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Reuven Malter #2
The Promise
“A superb mirror of a place, a time, and a group of people who capture our immediate interest and hold it tightly.” — The Philadelphia Inquirer
Young Reuven Malter is unsure of himself and his place in life. An unconventional scholar, he struggles for recognition from his teachers. With his old friend Danny Saunders—who himself had abandoned the legacy as the chosen heir to his father's rabbinical dynasty for the uncertain life of a healer — Reuven battles to save a sensitive boy imprisoned by his genius and rage. Painfully, triumphantly, Reuven's understanding of himself, though the boy change, as he starts to approach the peace he has long sought…
Young Reuven Malter is unsure of himself and his place in life. An unconventional scholar, he struggles for recognition from his teachers. With his old friend Danny Saunders—who himself had abandoned the legacy as the chosen heir to his father's rabbinical dynasty for the uncertain life of a healer — Reuven battles to save a sensitive boy imprisoned by his genius and rage. Painfully, triumphantly, Reuven's understanding of himself, though the boy change, as he starts to approach the peace he has long sought…
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
254 people are currently reading
7970 people want to read
About the author
Chaim Potok
72 books1,868 followersHerman Harold Potok, or Chaim Tzvi, was born in Buffalo, New York, to Polish immigrants. He received an Orthodox Jewish education. After reading Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited as a teenager, he decided to become a writer. He started writing fiction at the age of 16. At age 17 he made his first submission to the magazine The Atlantic Monthly. Although it wasn't published, he received a note from the editor complimenting his work.
In 1949, at the age of 20, his stories were published in the literary magazine of Yeshiva University, which he also helped edit. In 1950, Potok graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English Literature.
After four years of study at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America he was ordained as a Conservative rabbi. He was appointed director of Leaders Training Fellowship, a youth organization affiliated with Conservative Judaism.
After receiving a master's degree in English literature, Potok enlisted with the U.S. Army as a chaplain. He served in South Korea from 1955 to 1957. He described his time in S. Korea as a transformative experience. Brought up to believe that the Jewish people were central to history and God's plans, he experienced a region where there were almost no Jews and no anti-Semitism, yet whose religious believers prayed with the same fervor that he saw in Orthodox synagogues at home.
Upon his return, he joined the faculty of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and became the director of a Conservative Jewish summer camp affiliated with the Conservative movement, Camp Ramah. A year later he began his graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania and was appointed scholar-in-residence at Temple Har Zion in Philadelphia.
In 1963, he spent a year in Israel, where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on Solomon Maimon and began to write a novel.
In 1964 Potok moved to Brooklyn. He became the managing editor of the magazine Conservative Judaism and joined the faculty of the Teachers’ Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary. The following year, he was appointed editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society in Philadelphia and later, chairman of the publication committee. Potok received a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1970, Potok relocated to Jerusalem with his family. He returned to Philadelphia in 1977. After the publication of Old Men at Midnight, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He died at his home in Merion, Pennsylvania on July 23, 2002, aged 73.
In 1949, at the age of 20, his stories were published in the literary magazine of Yeshiva University, which he also helped edit. In 1950, Potok graduated summa cum laude with a BA in English Literature.
After four years of study at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America he was ordained as a Conservative rabbi. He was appointed director of Leaders Training Fellowship, a youth organization affiliated with Conservative Judaism.
After receiving a master's degree in English literature, Potok enlisted with the U.S. Army as a chaplain. He served in South Korea from 1955 to 1957. He described his time in S. Korea as a transformative experience. Brought up to believe that the Jewish people were central to history and God's plans, he experienced a region where there were almost no Jews and no anti-Semitism, yet whose religious believers prayed with the same fervor that he saw in Orthodox synagogues at home.
Upon his return, he joined the faculty of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and became the director of a Conservative Jewish summer camp affiliated with the Conservative movement, Camp Ramah. A year later he began his graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania and was appointed scholar-in-residence at Temple Har Zion in Philadelphia.
In 1963, he spent a year in Israel, where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on Solomon Maimon and began to write a novel.
In 1964 Potok moved to Brooklyn. He became the managing editor of the magazine Conservative Judaism and joined the faculty of the Teachers’ Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary. The following year, he was appointed editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society in Philadelphia and later, chairman of the publication committee. Potok received a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1970, Potok relocated to Jerusalem with his family. He returned to Philadelphia in 1977. After the publication of Old Men at Midnight, he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He died at his home in Merion, Pennsylvania on July 23, 2002, aged 73.
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December 9, 2025
I MIEI FIGLI MI HANNO CONQUISTATO
Da ogni parte tutto stava cambiando intorno a noi nell’ordine delle cose che avevamo formato per viverci dentro. Cambiò il vicinato. Negli anni precedenti la seconda guerra mondiale, il quartiere Wlliamsburg di Brooklyn era stato abitato soltanto da alcune sette chassidiche. Nel quinto anno del dopoguerra la zona sembrava oscurata dalla loro presenza. Erano gli scampati al caos sulfureo dei campi di concentramento… cupe, fosche figure in lunghi soprabiti neri e cappelli neri e barbe lunghe, riccioli penzolanti sopra gli orecchi d’ambo i lati di facce sparute, occhi meditabondi, simili a palle di fiamma nera, rivolti interiormente su visione segrete del demoniaco. Qui, a Williamsburg, si accinsero a ricostruire il loro mondo incenerito.
Inizia così, con questo incipit, il secondo romanzo di Chaim Potok, che prosegue la storia di Reuven e Danny a due anni di distanza dall’esordio e dalla prima apparizione della coppia di amici in The Chosen – Danny l’eletto. Trovo magnifica questa sintetica descrizione della trasformazione del quartiere di New York tradizionalmente più abitato dagli ebrei ortodossi.
E il cambiamento deve essere stato notevole se Potok ci torna sopra a metà libro con le parole che seguono:
Pensai come quei relitti dei campi di concentramento avessero cambiato la faccia delle cose. Erano i relitti, i custodi zelanti della scintilla. E ora tutto quanto esisteva di tradizionale veniva attratto verso quello zelo. Avevano cambiato ogni cosa mediante la mera sopravvivenza e la traversata di un oceano.
Ho la sensazione che per Reuven “i custodi zelanti della scintilla” abbiano anche cambiato il clima, facendo calare una cappa da medioevo.
L’oscurantismo è accentuato dal senatore McCarthy che si è messo all’opera, sono proprio quegli anni. E i Rosenberg stanno per finire sulla sedia elettrica.
Nel primo romanzo era Danny il prescelto che doveva compiere una scelta di vita: continuare la tradizione familiare e diventare rabbino dopo suo padre e suo nonno e il bisnonno, oppure dedicarsi alla sua passione, Freud, la psicologia e la psicanalisi.
Adesso l’obbligo di scelta sembra essere slittato verso il suo migliore amico, il Reuven del titolo, l’io narrante di entrambi i romanzi. E anche per Reuven (=Robert) la scelta riguarda la vita intera: diventare rabbino o dedicarsi ad altro. perché, per conseguire il primo obiettivo gli stanno chiedendo di schierarsi, da una parte o dall’altra, rinnegando le sue idee e i suoi principi, e anche i suoi affetti.
Il romanzo si arricchisce di personaggi. Sempre piacevolmente presente il padre dell’io narrante Reuven, grande studioso, uomo aperto affettuoso accogliente; molto defilato invece quello del suo amico Danny che aveva spadroneggiato nel primo romanzo, figura meno tollerante, più rigida.
Compare una giovane donna, coetanea dei due amici: è Rachel. La si nomina molto e vede agire poco. Non c’è da meravigliarsi: nel mondo delle religioni monoteiste la donna conta meno dell’uomo. Rachel sembra collocarsi tra Danny e Reuven, ma non è né personaggio aggregante né disgregante. Il nome biblico chiarisce subito che si colloca nella zona religiosa di entrambi, pur se non in quella più ortodossa.
E poi suo cugino, un adolescente di quattordici anni, con forti disturbi mentali che entra in cura da Danny e stravede per Reuven. Personaggio molto interessante e originale che imprime al racconto una marcia in più, una calda sofferta intensità.
A completare le new entry i rispettivi genitori dei due giovani.
Dilaniante il personaggio più controverso, un rabbino rabbioso e ligio alla legge religiosa, all’ortodossia più tradizionale, che rifiuta riletture interpretazioni aggiornamenti. Ma neppure con lui Potok diventa giudicante. Al contrario il suo passato a Majdanek si presenta a controbilanciare – e motivare – il suo carattere e la sua personalità, aprendo spiragli di tolleranza.
Anche questa volta Potok si immerge in disquisizioni sui testi sacri dell’ebraismo e le loro svariate numerose interpretazioni (riletture, correzioni grammaticali, spiegazioni, contraddizioni, lavoro di esegesi iniziato secoli addietro), affronta aspetti di fede e religione, e nonostante la mia radicata refrattarietà a questi argomenti, la mia attenzione non è mai venuta meno, mai neppure stemperata.
Anche questa volta Potok sembra contrappore la legge religiosa – e la tradizione ortodossa nelle sue varie manifestazioni – alla realtà (mutata) dei tempi moderni, come se la prima fosse una stanza con finestre serrate e aria viziata, e la seconda spalancasse le aperture e rinfrescasse l’atmosfera.
Ma i due romanzi sono soprattutto un inno al rispetto, all’amicizia, alla libertà di scelta. Grandiosi, questo perfino più del precedente.
