he not voice his opinion?
8. Why is Danny not allowed to be seen with Reuven anymore?
Chapter Fourteen
rebbes - plural of rabbi
mishna - written rabbinical law
inyan - a Talmudic passage
1. What is the only contact Reuven has with Danny at the beginning of their second year of college? In what way is this contact ironic?
2. Explain the Partition Plan of the United States.Why is Reuven glad he restrains the anger he feels toward the anti-Zionist Hasidic students after this plan is adopted by the United Nations?
3. List the two methods Reuven uses to prepare a passage of the Talmud for Rav Gershenson’s class.
4. Why does Rav Gershenson ask Reuven never to use his father’s method of studying the Talmud in his classroom?
Chapter Fifteen
1. After the establishment of the Jewish state, what happens to end the anti-Zionist activities inside the school?
Chapter Sixteen
1. How does Reuven feel about Reb Saunders when he meets him again after the ban on his friendship with Danny is lifted? What does Reb Saunders want from Reuven?
Chapter Seventeen
1. How does Danny’s understanding of silence change since the last chapter?
2. Why is it important that Danny anticipate the questions Reb Saunders will ask him when he tells his father he wants to be a psychologist?
3. What does Mr. Malter say about “silence” as a method of raising children?
4. Why does Danny not tell his father about the plan to be a psychologist?
5. For what reason is Reuven’s father angry with his son at the end of this chapter?
Chapter Eighteen
1. Discuss Reb Saunders reasons for raising Danny in silence. What is ironic about his methods? Are the methods cruel, or correct for a person like Danny?
2. What is the “tortured victory” referred to in the following passage:
“Reb Saunders sat back slowly in his chair. And from his lips came a soft, tremulous sigh. He was silent for a moment, his eyes wide, dark, brooding, gazing upon his son. He nodded his head once, as if in final acknowledgment of his tortured victory.”
3. Why is the following passage ironic:
Reb Saunders looked at me and smiled feebly, nodding his head. “My son, my Daniel, has also become a man. It is a great joy for a father to see his son suddenly become a man.”
Danny stirred faintly in his chair, then was still.
“What will you do after your graduation?” Reb Saunders asked quietly.
“I have another year to student for my smicha.”
“And then what?”
“I am going to the rabbinate.” (pg. 262)
4. In what ways is this novel a coming-of-age, rite-of-passage experience for both Reuven and Danny?
5. Another important theme in this novel is the theme of the importance of the father-son relationship. Compare and contrast the two father-son relationships in this story. Do you believe both fathers have raised their sons to the best of their abilities? How much influence does Reuven’s father have over the kind of man Danny becomes and how much influence does Reb Saunders have over Reuven’s development?
6. Cite incidents from the story to support or refute the following statement: Danny and Reuven will remain life-long friends despite their differences.
Brief Study Guide: The Chosen
Book I
Chapter 1
1. Identify the time and place in which the action of the novel is set, and the circumstances that cause Reuven and Danny to meet.
2. Why does Danny consider Reuven and his classmates “apikorsim”?
Chapter 2
1. What are some of the things Reuven learns about Danny during the hospital visit? What aspects of Danny’s personality does Reuven find surprising?
2. Why is it that Danny’s father does not write or speak much, apart from his discussions of Talmud?
Chapter 4
1. What does the reader learn about Mr. Malter’s previous relationship with Danny? How does this clarify his reasons for wanting Reuven to become friends with Danny?
2. What does Danny reveal to Reuven that he has never told to anyone before? Why do you think he feels able to do so?
3. What accounts for Reuven’s reaction to this revelation?
Book II
Chapter 6
1. What does Reuven learn from his father about the following aspects of Jewish history:
*how the Jews came to function as buffers in seventeenth century Poland
*the Cossack uprising in 1648 and its affect on the Jewish community
*Ahabbtai Svi
*Israel and his teachings
*the Hasidm and their belief in a “superman”
2. Why do certain Hasids believe their leaders must take the sufferings of the Jewish people upon themselves?
3. Why does Mr. Malter believe it is natural for Danny to break his father’s rules and read forbidden books?
4. What does Mr. Malter tell Reuven about Danny’s need for a friend?
Chapter 7
1. How does the author demonstrate the way in which the Hasidic community reveres Danny?
2. What are Reb Saunders’ views on: A) the world and what it does to Jews, B) life on earth, and C) the study of the Torah?
