Publishers Weekly
09/27/2021
The late Nobel laureate Wiesel (Night) displays his rhetorical gifts in this collection of essays, which have been adapted from his lectures on Judaica. Wiesel casts a wide net, taking in lesser-known biblical figures including the prophet Elisha and King Josiah, as well as broader topics, such as depictions of God in the Torah. His treatment of Josiah is emblematic; though the Judahite monarch is known for implementing religious reforms, the discovery of a scroll supposedly written by Moses himself calls into question his legacy: “Could it simply be that just as Noah was considered righteous in his evil generation, Josiah was considered righteous amid all the evil in his?” Wiesel poses and answers questions about whether Josiah’s morality was only relative to his time, and concludes that he had been a notable exception “to the corrupt, idol-worshipping Jewish kings.” All the sections, including a look at the unusual friendship between an ancient rabbinic scholar and a reformed criminal, achieve Wiesel’s goal of studying the stories “in the context of our need to create through learning a community” and in a way that can inspire joy and ethical behavior. Wiesel astounds with these timeless lessons drawn from ancient texts. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
This posthumous collection encourages a path toward purpose and transcendence.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“I was fascinated by these simply told tales of intelligence, perseverance, and miracles. Wiesel’s writing is a conversation with the reader, leavened with a sense of humor. In Filled with Fire and Light, he could even find something positive to say about the devil. He saw light where others saw only darkness.”
—Forward
“Wiesel displays his rhetorical gifts in this collection of essays, which includes a look at the unusual friendship between an ancient rabbinic scholar and a reformed criminal. They achieve his goal of studying the stories ‘in the context of our need to create, through learning, a community’ and in a way that can inspire joy and ethical behavior. Wiesel astounds with these timeless lessons drawn from ancient texts.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A posthumous collection by Nobel laureate Wiesel probes the sources of Jewish wisdom. Empathetic inquiries into the challenges of faith celebrate the lives and struggles of spiritual leaders appearing in the Bible and the Talmud, and in Hasidic lore.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Library Journal
12/17/2021
Readers likely identify the late Wiesel (1928–2016) with his speeches and books about surviving the Holocaust—particularly his memoir Night—but many of his 45-plus books address a wider range of topics. This new volume (edited by Holocaust literature scholar Rosen, who studied under Wiesel) is based on public lectures that Wiesel gave at Boston University, where he taught religion and philosophy for 40 years. Wiesel, who was a gifted storyteller, here examines seven historical religious leaders discussed in the Torah, the Talmud, and Hasidic sources, providing biographical information and reflecting on their contemporary relevance. The first section addresses the prophet Elisha and King Josiah, from the Torah; the second focuses on three Talmudic scholars; and the third discusses two Hasidic rabbis. Wiesel draws upon such sources as historical data, legend, statements from contemporaries, and narrative stories. Two additional chapters cover theological topics: one on the discussion of God in the Torah, and the other on the figure of Satan. VERDICT People interested in Jewish history, tradition, and texts, as well as general readers interested in religion or historical narratives, will find this book to be informative and useful.—John Jaeger, Johnson Univ., Knoxville, TN
Kirkus Reviews
2021-08-25
A posthumous collection probes sources of Jewish wisdom.
Adapted from a series of lectures delivered between 1967 and 2014, Nobel laureate Wiesel (1928-2016) celebrates the lives and struggles of spiritual leaders appearing in the Bible, Torah, and Hasidic lore. How, he asks, can one person make a difference when faced with evil and oppression? With a special affection for prophets, the author introduces Elisha ben Shafat, “strange, elusive, complex, full of contradictions,” a man of volatile temper, at times directed cruelly at children. His teacher was the prophet Elijah, to whom Elisha felt unwavering loyalty. Purveyor of 16 miracles, especially in the aid of women, Elisha fought hunger, repelled enemies of the king of Israel, cured the afflicted, and intervened in affairs of state, including the incitement of a bloody revolution. Among biblical kings, Wiesel singles out Josiah, “one of the notable exceptions to the corrupt idol-worshipping Jewish kings,” who restored the commemoration of Passover among his people. From the Talmudic universe, “a place where conflicts and contradictions meet and rarely get resolved,” Wiesel examines the odd friendship between Rabbi Yohanan and the courageous gladiator Resh Lakish, to whom the rabbi offered marriage to his beautiful sister. The contrast between the two men, Wiesel observes, inspired their grappling over meaning in the Torah. Each attracted Wiesel: Resh Lakish for his “sense of urgency” and commitment to seek the truth; Rabbi Yohanan for his compassion. The enigma of Satan focuses one chapter. In another, Wiesel creates an admiring portrait of the philosopher and scholar Rabbi Schneur Zalman, founder of Chabad Hasidim, a deeply humanitarian sect that offered “a new way of attaining hope” and community to Jews—often uneducated and disaffected—who were scattered throughout Eastern Europe. Wiesel counts himself among Hasidim. “Faith in memory,” Wiesel reminds readers, “helps individuals transcend their condition” and justifies “faith in the future.”
Empathetic inquiries into the challenges of faith.
