1. Quote one line/passage OR note one image from within Chap 13-18 that feels imp’t to the text, and write a paragraph explaining why. (Note page #.) Skip a line between paragraphs, since you cannot indent on the blog.
2. What has this book left you thinking about? Explain. End your post w/ a question.
3. Also, reply to at least one student's post.
One part that felt particularly important to the book was Reb Saunders letting Danny become a psychologist, and allowing him to not become a tzaddik. "He rose slowly, painfully, to his feet. 'Today is the–the Festival of Freedom.' There was a soft hint of bitterness in his voice. 'Today my Daniel is free..."(268). I thought this part was important to the text because it is where Reb Saunders finally realizes he needs to give up what he wants for his son in order to make him happy. This is the first time he has really allowed Danny to be himself, and Reb Saunders proves that he cares about what Danny wants.
ReplyDeleteThis book has left me thinking about the Jewish community in America after World War II. I feel this because they must have felt despair that 6 million people of their religion had been targeted and murdered. They also would have realized that they were the last large community of Jews left in the world. They must have felt a responsibility to convert more Americans to their religion.
Why does Reb Saunders change his mind about Danny?
I think that Reb Saunders has always wanted what was best for Danny, and I think that over the years he realizes that Danny would never be happy taking over his position, and that psychology is what makes him happy. Reb has always wanted what is best for both boys, even though he rarely shows it for either of them. I think that he is also happy that Danny finally felt safe and comfortable enough to come and open that dialogue that they have been missing for years.
DeleteI agree with you that the quote you chose was important, where Reb Saunders releases Danny from his future of becoming a tzaddik to allow him to pursue psychology. I also agree that this is the first time he shows that he cares about Danny solely because Danny is his son, and not because of the religious position Danny’s supposed to inherit. However, I disagree that this is the first point in the book where Reb Saunders realizes he needs to give up on forcing Danny to become the tzaddik for Danny to be happy, and I disagree that this is the first time Reb Saunders allows Danny to be himself. I think Reb Saunders realized from the time that Danny memorized a book at age four that Danny would not be able to be confined to the Hasidic lifestyle and that all Reb Saunders could do was to make Danny devoted Jew. Reb Saunders allows Danny to be himself for the first time when he learned about Danny’s trips to the library after school, but did not restrict it. The only thing he did was to request that Reuven and his father guide Danny’s reading.
DeleteIt’s interesting that your last impression of the book was historic because mine was about the fictional aspect of the book, specifically what happened to the characters later in their lives. However, while I was reading, and again when I was reading your blog post, I did think about the perspective of Jews after World War II, and how horrifying it must have been.
I feel that Reb Saunders did not change his opinion of Danny. I think he always hoped that Danny would want to become the tzaddik, but above all else he just wanted Danny to be happy.
"He smiled sadly. "He's not happy about it. He said he almost doesn't recognize me." "He talked to you?""(270). This feels very important to the text because it showed that even after years of not talking, and his not taking his father's role that they can talk and be okay with it. I think that this is one of the most important parts of the text because it showed that there are different ways to raise a child, and even with the way Reb Saunders chose to raise Danny it ended up being okay for both of them. I think it is interesting in the next section Danny and Reuven were talking about how being raised in silence affected Danny, and how he might chose to raise his own children in the future.
ReplyDeleteThis book has left me thinking about the relationship I have with my own father, and how it parallels the relation to Reuven and his father more closely than Danny. I could not imagine being raised in almost complete silence, and I personally do not believe it is a healthy environment to raise a kid in. I know there are many different ways to parent, and each parent has their own write to parent any way they want, but I do not think that all ways are healthy.
Do you think that Danny’s father was right in raising Danny in silence for years?
I think you chose a very important quote here about Danny not taking his father's place being the way that they can talk to one another. I think this is where Reb Saunders sees Danny as a man who can make his own decisions, and decide for himself whether or not he wants to become a rabbi. I think being raised in silence was less of a burden on Danny than it was on his father. Reb Saunders wanted to teach Danny self-denial, and to be able to search his feelings, which made the relationships Danny had with other people stronger. Reb Saunders was unable to teach Danny what he wanted to as a father, and I think it was hard on both of them because of this.
DeleteI think Danny's father has a right to raise him however he wants, as long as he doesn't hurt his son. I think what he did was not nice, but it wasn't mean.
I think that when Reb Saunders raised Danny in silence he had good intentions, but I don't think it was a good way to raise him. He might not of physically hurt Danny, but not talking to him for the most part would have psychologically hurt Danny. Danny tried to please his father but he never really knew if he was succeeding because his father did not talk to him. I think that there were other ways to raise Danny and still teach him what Reb Saunders wanted to teach him.
