The Significance of ——
The Chosen
By: Chaim Potok
——- To Me
As a child and young man I was raised in a very conservative Christian religion environment. I have not remained active as far as socially active with other Christians but I know what I was taught and I know the strengths and disappointments which has come from it all.
At this point of my life which puts me among the elderly my life is with a lady of the Jewish faith. She too cannot claim to be a highly active person of faith.
Long ago though when I was in the U.S. military I took an interest in the battles and trials that had been taking place in Israel since the partitioning during the forties and this led me to other historical readings now and again of the Jewish struggles and advancements.
More recently I have read some extensive Jewish literature: God, Jews and History / America’s Prophet / Where God Was Born and so on and so forth. Now I can add this book.
There is not a close connection to the two young Jewish boys of this book and my life as a young Christian. We are though of the same age. We do share some of the connections of being faith based and living among not so much faith based peers.
The one constant that continually gets my attention as I read any Jewish literature is the real understanding that Jesus himself was raised over a thousand years ago as a Jewish boy.
This fact is not, or was not in my case, totally explained and I am now finding it to be an important factor to go along with what was explained. It is making for me a more complete picture.
Maybe if I keep reading and trying to understand I will pass on something someday which will be important to another.
Hubert A. Abner
Late winter 2011
A Bit: Here & There 