Book Two, Chapter Nine Summary

The chapter begins with Reuven in another of Rav Kalman's classes. After class, Kalman asks Reuven to stay behind. He has been trying to read Reuven's father's new book and has some trouble with the English and the Greek in the book. Reuven carefully takes him through the book. It turns out that Reuven's father and Kalman use different interpretative methods. David Malter believes he has the authority to re-interpret words based on his best understanding of scribal errors, but Kalman believes that only the great commentators of old had the authority to do this.

Throughout their conversation, Kalman exclaims that he does not know what to do with Reuven. Reuven is clearly a good student but he seems to Kalman to be wavering between orthodoxy and heterodoxy. He demands that Reuven find himself and make his...