Baseball game
Reuven and Danny meet for the first time as rivals in a baseball game between their school teams. The game turns into a spiritual war between Danny's Hasidic and Reuven's Modern Orthodox yeshivas. Danny's batting style is such that the ball is sent speeding back up the middle of the field, and so he receives a reputation of trying to kill pitchers. Angered by unsuccessful attempts to hit Reuven's previous pitches, Danny hits a line drivetoward Reuven, shattering his glasses and sending him to the hospital with an injured eye. While Reuven is recovering from his injuries, Danny visits him and apologizes; and the two become best friends over time, despite the difference in their upbringings. Reuven learns that Danny's father, a respected Rebbe, only talks to Danny during religious conversations - Danny is being brought up 'in silence'. Reuven also learns Danny's deepest secret: he wishes to become a psychologist rather than inherit the position as tzaddik as his father wants. The only people who know about this are Reuven, and a man who has been recommending books for Danny to read and later discussing them with him, who is later revealed to be Reuven's father.