Da ogni parte tutto stava cambiando intorno a noi nell’ordine delle cose che avevamo formato per viverci dentro. Cambiò il vicinato. Negli anni precedenti la seconda guerra mondiale, il quartiere Wlliamsburg di Brooklyn era stato abitato soltanto da alcune sette chassidiche. Nel quinto anno del dopoguerra la zona sembrava oscurata dalla loro presenza. Erano gli scampati al caos sulfureo dei campi di concentramento… cupe, fosche figure in lunghi soprabiti neri e cappelli neri e barbe lunghe, riccioli penzolanti sopra gli orecchi d’ambo i lati di facce sparute, occhi meditabondi, simili a palle di fiamma nera, rivolti interiormente su visione segrete del demoniaco. Qui, a Williamsburg, si accinsero a ricostruire il loro mondo incenerito.
Inizia così, con questo incipit, il secondo romanzo di Chaim Potok, che prosegue la storia di Reuven e Danny a due anni di distanza dall’esordio e dalla prima apparizione della coppia di amici in The Chosen – Danny l’eletto. Trovo magnifica questa sintetica descrizione della trasformazione del quartiere di New York tradizionalmente più abitato dagli ebrei ortodossi.
E il cambiamento deve essere stato notevole se Potok ci torna sopra a metà libro con le parole che seguono:
Pensai come quei relitti dei campi di concentramento avessero cambiato la faccia delle cose. Erano i relitti, i custodi zelanti della scintilla. E ora tutto quanto esisteva di tradizionale veniva attratto verso quello zelo. Avevano cambiato ogni cosa mediante la mera sopravvivenza e la traversata di un oceano.
Ho la sensazione che per Reuven “i custodi zelanti della scintilla” abbiano anche cambiato il clima, facendo calare una cappa da medioevo.
L’oscurantismo è accentuato dal senatore McCarthy che si è messo all’opera, sono proprio quegli anni. E i Rosenberg stanno per finire sulla sedia elettrica.
Nel primo romanzo era Danny il prescelto che doveva compiere una scelta di vita: continuare la tradizione familiare e diventare rabbino dopo suo padre e suo nonno e il bisnonno, oppure dedicarsi alla sua passione, Freud, la psicologia e la psicanalisi.
Adesso l’obbligo di scelta sembra essere slittato verso il suo migliore amico, il Reuven del titolo, l’io narrante di entrambi i romanzi. E anche per Reuven (=Robert) la scelta riguarda la vita intera: diventare rabbino o dedicarsi ad altro. perché, per conseguire il primo obiettivo gli stanno chiedendo di schierarsi, da una parte o dall’altra, rinnegando le sue idee e i suoi principi, e anche i suoi affetti.
Il romanzo si arricchisce di personaggi. Sempre piacevolmente presente il padre dell’io narrante Reuven, grande studioso, uomo aperto affettuoso accogliente; molto defilato invece quello del suo amico Danny che aveva spadroneggiato nel primo romanzo, figura meno tollerante, più rigida.
Compare una giovane donna, coetanea dei due amici: è Rachel. La si nomina molto e vede agire poco. Non c’è da meravigliarsi: nel mondo delle religioni monoteiste la donna conta meno dell’uomo. Rachel sembra collocarsi tra Danny e Reuven, ma non è né personaggio aggregante né disgregante. Il nome biblico chiarisce subito che si colloca nella zona religiosa di entrambi, pur se non in quella più ortodossa.
E poi suo cugino, un adolescente di quattordici anni, con forti disturbi mentali che entra in cura da Danny e stravede per Reuven. Personaggio molto interessante e originale che imprime al racconto una marcia in più, una calda sofferta intensità.
A completare le new entry i rispettivi genitori dei due giovani.
Dilaniante il personaggio più controverso, un rabbino rabbioso e ligio alla legge religiosa, all’ortodossia più tradizionale, che rifiuta riletture interpretazioni aggiornamenti. Ma neppure con lui Potok diventa giudicante. Al contrario il suo passato a Majdanek si presenta a controbilanciare – e motivare – il suo carattere e la sua personalità, aprendo spiragli di tolleranza.
Anche questa volta Potok si immerge in disquisizioni sui testi sacri dell’ebraismo e le loro svariate numerose interpretazioni (riletture, correzioni grammaticali, spiegazioni, contraddizioni, lavoro di esegesi iniziato secoli addietro), affronta aspetti di fede e religione, e nonostante la mia radicata refrattarietà a questi argomenti, la mia attenzione non è mai venuta meno, mai neppure stemperata.
Anche questa volta Potok sembra contrappore la legge religiosa – e la tradizione ortodossa nelle sue varie manifestazioni – alla realtà (mutata) dei tempi moderni, come se la prima fosse una stanza con finestre serrate e aria viziata, e la seconda spalancasse le aperture e rinfrescasse l’atmosfera.
Ma i due romanzi sono soprattutto un inno al rispetto, all’amicizia, alla libertà di scelta. Grandiosi, questo perfino più del precedente.
July 16, 2016
I love, love, love Chaim Potok's writing. He has a depth that begs slow digestion and his ability to portray the evolution of cultural thought is pure genius. He uses Jewish culture as his backdrop, but the hardening of old positions vs. the embracing of new ideas is a theme that holds universal application.
This novel is a continuation of a previous novel, The Chosen. It is a story of the unlikely friendship between 2 young Jews from Brooklyn (1940s). Unlikely, because they are from two very disparate sects of Judaism. There is unavoidable tension because they both hold tightly to their heritage, but their youth renders some elasticity. Ultimately their friendship serves as a bridge to bring some intercourse between the sects, some honor and respect and understanding.
In this sequel, the young Danny has fulfilled his life goal of becoming a psychologist---a monumental decision because his destiny was preordained. He was slated to take his father's seat as the next Tzaddik (rabbinic leader) of the Hassidic sect into which he was born. To embrace psychology is to bring modern thought, something quite foreign to the ancient, unbending traditions. But Danny manages to hold to the traditions while at the same time expanding them; as a psychologist he becomes a "Tzaddik to the world." All of these expansions of mind, soul, and tradition are accomplished by the amalgamation that occurs between Danny and his more liberal Jewish friend, Reuven. The friendship is an incredible thing to witness through the pages of this book.
I love the symbolism that Potok uses in his books: the Ailanthus tree, "the tree of heaven," is inserted in both books. The closed/open window is a symbol fitly woven into The Promise, portending the alternating stifling of new ideas and the opening of the mind.
I'll be returning to this author; his writing provides riches for the heart and mind.
This novel is a continuation of a previous novel, The Chosen. It is a story of the unlikely friendship between 2 young Jews from Brooklyn (1940s). Unlikely, because they are from two very disparate sects of Judaism. There is unavoidable tension because they both hold tightly to their heritage, but their youth renders some elasticity. Ultimately their friendship serves as a bridge to bring some intercourse between the sects, some honor and respect and understanding.
In this sequel, the young Danny has fulfilled his life goal of becoming a psychologist---a monumental decision because his destiny was preordained. He was slated to take his father's seat as the next Tzaddik (rabbinic leader) of the Hassidic sect into which he was born. To embrace psychology is to bring modern thought, something quite foreign to the ancient, unbending traditions. But Danny manages to hold to the traditions while at the same time expanding them; as a psychologist he becomes a "Tzaddik to the world." All of these expansions of mind, soul, and tradition are accomplished by the amalgamation that occurs between Danny and his more liberal Jewish friend, Reuven. The friendship is an incredible thing to witness through the pages of this book.
I love the symbolism that Potok uses in his books: the Ailanthus tree, "the tree of heaven," is inserted in both books. The closed/open window is a symbol fitly woven into The Promise, portending the alternating stifling of new ideas and the opening of the mind.
I'll be returning to this author; his writing provides riches for the heart and mind.
October 23, 2008
For all those struggling through religious issues (especially my LDS friends) -- this book will put so much into perspective.
This book explains everything. And it has the potential to change a great deal.
I cannot recommend highly enough.
This book explains everything. And it has the potential to change a great deal.
I cannot recommend highly enough.
May 19, 2025
Chaim Potok’s sequel to The Chosen begins with such a strong descriptive passage that you are swept up into the book without so much as a glimpse in the rearview mirror. As I did with The Chosen, I found myself wondering how a book about a religion I do not practice and barely understand could have such a profound effect upon my heart and mind. I think the answer is fairly simple, these books are about all of us, what we face, choices we must make, things we must endure (sometimes at the hands of those we love the most and who love us as well).
This is primarily the story of Reuven Malter, a young man faced with making a choice between standing up for his father’s teachings or pretending to follow the teachings of his orthodox rabbi. It is not a small decision, it is a decision that will determine, perhaps, the entire trajectory of his life’s work. He must filter, as we all must, through the noise and find the song. Not just any song, but his song. He must make sure it is true for him, that its melody reflects his mind and his beliefs, that its lyrics are of his own writing, fashioned from all the ideas he has been exposed to in life, and that it is wholly his own.
Reuven is also entangled in the future of a young boy, Michael, who is struggling with deep resentments and overwhelming conflicts in his soul that have affected his ability to function in this society. In some ways Michael’s story is similar to Reuven’s, but there is a stark contrast in how these two handle the obstacles that religion and family throw at them.
A second theme that runs through this novel is that of change. There are several ways to approach the study of the Talmud and most of the anger and dissension here is between those who are open to new ideas and new eyes and those who only want to accept the interpretations that have come before and are rooted in tradition. One of the things I noticed is that a 15th Century scholar who disagrees is revered, while a 20th Century scholar who disagrees is lambasted.
The story is set in frightening times. The Jewish people have survived the Holocaust and live with that memory and the ever-present fear they cannot shed. The influx of European Jews has changed the face of American neighborhoods and schools. For rabbinical scholars, such as Rav Kalman, they have seen an effort to not only destroy their people but annihilate their religion and culture. I truly disliked this man right up to a very small bit of conversation he has with Reuven regarding the sentencing to death of the Rosenbergs. He is petrified that pogroms are about to begin and has a very difficult time accepting that there are no pogroms in the United States. Everything he sees is seen in relation to what he has already experienced. To walk a mile in another man’s shoes is never easy…it is one of the things I love so much about Reuven’s father, David Malter. Even when the man is against him, he always tries to do just that.