3. Explain Reb Saunders’ assertion that “we are only half alive in this world.”
4. How does Reb Saunders determine whether Reuven is fit to be his son’s friend?
Chapter 8
1. How does Mr. Malter justify providing books for Danny which his father and Hasidim forbid him to read?
2. Under what circumstances do Danny and his father communicate? How is the explanation for this aspect of their relationship given?
3. How is the study of the Talmud shown to be a central activity in the lives of both Reuven and Danny?
Chapter 10
1. What is the subject of Danny’s “forbidden” interest? What is it he is trying to learn about in this study?
Chapter 11
1. How does the author convey the information that Americans did not know about the German concentration camps until after Germany had surrendered?
2. What is Reb Saunders’ reaction to this terrible revelation? Compare it to Mr. Malter’s.
How does the author convey Danny’s increasing sense of being trapped by his father’s way of life?
Book III
Chapter 13
1. Discuss the reactions of Mr. Malter and Reb Saunders to the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Tell what each does and says with his grief.
2. Discuss Mr. Malter’s assertion, “A man must fill his life with meaning. Meaning is not automatically given to life.”
3. What causes Reuven and his father to be “excommunicated” from the Saunders family? How does Danny react?
Chapter 14
1. What does Reuven understand about his teacher, Rev Gershenson, when he is unable to find his name listed in either the Hebrew or English catalogues of his college library?
2. Why do Reuven and his father “weep with joy” when the United Nations votes to accept the Partition Plan? What does this mean for Mr. Malter in particular?
3. Describe the method Reuven uses to study the nine lines of text he is certain Rev Gershenson will question him on.
4. What does Rev Gershenson addmit about the passage of Talmud he has asked Reuven to explain and about the way Reuben has attempted to explain it?
Chapter 15
1. Why does Danny now resume his friendship with Reuven? What does this show about his ties with his father?
2. What advice does Mr. Malter give Danny about telling his father he has decided to become a psychologist? Why is this such a significant decision? What are its possible consequences?
Chapter 18
1. What do you learn about Reb Saunders’ own childhood and of his objective in raising Danny?
2. Why does Reb Saunders accept his son’s decision “without fear”?
3. What does it mean that all his life Danny will be “a tzaddik...a tzaddik for the world”?
4. For what and of whom does Reb Saunders ask forgiveness? In what ways does Reb Saunder’s reaction surprise you? How had you expected him to react?
5. What does it reveal about Danny that he has decided he will raise his own son “in silence”?
6. What is it that Reb Saunders says he has understood all along about Danny? How is this related to his gratefulness to Reuven and his father?
Composition
1. Compare and contrast the characters of Reb Saunders and Mr. Malter:
as fathers
as teachers
and in terms of:
their world views
their views of Judaism
their views of Zionism
Use significant quotes from the book to support your judgments.
2. . Keep a record of all the historically significant events which unfold during the action of the novel.
3. Discuss the significance of the book’s title. “Brainstorm” to discover how many ways the title can be applied to characters and situations in Potok’s novel.
4. Analyze the Hasidic practice of bring up a child “in silence.” What is the purpose and the effect of this practice? Discuss its effect on Danny and divide the class into two groups: one who role is to defend Danny’s upbringing; the other whose role is to criticize it. Debate the issue as Reb Saunders and Mr. Malter might have, had they come face to face. Use the text as a reference.
5. Discuss the role of female characters in The Chosen. What accounts for their discernible lack of influence in the book? Was this deliberate on Potok’s part? Use evidence from the novel to support your view of this question.
