The Gift of Asher Lev
Encyclopedia
The Gift of Asher Lev is a novel by Chaim Potok
, published in 1990. It is a sequel to Potok's novel My Name is Asher Lev
(1972).
painter Asher Lev is now a middle-aged man, residing with his wife and children in the south of France
. When his beloved Uncle Yitzchok dies, Asher is abruptly summoned back to Brooklyn
. Soon after the funeral, he learns that his uncle had secretly been collecting art for many years and has amassed a valuable collection, of which Asher is to be the trustee. Asher is dazzled and makes some tentative efforts to reconcile the Ladover Hasidic community to modern art-- for example, by sketching a portrait of his uncle for his grieving father and by teaching a lesson in art appreciation at the school where his daughter has temporarily enrolled. But one of his cousins bitterly resents the art collection and hampers Asher's efforts to use it for charity in his uncle's name.
Meanwhile, Asher's parents and the rest of the Ladover community worry because the aging Ladover rebbe
has no children and has appointed no successor. What will happen to the Ladover community if the rebbe dies before the Messiah
comes? The logical candidate for next rebbe would be Asher's father, Aryeh Lev, who has been one of the rebbe's chief lieutenants for decades, but Asher realizes that the rebbe is reluctant to pass the mantle of authority to Aryeh unless Aryeh has a successor-- who cannot be Aryeh's only child, the iconoclast
painter. Slowly, Asher realizes that the rebbe and Aryeh both hope that Asher's five-year-old son, Avrumel, will become the ultimate successor to the rebbeship. It is Avrumel who will be "the gift of Asher Lev."
Another strand of the plot concerns Asher's wife, Devorah, who is plagued by bitter memories of her parents' deaths in the Holocaust and of her own early childhood, spent in hiding with her cousin Max and his parents. Asher suspects Devorah will seize on her son's eventual succession to rebbeship as some sort of vindication for her family's suffering.
In the end, Asher acquiesces in the unspoken plan of succession and decides to save his uncle's art collection until Avrumel grows up, in confidence that Avrumel will know what to do with it.
There are several parallels between the Ladover group in the novel, and the real-life Lubavitcher group. For example the Ladovers' headquarters is on 'Brooklyn Parkway', whereas the Lubavitchers' HQ is on Eastern Parkway. The Lubavitchers' secretary was Rabbi Hodakov
. In the novel, the Ladovers' secretary is Rabbi Chodorov. Both groups featured a worldwide network of emissaries, a childless rebbe who was widely considered a candidate for Messiah, and a Rebbe who had spent time in Paris and was somewhat worldly in his youth.
The novel also hints at the succession in Karlin-Stolin Hasidim, where, when the last prewar rebbe died, his son was only a year old. That son is the current Karlin-Stolin Rebbe, but during his growing years, a subgroup split off and hired a new rebbe, at least temporarily. Perhaps a third book might have dealt with the problems of a child-rebbe interregnum
in the Ladover group .
Devorah Lev - Asher's wife, an author of children's books. As a small child, Devorah was hidden in a Paris apartment for two years in order to evade the Nazi concentration camps, in which both of her parents perished.
Rocheleh Lev - Asher and Devorah's intelligent eleven-year-old daughter.
Avrumel Lev - Asher and Devorah's five-year-old son.
Max Lobe - Devorah's cousin, a French Jewish artist.
John Dorman - An alcoholic, expatriate
American novelist; a friend of Asher and Devorah
Yitzchok Lev - Asher's supportive uncle who dies in the first chapter; his death inspires a tentative reconciliation between Asher and his father.
Cousin Nahum- Asher's cousin who shows him his uncle’s art collection.
Cousin Yonkel- Doesn’t like Asher at all he believes Asher and all art is from the other side. He is very rude to Asher throughout most of the story.
Aryeh Lev - Asher's father; works for the rebbe traveling to Vienna and Russia
to build yeshiva
s and save Jews from Communist persecution.
Rivkeh Lev - Asher's mother, now a professor.
Jacob Kahn - a brilliant artist with whom Asher studied as a youth; now an old and dying man.
Chaim Potok
Chaim Potok was an American Jewish author and rabbi. Potok is most famous for his first book The Chosen, a 1967 novel which was listed on The New York Times’ best seller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3,400,000 copies.-Biography :Herman Harold Potok was born in The Bronx, New York City, to...
, published in 1990. It is a sequel to Potok's novel My Name is Asher Lev
My Name Is Asher Lev
My Name Is Asher Lev is a novel by Chaim Potok, an American author and rabbi. The book's protagonist is Asher Lev, a Hasidic Jewish boy in New York City. Asher is a loner with artistic inclinations. His art, however, causes conflicts with his family and other members of his community...
