To answer the question, I recall this Hasidic tale retold by Eli Wiesel:
WHEN the great Rabbi Israel Baal Shem- Tov saw misfortune threatening the Jews it was his custom to go into a certain part of the forest to meditate. There he would light a fire, say a special prayer, and the miracle would be accomplished and misfortune averted.
Later, when his disciple, the celebrated Magid of Mezritch, had occasion, for the same reason, to intercede with heaven, he would go to the same place in the forest and say: "Master of the Universe, listen! I do not know how to light the fire, but I am still able to say the prayers." And again the miracle would be accomplished.
Still later, Rabbi Moshe-Leib of Sasov, in order to save his people once more, would go into the forest and say: "1 do not know how to light the fire, I do not know the prayer, but I know the place and this must be sufficient." It was sufficient and the miracle was accomplished.
Then it fell to Rabbi Israel of Rizhyn to overcome misfortune. Sitting in his armchair, his head in his hands, he spoke to God: "I am unable to light the fire and I do not know the prayer; I cannot even find the place in the forest. All I can do is to tell the story, and that must be sufficient." And it was sufficient. God made humankind because God loves stories.
"God made humanity because God loves stories." At the foundation, that's the reason for our church book club -- Faith and Fiction. Yes, our church has Bible studies and prayer groups and traditional and contemporary worship. We shelter homeless people and make prayer shawls to give away and go on mission trips. And we read. "Faith and Fiction."
We believe that at the heart of every good story is something from God. A good story, a classic story, will try to answer the basic questions we have always wrestled with: why is there evil or suffering in the world, what is my purpose in life, where can I find hope, forgiveness, reconciliation, love? Stories try to answer these questions and give us a glimpse of our relationship with God.
We next meet on the 4th Thursday in March to discuss Faith Sullivan's novel The Cape Ann.
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I enjoyed the Hasidic tale. I enjoy Faith and Fiction as it introduces me to good books, new authors (to me), and lively discussions that help me to see what I missed reading alone.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this book club is wonderful opportunity to connect with my church community in a not so traditional way. Isn't the phrase, "variety is the spice of life?" It's always so interesting hearing what other people took away from a book I've also read. I love finding myself rethinking a part of the story and trying to understand it in the way it unfolded for someone else. I enjoy the fellowship and community of other book lovers. This is a great group.
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