6. Although they are both practicing Jews, there is much in Danny’s upbringing Reuven does not understand or approve of. Pair the class into sets of “Reuvens” and “Dannys”. Have each Reuven draw up all his questions about and objections to the way his friend is being raised. Have each Danny draw up a response to this. Then arrange a whole class forum where both the objections and responses can be aired.
7. Talk about the process of identification which occurs between the reader and character. Have the class talk about ways in which they were able to identify with the characters in The Chosen. Discuss the universal nature of the conflict between parent and child and its role in literature. Ask for books your students have read in which this conflict is apparent.
8. What do you believe to be the three most important ideas contained in The Chosen? In an essay, discuss each one referring directly to instances in the book to support your beliefs. After doing so, rank each idea in order of importance.
9. Identify the speakers of the following quotations. Then explain their significance to the novel, referring to characters and incidents throughout your discussion:
--"A father can bring up a child any way he wishes...”
--"What a price to pay for a soul!”
10. In essay form, discuss five significant historical events which occur during the action of The Chosen, and show their effect upon the Malter and Saunders families.
11. Write a character study of Reb Saunders using evidence from the book to discuss his childhood; his adulthood; his identity as a rabbi; a “tzaddik”, a father.
12. How did reading The Chosen add to your knowledge of Judaism, its history, religious beliefs and practices, its cultural values? Write quickly, listing everything you can recall. Then discuss in detail how the book clarified or corrected your previous beliefs about Judaism and include any surprised you derived.
13. Assume you are Danny Sanders keeping a private diary. Select four key moments of crisis that span the time frame of the novel, and write an entry for each of those dates. Use your own experience of how it feels to be in conflict with yourself, with your parents or with your society to fuel your memory, but keep to Danny’s beliefs and values while writing.
14. In an essay, discuss the values and beliefs of Reb Saunders and Mr. Malter, and show how the novel dramatizes the affect these had on the development of Danny and Reuven. Then analyze your own parents’ values and beliefs, exploring the way they have shaped, and are continuing to shape, your identity.
15. Reuven’s father tells him, “The Talmud says that a person should do two things for himself. One is to acquire a teacher.” Danny remembers that the other is to choose a friend. In what ways have both Danny and Reuven done these things for themselves? What has each boy derived from the teacher? >From the friend?
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary
Define and discuss the following terms:
Hasid: Member of a Jewish sect who follows the religious and social precepts set down in the 17th century.
Yiddish: A language spoken by Jews since the Middle Ages. Its components are Hebrew, German, and Slavic.
assimilationist: One who adopts the practice of a prevailing culture.
fanatic: Rigorous believer.
Talmud: In Hebrew, the word for “teachings.” Applied to the collection of academic discussion and judicial administration of Jewish law written by generations of scholars over hundreds of years.
apikorsim: An unbeliever or skeptic. One who does not adhere to Jewish religious belief or practice.
rabbi: Religious leader and head of a congregation.
Cossacks: Polish soldiers who, under the leadership of Chmielnicki, annihilated hundreds of Jewish communities in 1648, killing hundreds of thousands of people.
tallit: Hebrew prayer shawl worn by adult males.
tefillin: Two small black boxes fastened to leather straps, containing parts of the Torah and worn during morning prayer.
shofar: Ram’s horn blown at various religious services.
the Kaballah: Books of Jewish mysticism.
tzaddik: According to Hasidism, a pious leader who is the intermediary between God and man, the “soul of the world.”
Torah: The written law given to Moses at Mount Sinai, including the Talmud and related commentaries.
gematriya: A method of interpreting a biblical word based on the numerical value of its letters in the Hebrew alphabet.
misnaged: Opponents of the Hasidic movement who criticize belief in the tzaddik.
Teresienstadt: The name of a German concentration camp.
goyim: The Hebrew word for non-Jews.
Zionism: The movement to secure the return of the Jewish people to Palestine.
bar mitzvah: The ceremony marking the initiation of a 13-year-old boy into adulthood and the Jewish religious community.
