Judaism in Potok's "The Chosen" Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. During the baseball game at the start of the "The Chosen", Danny calls Reuven's team "apikorsim". What does this word mean?

Answer: A Jew educated in Judaism who denies basic tenets of faith

Reuven takes great offense to the term, as he believes in both G-d and Torah. To Danny's father, however, any Jew not sticking to the strictest interpretation of the rules is an apikorsim. Danny later confesses to Reuven that he told his father they were playing an apikorsim team in order for his father to allow the game in the first place.

2. During the baseball game at the start of "The Chosen", after Danny calls Reuven and his teammates apikorsim, Reuven taunts Danny, "Been rubbing your tzitzit lately?" What is "tzitzit"?

Answer: Knotted fringes

Tzitzit are knotted fringes that are worn by observant Jews. The commandment to wear tzitzit comes from Torah - both from Numbers and from Deuteronomy. Danny, coming from a very Orthodox family, wears tzitzit, whereas the more liberal Reuven does not.

3. When Reuven's father explains Hassidism to his son, he goes all the way back to the Chmielnicki uprising of 1648. What exactly was the Chmielnicki uprising?

Answer: Uprising of Cossacks against Polish nobility

The Chmielnicki uprising was about Ukraininan Cossacks rebelling against the Polish szlachta, or nobility. It ended up with Ukrainian lands being incorporated instead into the Tsardom of Muscovy (Russia). Since the Jews served as szlachta's intermediaries and collected taxes, they became an easy target during the conflict.

While estimates of the casualties vary greatly, most scholars agree that tens of thousands of Jews were slaughtered (earlier estimates placed a figure around 100,000, but this number has come under increased criticism).

4. Danny's father, Reb Saunders, is often referred to as "Tzaddik". What is the actual meaning of the word tzaddik?

Answer: The righteous one

Tzaddik is a Hebrew word meaning the righteous one. In Talmud, the term is often used to describe a person who has achieved a level of piety and holiness; it may also imply someone capable of performing miracles. According to Kabbalistic thought, only a few predestined souls can achieve this level.

In the Hassidic tradition, the community leader was considered a Tzaddik, and this role often became an inherited position, going automatically from father to son.

5. When Reuven first visits Danny's synagogue, Reb Saunders tests his knowledge of Gematria. But what exactly is Gematria?

Answer: System of assigning numerical values to words

Gematria assigns numerical values to words and phrases. Kabbalistic scholars seek mystical meaning of passages from Torah and other texts based on those numerical values.

6. In "The Chosen", Danny and Reuven attend Samson Raphael Hirsch Seminary and College after graduating from high school. Was this a real institution in New York City?

Answer: Yes

There was indeed a Hirsch Seminary in New York, though it was never situated in Brooklyn as is the one in the book. The real one opened in 1944 in Manhattan. It contained separate elementary, middle, and high schools for both boys and girls, as well as post high school Talmudic studies. Until 2004, it also had a teacher's seminary. Following 2004, it has operated as a school without the Seminary.

7. Reb Saunders speaks Yiddish to his family and followers. Which European language does Yiddish most resemble?

Answer: German

Yiddish literally means "Jewish" in German. The language developed in the Rhineland in the 10th century, and was based on High German. While it is a dying language in general, there are ultra-Orthodox communities that insist on speaking it, reserving Hebrew for liturgy. This view was far more pervasive before the formation of Israel, which is the time described in the book.

8. Reuven's father is a great supporter of the budding State of Israel. Does Reb Saunders share this view?

Answer: No

Reb Saunders believes that a Jewish State is only possible when the Messiah comes. To him, a secular Jewish State goes against G-d and everything he believes in. That view loses much of its luster after Israel is finally formed and recognized as a State.

9. Reuven's father analyzes the Talmud using "scientific method". What is the scientific method in this context?

Answer: Analyzing and cross referencing Talmudic text for inconsistencies to deduce the author's original intent

Reuven's father believes that scribal errors account for many seemingly incomprehensible passages in the Talmud. He examines those texts carefully, paying special attention to their grammar, and cross references them with other scholarly texts of the same period to deduce what the original passage must have said.

This method often brings him into conflict with the more Orthodox members of the Jewish community.

10. Much in the book revolves around Reb Saunders not speaking to Danny save for their study sessions. What is this silence supposed to teach Danny?

Answer: Compassion

Early on, Reb Saunders realizes he has an exceptionally smart son. He is afraid Danny will grow up brilliant, but "without a soul". To prevent this, he stops speaking to Danny except for their study sessions. This is supposed to make Danny feel and understand the feelings of others. Reuven's father indicates that Reb Saunders did not invent this method, but that it has been used, however sparingly, in other Hassidic communities.

Source: Author Ptichka

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

"The Chosen" is a novel about Orthodox Jewish communities in New York City in the second half of 1940s. Along the way, reader learns many facts about Judaism and Jewish history. Let's see how much you have learned!

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