I have developed a deep respect for Chaim Potok. This is the third of his books I have read and I will gladly commit to reading another sometime soon. The history of the Jewish people is fascinating, their struggle is unlike that of any other people on earth, and the tenacity with which they guard their traditions and beliefs is inspiring. But, for everything Potok knows about Jews, he knows so much more about human beings.
This is primarily the story of Reuven Malter, a young man faced with making a choice between standing up for his father’s teachings or pretending to follow the teachings of his orthodox rabbi. It is not a small decision, it is a decision that will determine, perhaps, the entire trajectory of his life’s work. He must filter, as we all must, through the noise and find the song. Not just any song, but his song. He must make sure it is true for him, that its melody reflects his mind and his beliefs, that its lyrics are of his own writing, fashioned from all the ideas he has been exposed to in life, and that it is wholly his own.
Reuven is also entangled in the future of a young boy, Michael, who is struggling with deep resentments and overwhelming conflicts in his soul that have affected his ability to function in this society. In some ways Michael’s story is similar to Reuven’s, but there is a stark contrast in how these two handle the obstacles that religion and family throw at them.
A second theme that runs through this novel is that of change. There are several ways to approach the study of the Talmud and most of the anger and dissension here is between those who are open to new ideas and new eyes and those who only want to accept the interpretations that have come before and are rooted in tradition. One of the things I noticed is that a 15th Century scholar who disagrees is revered, while a 20th Century scholar who disagrees is lambasted.
The story is set in frightening times. The Jewish people have survived the Holocaust and live with that memory and the ever-present fear they cannot shed. The influx of European Jews has changed the face of American neighborhoods and schools. For rabbinical scholars, such as Rav Kalman, they have seen an effort to not only destroy their people but annihilate their religion and culture. I truly disliked this man right up to a very small bit of conversation he has with Reuven regarding the sentencing to death of the Rosenbergs. He is petrified that pogroms are about to begin and has a very difficult time accepting that there are no pogroms in the United States. Everything he sees is seen in relation to what he has already experienced. To walk a mile in another man’s shoes is never easy…it is one of the things I love so much about Reuven’s father, David Malter. Even when the man is against him, he always tries to do just that.
I have developed a deep respect for Chaim Potok. This is the third of his books I have read and I will gladly commit to reading another sometime soon. The history of the Jewish people is fascinating, their struggle is unlike that of any other people on earth, and the tenacity with which they guard their traditions and beliefs is inspiring. But, for everything Potok knows about Jews, he knows so much more about human beings.
March 1, 2018
Percorsi di vita
"...ci sono molti animi buoni in mezzo a loro. Aiutano a tenere vivo il mondo"
(C. Potok)
"La scelta di Reuven", libro bellissimo, è esattamente la continuazione di "Danny l'eletto".
L'autore, C. Potok, ebreo di New York (città dove sono ambientati i due testi), pare immergersi talmente nelle sue narrazioni da non riuscire facilmente a staccarsi dai personaggi. Capita in più opere da lui scritte il destino di proseguire oltre, sempre con notevoli risultati.
Qui i due giovani protagonisti ormai sulla soglia dell'età adulta (siamo negli anni '50 del XX secolo), coi loro talenti e l'impegno profuso, stanno realizzando scelte lungamente ambite : Reuven come rabbino e docente; Danny avviato all'attività di psichiatra.
Tra loro viene ad insinuarsi una giovane donna.
A questi personaggi si aggiunge un adolescente intelligente e fragile, emotivamente disturbato, figlio di un famoso intellettuale ebreo in posizioni di laicità. Quasi a controbilanciare, nel variegato mondo ebraico americano, c'è un insegnante di Reuven, giunto dagli orrori dell'olocausto, la cui severa ortodossia trova una motivazione nella scioccante perdita di tutte le persone di riferimento : "Rav Kalman sta cercando di salvare quel po' che è rimasto del suo mondo. (...) I campi di sterminio distrussero assai più degli Ebrei d'Europa. Distrussero la fede dell'uomo in se stesso".
Come ho detto, il libro è bellissimo, superlativo assoluto che si attribuisce con parsimonia. Qui però siamo di fronte a uno dei migliori scrittori che la contemporaneità ci ha offerto.
Il lettore viene condotto, con mano quasi protettiva e in un clima avvolgente, nei meandri della storia socio-culturale e non solo, ma ancor più nel profondo dell'essere umano, dei suoi segreti e delle sue responsabilità.
"...ci sono molti animi buoni in mezzo a loro. Aiutano a tenere vivo il mondo"
(C. Potok)
"La scelta di Reuven", libro bellissimo, è esattamente la continuazione di "Danny l'eletto".
L'autore, C. Potok, ebreo di New York (città dove sono ambientati i due testi), pare immergersi talmente nelle sue narrazioni da non riuscire facilmente a staccarsi dai personaggi. Capita in più opere da lui scritte il destino di proseguire oltre, sempre con notevoli risultati.
Qui i due giovani protagonisti ormai sulla soglia dell'età adulta (siamo negli anni '50 del XX secolo), coi loro talenti e l'impegno profuso, stanno realizzando scelte lungamente ambite : Reuven come rabbino e docente; Danny avviato all'attività di psichiatra.
Tra loro viene ad insinuarsi una giovane donna.
A questi personaggi si aggiunge un adolescente intelligente e fragile, emotivamente disturbato, figlio di un famoso intellettuale ebreo in posizioni di laicità. Quasi a controbilanciare, nel variegato mondo ebraico americano, c'è un insegnante di Reuven, giunto dagli orrori dell'olocausto, la cui severa ortodossia trova una motivazione nella scioccante perdita di tutte le persone di riferimento : "Rav Kalman sta cercando di salvare quel po' che è rimasto del suo mondo. (...) I campi di sterminio distrussero assai più degli Ebrei d'Europa. Distrussero la fede dell'uomo in se stesso".
Come ho detto, il libro è bellissimo, superlativo assoluto che si attribuisce con parsimonia. Qui però siamo di fronte a uno dei migliori scrittori che la contemporaneità ci ha offerto.
Il lettore viene condotto, con mano quasi protettiva e in un clima avvolgente, nei meandri della storia socio-culturale e non solo, ma ancor più nel profondo dell'essere umano, dei suoi segreti e delle sue responsabilità.
May 20, 2025
In a sequel to "The Chosen," set after World War II, the story of Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders continues. Reuven is a student at an Orthodox Jewish seminary where he has conflicts with Rav Kalman about the traditional method of studying the Talmud. Rav Kalman and others are survivors of the Holocaust, and are hanging on to their religious traditions while they struggle with great personal loss.
Danny is studying psychology and working at a residential treatment center. He wants to work in secular society while retaining his observance of his Hasidic Jewish faith. One of Danny's patients is a teenage boy, Michael Gordon, the son of a liberal Jewish scholar. When his father's works are attacked, there are psychological repercussions for the disturbed teenager.
Author Chaim Potok's sensitive writing is wonderful as he explores the relationships between sons and fathers, including mentors. The book also shows the difficult decisions that these men must make when their religion and the modern world collide. After all their suffering, the Holocaust survivors that are recent arrivals to their New York neighborhoods are especially vocal about retaining traditional ways. "The Promise" is highly recommended!
Danny is studying psychology and working at a residential treatment center. He wants to work in secular society while retaining his observance of his Hasidic Jewish faith. One of Danny's patients is a teenage boy, Michael Gordon, the son of a liberal Jewish scholar. When his father's works are attacked, there are psychological repercussions for the disturbed teenager.
Author Chaim Potok's sensitive writing is wonderful as he explores the relationships between sons and fathers, including mentors. The book also shows the difficult decisions that these men must make when their religion and the modern world collide. After all their suffering, the Holocaust survivors that are recent arrivals to their New York neighborhoods are especially vocal about retaining traditional ways. "The Promise" is highly recommended!
March 21, 2016
(Some spoilers for The Chosen follow)
Once again Potok delivers a very nuanced and human story that takes place during a time of flux for America and the Jewish community (though its message transcends sectarian bounds). This book is a continuation of The Chosen and follows Reuven and Danny as they begin to enter their respective professional sphere: Danny in psychology and Reuven in Talmudic studies on the path to become a rabbi. They remain close, if busy, friends. America, however, is very different. American troops are fighting and dying in Korea instead of Europe, McCarthy is being a jackass, and recently immigrated European Jews, the survivors of the Holocaust, are beginning to change landscape of American Judaism.
There are several drivers of conflict within this book, most of them revolving around Jewish identity. Reuven has been raised in an Orthodox household, but a very modern one. His father is a world renowned Talmudic Scholar but utilizes scriptural analytical techniques that many recent Jewish immigrants find dangerous to their view of sacred texts. I won't bog you down with the minutia of it (which Potok does an excellent job explaining) but the technique assumes the people who wrote and transcribed them (not to mention interpreted them) were human and susceptible to making errors. A well read and knowledgeable modern reader with access to more documents can make educated guesses to clarify and reinterpret those texts.
The recent immigrants from Europe who saw their culture, way of life, and loved ones go up in smoke during the war defend their view of scripture zealously, opposing the work of Reuven's father and similar scholars in public and private forums. One of the teachers Reuven must take class with and who will determine if he is allowed to become a rabbi is passionately opposed to this modern interpretation of scripture and leads the charge against Reuven's father. This friction between Reuven and his teacher is a source of anxiety stress for Reuven, making him consider a life in academia instead of the rabbinate. But there aren't really villains in this conflict, just well meaning people with different ideas about Judaism based on their life experiences. The recent immigrants saw so much of their past lives destroyed that they clung to their intepretation of scripture like a drowning man to flotsam.
