Wiesers 'Souls OW- Fire' fifiancees Tradition*: and Folklore of Hasidism
Elie Wiesel is a man of the the dedicated enthusiasm of
spirit. As the -euthor who the hesidic rabbis who fel-
has so eloquently portrayed -lowed hkn.
the Jew who suffered during+ Wiesel defined his hasidic
the ilolocamt, himself and enthusiams in lectures be had
others like him who survived given in recent years. and
the Nazi terror, he emerged these now provide a master-
also as the great storyteller. ful work, "Souls-• on Flee,"
He wfa always the Hasid, the (Random Rouse) in which
follower of- the inspired mas- he has incorporated "nor--
ten in the realm that - began traits :aid Legends of Hasidic
with the Baal Shem Tov and Masters."
continues in the ideology and
it is as a reciter and'-in-
Elie , VViesel to Lecture
at Cong. Sh
•
Elie Wiesel will inaugurate
the spring-lecture aeries of
Cong. •Shimmy* ' Zedek, 8
p.m.. Tuesday. He will speak
on the topic •Souls" on Tire:
Hasidic Portraits and Tales.'
The holder of honorary
+doctorates from both the Jew-
- ish- Theological Seminary and
Hebrew Union College:- Wk.
sel's - lecture topic Is based
on his newest book.
Wiesel, a teen-age survivor
of Auschwik and Buchan-
weld, became a renowned
spokesman for Jewry. fie has
received many- literary
honors, among them the Pits
afeclicis for -his "A' Beggar
in Jerusalem," the Prix
Rivera], the , National Jewish
Book Council Award anti the
Remembrance Award el the'
World Federation of ^ the
Bergen-Belsen Association.
.
.
.
-
.
Document on
_Soaks by Wiesel include
"NCO]," "Dawn," "The Ac
cident," "The Town Beyond
the ,Wall,'"Mie Gates of the
Forest," "The Jews of Si-
lence" and " Legends of our
Time."
Other lectures in the cur-
rent Shaarey Zedek series in-
clude: "Encountering the Jew-
ish Heritage: Faith, History
and Community," by Dr. ,
Marshall Sklare, March 7;
Max L Dimont,"March 14;
and on March 18 the series
will conclude with "An Eve-
ning with Rabbi Abraham
Joshua Reacher in tribute to
the memory of Rabbi Morris
Adler.-
These lectures, under the
sponsorship of -the cultural
commission of Shaarey Ze-
dek, are offered without
charge to the community. -
terpieler of such legends that
he has dravrn'to himself vast
audiences, inspiring- youth,.
reviving great interest in the
folklore' of the Hasidim.
meneed
NithilldlY
W
ryreffing
sel com-
menced tis, storytelling
Sail Shem Tov. The
fascination la "Souls on Fire”
is in the many other's who
followed the+ Master of the
Good Name.:_the diaciples of
the BESIIT—the Baal Shem.
Wiesel-was inspired by-his
grandfather and it is in that
traditibithat he draws upon
the hasidic foklore- His hero
is Levi-Itshak Derhareandiger
—the Merciful. There is an
italicized note by Wiesel in
tribuate to - Levi-It:hilt: "To
invoke his name, say' hisidic
tradition, is• to formillate ut
wish and have it granted.
`The greatness of Levi-lbhak
of 43erditchiv?' my _ grand-
father asked: And 'answered:
-
-
"Levi:Itshak admired King
Solomon, the-wisest of
sovereigns. Why? Because,
according to the Midrash,
he mastered all languages?
Because he knew how to
speak to birds? No. Because
he understood the language
of • madmen."
Indeed, it is the way he
tells his stories:that lifts him
to great heights: He intro-
duces Elimeletii of Lizensk
and his brother;;Zutia, both
of Whom became _ great
hasidic rabbi! -:by narrating
a -mat-Mous easy about their
father,: Meek. ',Lipman. It
is, stories like this one that
&I nve t e this book about
hasidic loie above the many
other* aethe subject:
Once sipon a time, some-
:. Where
a Lithuanian
a certain Eliezer Lip-
.man, known for his wealth
and generosity, meets a
-
they don't see me today,
tvorry."
"Don't let
that bother
you, I'll go myself--I'll go
from door to door
to re-
—
assure them on your be-
half. But do come along--
I can't bear to see you walk
so far."
Dropping his mask, the
beggar — a messenger in
disguise — congratulates
Eliezer On passing the test:
"As a reward, you May look
into your future. The fact
is, you have only one year
to live. I tell this to you so
that you may use the time
to good advantage and put
ness. and devoted himself
so completely and exclu-
sively to serving God, that
he - was granted a 20-year
reprieve.
And five children, includ-
ing Zusia and Elimelekh.
