Messengers of God: Biblical Portraits and Legends

by Elie Wiesel

Reprint. Originally published: New York: Random House, c1976.

Genres: Religion, Judaism, Jewish, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Christian, Faith

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books, written mostly in French and English, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a Jewish prisoner in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.
In his political activities Wiesel became a regular speaker on the subject of the Holocaust and remained a strong defender of human rights during his lifetime. He also advocated for many other causes like the state of Israel and against Hamas and victims of oppression including Soviet and Ethiopian Jews, the apartheid in South Africa, the Bosnian genocide, Sudan, the Kurds and the Armenian genocide, Argentina's Desaparecidos or Nicaragua's Miskito people.
He was a professor of the humanities at Boston University, which created the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies in his honor. He was involved with Jewish causes and human rights causes and helped establish the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
Wiesel was awarded various prestigious awards including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. He was a founding board member of the New York Human Rights Foundation and remained active in it throughout his life.

Reviews

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

UPDATE 8/1/20 ...

The first time I heard Elie Wiesel it seemed to me that his words, although obviously spoken in prose, resonated as poetry. Every phrase was a thing of beauty as well as content. I subsequently had the privilege of meeting him on several short occasions, and the honor of having him read and comment on my first novel THE HERETIC.

Now I have read the chapter in MESSENGERS OF GOD intriguingly titled "Moses: Portrait of a Leader." It is eye-opening, because as I read what Wiesel wrote after the Holocaust, of which he was a survivor but his father was not, I frequently had the feeling he was struggling with both God's performance and that of Moses and the Jewish people.

... Wiesel writes: when Moses offered to take them out of Egypt, the slaves wanted to remain slaves ... while Moses was negotiating with Pharoah, Aaron was trying to convince the Jews to accept freedom

... Wiesel writes: as the Red Sea parted to let the Jews go through, Moses began to sing ... the most majestic, the most lyrical poem in Scripture ... Exodus 15:1... Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying: I will sing unto the LORD, for He is highly exalted; The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. 15:2The LORD is my strength and song, And He is become my salvation; This is my God, and I will glorify Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him. 15:3The LORD is a man of war, The LORD is His name.

Wiesel never openly expresses his anger at Jews for not resisting Hitler, and at God for not destroying the Nazis as he destroyed the Egyptians, but to me that unspoken anger rides just below the surface of his written words.

***

Elie Wiesel's comments on Job (the last chapter in this book) have particular relevance to all of us, including the characters in my soon-to-be-completed novel CAUGHT IN A FLOOD OF EVIL, 1934-1946 ... the sequel to A FLOOD OF EVIL ...

... What is the meaning of punishment inflicted on a just man … what is God doing? … where is his justice? Job knew, as we know, that he had committed no sin … he had nothing to reproach himself for, neither did God

... Job turned against God … to find and confront Him … he defied him to come closer to him … he wanted to hear his voice, even though he knew he would be condemned … he preferred a cruel and unjust God two an indifferent God

... Job's resignation was an insult to Man … he should not have given in so easily … he should have continued to protest, to refuse the handouts … he should have said to God: "very well, I forgive you, to the extent of my sorrow and my anguish ... But what about my dead children? Do they forgive you? What right have I to speak on their behalf? ... By accepting your inequities, do I not become your accomplice? ... I refused to repudiate my children ... I demand that justice be done to them" ... That is what he should have said ... Only he did not

