Reading for Me

I was first introduced to the writing of the Jewish author, Chaim Potok, while taking a course in minority literature at Pepperdine University. I discovered many interesting authors in the class and it forever changed the landscape of my personal reading. I remember fondly my first experience with Potok’s classic novel My Name is Asher Lev. I decided to revisit the book earlier this year and was thrilled with its power upon a second reading. This began my continuing voyage through the works of Potok and I continue to be amazed at his skill and command of the written word.

In the Beginning is set in Brooklyn in the first few decades of the 20th century. The stock market has crashed, people have survived the Great Depression, and America has found itself fighting absolute evil in the Great War. Against this background, Potok introduces us to David Lurie, a brilliant young Jewish boy who excels in his study of Torah. As he matures and encounters more evil in the world, David begins to have questions regarding Truth and faith. The young student begins to search for answers from scholars of all ages and religions – even exploring the writings of Anti-Semites. David’s quest for Truth causes great distress for his observant Jewish family. As he looks for answers, David also learns more about his family’s past, their journey to America, the losses they have suffered, and the often personal cost of questioning faith and traditional values. Along the way, David also learns what it means to become a man who stands on his own against opposition.

I was absolutely floored by In the Beginning. I personally identify with the challenges that often come at the intersection of inquiry and faith traditions within a conservative community. I loved watching a young man’s journey of discovery as he asked tough questions while those around him were frightened by the student’s audacity to even ask the questions. Throughout my life, I have been told repeatedly a maxim that is heralded throughout Potok’s novel — absolute Truth has nothing to fear from doubt, inquiry, and investigation.

This was the perfect novel for me to read in our nation’s current time of crisis related to the COVID-19 epidemic. As I find myself asking questions such as “How can God allow this to happen?” and “Does God even love us anymore?” the words of In the Beginning bring me comfort in the assurance that God knows my questions and fears before I even ask them. He is not frightened by the questions I ask. Instead, He repeatedly reveals Truth to me in various ways at various times through various means because He loves me that deeply.

Posted in fiction, historical