Then come the many
stories about Zusia and
Elimelekh and the scores of
other parables and tales ap-
plicable to the piety and de-
voutness of the great masters
in beadle folklore. In "Souls
on Fire" we have another
inspired work by the eminent
author who hes himself be-
come the adherent to and the
carrier of the messages of
the master who carried in-
spiration into Jewish homes
in many lands.
Send the Perfect
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"clay.”
limo much could you
Possibly earn?"
"A lot. 25 ducats. May-
be."
"I'll give them to you,
come along."
-
`No," says the Stubborn
beggar. "I can't."
"Why not? Since you
won't lote anything!"
17515 W. 9 Mile Rd., Suite 865
Southfield, Mich. 48075
Name
Addres s
City
State
TAP
from
Enclosed $8.00 — Foreign $9.00
HOME TAS'fil
,
THE DETROIT JEWISH MRS Friday, Fakery 25, 1972 - 15;
ly, once a week, open their
doors and hearts to me. If
some order into your life."
Eliezer gave up his busi-
. The begggar refuses: "I
still haven't earned anything
QIi
4rlinDynasty
`-`True—but money isn't
everything. I must think
of the people who regular-
_beggar on the way to the
'village. He stops his car-
riage and invites him to get
in.
many book! 'have . teen tory of Lithuanian Jews. De-
published on limidirn rand scribings the _beginnings, Dr.
Hasidism. It is surprising, Rabinowitsch states that the
therefore, that so Ettle at- cradle of Hasidim, in Po-
tention has been given to a dolia and Voihynia, was "In
Schocken - published volume an atmosphere of blood-libels
on the Karlin Hasidim.
and Cossack massacres."
The story is told in "Litho- There "the voice of Hasidism,
anian Hasidim" by Dr. Wolf with its joyous affirmation of
Z e e v - Rabinowitsch, and life, its fervor and faith, first
Schocken is adding an im- made -itself heard." That's
portant volume to the Hasi- where the Besht — Baal
dic subject with this book. Shem Toy --- began to oper-
Theie is an aspect of un- ate. From there it spread.
usual importance in this
The genealogfcal table in-
book. The foreword to thil cluded in the Rabinowitsch
volume is by the eminent volume shows - the growth of
Jewish historian, Simon the dynasty, starting with R:
Dubnow, who was murdered Aharon the Great of Karlin
by the Nazis in 1942. This (1736 -1772), his children,
book was published in He- grandchildren, the eminent
brew -by Mosad Malik, Jan= hasidic rebbes of Lithuania,
Salem, and the English trans- down to R. Moshe of Stolin
lation is by M. B. Dagut, who was killed is the Holo-
Haifa University lectirer,
caust in 1942. - .
- The author explained that
The Amdur, Horodok and
when he found the "holy other dynasties are listed and
writings" in the "court" of
described, and the stories
the Karlin Hasidic dynasty of the many rabbis
included
in Stalin --+ "The Stolin in the Lithuanian hasiclic
Genizah" — he conducted his movement emerge in the
study of the Karlin Hasidim, fascinating stories related
the cradle of the Lithuanian about them and their move-
movement. He sent his writ- ment
ings on to Simon Dubnow
Of merited interest is the
who was then _:,writing his
"Toledoth ha-fhisiduth" and inclusion in this text, as an
appendix,
of the Pledge of
Dubnow urged him to con-
tinue his research and to Allegiance by the Disciples
of
the
Ari
and R. Hank:
publish It.
That is how. the Dubnow Vital (1575), as well as the
foMword was written and "Sefer ha-Tsoref by R. 'Ytt
hoshua Tsoref (born 1633,-
was utilized by Dr. Rabinow-
ibch wha,, in addition to his died 1700 or 1720).
Texts and legends, stories
practice of medicine in Ha-
dsisah Hospital,- pursued his of the personalities, com-
prise
a text that serves im-
sttidlei
"
lurther:
Alle-Otahisaslitsch - work „Tensely in -describing a
a iwidest Voillit," wee - of movement-. that has' not been
ddi.- .. given .too much attention but
maille libreary
very sinaltbant
which Was acblaimed as most
uthe
Richly annotated, there is valuable for Jewish history
genuine research skill in by Simon Dubnow.
There are a few photo-
the collection of facts about
the Kutner, their rabbis, graphs and reproducticas of
their pursuing the Hasidic. documents of historical value
As an historic document, that add significantly -to the
the work on the Karlin d3"- merits of this work — an
nasty serves to iibminate addendum of great value to
important periods in the his the history of Hasidism.
'Ile was a fighter'." To illus-
trate, Wiesel tells many
stories about that great sage
and he makes this additional
comment:
Wznsion tastes good ,
'U -kE a eigarettejiirould.
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20 mq - tar' 3 mg wattle av per ogarmi. .f le" ■ p0,1 Al I; 11
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