Remembering Elie Wiesel On His Eighth Yahrzeit

Jul 1, 2024

The 26th of Sivan (Monday night/Tuesday, July 1 and 2) commemorates the passing of our teacher, mentor, sage, Elie Wiesel, ztz”l. We miss him deeply. Yet the 92NY archive of his 129 recorded lectures, ranging from 1967-2014, provides us with an incomparable source of his teaching, commentaries, songs, and hope. He constantly mined the Torah, Talmud, and the Hasidic masters to display where a Jew—really, where anyone—should turn for wisdom, inspiration, and challenge.

Why Pray? April 14, 2005
And so, my good friends, in conclusion: prayer may constitute a double dialogue. When I pray to God it means I am not indifferent to Him, nor is He to me. In other words, prayer is also a remedy against indifference.

Still, some may ask, how can one pray to God after Auschwitz? The question is valid. However, we seem to forget that some of us prayed to God in Auschwitz. Hence the problem transcends itself into a possible source of guidance: If I recited prayers to God there, how can I not recite them here? Thank you.

Categories: Holidays Jewish Interest

Tags: Elie Wiesel

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