Silence, The Chosen, and other mysteries

I just finished reading Chaim Potok's The Chosen for the second time. I love this story. Wait, no... love is an understatement. I remember reading it my sophomore year of high school in Mr. Lizza's class and falling in love with it then, with the intricacies of relationship, and the mystery of seemingly forbidden friendship. But I seemed to have forgotten it until recently. My discovery of Matisyahu led me to remember this treasure.
I picked it up at Borders while Christmas shopping and couldn't wait to get home and dive into it once again. My reading time turned into 11 p.m. to whenever. Sometimes I would read one chapter, other days I would read four. I always left off at a point that would leave me thinking for a long time. Every word in this book is drenched with emotion. I could absolutely feel what Reuven and Danny were feeling. I was completely absorbed and wished that the characters were real people. They were so real to me.
When I got to the last book (the book is divided into 3 separate books depending on the time period), the quote read, "A word is worth one coin;silence is worth two." A quote from the Talmud. I read chapter 18, the final chapter, listening to one song- "Silence" by Matisyahu. It was so fitting. I repeated it numerous times on my ipod. It was the perfect soundtrack for that exact chapter, the moments in which the agonizing silence between Danny and Reb Saunders is finally broken and Danny is finally free of the burden of his family dynasty obligation. Through each word, each phoneme, my heart broke with each character and I strove to understand. Tears rolled down my face as Reb Saunders spoke to his son through Reuven, as he explained his reasons for raising his son in painful silence so that he would learn compassion, so that he would learn to have a soul. It was the most gutwrenching, intimate, beautifully written dialogue. I wondered throughout the book if I was more like Reuven or more like Danny. I found so many ways to identify with them both. And as Matisyahu sang a broken"Your silence kills me/I wouldn't have it any other way/Is it wrong to think you might speak to me/You might speak, would it be words and what would you say/What would you say/It's so heavy/A heavy price to pay/Your silence," I couldn't help but picture Danny, his eyes moist with tears, his body shaking, pleading in the silence he had grown so accustomed to. There was a distinct parallel I found, and it shocked me.
When I got to the last word of the last page, I felt saddened and empty as it ended. I recently learned that Potok had written a sequel, The Promise, which I can't wait to get my hands on and discover.
The story made me think hard about everything. Had I ever had a friendship so costly and so cherished? No. Could I ever study so hard, be so devoted to an idea? Could I endure silence? Could I hear it and understand?
The last six years have been difficult for me in the sense that I cannot seem to sit in silence. I tried for the first time in years last night to let the silence speak to me, to hear the cries that go unheard, to understand myself. I sat there with tears rolling down my face, aching to discover and understand. I understand how valuable it is. I must get to a point where I can get there, where I can train myself to listen, sit still and understand. Thank you Reuven and Danny, and thank you Chaim Potok, for allowing me to discover and begin to understand.