How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
There were parts that I did not understand, but I conjecture that this is because they were very Jewish, and only a Jewish person could understand something so Jewish. (4.10)
Being Jewish isn't just a religion; there's an entire culture that goes back many centuries. (Early Woody Allen movies are a good place to start.)
Quote #5
If God does exist, He would have a great deal to be sad about. And if He doesn't exist, then that too would make Him quite sad, I image. So to answer your question, God must be sad. (11.53)
Brod and Yankel have religious conversations that don't seem to be going on in the rest of the shtetl. The other villagers don't question the very existence of God (or His mood); they just wonder how to go about their lives and still pay proper respect to the big guy in the sky.
Quote #6
"The General went down the line and told each man to spit on the Torah or they would kill his family." (23.9)
Many of the atrocities in Trachimbrod, just like all of World War II, happened because of religious differences. People had a choice to either stand up for what they believe in and die—or betray their culture and often die anyway. Not much of a choice when you put it like that.