Reb Saunders Character Analysis

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“The natural desire of good men is knowledge.” ~Leonardo da Vinci. Everyone desires the character trait of knowledge. Knowledge is “acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition.” (dictionary.com) All throughout The Chosen, Potok provides his characters with knowledge for a variety of situations. Although knowledge, a great attribute, requires a lot of time and effort. Within the book, knowledge is a great trait displayed by Reb Saunders, Danny, and Reuven. Reb Saunders is a knowledgeable man within the Jewish church. Throughout most of his life, he has studied as an advance teacher of the Talmud. “The second son was ordained at the age of seventeen, and by the time he was twenty had achieved an awesome reputation as a Talmudist.” (117) As the second son, Reb Saunders became a great Talmudist and he became the leader of his community; he led them through highs and lows. During World War 1, Reb Saunders took care of his community and spiritually guided them. At the Shabbat meals, Reb Saunders would have great input and lead the Talmud based discussions. Mr. Saunders, a respected community leader, had an intellectual…show more content…
He has a rare photographic memory that allows him to memorize material word for word. “Danny knew enough about Freud now—his method of study had been so thoroughly successfully—that he was able to use Freud’s technical terminology with the same kind of natural ease that characterized our use of the technical terminology of the Talmud.” (195) Reuven’s father compared Danny’s love of learning to a past Jewish scholar; he risked breaking his father’s rules and reading forbidden books for the desire of knowledge. Mr. Malter considered Danny, not only a brilliant student, but a phenomenon. (110) Because of Danny’s precise knowledge of the Talmud, highly respected church members ask Danny challenging questions to resolve
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