by Lorraine Blatt, Librarian
“Messengers of God”
By Elie Wiesel
This past month the world lost a brilliant scholar and one of the truly great writers of the last 100 years. Judaism lost a learned and loved spokesman. Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania, which is now a part of Romania. Wiesel was 15 when his family was deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz. His mother and two younger sisters died soon after they arrived. His two older sisters survived the camp. Elie and his father were eventually transported to Buchenwald. Elie’s father died just before the camp was liberated in 1945 and Wiesel survived. After the war Wiesel studied in Paris. He later wrote a memoir about his experiences in the death camps in the acclaimed Night. Elie Wiesel was a devoted supporter of Israel and Jews and other groups (Miskito Indians, Cambodians refugees, Kurds, etc.) and other oppressed groups around the world. Elie Wiesel wrote over 60 books of both fiction and non-fiction. He received numerous awards including the Nobel Peace Prize. He taught both in the US and other countries. Elie Wiesel died on July 2, 2016.
MESSENGERS OF GOD is one of his non-fiction books written in 1976. In this book Wiesel gives us Biblical portraits and legends surrounding the giant personalities found in the Old Testament. Wiesel believes that Jewish history affects our lives and our role in society. He separated the personalities of mythology, such as Jupiter and Mars, and those in the Bible such as Isaiah and Moses who are living figures.
Wiesel looks at the lives and stories of Adam; Cain and Abel; Isaac; Jacob; Joseph; Moses; and Job. The Biblical personalities are viewed as they grapple with their relationship with GOD and the question of His Justice.
Throughout his life Wiesel never allowed himself to be diverted from the role of witness for the martyred Jews and survivors of the Holocaust and for all those who throughout the centuries have asked Job’s question: “What is GOD doing and where is His justice?” In this book Wiesel uses a series of mythic portraits, drawing on Bible tales and the Midrash. Wiesel explores the distant and haunting figures that molded him. With the care of a Talmudic scholar, Wiesel interprets the religious traditions that surround these Biblical personalities. Wiesel notes that in an intimate relationship with GOD it is possible to complain and to demand. Adam and Eve in sinning “cried out” against the injustice of their entrapment; Cain assaulted God rather than his brother; Abraham’s agreement to sacrifice his son placed the burden of guilt on Him who demanded it. As for Job, Wiesel concludes that he abdicated his defiance as did the “confessing Communists of Stalin’s time ‘to underline’ the implausibility of his trial and thus became the accuser. Wiesel’s concern with the imponderables of fate seems to move from strength to strength.’ (From Kirkus Reviews)
In Messengers of God, Wiesel examines the Biblical portraits and legends of major personalities of the Bible. He uses Bible and Torah stories and the Midrash to examine the life and legend of each. By examining the pasts of these characters, Wiesel tries to explain how they are still alive in the world today. Wiesel draws from a variety of sources to paint his portraits and mixes in his own thoughts and opinions.
Sale Book Cart: Books for Bucks
Check out the Books for Bucks book cart in the Sha’are Shalom lobby. We are selling used paperback and hardcover books as a continuing fundraiser for the synagogue. Paperbacks are 50 cents and hardbacks $1. Put your cash or check in the container on the cart.
Donations to Books for Bucks will become the property of the Congregation. Please donate books only in good condition and in quantities of fewer than 25. Leave your name, phone, email, and the date of your donation in a note with any books you donate.
Contact Lorraine Blatt at 242lorraine@gmail.com or 772-359-7370.
Please remember to leave a note with your name when dropping off books at the library. Thanks!