[Stela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exemplarul meu din Celebrare biblică, cel al editurii Hasefer din 1998 mi-a fost dăruit în 2001, de ziua mea, de către o prietenă, care mi-a scris pe pagina de gardă, alături de obișnuitele urări, și pariul pascalian: „Pariați că Dumnezeu există. Dacă ați pariat că există și există, câștigați totul. Dacă ați pariat că există și nu există, nu pierdeți nimic.” Deși m-a încîntat atunci metoda de convingere a lui Pascal (de departe mai incitantă decît profeția lui Malraux „Secolul XXI va fi religios sau nu va fi deloc” a cărei autenticitate, sau măcar exactitate a stîrnit ceva controverse, cum puteți vedea de exemplu aici ) și deși recomandările prietenei mele nu mă dezamăgiseră niciodată, nu știu de ce am tot amînat s-o citesc. E drept că a fost printre puținele cărți pe care le-am luat cu mine atunci cînd am emigrat în Canada, patru ani mai tîrziu, dar ajunsă aici am pus-o din nou pe raft uitînd complet de ea. Și uite-așa am ajuns s-o citesc după douăzeci de ani de la publicarea în limba româna (cred că e prima ediție la noi, da’ nu bag mîna-n foc) și după mai bine de patruzeci de ani de la apariție (1975, Éditions du Seuil). Acum îmi pare rău că am ocolit-o atîta vreme pentru că, în ciuda cunoștințelor mele biblice destul de limitate, lectura s-a dovedit incitantă, iar interpretarea unor figuri religioase care erau și pentru mine, ca pentru multă lume locuitoare a spațiului laic, doar niște simboluri sau alegorii, extrem de interesantă.

O altă surpriză a fost biografia autorului, despre care am aflat cu surprindere (și cu oarecare jenă pentru lipsa mea de cunoștințe) că s-a născut în Sighet, că la 15 ani a fost dus cu familia la Auschwitz (pierzîndu-și acolo tatăl, mama și sora mai mică), că este laureat al premiului Nobel și că, în urma scandalului provocat de respingerea de către Răzvan Theodorescu, ministrul român al culturii de atunci (vi-l mai amintiți pe pseudo-intelectualul acela găunos?), a holocaustului românesc, Ion Iliescu a numit în 2003 o Comisie Internațională de Studiere a Holocaustului în România, sub conducerea lui Elie Wesel, iar în 2005 a înființat Institutul Național pentru Studierea Holocaustului din România „Elie Wiesel” (poate cu asta o rămâne și Iliescu în istorie). Mai multe detalii despre scriitor aflați aici .

Cea mai cunoscută operă a sa, Noaptea, este și prima carte publicată despre holocaust (Wiesel a încetățenit de fapt acest termen), înaintea celei a Anei Frank sau a lui Primo Levi.

Celebrare biblică, cea de-a paisprezecea carte a autorului, avînd subtitlul, Portrete și legende, evocă, pornind de la textul biblic pe care îl completează cu alte scrieri, între care Talmudul babilonian, Talmudul palestinian și Midrașul (despre care am aflat cu această ocazie că este o culegere de comentarii, povestiri și eseuri etice) șapte figuri biblice: Adam, Cain, Itzhac, Iaacov, Iosif, Moise și Iov, reunindu-i sub semnul atitudinii față de moarte (supratema volumului), care a pus încă din illo tempore bazele relației omului cu Dumnezeu.

Într-un articol din 1976, Edward Grossman îl acuză pe scriitor că repetă la nesfîrșit aceeași temă, holocaustul, și că nici în Celebrare biblică nu face altceva decît să vorbească despre evrei. Pe lîngă faptul că acuzația mi se pare absurdă, din moment ce Vechiul Testament este o carte despre evrei, am și impresia că Grossman suferă el însuși de opacitatea pe care crede că o descoperă în scriitura lui Wiesel, pe care o analizează superficial și cu o rea-voință vădită. Despre artificialitatea limbajului pe care i-o reproșează încă din primele rînduri n-am să vorbesc aici, am văzut și alte recenzii în limba engleză în care se vorbea despre stilul oarecum greoi, punînd faptul că eu n-am sesizat-o pe seama unei proaste traduceri în limba engleză (sau a celei excelente în limba română realizate de de Janina Ianoși). Ceea ce mi se pare nefundamentat în recenzia despre care vorbeam este afirmația că interpretările lui Wiesel abundă în nonsensuri – de exemplu, subliniază criticul, de ce s-ar interoga autorul asupra alegerii numelui lui Itzhac cînd Biblia spune clar că se datorează bucuriei mamei sale Sara la nașterea lui? Dar Wiesel este de părere că numele lui Itzhac este oximoronic în ciuda explicației biblice. Sau, asta-i culmea, că afirmațiile autorului nu sînt susținute de viziunea Patriarhilor cînd scopul cărții (relevat și de subtitlu) este tocmai acesta - să ne ofere propria viziune, propria interpretare.

