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If you’re struggling with the first section of Elie Wiesel’s Night, you’re not alone. There’s a lot about Jewish culture and religion that can feel unfamiliar—and difficult to get through. In this Recap, Jenny gives you everything you need to know to understand the terrible action in Night.

Video Transcription:

The most intimidating part of Night is its first chapter. But trust me: This book is too good—and too important—to toss aside just because you don’t understand it. How about I help you out—next.

The first character you meet in Night is a character who sticks around for only a few pages. His name is Moishe the Beadle, and you can think of him as Eliezer’s spiritual guide.

Eliezer is a deeply religious Jew, and he wants to study the Kabbalah—in other words, Jewish mysticism. He wants to understand the essence of divinity.

Now. Here’s what you need to remember.

First, the setup of the story is important. These first few confusing pages, when you’ll encounter words and culture that feel really unfamiliar, set the stage for Eliezer’s journey. Not his physical journey, but the spiritual journey Eliezer tries to survive as the horrors of the Holocaust cause him to question everything he’s learned about his faith and his God.

Second, you could say that the story starts with Moishe because Moishe speaks the words that sum up Eliezer’s struggle for faith. Moishe says, “I pray to the God within me that He will give me the strength to ask Him the right questions.” Throughout this novel, you’ll want to pay attention to the questions that Eliezer is asking. As Moishe points out at the very beginning, this is faith—not the answers, but the questions themselves.