Introductory Essay: http://www.meridianmagazine.com/bestbooks/010517map.html
Introductory Essay (more scholarly): http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc/library/display.pperl?isbn=9780449911549&view=rg
Study Guides
Webquest: http://www.teacherbulletin.org/webquests/TheChosen/t-lesson-template1.htm
Ballentine Teachers Guide: http://potok.lasierra.edu/Chosen.guide.html
McDougal Teachers Guide: http://www.classzone.com/novelguides/litcons/chosen/guide.cfm
Classic Notes (with summaries, tests, essays): http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/titles/chosen/
Sparknotes: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chosen/
Pink Monkey Study Guide: http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmChosen02.asp
Interview Excerpt (A MELUS Interview: Chaim Potok. Contributors: Laura Chavkin - author. Journal Title: MELUS. Volume: 24. Issue: 2. Publication Year: 1999. Page Number: 147. COPYRIGHT 1999 The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnics Literature of the United States; COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group)
Interviewer: Your two most popular works are probably The Chosen and My Name Is Asher Lev. Do you think they are your best works and were you surprised by their tremendous popular success?
Potok: I was very surprised by the tremendous popular success of The Chosen. Whether or not they are the best works is for someone else to say. I was also very gratified, and continue to be gratified, by the wide reading audience that The Chosen, My Name is Asher Lev, and the other books constantly receive. Actually one of my other books, Davita’s Harp, is far more popular in Holland than any of the others, and The Book of Lights is considered by more mature readers to be the best of the books. It really depends upon what age you are when you read the books and what your particular interests are at the time.
Interviewer: You have suggested that you are concerned with “core-to-core culture confrontation.” Could you explain that with an example from your own work?
Potok: Core-to-core culture confrontation occurs when an individual is located at the heart of his or her own culture, knows that culture thoroughly, constructs the world through the value system and frames of reference of that culture, and then encounters core elements from another culture; for example, Danny Saunders, situated in the heart of Hasidism in The Chosen, at the core of the Jewish tradition, encounters an element from the core of the general culture in which we all live--the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, which are central in Western secular culture. That’s a core-to-core culture confrontation. Asher Lev, at the core of his culture, encounters Western art, which is a core element of Western culture. The books are about different kinds of culture conflict, arranged in an ascending order of confrontation, each more difficult than the previous one to resolve. The confrontation, for example, in The Book of Lights can’t be resolved at all, and ends in ambiguity. The confrontation of The Chosen ends in culture compartmentalization, with Danny picking and choosing which part of the opposing culture he wants to absorb; he takes those elements that he feels are not too threatening and discards the others. Asher Lev, the artist, finds it difficult to do that. Gershon Loran in The Book of Lights discovers that it is impossible to accomplish that; his world ends up being one of utter ambiguity.
Comprehension & Discussion Questions
Book I
Chapter 1
1. Identify the time and place in which the action of the novel is set, and the circumstances that cause Reuven and Danny to meet.
2. Why does Danny consider Reuven and his classmates “apikorsim”?
Chapter 2
1. What are some of the things Reuven learns about Danny during the hospital visit? What aspects of Danny’s personality does Reuven find surprising?
2. Why is it that Danny’s father does not write or speak much, apart from his discussions of Talmud?
Chapter 4
1. What does the reader learn about Mr. Malter’s previous relationship with Danny? How does this clarify his reasons for wanting Reuven to become friends with Danny?
2. What does Danny reveal to Reuven that he has never told to anyone before? Why do you think he feels able to do so?
3. What accounts for Reuven’s reaction to this revelation?
Book II
Chapter 6
1. What does Reuven learn from his father about the following aspects of Jewish history:
*how the Jews came to function as buffers in seventeenth century Poland
*the Cossack uprising in 1648 and its affect on the Jewish community
*Ahabbtai Svi
*Israel and his teachings
*the Hasidm and their belief in a “superman”
2. Why do certain Hasids believe their leaders must take the sufferings of the Jewish people upon themselves?
3. Why does Mr. Malter believe it is natural for Danny to break his father’s rules and read forbidden books?
4. What does Mr. Malter tell Reuven about Danny’s need for a friend?
Chapter 7
1. How does the author demonstrate the way in which the Hasidic community reveres Danny?
2. What are Reb Saunders’ views on: A) the world and what it does to Jews, B) life on earth, and C) the study of the Torah?
