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The Chosen (Reuven Malter, #1)

Chaim Potok

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Feb 16, 2008 Werner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: general-fiction

Note, July 9, 2023: I've just edited this review slightly, to correct a typo.

Over time, as I remember books I've read and continue to reflect on them, they sometimes rise or sink in my estimation. This one has steadily risen since I first reviewed it, and I've accordingly awarded it a fifth star.

The central theme of The Chosen is the possible difference between our inherited religious tradition vs. the genuine will of God for our lives; and its central moral question is, how far (if at all) do w Note, July 9, 2023: I've just edited this review slightly, to correct a typo.

Over time, as I remember books I've read and continue to reflect on them, they sometimes rise or sink in my estimation. This one has steadily risen since I first reviewed it, and I've accordingly awarded it a fifth star.

The central theme of The Chosen is the possible difference between our inherited religious tradition vs. the genuine will of God for our lives; and its central moral question is, how far (if at all) do we have an obligation to let the former define who we can become? Both boys in the book have to grapple with this; it's most obvious for Danny, "chosen" from infancy to succeed his father as a rabbi of the super-orthodox Hasidim, with their almost medieval traditions (a role he's not at all cut out for), but Reuven also faces it in his yeshiva, when he realizes that his own study of the Old Testament leads at times to different conclusions than those of his rabbinic tradition. Himself Jewish, Potok doesn't demonize tradition; he delivers a serious, nuanced and balanced look at its role. Though they're presented here in a Jewish context, the religious issues he deals with here are profoundly important for Christians (or persons of any faith) as well.

Like all great novels, this one has other dimensions as well. (The meaning of the title is also multi-faceted: Danny is "the chosen," but Reuven is also "chosen" across sectarian lines to become his friend; and at a deeper level, Israel itself was chosen by God as the vehicle for His revelation to mankind.)

For Gentile Christians like myself, another rewarding feature of this book is the window it provides into Jewish culture and thought, especially the American urban Jewish culture that had so great an influence on the shaping of our country in the decades after the story takes place. Prior to reading this book, I really knew nothing at all about Hasidic Judaism, its origins or particular beliefs; so all of the historical information Potok seamlessly provides was fascinating to me. ...more

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Jul 12, 2017 Lynne rated it really liked it

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Shelves: fiction

Mar 14, 2011 Alandra marked it as to-read

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