In the Bible: The Solitude of Moses

Transforming Loneliness and Solitude into Creativity and Responsibility

Oct 19, 1995

Professor Wiesel identifies loneliness as the oldest tragic human condition. Of all the lonely characters in the Bible, stretching from Adam to Job, Professor Wiesel considers Moses the loneliest. Drawing upon every stage of his life, alone on the River Nile, in Pharaoh's palace, in the land of Midian, in the desert and on Mt. Nebo, Professor Wiesel teaches us that being a leader means transforming solitude into creativity, responsibility and greatness and that/thus the Torah helps to alleviate our solitude.

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Subthemes:
1) The Solitude of Adam and the Patriarchs
2) The Value of Ongoing Torah Study
3) Moses, the Solitary Leader
4) Moses: Egyptian or Jew?
5) In the Midrash: The Unpopularity of Moses Among the People
6) The Death of Moses
7) The Complaints of the Israelites in the Desert
8) The Tensions Between Moses and God in the Desert
9) Solitude vs. Isolation
10) Chronology of Moses’ Life
11) Moses in Egypt
12) Moses in Midian
13) Moses in the Desert
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