Once again Potok delivers a very nuanced and human story that takes place during a time of flux for America and the Jewish community (though its message transcends sectarian bounds). This book is a continuation of The Chosen and follows Reuven and Danny as they begin to enter their respective professional sphere: Danny in psychology and Reuven in Talmudic studies on the path to become a rabbi. They remain close, if busy, friends. America, however, is very different. American troops are fighting and dying in Korea instead of Europe, McCarthy is being a jackass, and recently immigrated European Jews, the survivors of the Holocaust, are beginning to change landscape of American Judaism.
There are several drivers of conflict within this book, most of them revolving around Jewish identity. Reuven has been raised in an Orthodox household, but a very modern one. His father is a world renowned Talmudic Scholar but utilizes scriptural analytical techniques that many recent Jewish immigrants find dangerous to their view of sacred texts. I won't bog you down with the minutia of it (which Potok does an excellent job explaining) but the technique assumes the people who wrote and transcribed them (not to mention interpreted them) were human and susceptible to making errors. A well read and knowledgeable modern reader with access to more documents can make educated guesses to clarify and reinterpret those texts.
The recent immigrants from Europe who saw their culture, way of life, and loved ones go up in smoke during the war defend their view of scripture zealously, opposing the work of Reuven's father and similar scholars in public and private forums. One of the teachers Reuven must take class with and who will determine if he is allowed to become a rabbi is passionately opposed to this modern interpretation of scripture and leads the charge against Reuven's father. This friction between Reuven and his teacher is a source of anxiety stress for Reuven, making him consider a life in academia instead of the rabbinate. But there aren't really villains in this conflict, just well meaning people with different ideas about Judaism based on their life experiences. The recent immigrants saw so much of their past lives destroyed that they clung to their intepretation of scripture like a drowning man to flotsam.
"When your world is destroyed and only a remnant is saved, then whatever is seen as a threat to that remnant becomes a hated enemy."Potok does a wonderful job humanizing all his characters and imbuing them with wonderfully unique and realistic motivations. There were multiple plot lines going in the book that were weaved togethe rin a subtle, but profound, way. However, much like The Chosen, I felt that Reuven was the least interesting character of the lot. He was certainly more interesting and faced more challenges than in the previous book, but all the other characters had a lot more interesting things going on in their lives. Still, it was a wonderful and engaging read as well as a fitting conclusion to the story of Danny and Reuven.
May 21, 2025
I devoured this second book in the two-part Reuven Malther series. In book one, The Chosen, we met Reuven and Danny and their fathers, all devoutly Jewish, each unique in their practices, talents and intellectual interests, as Reuven and Danny make the life decisions necessary to prepare for their chosen fields of study.
The Promise begins with an event a few years on in their lives. Danny and his girlfriend Rachel are at the county fair with Rachel’s cousin Michael when some strange events occur that start all the characters on a journey of discovery.
“All during those last weeks of August it had seemed as if the separate lines of our lives were being manipulated somehow, purposefully and carefully brought together by some master weaver.”
I was in awe of the master weaving done by Chaim Potok. He made each of these characters so real, and their situations feel so vital and urgent that the tension created pulled me right from the first page to the very end.
So many interesting ideas were explored here: reverence, religious doctrine, respect, friendship, family bonds, individuality, anger, struggle, commitment, sacrifice--plus one idea that I’ve never read in fiction before. Perhaps, if we are grounded and honest, we can forge a divergent path while still respecting those who disagree. What a timely and important message. Even when it comes to the practice of an ancient religion, we can bring our full selves to the task and create something that is both traditional and new.
With this third five-star book, I’m calling Potok a favorite author, and can’t wait to see what else he has out there.
“The Master of the Universe has so created the world that everything that can be good can also be evil. It is mankind that makes a thing good or evil, Reuven, depending upon how we use the wonders we have been given.”
The Promise begins with an event a few years on in their lives. Danny and his girlfriend Rachel are at the county fair with Rachel’s cousin Michael when some strange events occur that start all the characters on a journey of discovery.
“All during those last weeks of August it had seemed as if the separate lines of our lives were being manipulated somehow, purposefully and carefully brought together by some master weaver.”
I was in awe of the master weaving done by Chaim Potok. He made each of these characters so real, and their situations feel so vital and urgent that the tension created pulled me right from the first page to the very end.
So many interesting ideas were explored here: reverence, religious doctrine, respect, friendship, family bonds, individuality, anger, struggle, commitment, sacrifice--plus one idea that I’ve never read in fiction before. Perhaps, if we are grounded and honest, we can forge a divergent path while still respecting those who disagree. What a timely and important message. Even when it comes to the practice of an ancient religion, we can bring our full selves to the task and create something that is both traditional and new.
With this third five-star book, I’m calling Potok a favorite author, and can’t wait to see what else he has out there.
“The Master of the Universe has so created the world that everything that can be good can also be evil. It is mankind that makes a thing good or evil, Reuven, depending upon how we use the wonders we have been given.”
March 12, 2021
Many, many years ago, as a teenager, I read several novels by Chaim Potok and enjoyed them thoroughly. I specifically remember reading The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev. If a reading experience remains that clearly in memory it means something. But what would a Chaim Potok novel feel like after years of distance and much more reading experience? Just as satisfying. One of the reasons I read is to immerse myself in a world different than what is familiar. The Chosen places you in the midst of intellectual conflicts arising among Hasidic Jews arriving from Eastern Europe after WWII and the existing American Orthodox Jewish community. One of the most striking aspects of The Promise and all of Potok’s novels is the central and commanding role that religion plays in the lives of the characters. Despite this strong difference from my life, Potok creates characters that are very approachable and therefore makes it easy to partake of this alternative world.
I also very much enjoyed the contrast that Potok creates between Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter. Danny is clearly a genius, an intellectual powerhouse, and in comparison, it would be easy to see Reuven as his inferior. However, Reuven’s powers, while more subtle, are just as strong and significant, just different. Reuven combines analytical power with relationship skills and empathy for his fellow humans in a way that ultimately is more special than even what Danny offers.
I did find the conclusion to the story a bit overblown in several respects, but that is only a minor criticism to what was a wonderful reading experience.
I also very much enjoyed the contrast that Potok creates between Danny Saunders and Reuven Malter. Danny is clearly a genius, an intellectual powerhouse, and in comparison, it would be easy to see Reuven as his inferior. However, Reuven’s powers, while more subtle, are just as strong and significant, just different. Reuven combines analytical power with relationship skills and empathy for his fellow humans in a way that ultimately is more special than even what Danny offers.
I did find the conclusion to the story a bit overblown in several respects, but that is only a minor criticism to what was a wonderful reading experience.
February 17, 2023
Feb 16, 1015pm ~~ Review asap. And I still need to write a review for The Chosen! I got so caught up in this sequel I forgot all about that.
Feb 17, 2pm ~~ Okay, I've just posted my review of The Chosen, so it is time to try to think of something to say about The Promise besides 'WOW'.
Our two friends Reuven and Daniel have moved further up their respective education ladders and are now thinking seriously about career choices and the adult lives they wish to lead.
Another intense read, this book also deals with a broad range of themes. Relationships, psychology, how a person's past affects both their present and their future, just to name a few.
I did not expect to finish this book so quickly, but I could hardly put it down once I began to read. I was fascinated by every page, and although I know I am not giving many details about the book itself, that is intentional because if I tried to explain more I would be here all day.
So please trust my 'WOW', go find these two Chaim Potok titles, and see for yourself.
Feb 17, 2pm ~~ Okay, I've just posted my review of The Chosen, so it is time to try to think of something to say about The Promise besides 'WOW'.
Our two friends Reuven and Daniel have moved further up their respective education ladders and are now thinking seriously about career choices and the adult lives they wish to lead.
Another intense read, this book also deals with a broad range of themes. Relationships, psychology, how a person's past affects both their present and their future, just to name a few.
I did not expect to finish this book so quickly, but I could hardly put it down once I began to read. I was fascinated by every page, and although I know I am not giving many details about the book itself, that is intentional because if I tried to explain more I would be here all day.
So please trust my 'WOW', go find these two Chaim Potok titles, and see for yourself.
August 25, 2008
I thought The Chosen couldn't be beat, but this one did it. Chaim Potok draws you into the lives of the characters; Reuven's internal struggle to figure out just "what kind" of Jew he is while still remaining true to the faith he learned from his father, Danny's empathy with Michael's suffering and his desire to prove that choosing psychology was the right thing to do... but most of all it is tragic to see how much humans tear each other apart - in this book it's between Hasidic and other Orthodox Jews - but it reflects how those who are most similar to us are sometimes the easiest ones to hate and the hardest to love. But, Potok brilliantly brings the characters together in a way that gives hope for those, like Reuven, who seek to find a "middle" way that is still faithful. The title "The Promise" reflects the twofold nature of the people of Israel's faithfulness to God and YHWH's faithfulness to his people.
Penetrating insight into Hasidism, New York in the 1950s and 60s, and a level of scholarship, academic discipline, and religious fervour that is becoming more and more foreign to our "modern" sensibilities. A simply brilliant book. I cannot wait to read Davita's Harp and finish the trilogy.
Penetrating insight into Hasidism, New York in the 1950s and 60s, and a level of scholarship, academic discipline, and religious fervour that is becoming more and more foreign to our "modern" sensibilities. A simply brilliant book. I cannot wait to read Davita's Harp and finish the trilogy.
June 12, 2025
“Each generation thinks it fights new battles. But the battles are the same. Only the people are different.”
I read Chaim Potok’s The Chosen last year, and it was one of my favorite reads from that past year, so I was looking forward to continuing on with Reuven Malther’s story.
The beginning portions of the novel give us an update on what has taken place within the community and those close to Reuven since the previous book, and set up the conflicts that will come.
