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at The 92nd Street Y, New York. Supported by The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity
Oct 15, 2009
Tackling the book of Job for a third time at the Y, Elie Wiesel explains that it contains all the moral, metaphysical and religious problems that individuals and families face. An elusive hero, much remains missing about Job geographically and biographically. Was he Jewish? When did he live? Did he ever exist or was his life meant to be a parable? One source sees Job as one of Pharoah’s advisors who, when asked about slavery, remained silent. The Midrash says that he was punished for his silence. Job also provides an important lesson on indifference. Professor Wiesel continues to teach us that the Torah is a commandment forbidding indifference and the Talmud is the interpretation of that commandment. Hounded by Job’s tale, Professor Wiesel also feels a certain affinity with him: “Faced with ontological dilemmas, Job doesn’t know. And that’s what I like about him….” Another Midrash has Job question whether his story is the consequence of a terrible mistake and this has led Professor Wiesel to place Job’s tragedy within the context of the tragedy of the last century. In many ways, Job is a prototype of a survivor today. His is a story of beginning again, an essential component of Jewish history and “a blueprint for all human beings everywhere, forever.”
Explore The Book of Job on Sefaria, a living library of Torah.
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