He speaks in a learned, elegant manner. He invokes Isaiah. It would be hard to outtalk him. He has evidence for everything. When he cites the appropriate passage from the Scripture, he looks up, as though somewhere in the air a library hangs, invisible to others’ eyes. Jacob does not react to Nahman’s lectures, gives no indications that he’s heard. When Nahman finishes, Jacob doesn’t even nod to him. What a strange school.
