The Urgency of Hope

Building an architecture of hope: Jewish collective hope for Israel, the climax of hope the Messiah's awaited arrival

Mar 05, 1998

In this lecture, Professor Wiesel constructs an architecture of hope. He outlines that all religions are rooted in hope; the human being is defined by his or her hope; messiansim is the climax of hope; Israel is the embodiment of Jewish collective hope; indifference is the opposite of hope and chaos is the enemy of hope. Professor Wiesel draws for us a well-tested blueprint: when offered by friends, hope is always good; when handed to us by the enemy, it is always evil.

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1) Hope and hopelessness
2) Hope and redemption/change in ancient texts
3) Hope in Scripture
4) Hope in Talmudic literature
5) Hope and hopelessness in modern events/global society
6) Hope as an act of faith
7) The uses and misuses of hope
8) Hope in troubling times (e.g. The Holocaust)
9) Fear, pain, hope, and revolution
10) Hope as a response to indifference & trauma
11) Hope and prayer
12) Memory, hope, and justice
13) Hope, despair, and humanity
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