The Great Divide – Chapter 2
Read The Great Divide – Chapter 1
Over the years, Benjamin would be the source of Eliezer’s greatest joy – and also his greatest sorrow.
Now 30 years old, Benjamin had not seen his grandfather in seven years. Despite the deep feeling of separation which enveloped him, Benjamin also felt the greatest sense of gratitude to his wonderful God who had miraculously transformed him, for where the years were so cruel to Eliezer, they were so blessed for Benjamin.
Encouraged and nurtured by his grandfather, Benjamin put to wonderful use his natural brilliance. As he grew, he excelled in school, leaving fellow-students far behind him in aptitude and intelligence. In college, he was the star of the engineering department at Hebrew University, and it was not long before a major California college offered him a full scholarship to graduate school. Ah, the U.S! Benjamin mused. With all due respect to his homeland of Israel, the States – and especially California – was to him the “Promised Land.”
And it was to California where Benjamin flew, landed, took a bus to his dorm, registered, and sat down to his first class and met Ann, who was intrigued by his Israeli accent. She struck up a conversation with him, and Benjamin, looking for American friendship, accepted hers readily. At first, they merely chatted before and after class. Soon, they were attending football games and movies together.
Then, one day, much to Benjamin’s astonishment, Ann said, “You’re so fortunate to be Jewish.” Benjamin was stunned. Fortunate? Jewish? Being an Israeli, Benjamin was zealous about his nation and his people, but he also knew that he and his compatriots were objects of worldwide scorn. He felt pride in his Jewishness, but clearly did not feel fortunate. How could she be so naïve? He wondered. But Ann soon proved to be the opposite. It became clear to Benjamin that Ann possessed an inner peace and satisfaction that his Jewish zeal and upbringing had never produced. He suspected she was a Christian, and time proved him right.
In conversation, she never used the name “Jesus,” but always referred to her Lord by His Hebrew name, “Yeshua.” Though Ann was the kind of girl he was taught to avoid at all costs, he was deeply attracted to her. Not only did she love her Lord deeply, but she loved the Jewish people with a righteous love. This love was commanded of all people, as she proved to him from his own book, the Torah. He was astonished by this Gentile girl’s love and faith, as his own pride began to crumble. Falling in love with Ann, in defiance of his upbringing, did not crush his ego; what did, however, was the realization that his own brilliance could resolve nothing in a world he came to realize was perishing in sin. With his final defenses in ruins, Benjamin, overcome by his sense of unworthiness in light of a holy God, gave his heart to Ann and his life to Yeshua, the One he had been taught so long to scorn.
During the next seven years, the Lord blessed Benjamin abundantly. Upon graduation, he and Ann married, and he found a well-paying job and a home. Soon after, a son, Josh, was born. Benjamin was making great strides spiritually, sharing the Gospel with unsaved acquaintances and being active in his Bible-believing church.
But there was Eliezer. Whenever Benjamin thought of him, he would find himself waging an all-out battle with his emotions to control the sorrow he felt so strongly. Eliezer’s rejection of his grandson, due to his conversion, left Benjamin conflicted. Peace became harder to find for Benjamin. No matter what rationale – always biblically correct – Benjamin used to defend his conversion, he thought that somehow, he could have lessened the impact it had on Eliezer.
After all, Eliezer was the towering figure of Benjamin’s life. As a boy, Benjamin loved to hear the stories of heroism and intrigue that were so much the substance of Eliezer’s existence. Night after night, the boy would go to sleep later and later as the pleas of “Please, Grandfather, just one more story,” would be granted. “So, what’s an extra story?” Eliezer would reason, “There’s plenty of time tomorrow for a boy to sleep.”
As Benjamin grew, the two spent more time together. By the age of 12, Benjamin knew Isaiah 30:19-26 inside out, sharing the same zeal for the marvelous passage which his grandfather possessed. Wherever they went, whatever they did, they would review the passage, sometimes saying it one after the other, sometimes taking turns saying one verse at a time, or sometimes saying it together.
Of course, the admiration was not one-sided. In Benjamin, Eliezer saw the potential of youth which had been snatched away from him. In Benjamin, he saw a new era for Judaism, an age of resurrection amid an uncaring and uninformed world, a world which allowed 6 million of his brothers and sisters to perish. And in Benjamin, Eliezer saw a boy who simply loved his grandfather for exactly what he was.
As a toddler, Benjamin saw in Eliezer a great war hero, big and strong, a man who had saved the lives of others; a man Benjamin could brag about to his school chums. As a boy, then as a teen, Benjamin – an intellect – saw in Eliezer a man of action. As he entered his 20s, Benjamin saw in Eliezer a man of passion, a man with a dream, a man of vision. And in Eliezer, Benjamin saw a man who simply loved his grandson with an unconditional love.
In Benjamin’s personal study of the Torah, he became fond of the story of Joseph, who was torn from his father. As a shield, he adapted a verse of his own. In Genesis 46:4, Benjamin derived comfort by imagining himself as a Joseph, at long last being reconciled to his aged father Jacob: “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”
If it can happen to Joseph, it can happen to me, Benjamin thought.
David Ettinger was born and raised in a Jewish family in New York. After moving to New Mexico as an adult, he suffered through many trials. The nudge of the Holy Spirit caused him to examine his heart and in 1986 he surrendered his life to Jesus and has walked with Him ever since. David holds a BA, and MA, in English from New Mexico State University. He began his journalism career writing for The Roundup, the university paper. After graduation he became the sportswriter for the El Paso Times. He has held many other positions as both writer and editor with major publications. David is active in providing his skills with Zion’s Hope, Inc., in Winter Garden, Florida. His publications include Lifeway publications, Single Parent magazine (Focus on the Family), Zion’s Fire magazine, and Real Life magazine. In addition, he served as managing editor for Zion’s Fire and Real Life. David’s book, Overcomers: 30 Stories of Triumph from the Bible, is available online. David is proud of his son and grandson. Please read his testimony here, on his website.
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