Într-adevăr, interpretările lui Elie Wiesel, care a studiat Biblia și Tora încă din copilărie, sintetizează opinii din Talmud, Midraș, sau scrieri ale unor Rabbi, într-o viziune originală care trădează uneori îndoiala sa în fața justeții gesturilor divine (poate această îndoială l-o fi iritat pe Grossman). Prima figură biblică menționată, Adam, pune în discuție păcatul originar care, crede autorul, a fost impus cuplului, predestinat să greșească pentru ca urmașii să-l poată proslăvi pe Dumnezeu. Condiția tragica a omului, liber fără să fie cu adevărat („chiar și cînd omul îi spune lui Dumnezeu nu, el nu face decît să împlinească voința Lui”), atunci s-a decis. Greșeala lui Adam și a Evei a constat doar în faptul că au fugit de răspundere, dînd vina unul pe altul și pe șarpe pentru cele întîmplate. Cu ocazia asta am aflat că iudaismul nu crede în păcatul originar, că pentru evrei singura moștenire lăsată de cuplul primordial este moartea:

Noi nu moștenim păcatele strămoșilor, chiar daca îndurăm pedeapsa. Culpabilitatea nu se transmite. De Adam ne leagă doar amintirea lui, care devine amintirea noastră, și moartea lui, care o vestește pe a noastră. Nu însă și greșeala lui.

Ca o paranteză anecdotică, a trebuit să citesc cartea lui Elie Wiesel ca să aflu că lui Adam i s-a oferit o altă femeie înaintea Evei, Lilith, pe care n-a vrut-o pentru că nu avea nici un mister pentru el (fusese de față la zămislirea ei). Cum s-ar zice, misterul feminin e scris în genele noastre – închid paranteza.

Ideea morții ca moștenire nedreaptă este continuată în cel de-al doilea capitol, dedicat lui Cain. Cain, primul ucigaș, care nu comite doar o crimă ci primul genocid, dat fiind că el și fratele său reprezentau la acea vreme jumătate din populația pământului. Autorul vine cu o ipoteză seducătoare menită să explice omorul: din motive umanitare, Cain vrea să distrugă Creația, pentru că destinul oamenilor i se pare înfiorător, viața lor un șir de suferințe de nesuportat. În Abel, Cain s-ar ucide pe sine însuși, din moment ce „(o)rice ucidere este o sinucidere.” Interesantă ipoteză, pe care autorul o răstoarnă mai apoi, cu argumentul că totuși Cain nu se va sinucide, ba va avea la rîndul lui descendenți, deci a ucis degeaba.

Moartea ca jertfă apare în povestea lui Itzhac, al cărui nume s-ar traduce, aparent atît de impropriu, prin „cel care va rîde” și al cărui destin tragic constă tocmai în faptul că jertfa sa a fost oprită, nu de dragul lui, ci pentru că a fost doar un instrument în mîna lui Dumnezeu de testare a credinței tatălui său, Avraham. Destinul său, spune Wiesel, după ce atrage atenția că „suferința nu conferă privilegii” în iudaism, prefigurează destinul întregului popor al lui Israel:

...în calitatea sa de prim supraviețuitor, Itzhac îi învață pe supraviețuitorii istoriei iudaice care or să vină că se poate suferi și să deznădăjduiești o viață întreagă fără să renunți totuși la arta de a rîde.

Moartea ca spaimă este simțită de două personaje biblice a căror teroare este cu atît mai greu de înțeles cu cît amândouă au avut privilegiul de a contempla viața veșnică unde știu dinainte că vor avea un loc: Iaacov și Moise.

