Thursday, January 19, 2006

silence


One of my absolutely favourite novels is The Chosen by Chaim Potok

It is a wonderful novel depicting the relationship between fathers and sons. It speaks of love. It speaks of silence.

Here is Reb Saunders speaking to Reuven:

"My father himself never talked to me, except when we studied together. He taught me with silence. He taught me to look into myself, to find my own strength, to walk around inside myself in company with my soul. . . . One learns of the pain of others by suffering one's own pain, he would say, by turning inside oneself, by finding one's own soul. And it is important to know of pain, he said. It destroys our self-pride, our arrogance, our indifference toward others. It makes us aware of how frail and tiny we are and of how much we must depend upon the Master of the Universe. . . .

"Reuven, I did not want my Daniel to become like my brother, may he rest in peace. Better I should have had no son at all than to have a brilliant son who had no soul. . . . And I had to make certain his soul would be the soul of a tzaddik no matter what he did with his life.

I crave silence.

5 comments:

thomasw said...

sorry that i am like the wind:)

biss said...

Wow.
You are the second person today to mention Chaim Potok in my "presence."
During my first real conversation with Cheryl, she told me to read his work. I never have.
Soon, I think, I will pick up one of his books and think.
Thank you.

Stacy said...

Wow... to have such a parent. To be such a parent! To teach with silence. Oh...

Kassianni said...

yes, you've mentioned him more than once, I must find a book...

Magdalen said...

Soon. Very soon. (We are going to see the King)
I'm coming home on Tuesday the 31st. So one more week till I leave here, and about 2 until we see each other, since we'll have to wait for church. Although, I might be able to make it for Wed Vespers, since I probably won't be working that day. We'll see how jet lag treats me.

I miss you all a lot. Soon, very soon.

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