Darkness

The Book of Kohelet, the escalation of darkness, and lighting the very dense darkness within

Dec 07, 1999

In addressing Darkness, Professor Wiesel refers to the one Jewish book of extraordinary darkness: Kohelet. He explains why he has always searched Koheleth for his memoirs and why Koheleth speaks directly to the 20th Century experience, “our century”, “the century of Auschwitz.” Reflecting upon his own experience as an escalation of darkness, Professor Wiesel pinpoints the darkest moment in his life as the death of his father. Professor Wiesel teaches us that memory or even a “transfusion of memory” gives us direction not only for the past but for the future.

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Subthemes:
1) The Story of Hanukkah
2) Darkness and Joy in Jewish Life
3) Ecclesiastes
4) God’s Responsibilities to Humans
5) End of the Twentieth Century
6) Review of the Twentieth Century
7) King Solomon’s Biblical Books
8) Importance of Keeping Memories Alive
9) Darkness of the Holocaust
10) Persecution of the Jews
11) Holocaust Perpetrators and Forgiveness
12) Silence During the Holocaust
13) Babi Yar
14) The Impossibility of Understanding the Holocaust
15) The Death of Wiesel’s Father and Wiesel’s Guilt
16) Resilience and Strength of Holocaust Victims
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