3. Explain Reb Saunders’ assertion that “we are only half alive in this world.”
4. How does Reb Saunders determine whether Reuven is fit to be his son’s friend?
Chapter 8
1. How does Mr. Malter justify providing books for Danny which his father and Hasidim forbid him to read?
2. Under what circumstances do Danny and his father communicate? How is the explanation for this aspect of their relationship given?
3. How is the study of the Talmud shown to be a central activity in the lives of both Reuven and Danny?
Chapter 10
1. What is the subject of Danny’s “forbidden” interest? What is it he is trying to learn about in this study?
Chapter 11
1. How does the author convey the information that Americans did not know about the German concentration camps until after Germany had surrendered?
2. What is Reb Saunders’ reaction to this terrible revelation? Compare it to Mr. Malter’s.
How does the author convey Danny’s increasing sense of being trapped by his father’s way of life?
Book III
Chapter 13
1. Discuss the reactions of Mr. Malter and Reb Saunders to the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. Tell what each does and says with his grief.
2. Discuss Mr. Malter’s assertion, “A man must fill his life with meaning. Meaning is not automatically given to life.”
3. What causes Reuven and his father to be “excommunicated” from the Saunders family? How does Danny react?
Chapter 14
1. What does Reuven understand about his teacher, Rev Gershenson, when he is unable to find his name listed in either the Hebrew or English catalogues of his college library?
2. Why do Reuven and his father “weep with joy” when the United Nations votes to accept the Partition Plan? What does this mean for Mr. Malter in particular?
3. Describe the method Reuven uses to study the nine lines of text he is certain Rev Gershenson will question him on.
4. What does Rev Gershenson addmit about the passage of Talmud he has asked Reuven to explain and about the way Reuben has attempted to explain it?
Chapter 15
1. Why does Danny now resume his friendship with Reuven? What does this show about his ties with his father?
2. What advice does Mr. Malter give Danny about telling his father he has decided to become a psychologist? Why is this such a significant decision? What are its possible consequences?
Chapter 18
1. What do you learn about Reb Saunders’ own childhood and of his objective in raising Danny?
2. Why does Reb Saunders accept his son’s decision “without fear”?
3. What does it mean that all his life Danny will be “a tzaddik...a tzaddik for the world”?
4. For what and of whom does Reb Saunders ask forgiveness? In what ways does Reb Saunder’s reaction surprise you? How had you expected him to react?
5. What does it reveal about Danny that he has decided he will raise his own son “in silence”?
6. What is it that Reb Saunders says he has understood all along about Danny? How is this related to his gratefulness to Reuven and his father?
Composition
1. Compare and contrast the characters of Reb Saunders and Mr. Malter:
as fathers
חas teachers
and in terms of:
their world views
חtheir views of Judaism
their views of Zionism
Use significant quotes from the book to support your judgments.
2. . Keep a record of all the historically significant events which unfold during the action of the novel.
3. Discuss the significance of the book’s title. “Brainstorm” to discover how many ways the title can be applied to characters and situations in Potok’s novel.
4. Analyze the Hasidic practice of bring up a child “in silence.” What is the purpose and the effect of this practice? Discuss its effect on Danny and divide the class into two groups: one who role is to defend Danny’s upbringing; the other whose role is to criticize it. Debate the issue as Reb Saunders and Mr. Malter might have, had they come face to face. Use the text as a reference.
5. Discuss the role of female characters in The Chosen. What accounts for their discernible lack of influence in the book? Was this deliberate on Potok’s part? Use evidence from the novel to support your view of this question.