Iaacov, care va deveni întemeietorul poporului iudaic, este terifiat de scara la cer pe care o vede în vis și pe care nu are curajul s-o urce. Mai mult, pentru că a obținut binecuvîntarea tatălui său prin înșelăciune (l-a păcălit că este fratele său Esau), va aduce asupra urmașilor săi blestemul lacrimilor vărsate de fratele rămas fără binecuvîntare, tradus în surghiunul perpetuu, acea moarte prin plecare, prin dezrădăcinare.

Moise, pe de altă parte, cel care a stat de vorbă cu Dumnezeu în atîtea rînduri, care i-a răspândit cuvîntul și legea și i-a eliberat poporul din robie, nu vrea nici el să accepte moartea, și poate de aceea, crede autorul, nici nu a murit cu adevărat:

Nimeni nu cunoaște locul în care el odihnește. Pentru oamenii munților, mormîntul său se află în vale; pentru oamenii văilor, el se află pe munte. Mormîntul lui nu s-a transformat nici în templu, nici în imperiu. El se află pretutindeni și în altă parte, mereu în altă parte. Atunci cînd murise, nimeni nu-i fusese în preajmă. Într-un fel, el mai trăiește încă în noi, în fiecare dintre noi. Căci atît timp cît, undeva, vreun copil al lui Israel îi proclamă Legea și adevărul, Moise trăiește în el și pentru el, așa precum trăiește tufișul arzînd care mistuie inima oamenilor fără să le mistuie credința în om și în chemările sale sfâșietoare.

Cel mai tragic dintre toate personajele evocate este însă Iov, în destinul căruia inegalitatea raportului omului cu Dumnezeu este cel mai bine pusă în valoare. Iov, spune autorul, este angoasa dinlăuntrul fiecăruia dintre noi, modelul exemplar al suferinței al cărei sens îi scapă mereu omului. Iov este, desacralizând puțin, o idee platoniciană:

Experiența individuala a lui Iov, nenorocirile sale personale nu intră în calcul; ceea ce contează este contextul, vederea de ansamblu. Ideea de suferință este mai importantă decît suferința; problema cunoașterii e mai importantă decît cunoașterea. Dumnezeu îi vorbește lui Iov despre orice, în afară de ceea ce-l atinge direct; El îi neagă lui Iov dreptul la individualitate.

Iov i-a arătat omului că singura armă împotriva predestinării și a morții este acceptarea aparentă, rezistenta pasivă. Supunerea lui lipsită de revoltă este umilă doar la prima vedere. Iov închide cercul vinovaților fără vină deschis de Adam cu o demnitate cu atît mai impresionantă cu cît e singurul poate care avut curajul să-i arate lui Dumnezeu, fără o vorbă, că omul este în stare să se ridice din țărână, să stea drept, mîndru și singur în fața urgiei propriului destin:

La capătul luptei, pe care o știe dinainte pierdută – căci cum ar putea vreun om să spere că-L va birui pe Dumnezeu? – Iov descoperă o metodă simplă prin care să persevereze în rezistența sa: va face așa de parcă s-ar da bătut, încă dinainte de a se fi angajat în luptă.
(...) și noi înțelegem că în ciuda aparențelor, sau chiar din cauza lor, Iov continuă interogatoriul cerului. Dacă el se pocăiește pentru păcate pe care nu le-a comis, dacă justifică o suferință nemeritată, o face pentru a ne atrage atenția că nu crede în propriile sale mărturisiri; ele nu sînt decît o stratagemă. El întruchipează neostoita căutare a dreptății și a adevărului, el nu și-a plecat capul. Așadar, încercarea lui nu va fi zadarnică; datorită lui am aflat noi că îi este dat omului să transforme nedreptatea divină în dreptate omenească.

[Khari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that was an exceedingly interesting book.

This was my first ever delve into Jewish theology, so I will probably make many unforgivable generalizations, please bear with me.

