The Lesson of The Chosen
The Chosen, written by Chaim Potok, is about two boys from different religious sects that become friends despite all of their conflicts. Danny and Reuven participated in a baseball game against each other and Danny smacked the ball directly into Reuven's face, shattered his glasses, and a piece of glass penetrated his eye. Danny went to visit him in the hospital but, before he could say anything, Reuven started screaming at Danny and commanded him to leave while Danny only wanted to say that he was sorry. When Reuven's eye healed, Danny went over to Reuven's house and they apologized and forgave each other. From then on Danny and Reuven help each other achieve their foremost important ambition in life. Reb Saunders poses an important question, "How can we raise ourselves above the dust?" which is the main theme in the novel. Danny searches for intellectual truth, Reb Saunders, Danny's father, tried to become as spiritual as possible while still on this earth, and Reuven desires to help other people.
Danny Saunders yearned for more knowledge other then Talmud and wanted to raise his intellectuality higher then what he obtained in his isolated world. He learned Talmud most of the day and "After a while it gets a little boring"(69). The first time Danny met Reuven properly, Rueven was astonished because, " [Danny] recited about a third of [a] page [of Talmud] word for word, including the commentaries and the Maimonidean legal decisions of the Talmudic disputations. He did it coldly, mechanically, and, listening to him, [Reuven] had the feeling [he] was watching a sort of human machine at work"(69). He studies Talmud as if it were involuntary. Danny himself sometimes even "...gets the feeling we are all ants" because he has the same routine everyday, and learns Talmud over and over as if he was programmed. Also, ants do not do what they wish but are programmed and have natural instinct. This is beneficial in some ways, because if they all do the same thing their work pays off. They are capable of building magnificent mounds that are amazing knowing that they are still ants and if it is destroyed they can speedily and sufficiently rebuild it exactly as it were before. God forbid if somehow all of the Jewish scriptures were destroyed, people like Danny would be the ones who would rebuild it. But Danny does not want to follow in the strict footsteps of his father and not only does he want to raise himself above the dust spiritually but also intellectually. We also observe that Danny reveals some details to Reuven but not to his father because his father doesn't converse with him. Danny tells Reuven, " I read anything... [anything] I can get my hand on"(79). He continues, " I read about seven or eight books a week outside of my schoolwork"(79). Even though Danny has so much work in school he yearns for knowledge so desperately he still reads a myriad amount of books outside of school.
Reb Saunders is an important figure in his community and his entire Hasidic sect. In the question, " How do we raise ourselves above the dust? ", Reb Saunders believes that Earth is the "dust" and "raise" means to become more spiritual and closer to God. His method of becoming closer to God is extremely unique and one of the key techniques is silence. He agrees with the Zohar's statement, " Silence is good everywhere except in connection with Torah" because Reb Saunders " ... wishes everyone could talk in silence" (72). Also, when Danny was talking to Rueven about how Reb Saunders doesn't communicate with him he interjects, "He talks plenty when were learning Talmud together" (72). An answer to why he doesn't speak with Danny is that he wants to become spiritually high but words are physical and "... they distort what a person really feels in his heart" (72)
Reuven Malter liked to help people any way he could and there were a few main actions he did during this book that displays this. During the period in which the novel took place, Israel was being established and because of this, people were behaving more Zionistic. Reuven was one of those people and partook in a Zionist youth group that went "... down to a warehouse in Brooklyn to help load uniforms, helmets, [guns], and canteens onto a huge ten ton truck"(240). They were told, "... the supplies would soon be on a ship heading for Palestine and would help the Haganah"(240). Reuven and Danny had discussions with each other, which they would not have with anyone else and in some ways they were each other's psychologists. Since they were able to talk to each other Rueven could help Danny and also himself. Rueven mentioned to Danny, "I sort of feel I could be more useful to people as a rabbi. You know, not everyone is religious like you or me. I could teach them, and help them when they're in trouble. I think I would get a lot of pleasure out of that" (70). Reuven helps Danny reveal what he feels in his heart. When Danny says softly, "I am not sure I know what G-d wants, thoug."(79). The novel proves that they help each say what they feel because even Danny says, "... I've never said to anyone before" (79).
Everyone has a set distance to go in life, some people reach it some people don't, but the people that go the extra mile are the people that raise themselves above the dust. The way that people raise themselves above the dust is the difference between them and everyone else. Danny retained whatever knowledge he could, Reb Saunders tried to become as close as possible to G-d, and Rueven helped whomever he can, whatever he can, whenever he can. Reb Saunders, Danny and Reuven all strived to run that extra mile and never gave up. This teaches us to take what we have and run with it.
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