It’s difficult to accurately articulate, but there is a writing style by Potok that is so natural to lend itself to giving the story and narrative a smooth flow and a personal quality, and we see it here in The Promise just as we did with the original. Potok establishes through the lens of Reuven, but also through the makeup of the historical context and intricate themes explored, such as faith, hope, honor, and sticking to one’s morals and convictions.
This novel concerns itself with Reuven having to juggle several life difficulties and conflicts, both internally and externally. He must come to terms with several issues he has with his professor of studies, his father getting push back for a novel he has written, as well as several other conflicts affecting his friends and others close to him.
This author shines in the moments of deep conflict, where a character must strive internally to figure out a hard choice that will be quite weighty and life changing. He does this, and then interweaves several subplots and threads and then interweaves them together nicely.
The Promise, as stated earlier, deals with many prominent life issues and morals, one is the notion of the individual sticking to their convictions and beliefs, even in the face of knowing there will come backlash and bitter conflict. The novel offers mini life lessons of difficult life trials, and that, sometimes, there are no easy answers but one must make these choices with their best knowledge and faith.
Potok handles such often polarizing themes like religion and faith and life choices in a very delicate, courteous, and respectful manner. I thought this gave the novel such depth and reflective power. It becomes as much of a learning experience for us, the reader, as it does for our protagonist. It is a ponderous experience reading this novel, and allows for discussion afterwards.
It's rare that a sequel to a five-star original is also five stars, but in my opinion, The Promise lives up to the expectations set forth by The Chosen.
I read Chaim Potok’s The Chosen last year, and it was one of my favorite reads from that past year, so I was looking forward to continuing on with Reuven Malther’s story.
The beginning portions of the novel give us an update on what has taken place within the community and those close to Reuven since the previous book, and set up the conflicts that will come.
It’s difficult to accurately articulate, but there is a writing style by Potok that is so natural to lend itself to giving the story and narrative a smooth flow and a personal quality, and we see it here in The Promise just as we did with the original. Potok establishes through the lens of Reuven, but also through the makeup of the historical context and intricate themes explored, such as faith, hope, honor, and sticking to one’s morals and convictions.
This novel concerns itself with Reuven having to juggle several life difficulties and conflicts, both internally and externally. He must come to terms with several issues he has with his professor of studies, his father getting push back for a novel he has written, as well as several other conflicts affecting his friends and others close to him.
This author shines in the moments of deep conflict, where a character must strive internally to figure out a hard choice that will be quite weighty and life changing. He does this, and then interweaves several subplots and threads and then interweaves them together nicely.
The Promise, as stated earlier, deals with many prominent life issues and morals, one is the notion of the individual sticking to their convictions and beliefs, even in the face of knowing there will come backlash and bitter conflict. The novel offers mini life lessons of difficult life trials, and that, sometimes, there are no easy answers but one must make these choices with their best knowledge and faith.
Potok handles such often polarizing themes like religion and faith and life choices in a very delicate, courteous, and respectful manner. I thought this gave the novel such depth and reflective power. It becomes as much of a learning experience for us, the reader, as it does for our protagonist. It is a ponderous experience reading this novel, and allows for discussion afterwards.
It's rare that a sequel to a five-star original is also five stars, but in my opinion, The Promise lives up to the expectations set forth by The Chosen.
September 18, 2008
I read this book immediately after I read The Chosen. As a sequel, the reader expects from The Promise "more of the same" or even less. While the novel is not as deep thematically and symbolically as the first book, it maintains the warmth and genuineness of The Chosen. I read this book becasue I fell in love with the main characters, Danny and Reuven. The Promise is again written from the point of view of Reuven, but seems to talk less about Danny and more about the newly introduced characters. However, I felt that even though the text is less substantial in the amount of time spent on Danny, you get an equally in-depth insight into his life and experiences because of the awareness made of his character to the reader in the first book. In that regard, it satisfied my need to pursue these two characters.
Both The Chosen and The Promise are not highly adventurous, exciting, tail spinning stories. In fact, they are just the opposite: calm, rational, seemingly simple relays of events and thoughts. Yet I couldn't put them down. There is something about the way Chaim Potok writes that not just makes you want to read his stories, but in fact respectfully welcomes you in to become intimate with the characters' thoughts and feelings. It is not that other books have made me feel like an intruder; but, simply that these two books have made me feel openly welcomed.
It's a great story about life and personal growth. I recommend it to any reader who likes to think introspectively when they read.
Both The Chosen and The Promise are not highly adventurous, exciting, tail spinning stories. In fact, they are just the opposite: calm, rational, seemingly simple relays of events and thoughts. Yet I couldn't put them down. There is something about the way Chaim Potok writes that not just makes you want to read his stories, but in fact respectfully welcomes you in to become intimate with the characters' thoughts and feelings. It is not that other books have made me feel like an intruder; but, simply that these two books have made me feel openly welcomed.
It's a great story about life and personal growth. I recommend it to any reader who likes to think introspectively when they read.
May 26, 2025
”A man must sometimes be forced to make choices, for it is only by his choices that we know what a man truly is.”
This is the continuing story of Reuven Malter and his best friend, Danny Saunders, who are pursuing graduate studies – Reuven wants to be ordained as a Rabbi and Danny’s goal is to become a psychologist. In this book, these men discover what it takes and exactly how to use their knowledge to make their way in a world bent on rules, regulations, expectations and change. The challenge I found is in figuring out how to become a useful and competent individual professionally and in relationships, without compromising one’s own beliefs.
Reuven’s loyalties are suddenly divided as he is caught between his father’s new strategies for interpreting Jewish law which are highly criticized and his teacher, Rav Kalman’s highly rigid expectations and demands for renouncing his father’s ideas in order to be ordained in the faith. Add to this, Reuven is developing a relationship with an ultra-liberal and controversial scholar named Abraham Gordon.
”What energies we waste fighting one another.”
Also at the center of the conflict is Michael Gordon, a fifteen-year-old boy who’s father’s unconventional ideas cause consternation to Orthodox Jews like Rav Kalman. Michael forms a special friendship with Reuven. He becomes hospitalized for dangerous and uncontrolled behavior and is a patient of Danny Saunders.
It is also important to understand the backdrop of change in the Jewish community in Brooklyn just after WW2 when European Jewish survivors of the Holocaust relocate, and some make their way to the United States. They bring their struggles and difficulties with coming to terms with the war’s atrocities with them and hold on to their rigid beliefs (ultra-Orthodox). They have no room for allowing new and different ideas to permeate their lives. Reuven’s teacher, Rav Kalman, is one of these Jews. He holds Reuven’s fate in his hands as the one who will allow him to pass or fail to receive his Rabbinate.
”A teacher can change a person’s life. A good teacher or a bad teacher. Each can change a person’s life…But only if the person is ready to be changed.”
This is a highly emotional novel despite the fact that I do not even understand most of the religious discussions or ideas. However, most of us can understand what it is like to be questioned for methods, ideas, knowledge that we hold true and right. We understand that there may be times in life when we have to make a choice knowing that our life’s path may be completely altered. We know what it is like to stick with our beliefs and not be made to compromise. That is at the heart of this story. Chaim Potok continues to awe me with his stories of humanity. I have now read 3 of his novels and all have been 5 stars. I eagerly await my next novel by Potok!
This is the continuing story of Reuven Malter and his best friend, Danny Saunders, who are pursuing graduate studies – Reuven wants to be ordained as a Rabbi and Danny’s goal is to become a psychologist. In this book, these men discover what it takes and exactly how to use their knowledge to make their way in a world bent on rules, regulations, expectations and change. The challenge I found is in figuring out how to become a useful and competent individual professionally and in relationships, without compromising one’s own beliefs.
Reuven’s loyalties are suddenly divided as he is caught between his father’s new strategies for interpreting Jewish law which are highly criticized and his teacher, Rav Kalman’s highly rigid expectations and demands for renouncing his father’s ideas in order to be ordained in the faith. Add to this, Reuven is developing a relationship with an ultra-liberal and controversial scholar named Abraham Gordon.
”What energies we waste fighting one another.”
Also at the center of the conflict is Michael Gordon, a fifteen-year-old boy who’s father’s unconventional ideas cause consternation to Orthodox Jews like Rav Kalman. Michael forms a special friendship with Reuven. He becomes hospitalized for dangerous and uncontrolled behavior and is a patient of Danny Saunders.
It is also important to understand the backdrop of change in the Jewish community in Brooklyn just after WW2 when European Jewish survivors of the Holocaust relocate, and some make their way to the United States. They bring their struggles and difficulties with coming to terms with the war’s atrocities with them and hold on to their rigid beliefs (ultra-Orthodox). They have no room for allowing new and different ideas to permeate their lives. Reuven’s teacher, Rav Kalman, is one of these Jews. He holds Reuven’s fate in his hands as the one who will allow him to pass or fail to receive his Rabbinate.
”A teacher can change a person’s life. A good teacher or a bad teacher. Each can change a person’s life…But only if the person is ready to be changed.”
This is a highly emotional novel despite the fact that I do not even understand most of the religious discussions or ideas. However, most of us can understand what it is like to be questioned for methods, ideas, knowledge that we hold true and right. We understand that there may be times in life when we have to make a choice knowing that our life’s path may be completely altered. We know what it is like to stick with our beliefs and not be made to compromise. That is at the heart of this story. Chaim Potok continues to awe me with his stories of humanity. I have now read 3 of his novels and all have been 5 stars. I eagerly await my next novel by Potok!
January 2, 2023
So much of the religious world of this novel is familiar and like my own experience. Reuven Malter stands at the intersection of Old World, ultra-Orthodox Judaism and the modern world. As the hero of the story, he mostly successfully bridges the two worlds and gains the respect of both. I envy his ability. But not everyone is so skilled. The other main character is driven mad by the terrible tension between what cannot be kept and what must be respected.
