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The Chosen: A Literary Analysis

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Throughout history, multiple religions have budded heads, such as Christians and Muslims. In the book “The Chosen,” by Chaim Potok, the Hasidic and Modern Orthodox people conflict with each other because of their different views of belief. The religion itself doesn’t conflict, but the people of the different religions do. Hasidic and Modern Orthodox are the two sects of the main characters which were divided off from the four sects of Judaism, which are, Reconstructions, Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox. Both religions are “types” of Jews; both of these are stricter than the “average Jew,” but Hasidism’s are considered the extreme. Ba’al Shem Tov founded Hasidism in the 18th century, which a Hasid is a member of a Jewish movement of popular mysticism founded in Easter Europe around 1750, which is in the 17th …show more content…

In “The Chosen,” Chaim Potok uses the relationship between Danny and Reuven to show the social and political problems that they dealt with. Reuven didn’t fully understand the Hasidic view on things; he asked his dad, Mr. Malter, many questions, that of which his dad knew most or just gave his opinions. Reuven was drug into Danny’s father, Reb Saunders’s, synagogue multiple times, where he learned more about the Talmud and the history behind the Hasidic religion. Reb Saunders’s was considered a tzaddik, by which everyone looked upon him as a god, but a tzaddik is just a pious leader that is a messenger between God and man. Also, with Reb Saunders being a tzaddik, he will have to pass down the role to his son, Danny. Reb Saunders figures out as Danny grew up that he had very bright mind and desires more than the study of Hasidism. Reb Saunders was very considering when Danny told him he didn’t want to become the next tzaddik, because he already knew; and so he then passed it down to his next son, Levi

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