6. Although they are both practicing Jews, there is much in Danny’s upbringing Reuven does not understand or approve of. Pair the class into sets of “Reuvens” and “Dannys”. Have each Reuven draw up all his questions about and objections to the way his friend is being raised. Have each Danny draw up a response to this. Then arrange a whole class forum where both the objections and responses can be aired.
7. Talk about the process of identification which occurs between the reader and character. Have the class talk about ways in which they were able to identify with the characters in The Chosen. Discuss the universal nature of the conflict between parent and child and its role in literature. Ask for books your students have read in which this conflict is apparent.
8. What do you believe to be the three most important ideas contained in The Chosen? In an essay, discuss each one referring directly to instances in the book to support your beliefs. After doing so, rank each idea in order of importance.
9. Identify the speakers of the following quotations. Then explain their significance to the novel, referring to characters and incidents throughout your discussion:
--"A father can bring up a child any way he wishes...”
--"What a price to pay for a soul!”
10. In essay form, discuss five significant historical events which occur during the action of The Chosen, and show their effect upon the Malter and Saunders families.
11. Write a character study of Reb Saunders using evidence from the book to discuss his childhood; his adulthood; his identity as a rabbi; a “tzaddik”, a father.
12. How did reading The Chosen add to your knowledge of Judaism, its history, religious beliefs and practices, its cultural values? Write quickly, listing everything you can recall. Then discuss in detail how the book clarified or corrected your previous beliefs about Judaism and include any surprised you derived.
13. Assume you are Danny Sanders keeping a private diary. Select four key moments of crisis that span the time frame of the novel, and write an entry for each of those dates. Use your own experience of how it feels to be in conflict with yourself, with your parents or with your society to fuel your memory, but keep to Danny’s beliefs and values while writing.
14. In an essay, discuss the values and beliefs of Reb Saunders and Mr. Malter, and show how the novel dramatizes the affect these had on the development of Danny and Reuven. Then analyze your own parents’ values and beliefs, exploring the way they have shaped, and are continuing to shape, your identity.
15. Reuven’s father tells him, “The Talmud says that a person should do two things for himself. One is to acquire a teacher.” Danny remembers that the other is to choose a friend. In what ways have both Danny and Reuven done these things for themselves? What has each boy derived from the teacher? >From the friend?
VOCABULARY
Vocabulary
Define and discuss the following terms:
Hasid: Member of a Jewish sect who follows the religious and social precepts set down in the 17th century.
Yiddish: A language spoken by Jews since the Middle Ages. Its components are Hebrew, German, and Slavic.
assimilationist: One who adopts the practice of a prevailing culture.
fanatic: Rigorous believer.
Talmud: In Hebrew, the word for “teachings.” Applied to the collection of academic discussion and judicial administration of Jewish law written by generations of scholars over hundreds of years.
apikorsim: An unbeliever or skeptic. One who does not adhere to Jewish religious belief or practice.
rabbi: Religious leader and head of a congregation.
Cossacks: Polish soldiers who, under the leadership of Chmielnicki, annihilated hundreds of Jewish communities in 1648, killing hundreds of thousands of people.
tallit: Hebrew prayer shawl worn by adult males.
tefillin: Two small black boxes fastened to leather straps, containing parts of the Torah and worn during morning prayer.
shofar: Ram’s horn blown at various religious services.
the Kaballah: Books of Jewish mysticism.
tzaddik: According to Hasidism, a pious leader who is the intermediary between God and man, the “soul of the world.”
Torah: The written law given to Moses at Mount Sinai, including the Talmud and related commentaries.
gematriya: A method of interpreting a biblical word based on the numerical value of its letters in the Hebrew alphabet.
misnaged: Opponents of the Hasidic movement who criticize belief in the tzaddik.
Teresienstadt: The name of a German concentration camp.
goyim: The Hebrew word for non-Jews.
Zionism: The movement to secure the return of the Jewish people to Palestine.
bar mitzvah: The ceremony marking the initiation of a 13-year-old boy into adulthood and the Jewish religious community.
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