“I had never in my life come across a man who was so zealous a guardian of Torah that he did not care whom or how he destroyed in its defense. I had never thought Torah could create so grotesque a human being” (259).
“How can we teach others to regard the tradition critically and with love? I grew up loving it, then learned to look at it critically. That’s everyone’s problem today. How to love and respect what you are being taught to dissect”(298).
“They are remarkable people. There is so much about them that is distasteful to me. But they are remarkable people.
“I wish they were not so afraid of new ideas.”
“You want a great deal, Reuven. The Messiah has not yet come. Will new ideas enable them to go on singing and dancing?”
We can’t ignore the truth, abba.”
“No,” he said. ‘We cannot ignore the truth. At the same time, we cannot quite sing and dance as they do.” He was silent a moment. “That is the dilemma of our time, Reuven. I do not know what the answer is” (312).
“I had never in my life come across a man who was so zealous a guardian of Torah that he did not care whom or how he destroyed in its defense. I had never thought Torah could create so grotesque a human being” (259).
“How can we teach others to regard the tradition critically and with love? I grew up loving it, then learned to look at it critically. That’s everyone’s problem today. How to love and respect what you are being taught to dissect”(298).
“They are remarkable people. There is so much about them that is distasteful to me. But they are remarkable people.
“I wish they were not so afraid of new ideas.”
“You want a great deal, Reuven. The Messiah has not yet come. Will new ideas enable them to go on singing and dancing?”
We can’t ignore the truth, abba.”
“No,” he said. ‘We cannot ignore the truth. At the same time, we cannot quite sing and dance as they do.” He was silent a moment. “That is the dilemma of our time, Reuven. I do not know what the answer is” (312).
January 13, 2021
Asi nebude znieť úplne lákavo, ak poviem, že Slib je z veľkej časti o sporoch nad výkladmi talmudu. Závidel som dôstojnosť, ktorá dané spory sprevádzala a vzájomný rešpekt protistrán. V celom románe sa dá nájsť veľká paralela k súčasným názorovým konfliktom, ktoré však zvládame oveľa menej, respektíve vôbec. Naše výmeny sa podobajú skôr na vojnovú zónu pieskoviska na detskom ihrisku doplnené dospeláckymi vulgarizmami a čírou nenávisťou. V knihe Chaima Potoka sa súperi snažili hlavne pochopiť jednanie toho druhého. Také niečo tu úplne absentuje a zväčša na oboch stranách všetkých našich konfliktov.
Slib je pokračovaním románu Vyvolení a obe knihy sú naozaj skvelé. Odohrávajú sa v židovských štvrtiach New Yorku a snažia sa ísť skutočne do hĺbky. Ťažko však povedať, či by tie knihy bavili aj čitateľov, ktorých židovské prostredie ničím neoslovuje.
Slib je pokračovaním románu Vyvolení a obe knihy sú naozaj skvelé. Odohrávajú sa v židovských štvrtiach New Yorku a snažia sa ísť skutočne do hĺbky. Ťažko však povedať, či by tie knihy bavili aj čitateľov, ktorých židovské prostredie ničím neoslovuje.
June 30, 2025
Suffice it to say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. Potok is a masterful writer whose backlist will be on my TBR. If you haven’t read the first book in this series, start with The Chosen first.
March 9, 2024
The Promise continues themes from The Chosen: fathers and sons, Jewish identity in the USA post-Holocaust, and (so much) textual criticism. And like The Chosen it is a beautiful, searing work of interiority and honesty. Yet, The Promise meets Danny and Reuven as young adults rather than adolescents. Potok made it well worth the sequel.
I can't recall exactly where it was--likely while studying some poem or other--that I understood for myself that particularity in literature is true universality. The more specific an author gets with their characters, scenes, language, and so forth, the more space they give for readers to connect. I have absolutely no frame of reference for attending a yeshiva in New York City in the late 1940s with a professor who survived a concentration camp. But I can relate to the personalities, the faculty politics, the taking of every idea to its most extreme end, from my own educational experience. People are people!
I have recently picked up a bunch of Potok books, including the sequel to My Name Is Asher Lev. Based on The Promise, he writes sequels that are not strictly necessary to his standalone works, but at the same time, add a profound richness to the world and characters he created. The Promise cannot be read without The Chosen, however, but for those who were put off by the numerology and Talmudic tangents, I found the textual criticism passages more interesting here (they are kept vague). However, I have studied biblical textual criticism (very little, years ago) and that provided a frame of reference for me, whereas I had little understanding of the type of Talmudic scholarship explored in The Chosen. I also recognized several of the medieval Jewish scholars mentioned in The Promise, and that made me feel Quite Accomplished. Footnotes would have been more helpful than Potok's explanations of Hewbrew/Yiddish/et c. words when characters use them in conversation. Sometimes the words are kept in the original language and translated in the following sentence, and other times English words are used but Potok notes that the character used a word from a different language (and its implications) in the next sentence. It distracted from the narrative but I'm sure it makes the audiobook easier.
There is a difficult aspect of psychological treatment in The Promise but I felt that Potok gave it its full weight.
I can't recall exactly where it was--likely while studying some poem or other--that I understood for myself that particularity in literature is true universality. The more specific an author gets with their characters, scenes, language, and so forth, the more space they give for readers to connect. I have absolutely no frame of reference for attending a yeshiva in New York City in the late 1940s with a professor who survived a concentration camp. But I can relate to the personalities, the faculty politics, the taking of every idea to its most extreme end, from my own educational experience. People are people!
I have recently picked up a bunch of Potok books, including the sequel to My Name Is Asher Lev. Based on The Promise, he writes sequels that are not strictly necessary to his standalone works, but at the same time, add a profound richness to the world and characters he created. The Promise cannot be read without The Chosen, however, but for those who were put off by the numerology and Talmudic tangents, I found the textual criticism passages more interesting here (they are kept vague). However, I have studied biblical textual criticism (very little, years ago) and that provided a frame of reference for me, whereas I had little understanding of the type of Talmudic scholarship explored in The Chosen. I also recognized several of the medieval Jewish scholars mentioned in The Promise, and that made me feel Quite Accomplished. Footnotes would have been more helpful than Potok's explanations of Hewbrew/Yiddish/et c. words when characters use them in conversation. Sometimes the words are kept in the original language and translated in the following sentence, and other times English words are used but Potok notes that the character used a word from a different language (and its implications) in the next sentence. It distracted from the narrative but I'm sure it makes the audiobook easier.
There is a difficult aspect of psychological treatment in The Promise but I felt that Potok gave it its full weight.
January 7, 2013
I'm trying to be more selective when dishing out 5 star ratings... really, I am. But this book truly deserves every one of these 5 stars!
And I'm going to be hard pressed to explain exactly WHY! Chaim Potok is such a brilliant author and his writing is SO very elegant and layered but try as I might, I cannot put a finger on PRECISELY why his books are so special...
It deals with some topics I find distasteful (I do not like what happened to poor Michael for instance) and I WANTED to deduct stars for that reason... but found I could not....
I LOVE that this book, just like its prequel The Chosen (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...), left me with so many questions....I find the truly great books tend to do this....
Also there were MANY themes intertwined in the Promise... enough that I'm sure this book will still seem fresh even on a 6th reading....
One theme in this book that I find fascinating is the pull and tug between the traditional and the modern...
Another thing that fascinated me is the way Potok would sprinkle references to James Joyce's Ulysses throughout the story... Ulysses has been on my to-read list for years and I still don't feel quite brave enough to tackle it - but Potok has me VERY intrigued with his references to the Ithaca and Penelope chapters...!!
And of course I adore the fact that the characters in the two Potok books that I've read so far have a hunger for studying and learning...
I'm glad I own a copy of this book - I know I'll want to reread it again and again. But first I need to let it marinade a bit more...
And I'm going to be hard pressed to explain exactly WHY! Chaim Potok is such a brilliant author and his writing is SO very elegant and layered but try as I might, I cannot put a finger on PRECISELY why his books are so special...
It deals with some topics I find distasteful (I do not like what happened to poor Michael for instance) and I WANTED to deduct stars for that reason... but found I could not....
I LOVE that this book, just like its prequel The Chosen (http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...), left me with so many questions....I find the truly great books tend to do this....
Also there were MANY themes intertwined in the Promise... enough that I'm sure this book will still seem fresh even on a 6th reading....
One theme in this book that I find fascinating is the pull and tug between the traditional and the modern...
Another thing that fascinated me is the way Potok would sprinkle references to James Joyce's Ulysses throughout the story... Ulysses has been on my to-read list for years and I still don't feel quite brave enough to tackle it - but Potok has me VERY intrigued with his references to the Ithaca and Penelope chapters...!!
And of course I adore the fact that the characters in the two Potok books that I've read so far have a hunger for studying and learning...
I'm glad I own a copy of this book - I know I'll want to reread it again and again. But first I need to let it marinade a bit more...
May 28, 2025
Just finished and loved this one so much! This Book #2 of Reuven Malter is equally as good as Book #1, The Chosen. Potok's writing style and compelling story kept me riveted throughout.
I highly, highly recommend anything written by Chaim Potok! :)
I highly, highly recommend anything written by Chaim Potok! :)
October 19, 2017
The Promise is the continuation of Chaim Potok's brilliant novel, The Chosen which I loved. But I was slightly disappointed with The Promise. It did not capture my heart as did The Chosen.
Don't get me wrong, I liked The Promise. But...
The Promise finds Danny Saunders and Reuven Malters finishing up their studies. A promise to one of Reuven's Talmud instructors and one to a very sick boy filled with rage will have have both young men questioning their judgement and test their capacity for forgiveness.
I can't go into the plot because I will reveal spoilers. Potok crafts his story lines well and again his characters (most of them) are warm and multidimensional. There is the conflict between tradition and the new ideas. There is a boy not yet 13 whom is full of rage and sickness. There are a few other subtle complex story lines that Potok deals with beautifully.
