The Books of Jacob

The travelers are smuggled into Poland by a Turkish man named Saakadze. Crossing from Turkey into Poland is prohibited “due to the plague” (654) and the nearby village is largely deserted. When purchasing food for the group, Nahman exaggerates his stories. He has a “propensity for exaggeration” (652). Spies track Jacob’s journey. He visits his sick and bedridden grandmother, Yente. The local people are worried about his insistence that “breaking the old laws is necessary” (649). He preaches about assembling a new religion from parts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jacob’s preaching is not always understood or appreciated but his following grows as he moves from village to village. His male followers show their appreciation by offering up their wives, sisters, or daughters to share Jacob’s bed. Jacob calls his religion “the faith of the Holy Trinity” (645) and he preaches about the end of the world, but the rich and comfortable listeners are less inclined to believe him.

Jacob recruits two female guardians: A girl from Busk and a self-proclaimed descendent of a “Polish princess” (643) named Gitla accompany him everywhere. Jacob and Gitla become particularly close, though she annoys many people.