It was fascinating. The Jewish way of interpreting Old Testament stories is extremely different than the typical Christian way. There is far more interpretation going on. I had known that there was the Torah, the actual biblical text, and the Talmud, the rabbinical commentaries on the biblical text, but through this I learned that there is also the Midrash, which seems to be a bunch of legends giving backstory to the biblical text. There is a whole body of legends associated with Adam for example. There are stories about a first wife. There are stories about marital fights. There are stories about what he was thinking as he took the apple, what he felt as he was naming the animals, the reasons why God made him name the animals, the meaning of each individual animal name, the philosophical and theological implications of the names...it was intense.

It was also extremely interesting. It was a whole new way of looking at the stories in the Bible. There were a lot more questions being asked. I always thought that Christians took the discussion of the grammar of the biblical verses slightly too far (seeing as how must of us are reading the English translation), but wow, the Jewish commentators took it to a whole new level. It blew my mind in a couple of places and made me consider going and studying Hebrew. Just like how manga is leaps and bounds better in the original language, the Bible is also probably better. No wonder all the great biblical scholars have studied Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. An obvious realization, I know.

Wiesel, and the rabbis he was quoting, have a tendency to draw meaning out of what the text doesn’t say as well as what the text says. The one that struck me in particular was the silence of Joseph and the silence of Moses. Moses went so far in his belief that his people deserved to be protected, that he killed an Egyptian. Then he ran away and lived in Midian for 40 years and never talked to his brother Aaron or mentioned the Jewish way of life to his wife, he disavowed the Jewish way of life and assimilated to Midianite life for 40 years. Wow. Never really noticed that. What was he doing for those 40 years? Huh. Interesting train of thought. Or Joseph. He was literally the most powerful person in one of the most powerful countries of the world at that time, he had spies and armies at his beck and call, and yet he never contacted his father and told him that he was alive... why? Huh. Another interesting train of thought. Now I probably wouldn’t go so far as to accept the Midrash legends as inspired truth, but, huh, that’s an interesting thing to think about.

There was a lot of that in this book. If you want a completely new way of looking at Old Testament figures, then this is a book for you.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having not studied Jewish tradition, teachings and philosophy nearly as much as I would have liked to, this book was an eye-opener. I am even more convinced that Christians got totally shortchanged when the decision was made centuries ago that "pagans" and Gentiles could by-pass Judaic teachings and just become "Christian" right out of the blocks.

Since my conversion from Presbyterianism to Roman Catholicism in 2001, I have been intrigued by all the interesting and spiritually important things different denominations have let fall to the wayside and more importantly how much we've lost from our Jewish forefathers. The crux of my position is that Christians can understand Christ more fully if they understand as much as possible about His Jewish heritage and traditions.

Messengers of God is thought-provoking. It's deep. It isn't light reading. And, despite the fact that in the first half of the book there were no less than ten English words I had to look up in the dictionary, this deepness was easy to follow and understand. (I cannot remember the last time I had to look up a word in something from the mass market that I was reading - a friend of mine is fond of rarely used words and about every fifth email from him I end up whipping out a dictionary but that doesn't count).

Wiesel's style in this work is very much like listening to an informal lecture or round-table discussion. It has a conversational quality about it that makes the scholarly concepts it contains accessible to non-scholars. And, as it turns out, large sections are based on lectures Wiesel delivered at various venues.

[John Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiesel is a great author, but that has nothing to do with why this is a great book. The writing isn't all that great, especially for someone who cares about grammar, but everything else about the book makes up for it.

Some of the most prominent biblical characters come to life with Wiesel's great imagination, and the traditions of the Talmud and other Jewish scholars throughout history. As a Christian, perhaps the greatest part of the book is that the new flesh each character puts on is much more full, thorough, and passionate than any Christian commentary offers. Jewish thought offers so much more when bringing these characters to life.

Jacob, Joseph, Job, Isaac and Abraham, they're all brought to life in amazing fashion. Wiesel doesn't exactly re-tell their stories, but digs deep into their personhood. Rarely does Wiesel give us his own thoughts, but when he does it brings an incredible new emotional reality and texture to the stories.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, even if you don't believe in God or any of this. Wiesel does a great job making the biblical characters real to everyone in all situations.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the top ten books that have affect my faith. It is a retelling of Jewish legends that came out of the biblical text, tidbits like how Moses got his stutter and others. This book taught me that you can use your imagination when you read and interpret the bible.