Don't get me wrong, I liked The Promise. But...
The Promise finds Danny Saunders and Reuven Malters finishing up their studies. A promise to one of Reuven's Talmud instructors and one to a very sick boy filled with rage will have have both young men questioning their judgement and test their capacity for forgiveness.
I can't go into the plot because I will reveal spoilers. Potok crafts his story lines well and again his characters (most of them) are warm and multidimensional. There is the conflict between tradition and the new ideas. There is a boy not yet 13 whom is full of rage and sickness. There are a few other subtle complex story lines that Potok deals with beautifully.
July 22, 2017
Potok goes digging about in such messy but realistic parts of life. I think that's why I care about his books.
His books aren't very full of action and can feel slightly dull, but the reader is rewarded with moments of both vivid beauty and pain.
While reading The Promise, I appreciated (and was thrown off balance by) how nuanced Potok's characterizations are. As a result, I sympathized with both sides of the conflict. He didn't whitewash or vilify. There were things to love and things to detest in the lives of almost all of the characters--just as in the complicated world I live in.
In this story, he paints so compellingly the tension between religious zealotry and enlightened skepticism (and the accompanying dust cloud of misunderstandings and suspicions).
The Jews are not the only people to face this. I do too.
His books aren't very full of action and can feel slightly dull, but the reader is rewarded with moments of both vivid beauty and pain.
While reading The Promise, I appreciated (and was thrown off balance by) how nuanced Potok's characterizations are. As a result, I sympathized with both sides of the conflict. He didn't whitewash or vilify. There were things to love and things to detest in the lives of almost all of the characters--just as in the complicated world I live in.
In this story, he paints so compellingly the tension between religious zealotry and enlightened skepticism (and the accompanying dust cloud of misunderstandings and suspicions).
The Jews are not the only people to face this. I do too.
January 4, 2026
“If the book we are reading, does not wake us, as with a fist hammering on our skull, why then do we read it? Good God, we would also be happy if we had no books, and such books as make us happy we could, if need be, write ourselves. But what we must have are those books which come upon us like ill-fortune, and distress us deeply, like the death of one we love better than ourselves, like suicide. A book must be an ice-axe to break the sea frozen inside us.” Franz Kafka
This, my reader friend, is such a book. Potok creates a mesmerizing masterpiece of subtle pressure that is put on a young man at the center of cultural, religious, and societal relationships that are embroiled in massive fluctuations after WWII. A book that you cannot help but examine yourself and thaw the frozen parts of hardness and cruelty found within your own psyche.
Reuven Malter, the young Orthodox Jew protagonist, bears such incredible tension from the relentless tug-of-war instigated by people around him, a tension we relatably find in ourselves since we are surrounded by people from all different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences that simply are at odds with our own, and at times we simply don’t know what to say or do. By helping one, you inevitably hurt another, and thus the choice must be made of which causes less harm. But the harm that you cause results in your own inevitable guilt and shame, and thus there is no easy answer to be had since every crucial decision is a gamble.
Reuven’s best friend, Danny (whom we met in the The Chosen) is a Hasidic Jew studying to be a psychologist rather than a Rabbi, and this decision puts him at odds with Reuven’s Yeshiva school and particularly with Rav Kalman, a particularly rigid rabbi from the European ghettos and a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps and whose main goal is to keep the Talmud pure with traditional thought. Reuven must get Kalman’s stamp of approval to graduate from the program, or his intense schooling is for naught.
A quick aside: you don’t have to be religious at all to appreciate this book, nor are you preached at. With that being said, there are quite lengthy discussions on the scholarship of the Torah, the Talmud, and the Mishnah that tend to be overly involved and complicated albeit necessary.
Kalman, though, is at deep philosophical and religious odds with Danny’s family - namely with his uncle Abraham Gordon - who represents the progressives, especially since many of the Jews become atheists because of their experiences in the camps, and Gordon at least tries to preserve their culture apart from religion. Kalman writes scathing articles, essentially confirming the excommunication of Gordon, and thus puts incredible pressure on Reuven who visits Gordon because of their mutual acquaintances.
Add to the complicated mix Reuven’s father who published a commentary on the Torah, and was not well received by Kalman and his entourage of dedicated, fanatical pupils who make Reuven’s classes unbearable, with Kalman unfairly singling him out at every turn to use his father’s words against him. Of course, Reuven is caught between supporting his father who is battling his own declining health, and whom Kalman is trying to get excommunicated for his “heretical” manuscript, while trying to simultaneously honor Kalman so that he can graduate.
And then there’s Michael, Abraham Gordon’s son, who has some serious mental illness, and who will only speak with Reuven whom he considers his only friend. Reuven has that understanding, gentle, discerning spirit and wants to help Michael, and seeks the professional help of his best friend Danny, again against the acceptable religious practices of his day. Reuven is deeply disturbed with Michael’s obvious mental decline, yet is highly resistant to Danny’s unorthodox and untested treatment suggestion of solitary confinement to get Michael to engage in talk therapy, with the intent of driving Michael so “crazy” that he would talk to anyone and everyone due to the very natural and human desire of wanting social connection. This highly unethical treatment further puts incredible pressure on Reuven, for he is caught between his complex friendship with Danny (only fully understood by reading The Chosen) and helping a vulnerable, defenseless man whom he knows tangentially but wants to help nonetheless.
I couldn’t help but scream inside when this decision about Michael was being discussed. I know that experiments must be done, but this would be so patently dangerous, particularly with what we know now about the intense psychological harm this causes, and I wanted to protect Michael myself from this wholly destructive manipulation. I get that they didn’t know what else to do, and that it was a gamble they were willing to take, but I felt so helpless at wanting to defend the defenseless.
Yet I see why Kalman, too, held a very vested interest in the experiments on Michael since he had lost nearly all his friends and family members to the ruthless medical procedures done at the hands of the Nazis.
“Each generation thinks it fights new battles. But the battles are the same. Only the people are different.”
So, you’ve got a brilliant mix of psychology, religion, culture, traditional vs. progressivism, loyalty, honor, ethics, and relationships all centering around this young man in a brilliantly crafted novel that succeeds The Chosen.
This, my reader friend, is such a book. Potok creates a mesmerizing masterpiece of subtle pressure that is put on a young man at the center of cultural, religious, and societal relationships that are embroiled in massive fluctuations after WWII. A book that you cannot help but examine yourself and thaw the frozen parts of hardness and cruelty found within your own psyche.
Reuven Malter, the young Orthodox Jew protagonist, bears such incredible tension from the relentless tug-of-war instigated by people around him, a tension we relatably find in ourselves since we are surrounded by people from all different backgrounds, beliefs, and experiences that simply are at odds with our own, and at times we simply don’t know what to say or do. By helping one, you inevitably hurt another, and thus the choice must be made of which causes less harm. But the harm that you cause results in your own inevitable guilt and shame, and thus there is no easy answer to be had since every crucial decision is a gamble.
Reuven’s best friend, Danny (whom we met in the The Chosen) is a Hasidic Jew studying to be a psychologist rather than a Rabbi, and this decision puts him at odds with Reuven’s Yeshiva school and particularly with Rav Kalman, a particularly rigid rabbi from the European ghettos and a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps and whose main goal is to keep the Talmud pure with traditional thought. Reuven must get Kalman’s stamp of approval to graduate from the program, or his intense schooling is for naught.
A quick aside: you don’t have to be religious at all to appreciate this book, nor are you preached at. With that being said, there are quite lengthy discussions on the scholarship of the Torah, the Talmud, and the Mishnah that tend to be overly involved and complicated albeit necessary.
Kalman, though, is at deep philosophical and religious odds with Danny’s family - namely with his uncle Abraham Gordon - who represents the progressives, especially since many of the Jews become atheists because of their experiences in the camps, and Gordon at least tries to preserve their culture apart from religion. Kalman writes scathing articles, essentially confirming the excommunication of Gordon, and thus puts incredible pressure on Reuven who visits Gordon because of their mutual acquaintances.
Add to the complicated mix Reuven’s father who published a commentary on the Torah, and was not well received by Kalman and his entourage of dedicated, fanatical pupils who make Reuven’s classes unbearable, with Kalman unfairly singling him out at every turn to use his father’s words against him. Of course, Reuven is caught between supporting his father who is battling his own declining health, and whom Kalman is trying to get excommunicated for his “heretical” manuscript, while trying to simultaneously honor Kalman so that he can graduate.
And then there’s Michael, Abraham Gordon’s son, who has some serious mental illness, and who will only speak with Reuven whom he considers his only friend. Reuven has that understanding, gentle, discerning spirit and wants to help Michael, and seeks the professional help of his best friend Danny, again against the acceptable religious practices of his day. Reuven is deeply disturbed with Michael’s obvious mental decline, yet is highly resistant to Danny’s unorthodox and untested treatment suggestion of solitary confinement to get Michael to engage in talk therapy, with the intent of driving Michael so “crazy” that he would talk to anyone and everyone due to the very natural and human desire of wanting social connection. This highly unethical treatment further puts incredible pressure on Reuven, for he is caught between his complex friendship with Danny (only fully understood by reading The Chosen) and helping a vulnerable, defenseless man whom he knows tangentially but wants to help nonetheless.
I couldn’t help but scream inside when this decision about Michael was being discussed. I know that experiments must be done, but this would be so patently dangerous, particularly with what we know now about the intense psychological harm this causes, and I wanted to protect Michael myself from this wholly destructive manipulation. I get that they didn’t know what else to do, and that it was a gamble they were willing to take, but I felt so helpless at wanting to defend the defenseless.
Yet I see why Kalman, too, held a very vested interest in the experiments on Michael since he had lost nearly all his friends and family members to the ruthless medical procedures done at the hands of the Nazis.
