Chaim Pottok In The Beginning Sparknotes

Chaim Potok’s In the Beginning captures the tale of David Lurie, a young Jewish boy with a restless mind but weak body which confine him to a mainly sedentary youth with only an active imagination to entertain him, that is until he learns how to read. A bright and inquisitive young boy, David yearns to understand the text that gazes up at him from books, newspapers, and the Bible and to be able to read from the Torah like his father and men in their synagogue. Despite this initial inclination towards reading, the introduction of Mrs. Horowitz’s book collection is the catalyst which propels David into the world of literature and the desire to learn quickly. A connection between the older David and the younger strengthens after the introduction

David does not understand why people are offended by his reading choices because he is not reading to throw anything away, rather he reads to learn how to defend the Torah, to understand what the arguments made against the Hebrew Bible are and because he wants to fight, not with his fists, but with his words (400). David’s parents do not agree with his decisions, his father even says, “I could forgive you anything, but I cannot forgive you going to the goyim to study the Torah (401).” Although David feels the separation from his family, he does not relent in his desire to study the Bible at a university. He puts his pursuit of knowledge above his feelings of obligation towards his family members and he only questions that decision for a brief

Horowitz, links him even more to his deceased uncle. He is in pursuit of knowledge and eventually teaching the Bible, similar to his uncle’s desire to teach history (281). The younger David is frequently compared to his older counterpart physically, but when his father says “You are searching for truth… my brother David used to tell me he was searching for truth. He was gentle in everything except the use of his mind.”, it compounds on the fact that the two have more in common than just appearance (399). The weight of David’s name is heavy on his shoulders and he questions his identity often because of it (297). David reads books similar to those his uncle read, he too is gentle but becomes less so when he is trying to learn, he in all areas seems more closely related to his uncle than to his father and because of this David frequently finds himself questioning his identity. David searches for someone who understands his mind or can answer his questions without challenging them, that person typically enters David’s life as a teacher: Mr. Bader or Rav Sharfman. The resemblance David has to his uncle is much more than just a physical one, but one of the entire person: body, mind, and soul; it consumes his