[Chad CG · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.0)

I learned a lot about the Midrash and the Talmud and in that sense, am thankful I picked this book up and went through it. I will say, as a Christian, that this book can be very dangerous and tough to handle if read under the wrong assumptions. This book is biblical lore which arises from the thought-pattern and systems of interpretation founded in the midrash way of viewing the Old Testament, along with stories from the Talmud, the apocryphal writings, and the Bible itself. To take the majority of the things mentioned in this book as God’s word would lead, unfortunately, to a very confused individual. Wiesel writes from a deeply philosophical viewpoint rooted in Judaism. You must understand that only bits and pieces of the points mentioned and stories are strictly from the Bible, and that this is like reading lore surrounding foundational biblical figures and tales. I would not recommend this book to a Christian trying to take seriously their faith unless they have a very firm grasp on the Old Testament. It also makes me slightly sad because every single character or story brought up is just begging for Jesus to complete it, and that final connection is never made.

With all that said, I will say that the questions that arise from the Midrash way of diving into scripture, the deep playing out of “what-if” scenarios and really getting into the details of every story is very interesting and I believe has taught me a few things. This method is however edgy and borderline blasphemous as a Christian, so I must take some things with a grain of salt. All in all, I learned a lot about Jewish belief and got some interesting perspective on classics from the Bible.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elie Wiesel's insights into the biblical characters of Adam, Cain, Abel, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, and Moses opened my eyes to entirely new ways of understanding these characters. Elie Wiesel's insights are deeply colored by his own experience as Jewish survivor of the holocaust. I appreciated his perspective and will never read the Bible in the same way again after reading his thoughts.

[Matthew Dambro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, evocative prose poem on the prophets. If you wish to understand the soul of Judaism (and Christianity), this is a must read. Wiesel carries you along like a huge wave. It will nurture your spirit.

[Mister Weintruab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely really good for 1985. It was cool whateva I'm not really sure. Not sure why I read it, but I really enjoyed the Gob stuff (go figure). I got a funny Jewish story out of this, which I will copy and paste below once I find out again.

[Joe Iovino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this gem I found hidden in the discount section of a Books a Million.
I found it a very helpful to read a Jewish perspective of some of the great characters of the Old Testament.

[Paul H. Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Job

The book is worth because of Job. A masterful work that haunts the author. One chapter is worth the book.

[Michael Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elie Wiesel's in-depth look at the stories of the Bible's most prominent prophets brings a unique perspective on the lives and stories of everyone from Cain and Abel to Isaac and Jacob to Job. Using Rabbinic stories that give depth and moral meaning to biblical text ("midrashim"), Wiesel gives us a modern interpretation of the prophet's lives and a perspective on how the moral quandaries they faced have significance for us today.

Most of the stories will be familiar and morally complicated. Abraham's near sacrifice of his son ("the binding of Isaac"), Job's seemingly unjust suffering at the hands of God, Jacob's theft of the birthright of his older brother Esau are all portrayed in a new light through Wiesel's post-Holocaust lens.

And while Wiesel only occasionally references the Holocaust, it is clear from the beginning that his personal life story as a Holocaust survivor shapes the interpretation of every one of the biblical stories. He forces the reader to grapple with the moral complexity of these biblical stories, not allowing simple or easy explanations. In a post-Holocaust world (and one where modern-day moral complexities plague us all), can there be any other way to interpret the most important religious texts in Western thought?

I found Messengers of God to be both accessible and challenging. Weisel calls on us to be active participants in the interpretation of our most important religious texts. To give them real meaning in our modern world. Like Jacob wrestling with the angel, this book suggests that the true meaning and significance of the lives of the prophets comes in wrestling with varied interpretations rather than simply accepting the stories at face value.

Messengers of God is a fascinating tour not only through the most important biblical stories, but through the interpretive mind of one of the post-Holocaust era's greatest thinkers.

