Review of Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters by Elie Wiesel:

Some of you may remember that at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City there was a funeral of an ultra-Orthodox Jewish rabbi that drew thousands of non-social-distancing mourners which incurred the tweeted criticism of NYC’s mayor, Bill de Blasio.  In witnessing the scene on news outlets many “sheltering-in-place” viewers may have wondered what in the heck these clad-from-head-to-foot- in-black devotees were thinking!  Were they utterly oblivious to the dire threat that the virus posed for such gatherings?  Were they crazed, reckless, or what?  What they were was Hasidim, a sect within Judaism that has its origins in 18th century eastern Europe.  What they are is deeply fervent in their faith and, yes, in their dedication to and love for their spiritual leaders, especially of their dynastic heads known as rebbes of which Rabbi Chaim Mertz was one. If this incident pricked your curiosity about the Hasidim, you may want to check out Elie Wiesel’s portrait of the original Hasidic masters, Souls on Fire. 
Elie Wiesel is best known for his book Night which deals with the nightmare that he, himself, lived through, the Holocaust.  In Souls on Fire he travels back into his own religious roots that have their firm footing in the Hasidic movement.  Beginning with its founder, Israel Baal Shem Tov, Wiesel not only relates the stories about these mystics of the Jewish tradition, but he shares some of the incredibly insightful stories that they told. 
And insightful they are.  Here is a simple favorite of mine not found is this book. A young rabbinical student goes to his teacher perplexed with delineating between a colon and God’s name in the bible.  His teacher explains, “When one dot is above another, God is never present.  When one dot is beside another, God is always present.”
In the tribute that precedes the first chapter, Wiesel gives recognition to his father and grandfather.  He writes: “My father, an enlightened spirit, believed in man.  My grandfather, a fervent Hasid, believed in God.  The one taught me to speak, the other to sing.  Both loved stories.”
I suspect you will love these stories, the ones about these first heralds of the Hasidic tradition, but even more so the ones they told.

Reviewed by Richard Dick, Library Assistant, O’Kelly Memorial Library




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