(1972).
Plot summary
The brilliant, schismatic HasidicHasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
painter Asher Lev is now a middle-aged man, residing with his wife and children in the south of France
Southern France
Southern France , colloquially known as le Midi is defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Gironde, Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy...
. When his beloved Uncle Yitzchok dies, Asher is abruptly summoned back to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Soon after the funeral, he learns that his uncle had secretly been collecting art for many years and has amassed a valuable collection, of which Asher is to be the trustee. Asher is dazzled and makes some tentative efforts to reconcile the Ladover Hasidic community to modern art-- for example, by sketching a portrait of his uncle for his grieving father and by teaching a lesson in art appreciation at the school where his daughter has temporarily enrolled. But one of his cousins bitterly resents the art collection and hampers Asher's efforts to use it for charity in his uncle's name.
Meanwhile, Asher's parents and the rest of the Ladover community worry because the aging Ladover rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...
has no children and has appointed no successor. What will happen to the Ladover community if the rebbe dies before the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
comes? The logical candidate for next rebbe would be Asher's father, Aryeh Lev, who has been one of the rebbe's chief lieutenants for decades, but Asher realizes that the rebbe is reluctant to pass the mantle of authority to Aryeh unless Aryeh has a successor-- who cannot be Aryeh's only child, the iconoclast
Iconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
painter. Slowly, Asher realizes that the rebbe and Aryeh both hope that Asher's five-year-old son, Avrumel, will become the ultimate successor to the rebbeship. It is Avrumel who will be "the gift of Asher Lev."
Another strand of the plot concerns Asher's wife, Devorah, who is plagued by bitter memories of her parents' deaths in the Holocaust and of her own early childhood, spent in hiding with her cousin Max and his parents. Asher suspects Devorah will seize on her son's eventual succession to rebbeship as some sort of vindication for her family's suffering.
In the end, Asher acquiesces in the unspoken plan of succession and decides to save his uncle's art collection until Avrumel grows up, in confidence that Avrumel will know what to do with it.
Analysis
The novel reflects the then-current debate within the Lubavitcher movement of Hasidim about the anticipated death and succession of their rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson. The rebbe in both the story and in reality had no children, so succession was a serious issue. The real-life group has not chosen a successor, while the novel reaches a possible solution to the problem in choosing the grandson of a major supporter.There are several parallels between the Ladover group in the novel, and the real-life Lubavitcher group. For example the Ladovers' headquarters is on 'Brooklyn Parkway', whereas the Lubavitchers' HQ is on Eastern Parkway. The Lubavitchers' secretary was Rabbi Hodakov
Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov
Rabbi Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov was the chief of staff of the secretariat of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson for more than 40 years.-Early life:...
. In the novel, the Ladovers' secretary is Rabbi Chodorov. Both groups featured a worldwide network of emissaries, a childless rebbe who was widely considered a candidate for Messiah, and a Rebbe who had spent time in Paris and was somewhat worldly in his youth.
The novel also hints at the succession in Karlin-Stolin Hasidim, where, when the last prewar rebbe died, his son was only a year old. That son is the current Karlin-Stolin Rebbe, but during his growing years, a subgroup split off and hired a new rebbe, at least temporarily. Perhaps a third book might have dealt with the problems of a child-rebbe interregnum
Interregnum
An interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order...
in the Ladover group .
Characters
Asher Lev - narrator; a middle-aged painter and Ladover Jew who resides in the south of France.Devorah Lev - Asher's wife, an author of children's books. As a small child, Devorah was hidden in a Paris apartment for two years in order to evade the Nazi concentration camps, in which both of her parents perished.
Rocheleh Lev - Asher and Devorah's intelligent eleven-year-old daughter.
Avrumel Lev - Asher and Devorah's five-year-old son.
Max Lobe - Devorah's cousin, a French Jewish artist.
John Dorman - An alcoholic, expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
American novelist; a friend of Asher and Devorah
Yitzchok Lev - Asher's supportive uncle who dies in the first chapter; his death inspires a tentative reconciliation between Asher and his father.
Cousin Nahum- Asher's cousin who shows him his uncle’s art collection.
Cousin Yonkel- Doesn’t like Asher at all he believes Asher and all art is from the other side. He is very rude to Asher throughout most of the story.
Aryeh Lev - Asher's father; works for the rebbe traveling to Vienna and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to build yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
s and save Jews from Communist persecution.
Rivkeh Lev - Asher's mother, now a professor.
Jacob Kahn - a brilliant artist with whom Asher studied as a youth; now an old and dying man.