[Jordon Gyarmathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Messengers of God is one of the best biblical commentaries that I have read. Wiesel reframes the most memorable and legendary biblical stories in a modern lens, making them more accessible and relatable. Wiesel paints details portraits of these biblical figures so that the reader feels as if they know them personally. Incorporating the commentary of the Midrash and Kierkegaard, the text is enhanced further to be understood to an even greater degree. Masterful work bringing readers closer to the Torah.

[Caleb Lail · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, the name is wrong on this site, but the cover and description are right.
I loved this book! It’s cool how he takes these characters and humanizes them. It’s neat to read passages from apocryphal and Mirashic texts and his voice is engaging and intriguing.
If I had any problems with the book, it would be that at some points it becomes more direct pulls from other sources than Elie Wiesel’s actual voice. But it’s well researched and when it’s good, it’s GOOD.

[Stephen Bedard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many Christians think of Judaism as Christianity without Jesus, or at least a faith based solely on the Old Testament. What Christians don't always realize is that there is a rich Jewish interpretive tradition from the first number of centuries of the common era. This book takes readers on a tour of familiar Old Testament figures, not just from what the Bible says about them, but what Jewish traditions say about them. You might be surprised what you find.

[Sharon Banitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elie Wiesel tells the stories of some of the great Biblical leaders in the Bible--Adam, Job, Jacob, Abraham, Joseph and others. I intended to read it for a study group but it did not happen because of the pandemic.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the depth I expected, but so very insightful!

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. I wish I’d read it with people from different backgrounds to discuss..there is a lot here to digest. Very readable and entertaining on many levels.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different than anything else I have read; interesting and thought provoking. The questions that Jewish theologians ask are deep and rich.

[Gabriel Kaufman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tour de force.

[=^._.^=]

Fantastic writing. Sometimes borderline heretical, sometimes misogynistic (and focuses exclusively on the men of Tanakh), but always thoughtful and beautiful.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

2nd time reading this! Still a good read

[Gabriel Olaie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well beyond my ability to comprehend, even partially. Perhaps it is because I am not Jewish! Overall, very interesting.

[Juliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting book!! Made me think a lot

[Romi Rubanovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Let us return to the question we asked at the beginning: Why was the most tragic of our ancestors named Isaac, a name which evokes and signifies laughter? Here is why. As the first survivor, he had to teach us, the future survivors of Jewish history, that it is possible to suffer and despair an entire lifetime and still not give up the art of laughter.

Isaac, of course, never freed himself from the traumatizing scenes that violated his youth; the Holocaust had marked him and continued to haunt him forever. Yet he remained capable of laughter. And in spite everything, he did laugh.”

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I didn't agree with everything in this book, I enjoyed how it challenged my mind and emotions. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who isn't familiar with Scripture, as he takes some liberties with his interpretations of it. Yet, he always makes a clear distinction between what is actually in Scripture, and how he reads it. I respect this immensely. He doesn't shy away from asking the questions we all ask.

He also adds Jewish legend to biblical stories, and gives an interesting look into the mind of both the contemporary and ancient Jew. For me, this enhanced my search for spiritual understanding. Perhaps, more accurately, it helped me understand how we humans interpret God more in terms of human understanding, than eternal perspective. Ironically, I saw Messiah Y'shua where the author did not.

I enjoyed his thoughtful, analytical writing style. It pulled me in and held me. There were some interesting nuggets of wisdom here, as well.

[Monty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because of my lack of familiarity with the Bible I didn't always understand the context in which Elie Wiesel described the lives and qualities of Adam, Cain, Abel, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Job in this book that was published in 1976. He used the Mishna, Talmud and Midrash as source materials as well at the Bible. I really liked how he delved into the humaness of these men and put them into an historical perspective. I can't imagine a serious student of the Bible not gaining from this book.

[Evans McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful... easy to read even as it brings up profound themes and provocative questions. If you like Wiesel, a must. If you like playing with biblical imagery, themes and characters, a must. If you're looking not just for the heart of the story but for the hearts of the characters, this book is for you. Primarily focuses on Genesis, plus Moses and Job.