Bread Givers

Throughout the narrative, the Torah is a motif that represents Reb Smolinsky’s patriarchal control over Shenah and his daughters. Any time his daughters contradict him, Reb Smolinsky uses the Torah to win his argument. Rather than engaging with his daughters about their criticism of his parenting, Reb Smolinsky chooses to use the Torah as a weapon against them to bolster his sexist views. Reb Smolinsky tries to use the Torah to make his daughters listen to him out of fear of what will happen if they disobey him. However, Sara breaks away from this pattern of behavior because she does not agree with her father’s decisions. Even though Sara loves the stories in the Torah that teach about God’s faithfulness and love, she turns away from the patriarchal teachings, even if it means leaving her religion. However, Reb Smolinsky’s misuse of the Torah haunts Sara, and she always hears her father’s words: “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (296).

Morris Lipkin’s love letters are a motif that represents Sara’s desire to escape Reb Smolinsky. Fania keeps Morris Lipkin’s letters under her mattress, but she leaves them behind when she moves to Los Angeles.