Asher Lev

I am still haunted by the crucifix painting. Asher must have been torn by his mother's pain. His mother was being pulled in two different directions. She was pulled one way to her husband and another to Asher. I remember seeing a visual of a triangle with one person at each point. When point one and point three were in conflict, instead of going to the person directly, point one would go through point two. Point three would then have conflict with point one and two. This was so true with the relationship the mother had with two people she loved dearly. She was brought into their conflict. Would Asher's relationship with his father be different if his mother had pulled out of the conflict and encouraged them to solve their problems? Would she be able to resist interference?

Why bring Jesus (crucifixtion) into the picture? Is it rebellion on Asher's part? Does he resent his family and religious family for not accepting him? I wonder if he wanted to make a statement about his faith. He certainly succeeded in doing that! Asher seems tormented by the conflict his mother feels. Then, he becomes tormented by the painting. It must have been like opening your soul to the world. I can't imagine how it would be.

The ultimate decision to expel Asher from his religious community when he really didn't feel ready to go seems horrible. They really turned their back on him. Some religious communities follow the same path. Mennonites and Amish have a distict set of rules for living. They do not allow for any of their people to be different. They would be ex-communicated in a heart beat for going against the rules.

As a Christian, I definitely have a set of rules to live by and obey. However, I am allowed to express myself in my church. Often I have felt others might be judging me because I might not be as strict with rules or that I might be thinking differently than them. The common interest that binds all of us together is our love for Jesus. Then, however I think doesn't matter as long as I believe and follow Him. I have to remember not to judge others who might be a little too fundamental for me.

Back to Asher. Artists are often hard to understand for normal people. The Jewish people in Asher's community were very sheltered and their work was kept secret. I'm sure that Asher's art work was more than they could handle. The Rebbe and other leaders might have felt Asher would cause others to go to The Other Side by seeing his art work.

What a great book. It is certainly one I will never forget.