Lesson 1: Introduction
"Night," by Elie Wiesel
Prior to the next lesson you should read the first two chapters of Night, by Elie Wiesel.
Night is the account of the experiences of Wiesel during the Holocaust. Written as an “imaginative autobiography,”* it is the story of Wiesel’s life as a young boy in Sighet, Transylvania. Wiesel testifies to the horrors of his deportation to the concentration camps Auschwitz and later Buchenwald. The book details the struggle to maintain humanity, dignity in self, and faith in both God and man while surviving the terrifying conditions of life in the camps. With his father by his side, twelve-year-old Wiesel struggles to redefine his understanding of what the world has become.
In the opening of the book we will be given a glimpse of the life of a Hasidic Jew. “Hasidic” is derived from the word "Chasid" meaning "pious." It is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that seeks to maintain a lifestyle separate from the non-Jewish world. It is from this sheltered world that Wiesel is plunged into a nightmare reality.
We meet the young Wiesel in his small village of Sighet, reverently describing his family and community. Religious traditions are everywhere and respect is paid to the elders and the rabbis of the community. Elie is educated in the yeshiva (religious school for boys) where he studies the awesome attributes of G-d. This is a place of nurturing and order. The rabbis act as spiritual and educational leaders. Fathers and sons share the traditions of the Torah in their study and devotion to G-d. Take note of what Elie’s primary interests are. How does he define his faith?
Wiesel uses the style of a Talmudic parable to draw the character of Moche’ the Beadle. The role of the beadle as the functional overseer of a congregation helps us to understand Moche’. He organizes the service, prepares the necessary books and Torah scrolls for the rabbis, and keeps the sanctuary clean, safe, and protected. Moche’ becomes Elie’s mentor when he initiates Elie’s life of questioning with the words, “Man raises himself toward God with the questions he asks.” Elie begins a study of the Cabbala, searching for the mysteries of faith and devotion to the Creator of the Universe.
At the deportation of Moche’ Elie begins the shift of earnestness and quiet of this community into a world of unfathomable horror. Take time to read aloud the story Moche’ tells upon his return. How does the town react? How is Moche’ perceived as an outsider after his return? What is the reaction of the community to his stories?
As Germany enters Hungary the laws of a civil society are rewritten and life in Sighet is changed. Wiesel introduces us to the imminent culture of death. Yet, the citizens of Sighet remain optimistic about their futures. They do not believe that the war around them will touch them personally. As Elie is engaging in a life of questioning, the elders of the community refuse to question until a series of events forces them to refocus their perception of the world around them.
*Lawrence Langer, The Holocaust and the Literary Imagination (New London: Yale University Press, 1975), p. 92.
