munity needs" (33) were fulfilled, but now, in the new Goray, "every man went his own way, no longer willing to share the common responsibility" (34). Along with this community disintegration comes an "interminable family quarrel" (14) that infects the Rabbi's home, pitting one family member against another. There the Rabbi's son and daughter-in-law "like two great spiders spinning an evil web, sat apart from the rest in a pique in their darkened room, where the curtains were always drawn and the door always closed" (35).
             Because of the previous massacre and now the growing disarray throughout the community, the hamlet's residents believe there has to be some reason, some meaning, behind the horror. Perhaps this truly signifies the coming of the Messiah and the beginning of a new
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