Act 1, Scene 6 Summary

It is the following day, and Perchik is teaching Shprintze and Bielke as they peel potatoes outside their home. Hodel cleans pails at the pump as she listens.

Perchik tells the story of Laban and Jacob, and how Jacob had to work for Laban for 7 years in order to marry his younger daughter Rachel, but Laban tricked Jacob and gave her his ugly, older daughter, Leah, instead. Jacob had to work another 7 years to get Rachel also. The lesson he teaches the girls from this is not to trust their employers.

Golde enters from the barn and asks if their father is up yet. Hodel says that he isn't, so Golde puts a stop to the lessons for now, saying that they will all have to do their father's work for him. He had stumbled home drunk the previous night, and...