“AT THE OUTSET OF THE DAY”: MYSTICAL ASPECTS OF CLOTHING AND BOOKS IN THE WORK OF AGNON

The story “At the Outset of the Day” is short, but contains many meanings. It is a story about a father whose daughter’s dress burns to ashes, and who throughout the story attempts, unsuccessfully, to cover her nakedness. As the article shows, the story can be defined as symbolic, with a connotative level open to interpretation as well as biblical foundations and symbols that express its hidden level.