“Each generation thinks it fights new battles. But the battles are the same. Only the people are different.”
So, you’ve got a brilliant mix of psychology, religion, culture, traditional vs. progressivism, loyalty, honor, ethics, and relationships all centering around this young man in a brilliantly crafted novel that succeeds The Chosen.
October 5, 2021
I finished this book in one evening! I wept, and I laughed. I am filled with joy and exquisite pain.
Read
December 13, 2022How do we learn to live with our ideological opponents? While this premise certainly strikes a chord today, main character Reuven Malter is learning to navigate the world of Jewish academia in New York City, which has been inundated with zealous, fundamentalist, suffering survivors of the Holocaust. Woven amidst key themes of tradition, father-son relationships, and psychological coming-of-age, Reuven struggles to replace anger with a respectful defense of his own intellectual convictions. I greatly appreciated this literary meditation on the meeting of fundamentalism and source criticism. Obviously, the plot is grounded entirely within Judaism (and specifically in the United States during the post-WWII period), but I could easily relate the arguments and sentiments to my own experiences within Christianity.
Author Chaim Potok is a master novelist, and his helpful--but not intrustive--explanations situated the reader firmly within the world of his story. I am grateful to have experienced this corner of history and Jewish culture, glimpsed through the eyes of Reuven. Though it began with a different tone than The Chosen, this was an superb sequel, giving the reader all the best of the original (deep, heartfelt ties of relationship) along with fresh vatiations on those themes and an entirely new narrative. Potok's skill in storytelling also lies in his conclusion, expertly weaving together the various storyline threads and ending with the perfect amount of resolution and hope.
Author Chaim Potok is a master novelist, and his helpful--but not intrustive--explanations situated the reader firmly within the world of his story. I am grateful to have experienced this corner of history and Jewish culture, glimpsed through the eyes of Reuven. Though it began with a different tone than The Chosen, this was an superb sequel, giving the reader all the best of the original (deep, heartfelt ties of relationship) along with fresh vatiations on those themes and an entirely new narrative. Potok's skill in storytelling also lies in his conclusion, expertly weaving together the various storyline threads and ending with the perfect amount of resolution and hope.
October 1, 2023
Poignant story. I kept wondering what's behind Potok's plot and what he intended the reader to take away.
January 30, 2013
I wanted to write a long review on this marvelous novel ..However I think I won't find enough words to describe my admiration!
This is the sequel of Potok's novel "The Chosen" Which I didn't think anything can beat it , We have the same old characters beside lots of other new scholars and their families.
Potok continues drawing his characters that you feel you already can see & feel them , his major strength point in writing is the dialogue between characters and the description of places & people that is neither lengthy nor too short.. His weak point is the description of discussions without focusing on a single topic or giving an example .. maybe I wanted that cos I liked to focus on how do Jews study their religious books, are they complex? how they find contradictions & assertions in other places? and so many real questions not imaginary situations.
Our old characters (Danny & Reuven) have been matured now, one can't do anything but fall in love with Danny's character, while Reuven drove me crazy with his silence in so many important situations .." he just didn't find anything to say" quoting the writer in so many places..
I was amazed by the similarities between Hasidics and Radical Muslims, they get married to virgins, the separation between males & females while worshiping and even in weddings!! This came to me as a shock ..so we "Muslims" are not the only reserved people in the world! and religious people in all around the world had many things to share!! Even the strange feelings that Reuven , Rachel & her family felt while dealing with Danny's family was a great deal to consider!
During the middle chapters and the confrontations/contradictions between East Europe method of teaching, Pink Floyd's The Wall-Part2 was running in my mind in the background : "We don't need no education ..We don't need no thought control" !!
Potok simply reserve Noble Prize, I wonder why he didn't get it till now!
P.S: Again I'm here evaluating the literature and the great gift the writer has as you can imagine how different his thoughts can be from an Arab Muslim girl!
This is the sequel of Potok's novel "The Chosen" Which I didn't think anything can beat it , We have the same old characters beside lots of other new scholars and their families.
Potok continues drawing his characters that you feel you already can see & feel them , his major strength point in writing is the dialogue between characters and the description of places & people that is neither lengthy nor too short.. His weak point is the description of discussions without focusing on a single topic or giving an example .. maybe I wanted that cos I liked to focus on how do Jews study their religious books, are they complex? how they find contradictions & assertions in other places? and so many real questions not imaginary situations.
Our old characters (Danny & Reuven) have been matured now, one can't do anything but fall in love with Danny's character, while Reuven drove me crazy with his silence in so many important situations .." he just didn't find anything to say" quoting the writer in so many places..
I was amazed by the similarities between Hasidics and Radical Muslims, they get married to virgins, the separation between males & females while worshiping and even in weddings!! This came to me as a shock ..so we "Muslims" are not the only reserved people in the world! and religious people in all around the world had many things to share!! Even the strange feelings that Reuven , Rachel & her family felt while dealing with Danny's family was a great deal to consider!
During the middle chapters and the confrontations/contradictions between East Europe method of teaching, Pink Floyd's The Wall-Part2 was running in my mind in the background : "We don't need no education ..We don't need no thought control" !!
Potok simply reserve Noble Prize, I wonder why he didn't get it till now!
P.S: Again I'm here evaluating the literature and the great gift the writer has as you can imagine how different his thoughts can be from an Arab Muslim girl!
October 21, 2021
4.5 not quite as good as The Chosen. I got more out of it this reading - conflicts/resolution made more sense to me. David Malter may be my second favourite literary character (next to Atticus Finch).
April 9, 2018
I didn't love this quite as much as The Chosen. It is still so well written, quiet and loud at the same time... It is full of thoughts, feelings, culture, and history. The last half dragged a bit for me... I loved the first half tho.
November 11, 2014
In The Promise, a follow-up to The Chosen, we catch up with Reuven Malter as he is continuing his graduate education in the 1950s Jewish community of New York. While The Chosen focused on Reuven's life-altering friendship with Danny as the two boys found their way to manhood, The Promise deals with the clash of belief and unbelief, tradition and secularism, Orthodoxy and unorthodoxy, and supernaturalism and naturalism that hit the post-war American Jewish community. Secularism was a rising force before the war, but the horrors of the concentration camps and the anti-Semitism of Germany had shaken Judaism and Jewish scholars and Rabbis reacted differently. Some stood firm in the belief in a God who verbally and miraculously gave the Torah to Moses and in The Promise. This is represented by Rav Kalman, Reuven's teacher. Rav Kalman stands as a fierce fighter for the old ways and the old belief, even as more "enlightened" Jews turn away. Other Jews sought to find a way forward in the world of unbelief while still maintaining their identity and culture as Jews, and The Promise's Abraham Gordon represents this extreme. Reuven stands between the two clashing ideas, and his own father provides a middle way, of sorts.
Reuven finds himself drawn into a close relationship with the Gordon family and as the book opens we find that he is dating Gordon's niece and befriending Gordon's troubled son. Before long, the Gordon family seeks Danny's clinical psychology services for their son, and the plot pulls together characters whose ideas repel them from one another.
At one point in the book, Rav Kalman asks Reuven accusingly about his association with the secularist Abraham Gordon. As Reuven's smicha hangs in the balance, Kalman wants to know how Gordon's writings have influenced Reuven. "No," Reuven replies, "I don't like his answers." What about his questions, asks Rav Kalman. "I ask the same questions," Reuven responds. But Reuven has yet to find the answers.
This is the crux of the book. For Judaism in particular, the events of the holocaust brought a crisis of faith. Where was the promised Messiah? How could this happen to God's chosen people? His treasured possession? First the pogroms in Russia, then the Nazi concentration camps. Where was God? With the forces of naturalism already sweeping through intellectualism, Orthodox belief was in peril. But even for Gentiles, the central question of the book is a question for all of us. Is God real? Must we abandon belief? Does modernity make faith obsolete?
As a Christian, I believe that the answer to Reuven's questions is found in Jesus. The Messiah came, and the promise was kept. God is real and His reality demands a response.
While I loved The Chosen and would recommend it to my teenagers, I think that The Promise is more difficult to understand without having a context in place historically and spiritually. I am sure a young reader would enjoy the plot of the book and enjoy discovering what happens to Danny and Reuven, but I would suggest that The Promise is a book best read after already gaining a strong understanding of 20th century history and philosophy.
Reuven finds himself drawn into a close relationship with the Gordon family and as the book opens we find that he is dating Gordon's niece and befriending Gordon's troubled son. Before long, the Gordon family seeks Danny's clinical psychology services for their son, and the plot pulls together characters whose ideas repel them from one another.
At one point in the book, Rav Kalman asks Reuven accusingly about his association with the secularist Abraham Gordon. As Reuven's smicha hangs in the balance, Kalman wants to know how Gordon's writings have influenced Reuven. "No," Reuven replies, "I don't like his answers." What about his questions, asks Rav Kalman. "I ask the same questions," Reuven responds. But Reuven has yet to find the answers.
This is the crux of the book. For Judaism in particular, the events of the holocaust brought a crisis of faith. Where was the promised Messiah? How could this happen to God's chosen people? His treasured possession? First the pogroms in Russia, then the Nazi concentration camps. Where was God? With the forces of naturalism already sweeping through intellectualism, Orthodox belief was in peril. But even for Gentiles, the central question of the book is a question for all of us. Is God real? Must we abandon belief? Does modernity make faith obsolete?
As a Christian, I believe that the answer to Reuven's questions is found in Jesus. The Messiah came, and the promise was kept. God is real and His reality demands a response.
While I loved The Chosen and would recommend it to my teenagers, I think that The Promise is more difficult to understand without having a context in place historically and spiritually. I am sure a young reader would enjoy the plot of the book and enjoy discovering what happens to Danny and Reuven, but I would suggest that The Promise is a book best read after already gaining a strong understanding of 20th century history and philosophy.
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