Night:Cultural AllusionsChapters 1 & 2

1.focuses on a brief but critical time in the author’s life2.reflects the author’s recollection of events3.has a “literary” quality due to the use of figurative devices like imagery, foreshadowing, irony, symbolism4.writer interrupts action to contemplate the meaning and impact of specific events5.provides the author with emotional therapy, allowing for a kind of catharsis

The Memoir falls within the biographical genre.

autobiography credo diary journal letter log confessional personal essay

Biography

Sighet, Transylvania

Night opens in Sighet, Transylvania (Romania) in 1941.

tallit (prayer shawl)

phylacteries (tefillin) side curls

modest clothing

Hasidic Jews can be recognized by… a) their distinctive clothingb) their devotion to their religious leaders

(rabbi)c) their emphasis on the study of Torah

kippah(head covering)

beard

+

Twenty-one percent of Jews worldwide observespecific dietary restriction outlined in the Torah.

rabbitrodent

porkbird of prey

insect

reptile

meat + dairy

shellfish

is money donated to others because it is the right thing to do. While charity is given when one is able and emotionally moved to do so, tzedakah is an obligation. Tzedakah must be performed regardless of financial standing; it must even be performed by the poor.

a caretaker or custodian in a synagogue or

shtiebel

shtiebel

a place for communal, Jewish prayer; generally a small room, private home,

or place of business

The center of Jewish worship in ancient times. First built by King Solomon then destroyed by the Babylonians;

it was rebuilt by Cyrus the Great then destroyed by the Romans.

Shekhinah

The spirit of G-d. It is believed that the Temple of Solomon was God’s “footstool” or resting place on earth. After the destruction of the temple, G-d was

exiled—forced out of His home.

The Torah is the Jewish Bible.

It consists of the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It

is believed that God transmitted the Torah verbally to Moses on Mount Sinai. The word Torah means “teachings.” It contains God’s instructions on how

to live and worship.

The Talmud is an encyclopedic collection of rabbinical explanations, interpretations, and

commentaries on the Torah from over the centuries. It provides real-world examples that

clarify the teachings of the Torah. N.B. Traditionally, the Talmud is studied and

debated with others.

A book of Jewish mysticism that explores the nature of God, his relationship with the universe, the afterlife,

angels and demons, signs and omens, and the nature of the soul.

N.B. A very small minority of Jews choose to study this text. To study Kaballah, one must be over 40 and have a

thorough understanding of both Torah and Talmud.

The Study of Kaballah(according to Moishe)

Deportation

10 day holiday to celebrate the Jewish new year. Celebrated by….

remembering personal sins and praying not to do them again next year.

eating candy apples to represent hope for the year ahead.

blowing the Shofar to remember the story of Abraham and his faithfulness to God.

The mezuzah is a scroll on which the shema is written. It is housed in a decorative case inscribed with the Hebrew letter shin (a reference to Shaddai, a synonym for G-d.) The mezuzah is attached to the doorpost of the Jewish home. In a sign of reverence, most Jews, upon entering a home, will kiss their fingertips before touching the mezuzah.

Marriage is one of the 613 mizvot in the Torah. The wedding ceremony takes place under the Chuppah. This canopy symbolizes the home that will be shared by

the couple.

N.B. At the end of the ceremony, a glass is placed on the floor, and the groom shatters it with his foot, reminding everyone of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Hava nagilaLet us rejoice!

“Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great…” Genesis 12: 1-3

Zionists believe that the Land of Israel is part of a contract made between God and Abraham and that this covenant is

still in effect today. N.B. The current conflict between Jews and Palestinians in the Middle East is, in part, a battle over land ownership.

Hanukkah: also called thefestival of lights. It remembers the Jewish victory over Greeksuppressers. They recoveredtheir temple and lit theireternal flame. It only hadenough oil to last 1 day, but theoil lasted 8 days, which was thetime it took to get more oil.

Also called Pesach is holiday lasting 7-8 days. Remembers when the angel of death “passed over” the Jews but not the Egyptians, and the Pharaoh sent them out. Celebrated through…

Cleansing house of leaven (yeast)Reading of the Haggadah Eating a special meal called the Seder

Seder Haggadah matzah

ghettos

boycottcitizenship

intermarriage

gold/valuables

destruction/vandalism

expulsion from civil service

book burnings

Celebrates when Moses went onto Mount Sinai and obtained the Torah and ten commandments. It is celebrated by…

reading the book of Ruth eating dairy productsall night long Torah studydecorating homes & synagogues with greenery

a Nazi, secret-police organization that employed violent methods against persons suspected of disloyalty