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at The 92nd Street Y, New York. Supported by The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity
Oct 22, 2009
Asking a total of 203 questions, Professor Wiesel begins with “What is Satan doing at the Y?” and continues with questions about Satan’s purpose since creation, his connection to good and evil, and what it means, according to Jewish legends, that Satan is God’s agent and victim. Professor Wiesel is perturbed by a Midrashic interpretation that God involves Satan with Abraham and Job in order to save the world. Professor Wiesel reads from his play called The Trial of God; set in 1649 during the Chelmnitzky pogroms, a survivor, Berish, acts as prosecutor, wanting to know who willed the killings. Professor Wiesel admits, it is “a horrendous dialogue… The questions hurt. But how can one not speak up?” As Professor Wiesel teaches, our tradition allows us to question God, provided it is within faith. Professor Wiesel concludes by saying that whatever the situation, he favors the art of questioning but that it is necessary to remember that while the question of the believer is painful, that of the non-believer is absurd.
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