More Musings on Asher Lev (and a throwback to Bertie Wooster)
up to page 215 (possible spoilers if you're not that far)
I’ve spent a lovely week being immersed in the world of My Name is Asher Lev (our October novel). I was hoping to have finished by this weekend since our first group meets this coming Tuesday, but I still have a bit left to read. So, these will not be the final thoughts I was intending to post, but simply some more musings I have had as I continue to read. I hope you are all enjoying the reading experience as much as I am and that we will have a lot to talk about at our upcoming meetings this week and next!
Some Quotes
“From your mouth into God’s ears” (79) and “A thing like this you can’t decide on one foot” (105)…my two new favorite phrases I will be implementing into my life!
“Do you understand what it means to leave a great work incomplete?” (118)
“How can evil and ugliness make a gift of beauty?” (119)
“I would even paint pain and suffering if I could paint and draw the other too.” (134)
“Art is not for people who want to make the world holy…if you want to make the world holy, stay in Brooklyn” (210)
“Millions of people can draw. Art is whether or not there is a scream wanting to get out in a special way.” (212)
“Only one who has mastered a tradition has a right to attempt to add to it or to rebel against it.” (213)
Some Words and Phrases
tzaddik- a righteous man who complies with the moral principles of Judaism; also charismatic leader of the Hasidic community, treated with utmost respect by his followers who believe that he has the power to do miracles.
Ba’al Shem Tov- the founder of the Hassidic movement
olav hasholom- “peace be upon him”…said after naming a dead person
mikveh- ritual bath (Aryeh goes more often because he is a man…women would normally only go after menstruation and childbirth before resuming sexual activity with their husband…pg 74)
neshomoh- soul or spirit
sholom aleichem- may peace be upon you
kibud ov- the law to honor one’s parents
Chumash- a torah printed in a book (as opposed to a scroll)…this is what Asher draws on when he doesn’t remember doing it)
shofar- a ram’s horn trumpet used by ancient Jews….modernly used in synagogue services on Rosh Hashonoh and at the end of Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur- Day of Atonement (10 days after Rosh Hashonoh)
Rosh Hashonoh- Jewish New Year (starts the 10 day period of Repentance culminating in Yom Kippur)…traditionally the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve
Hannukah- a Jewish celebration of the recovery or Jerusalem and the rededication of the Second Temple during the Maccabean Revolt.
Succos- Feast of Booths (or Tabernacles)…a Jewish Harvest Festival
Simchas Torah- A celebration of the Torah held on the last day of the Feast of Booths
bar mitzvah - the celebration of maturity when a boy turns 13…he is then responsible for his own actions and can fully participate in religious services. Includes religious rites during the Shabbat service and then celebrating afterward.
mazel tov- literally meaning “positive astrological sign” or simply “good fortune”…common wish of good tiding between Jewish people.
(This list brought to you by my googling powers….if you catch any mistakes, or have some knowledge of Judaism, please correct me. And I would love to hear your thoughts if you have any knowledge in this area….also I have learned from my googling that spelling may vary since we do not share an alphabet so it has to be transliterated )
Some References
The 3 Jewish painters that Anna asks Asher about: Modigliani, Soutine, and Pascin
The Art Spirit by Robert Henri (the book his mom brings home for him….I put this on hold at the library and I’ll bring it to the meetings that I’m at!)
Massacre of the Innocents by Guido Reni
Massacre of the Innocents by Poussin
Khruschev’s Speech after Stalin’s death (pg 202)
Some Thoughts
Chaim Potok knows how to end a chapter!
What happens to Asher’s eyes…he literally sees things differently (pg 108 is when it starts)
The “unfinished work” Aryeh, Rivkeh, and Asher all have…and how it is all in conflict with one another
The conversation between Asher and his mother in the museum about the “moshiach” (pgs 169-171)
All the warnings people give Asher to discourage his being an artist
The drawings of the brother and sister
His obsession with his street
His mythic ancestor dreams and how sometimes it is his father
The way that this story is showing me something about art, artists, and beauty that an essay never could….in its “apology” for art I am also finding an “apology” for story
Throwback Musings on Old Lit Book Club Books
I also wanted to share this article by Alan Jacobs (also author of our book about books in September 2022, The Pleasures of Reading) where he talks about the problem of Biblical illiteracy in scholars and makes a funny reference to Bertie (from our July 2023 book, The Code of the Woosters). And while he is talkings specifically about scholars, I think as a Literature Book Club we can all benefit from being Scripturally literate while reading good books (in addition to the benefit it has in our spiritual lives).
“Every graduate student in the humanities should be required to take a course in the English Bible, a course that, among other things, requires the memorization and recitation of large chunks of the biblical text. To those who might think such a requirement too onerous, I say only this: At Malvern House Preparatory School, Bertie Wooster—the same Bertie Wooster referred to by his valet Jeeves as “mentally negligible”—won the Scripture Knowledge prize. If Bertie can do it, so can you.”
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