DeletePersonally, I don’t think it’s healthy to raise a child in complete silence, for the parent or the child. In the future I definitely would never raise my kids that way, but at the same time Reb did it because that’s what he thought was the best decision, and that definitely doesn’t make him a bad father, he truly loved Danny and raised him that way because he loved him so much. I think the different ways different people show love is interesting, because many people wouldn’t attribute silence to love in a parent and child relationship. To simplify it, I would never raise a child that way but I see where he was coming from in doing that. Not a very easy question to answer but that’s interesting.
DeleteI think Danny's father was correct in raising Danny in silence. This is because he is his father and that is what he believed was best for Danny. Danny ended up being able to chase his dreams and not follow in his Father's footsteps because his father's silence. Danny's Father helped Danny be able to get knowledge from the world. This is why Danny's father made the correct decision in letting Danny agonize in silence.
DeleteThe quote I found the most important was “‘They will fill up with Jack Roses, and it will be the task of rabbis to educate them. It will become your task if you become a rabbi.’ I looked at him. ‘If you become a rabbi,’ my father said smiling at me warmly. ‘When I become a rabbi, you mean.’ My father nodded, still smiling” (219). This quote shows the basic difference between Danny and Reuven. Both of their fathers are proud and have high expectations for their kids, and have certain careers that they think their kids should pursue. In this quote we see Reuven telling his father he really wanted to be a rabbi, instead of a mathematician, as his father wanted, but he is not scared to tell his father, and his father doesn’t mind, and is happy he made his own decision. On the other side, the whole book is about how Danny wants out of his pre-planned future, but he is terrified to tell his father. Danny expects his father to have an explosion when his father finds out.
ReplyDeleteI can understand Danny’s want to leave the life his father wanted for him, but it was sad when Reb Saunders willingly let him go. Reb was clearly very proud of his son, but he knew he had to let him study psychology because Danny would be tortured if he had to be a tsaddik all his life, but also if he didn’t have his father’s blessing to go. I can see why Reuven was annoyed at Reb Saunders because he and Danny couldn’t speak to each other for two years, but it was really frustrating how Reuven kept trying to avoid him. Every time Reb asked to see him, Reb seemed regretful, and Reuven seemed to be taking it a little too personally. I am glad they sort of made up in the end. Having a strictly religious family, not just for Judaism, can be really difficult for kids, especially if they don’t have the same beliefs. I think that was sort of the message of the book, it also, if you love someone, you can’t hold them back forever.
How often did Danny see his family after he left for grad school?
A part that felt important to me was in chapter seventeen, when Reuven went to talk with Reb Saunders. "I did not want to drive my son away from God, but I did not want him to grow up a mind without a soul" (266). I think this section is important because it shows that Danny's father cares for him even if he does not always show it. Reb Saunders wants what is best for Danny, even if it is not what he wants for his son. I also think this is why he lets Danny pursue psychology.
ReplyDeleteThis book left me thinking about how everybody's lives are very different. Even in one place in the world, people who don't live that far away from each other can be different. People can't make assumptions of others based on where they grew up. This book also left me thinking about how you should follow your own dreams even if it means letting others down. Doing this might be hard, but in the end you will be much happier with the outcome. It is also much easier to do something when you have a close friend who supports you.
Why is Reb Saunders against Zionism?
One quote I thought was important to the text was when Reb Saunders told Danny he could not be seen talking to Reuven. “Reb Saunders didn’t mind his son reading forbidden books, but never would he let his son be the friend of the son of a man who was advocating the establishment of a secular Jewish state run by Jewish goyim. It was even dangerous for Danny to meet me in the bathroom, but he had to tell me.” (217). This book was about Danny and Reuven’s friendship as much as it was about Danny breaking out of the path he was born into. This stage of their friendship was very important. It survived months without communication and came out unhurt. Danny wanted to continue talking to Reuven, but he could not stand having his father yell at him at every meal and never talk to him at any other time. This section of the book shows how much Danny loves his father despite their lack of communication.
ReplyDeleteNow that I have finished the book, I wonder what is going to happen to Danny in the future. I would be interested in a sequel from Danny’s perspective, because Reuven’s chosen path of becoming a rabbi does not interest me very much. My main question is how does Danny’s Hasidism affect his life in the future. It sounds as if few Hasidic Jews live outside of their own world, so I wonder if it will change how he is treated, how he raises his children, or if it will limit what he can do with his life.
One question I have had since Danny and Reuven began attending college is do girls attend their college?
I found that passage important too. Danny and Reuven aren’t allowed to be friends anymore. They don’t talk for months but when they are finally friends again their friendship hasn’t been hurt in anyway by the lack of communication for several months. This showed how strong their friendship was. It also showed how much Danny respected and loved his father because he was willing to give up his friendship with Reuven because of his father.
DeleteI also wondered if there were girls at the college Reuven and Danny attended. If there were girls they probably wouldn’t of had much time to talk to any of them due to their busy schedules and lack of free time.
One part that felt very important to the book was in chapter 18 on page 284 when Reb Saunders was talking about why he’s been silent with Danny, and what his own father taught him.
