Meandering here and there . . .

Today is the birthday of Herman Harold Potok (February 17, 1929 - July 23, 2002), author and rabbi. He is best known as Chaim Potok, author of The Chosen. It was one of the first books from a major publisher to portray Orthodox Judaism in the United States. The 1967 novel was a bestseller and stayed on New York’s best seller list for 39 weeks.

"We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity. So it may be asked what values is there to a human life. There is so much pain in the world. What does it mean to have to suffer so much if our lives are nothing more than the blink of an eye? A blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something. A span of life is nothing. But the man who lives that span, he is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant. A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life. It is hard work to fill one's life with meaning. A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest." — Chaim Potok

"Every man who has shown the world the way to beauty, to true culture, has been a rebel, a 'universal' without patriotism, without home, who has found his people everywhere." - Chaim Potok

"Come, let us have some tea and continue to talk about happy things." - Chaim Potok

Potok image source (1)