Wiesel’s answer, in part, is as simple as the question: “Since God is, He is to be found in the questions as well as in the answers.” There is certainly wisdom in acknowledging mystery. On a personal level, each of us has suffered his or her own tragedy, be it a physical disease, a mental health struggle, the death or loss of a loved one, or something else which we may never tell another human being. The Armenian Genocide – which Wiesel worked to bring awareness to – is a historic example. Barnabas Aid is a charity I support, and every day their prayer focus features a story of the horrifying, often government-sanctioned brutalization of Christians in other parts of the world. Many of my family members in Christ are enduring persecution as I write. But then how is one to understand His silence?įor Christians, too, this question is not irrelevant. For me, it is as impossible to accept Auschwitz with God as without God. …Auschwitz is not only a human tragedy but also – and most of all – a theological scandal. In Open Heart, Wiesel touches on the same theme – the apparent silence of God. I’ve mentioned before Shūsaku Endō’s book The Silence, one I’ve been actively avoiding (yet will ultimately read). Instead, Wiesel presents his thoughts and reactions moving from one scene to the next – a surreal, metaphysical, and ultimately personal exploration. In this book, he does not seek to systematically explain his beliefs, offer a treatise on death, or even describe the surgery in detail. He describes his picture of hell as “ruled by cruel, pitiless angels” and full of physical tortures. For one thing, Wiesel’s perceptions or imaginings of the afterlife are not identical to Christian beliefs on the same. What could she have been feeling? I have never asked her, choosing instead (as with other personal questions) to seek another avenue of understanding in Wiesel’s book. My grandma has faced a myriad of health issues, including two heart surgeries she endured them with grace even while she was in terrible pain. One reason I picked up this book was to understand something of what a patient experiences during this medical procedure. Wiesel is famous for his Night trilogy, and here some of the same themes come back in short, fleeting chapters – the dark memories of life in Auschwitz and Buchenwald, as well as the perennial question: why does God allow His children to suffer evil? What should a Jewish person’s response be in times of persecution or pain? Question marks abound in this short work, underlining the great despair we may sometimes feel when evil touches our lives. If (slot) slot.addService(googletag.In his memoir Open Heart, Elie Wiesel takes us through his experiences surrounding his 2011 open heart surgery. (function (a, d, o, r, i, c, u, p, w, m) Baring his heart and soul - The Jerusalem Post
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