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at The 92nd Street Y, New York. Supported by The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity
Oct 16, 1980
Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa was distinguished by his astonishing success with prayer, especially on behalf of others. But since he apparently lived during the time of the churban, the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, Professor Wiesel asks why the Talmud records nothing of his response: “If he was so great in his prayers, how is one to comprehend his failure to pray for the survival of his people and for the sake of its eternal city?” In truth, he did pray but, this time, he failed; the Talmud is silent about it so as not to “embarrass his memory.” Moreover, “we, children of our generation, have learned that there were times when prayers were not received.” Thus in the Talmud the hero (or antihero) often is not the one who succeeds but the one who fails.
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