ReplyDelete“One learns of the pain of others by suffering one’s own pain, he would say, by turning inside oneself, by finding one’s own soul. And it is important to know of pain, he said.”
I thought this was important to the book, and one of the main messages because of what mainly happened in the beginning. Reuven and Danny knew nothing about each other, yet they still judged each other because of course they were young and insecure themselves. They became good friends eventually and learned a lot about each other, before this moment in the book, Reuven always thought Reb Saunders was silent with Danny because he didn’t care or didn’t love him, and it was the exact opposite. I think this shows one of the main messages in this book which is to not make assumptions about people because there’s a good chance you’re completely wrong.
Do you think Reb Saunders raised Danny in silence because he was afraid he might make a mistake in his parenting? You can’t make mistakes if you’re not exactly parenting him.
“‘A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life. It is hard work to fill one’s life with meaning. That I do not think you understand yet. A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest,”’ (217). I think this passage is important to the text because Reuven’s father is explaining his view on the importance of having meaning in life and how hard it is to create meaningful things. He is explaining how life is short and has little meaning. I think it’s important because he’s telling Reuven how he doesn’t understand this yet and he’s trying to make Reuven understand so hopefully he can start filling his life with meaning and paying attention to things that are important. He is also explaining why he is doing all of these things even though he is sick and why it’s important to him to be doing them before he dies.
ReplyDeleteThe book left me thinking about how different every family is. Every family is brought up differently and have different views on religion and how to raise children. Reuven and Danny both have completely different relationships with their fathers. Both of their fathers have different views on religion which caused Reb to force Danny to push Reuven away. It left me thinking about how different views on topics can cause people to push away people even if they are your friend. It also left me thinking about how you sometimes have to let other people down in order to achieve your goals.
If Danny were to have children, why would he choose to raise them in silence?
I think although being raised in silence was miserable for Danny, he finally truly sees and understands why his father did, and if his children are anything like him, I think he thinks he will have to raise them that way. I also think that Danny does not know any other way to raise a child because silence is all he knew as a child. I think that Danny also will want one of his children to be a tzaddik.
DeleteA passage that I felt was important to these chapters was on page 264 and Danny says, “I always thought that logic and theology were like David and Saul,” and Reuven says “They are. But I might help them get better acquainted.” I thought this was important because it shows the freedom Reuven has to be who he wants to be. Reuven is extremely interested in logic, but wants to become a rabbi, and theology is completely different then logic. Though he chooses to become a rabbi, he still gets to do the things he loves and incorporate them into his life. I think in this part, Danny sees this and is envious because it is expected that he becomes a rabbi, although he doesn’t, and cannot focus on anything else in his life other than religion.
ReplyDeleteThis book has left me thinking a lot about religion and the complicity of it. Coming from a non-religious family, I can’t help but be fascinated with religions. This book completely engrossed me, and it was so interesting to learn about all that religion entails. There are so many customs, traditions, and expectations. It especially got me thinking about how different religions differ from each other and how branches within religions differ from each other.
Were you expecting Reb Saunders to accept Danny for becoming a psychologist?
I was left thinking about many of the same things as you. I was fascinated by the religious aspect of the book. I also though it was interesting how Reuven chose the profession that Danny was raised for and vise versa. Danny chose a profession that Reuven would be expected to have.
DeleteI was very surprised that Reb Saunders let Danny Become a psychologist. I still don't know why he let this happen.
One part of the the book that I feel was really important was the part where Danny and Reuven start talking again. “And one day in the late spring of that year, while I was eating lunch, Danny came over to my table, smiled hesitantly, sat down and asked me to give him a hand with his experimental psychology;” (259). “I felt a little shiver hearing his voice” (260). To me this is the moment I knew that everything in the book was going to be okay. From the end of “Book 2” I had a nagging feeling that something terrible and tragic was going to happen. And I guess it did, Danny could not interact his best friend with Reuven. But the moment when danny sad down next to and smiled at Reuven acting like nothing ever happened between them resolved most of the tension in the book. The rest of the tension was let out then Rev sanders let danny follow his path of physiology. I also feel as though it is a natural slowing down of the book.
ReplyDeleteThis book made me think of a lot of things. Things like religion. Before I read this book I knew hardly anything about Judaism but now I feel like a have a better sense of it. The book also made me think a lot about friendship. Danny and Reuven came from such different backgrounds but were still able to create such a tight and unbreakable bond. Their relationship was very beautiful to me.
Do you think their relationship stayed strong for the rest of their lives?
The book made me think about how this accident brought this group of people together and changed all of there lives. This tragedy happened and then brought together these families. It makes you think what positives there in every negative situation.
ReplyDelete"Yes, he said. If I can't find any other way." This was Danny's response when he was asked if he was going to raise his son in silence. This quote is important to the text because of the fact that although Danny did not enjoy the silence he realized it was important for his growth. He realized to flourish he needed to be sent to seek knowledge. He was indirectly sent by his father's silence. The silence was important part of the book as a whole.