Jewish Mysticism in Night by Elie Wiesel Essay Example

Hamza Yusuf states that “everyone's a believer when things are going fine. The real faith is when one becomes patient with tribulations.” Yusuf expresses when things go downhill, others surrender their faith. True believers are those who are persistent in what they believe, even when they go through many adversities. In Night by Wiesel, the main character Elie is eager to learn the secrets of Jewish mysticism from his mentor, Moishe the Beadle. As the book progresses, Elie’s religious determination starts to waver, especially when he notices others starting to question their faith during his stay at the horrendous Jewish concentration camps. 

Before arriving at the camps, Elie was an innocent child, he yearned to learn the Kabbalah, was eager to understand the Talmud, and to seek the answers to the questions he had relating to God and the Jewish religion. Elie enjoyed studying the Talmud and would “weep over the destruction of the Temple” (3). Elie being upset over the Jewish past shows that he cares a lot about his religion. Elie wanted to learn more about the Kabbalah, but his father did not allow him to which he told Moishe the Beadle how he was “unhappy that [he] was not able to find a master to teach him” (5). This shows that Elie enjoys learning more about God and the Bible. Later on, Elie realizes that he wants to find to “enter eternity” (5), to find the meaning to his questions and answers. This means that he wants to learn more about Jewish religion and God so he can find answers to his unfulfilled questions that he has towards God. In the beginning, it is transparent how much Elie enjoyed learning about his religion and God and when he arrives at the camps, he becomes different. 

Elie learned many lessons and experienced many situations that no person his age should have ever gone through during the era of the Holocaust, he experienced the murders of children, the long hours of labor, and the pain that his fellow Jews were going through. Elie had to go through these hardships which had him take a double-take on his beliefs. The day that Elie saw the faces of children “whose bodies [he] saw transformed into smoke” (34), changed how he thought of the Jewish religion, saying that his dream of learning the secrets of Jewish mysticism turned into ashes. At the end of a long day of work and misery in Auschwitz, Elie realized he had become a different person, “the student of Talmud [and the] child [he] was, had been consumed by the flames” (37). Elie perceived himself as a child for being a student of the Talmud. This indicates that his religious beliefs changed immensely ever since he arrived at the camp. Following the event of his religious awakening, Elie watched the hangings of many Jews and questioned God, someone whom he thought so highly of, asking why he was “troubling these poor people's wounded minds” (66). Elie resents God for having Jews go through a time of pain, uncertainty, and great unhappiness. Elie had changed drastically after arriving at Auschwitz, he was enthusiastic towards the Jewish religion and praised God. However, after a couple of days of staying at the camp, he started to lose faith in his religious beliefs and God. 

Others around Elie started to lose hope in God, and it affected him quite terribly as well, it even took a toll on his extremely religious father. When Elie was in the infirmary, the man next to him said that he had more faith in Hitler than God because he “kept all his promises to the Jewish people” (81). This is a rather unmotivating thing to say, especially to Elie since he was still waiting for God to answer his questions. On the day where Elie witnessed multiple hangings, he heard a man asking “where is God?” (65). This made Elie contemplate where God was too, he asked God on multiple occasions why he was doing all these things, yet he realized that others were asking too which also made him lose faith in God. When a new year arrived, he realized that he did not believe in a new one and that he saw “defeat” (69), in his father’s eyes. Elie’s father, a man who worshipped God so much, finally admitted defeat, this would also make Elie feel hopeless as well. 

It is self-evident that Elie’s views towards God and the Jewish religion had changed significantly. Elie was someone who took pride in learning more and more about his religion and wanted to find eternity. But once everything that he had was taken away from him, such as his freedom, his family, and his friends, he started to lose hope in God.Hamza Yusuf states that “everyone's a believer when things are going fine. The real faith is when one becomes patient with tribulations.” Yusuf expresses when things go downhill, others surrender their faith. True believers are those who are persistent in what they believe, even when they go through many adversities. In Night by Wiesel, the main character Elie is eager to learn the secrets of Jewish mysticism from his mentor, Moishe the Beadle. As the book progresses, Elie’s religious determination starts to waver, especially when he notices others starting to question their faith during his stay at the horrendous Jewish concentration camps. 

Before arriving at the camps, Elie was an innocent child, he yearned to learn the Kabbalah, was eager to understand the Talmud, and to seek the answers to the questions he had concerning God and the Jewish religion. Elie enjoyed studying the Talmud and would “weep over the destruction of the Temple” (3). Elie being upset over the Jewish past indicates that he cares a lot about his religion. Elie wanted to learn more about the Kabbalah, but his father did not allow him to which he told Moishe the Beadle how he was “unhappy that [he] was not able to find a master to teach him” (5). This shows that Elie enjoys learning more about God and the Bible. Later on, Elie realizes that he wants to find to “enter eternity” (5), to find the meaning to his questions and answers. This means that he wants to learn more about Jewish religion and God so he can find answers to his unfulfilled questions that he has towards God. In the beginning, it is transparent how much Elie enjoyed learning about his religion and God and when he arrives at the camps, he becomes the opposite. 

Elie learned many lessons and experienced many situations that no person his age should have ever gone through during the era of the Holocaust, he experienced the murders of children, the long hours of labor, and the pain that his fellow Jews were going through. Elie had to go through these hardships which had him take a double-take on his beliefs. The day that Elie saw the faces of children “whose bodies [he] saw transformed into smoke” (34), changed how he thought of the Jewish religion, saying that his dream of learning the secrets of Jewish mysticism turned into ashes. At the end of a long day of work and misery in Auschwitz, Elie realized he had become a different person, “the student of Talmud [and the] child [he] was, had been consumed by the flames” (37). Elie perceived himself as a child for being a student of the Talmud. This indicates that his religious beliefs changed immensely ever since he arrived at the camp. Following the event of his religious awakening, Elie watched the hangings of many Jews and questioned God, someone whom he thought so highly of, asking why he was “troubling these poor people's wounded minds” (66). Elie resents God for having Jews go through a time of pain, uncertainty, and great unhappiness. Elie had changed drastically after arriving at Auschwitz, he was enthusiastic towards the Jewish religion and praised God. However, after a couple of days of staying at the camp, he started to lose faith in his religious beliefs and God. 

Others around Elie started to lose hope in God, and it affected him quite terribly as well, it even took a toll on his extremely religious father. When Elie was in the infirmary, the man next to him said that he had more faith in Hitler than God because he “kept all his promises to the Jewish people” (81). This is a rather unmotivating thing to say, especially to Elie since he was still waiting for God to answer his questions. On the day where Elie witnessed multiple hangings, he heard a man asking “where is God?” (65). This made Elie contemplate where God was too, he asked God on multiple occasions why he was doing all these things, yet he realized that others were asking too which also made him lose faith in God. When a new year arrived, he realized that he did not believe in a new one and that he saw “defeat” (69), in his father’s eyes. Elie’s father, a man who worshipped God so much, finally admitted defeat, this would also make Elie feel hopeless as well. 

It is self-evident that Elie’s views towards God and the Jewish religion had changed significantly. Elie was someone who took pride in learning more and more about his religion and wanted to find eternity. But once everything that he had was taken away from him, such as his freedom, his family, and his friends, he started to lose hope in God.