Zlateh the Goat

Singer uses cause and effect to highlight the sovereignty of the miraculous God, the theme of the piece. The story is set during the season of Hanukkah, the holiday of miracles. Reuven, Aaron, Zlateh, and the village peasants all need a miracle. The story begins with the lament of the village’s people: “Peasants complained that because of the dry weather, there would be a poor harvest of winter grain” (414). The mild winter makes life difficult not only for them but also for Reuven, a furrier who struggles to provide for his family because few people need furs this season. He begrudgingly decides to sell the family goat, Zlateh. Thus, Zlateh (although unaware of it) needs a miracle to save her from slaughter.

Aaron needs a miracle when a sudden blizzard hits during his journey to take Zlateh to the butcher, a storm hits: “This was no ordinary storm. It was a mighty blizzard” (416). He needs food and shelter for both him and the goat: “Aaron did not want to admit the danger, but he knew just the same that if they did not find shelter, they would freeze to death” (416).

The first miracle is the blizzard. Although it creates treacherous conditions for Aaron and Zlateh on the road, it’s the salvation that the peasants, Reuven, and Zlateh need. It provides water for winter grain, answering the prayers of the peasants. The storm brings snow, ice, and extreme cold, thus helping improve the outlook for Reuven to sell his furs to the other villagers and helping Reuven provide for his family: “When Hanukkah came, Aaron’s mother was able to fry pancakes every evening” (420).

The second miracle is Aaron’s losing his way and getting off course because of the storm. Singer uses this parable to show that being off course can lead to salvation, a common theme in this piece and in Jewish literature. Aaron eventually sees that he’s not on the road anymore. Only by being “lost” does Aaron find divine guidance. The story implies that supernatural forces lead him and Zlateh to a haystack—the miracle that saves them.

The third and the fourth miracles are the shelter and sustenance they find in the haystack: “No matter how cold it was outside in the haystack it was always warm. [...] And hay was food for Zlateh” (417).

The fifth miracle parallels the story of Hanukkah. During the rededication of the second temple, the Jewish people had only enough oil to burn the lamp for one night, but it lasted eight days and nights. Reuven justifies selling Zlateh to Feyvel by noting her age and consequent decrease in milk production—but in the haystack, in the middle of the blizzard, Zlateh’s milk is manna for Aaron, and her “udders were full” (418).

The sixth miracle is that Aaron “had decided in the haystack that he would never part with Zlateh” (420)—and he keeps this promise. Zlateh returns home with Aaron, becoming a member of the family: “Nobody ever again thought of selling Zlateh” (420).

According to Jewish tradition, God created the world in six days and then rested. Likewise, in the story “Zlateh the Goat,” God creates six miracles and then rests.