Events
Events
Concerts
Concerts
Dance
Dance
Jewish Life
Jewish Life
Kids & Family Events
Kids & Family Events
Literary Readings
Literary Readings
Musical Theater
Musical Theater
Special Events
Special Events
Talks
Talks
Tours
Tours
Travel
Travel
Missed an Event? Watch Now!
Missed an Event? Watch Now!
Featured Events at 92NY
Annie Proulx with Michael Cunningham: <em>Stories</em>
Streaming
November 10 | 7:30 PM
Annie Proulx with Michael Cunningham: Stories
View More
Sandbox Percussion: <em>Seven Pillars</em>
In Person
November 07 | 7:30 PM
Sandbox Percussion: Seven Pillars
View More
America’s Liberal Reckoning — Fareed Zakaria and Patrick Deneen: A Munk Debate at 92NY
In Person
November 12 | 7:00 PM
America’s Liberal Reckoning — Fareed Zakaria and Patrick Deneen: A Munk Debate at 92NY
View More
Classes
Class Registration Portal
Ceramics
Ceramics
Continuing Education
Continuing Education
Dance
Dance
Fine Art & Design
Fine Art & Design
Health, Fitness & Sports
Health, Fitness & Sports
Jewelry
Jewelry
Jewish Life
Jewish Life
Kids & Family
Kids & Family
Literature & Writing
Literature & Writing
Music
Music
Musical Theater
Musical Theater
Travel
Travel
Featured Classes at 92NY
Boxing for Adults All Levels
In Person
November 16 | 7:30 PM
Boxing for Adults All Levels
View More
Super Fast Beaded Jewelry for Holiday Gifts
In Person
November 07 | 10:00 AM
Super Fast Beaded Jewelry for Holiday Gifts
View More
Creative Crafts for Families
In Person
November 15 | 9:30 AM
Creative Crafts for Families
View More
Program Areas
Afterschool
Afterschool
Enrichment for Grades K-5
Belfer Center
Belfer Center
Innovation & Social Impact
Camps
Camps
Summer experiences for ages 3-18
Collective
Collective
Membership group for 20-30 somethings
Friends of 92NY
Friends of 92NY
Our supporters
Himan Brown
Himan Brown
60+ program
Bronfman Center
Bronfman Center
Jewish events & education
Lipschultz Parenting Center
Lipschultz Parenting Center
Programs for infants & toddlers
May Center
May Center
Health & wellness
92NY NEXUS
92NY NEXUS
Membership group for adults in their 50s & 60s
Nursery School
Nursery School
92NY’s renowned preschool program
Program for Cognitive Strength and Ability
Program for Cognitive Strength and Ability
For individuals navigating mild to moderate cognitive loss
Residence
Residence
Housing for students and interns
Roundtable
Roundtable
The online classroom of 92NY
92NY at a Glance
92NY at a Glance
Health & Fitness
Art
Dance
Talks
Camps
Concerts
Innovation & Social Impact
Jewish Life
Literature
Music
Musical Theater
Parenting
Archives
92NY Programs for All Ages
Early Childhood
Kids & Family
Adults
Seniors
Center for Culture and Arts
Center for Culture and Arts
Center for Community
Center for Community
Bronfman Center for Jewish Life
Bronfman Center for Jewish Life
Goldman Center for Children and Families
Goldman Center for Children and Families
Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact
Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact
  • About 92NY
  • Center for Culture & Arts
  • Center for Community
  • Bronfman Center for Jewish Life
  • Goldman Center for Children & Family
  • Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact
The 92nd Street Y, New York is a world-class cultural and community center where people all over the world connect through culture, arts, entertainment and conversation. For over 150 years, we have harnessed the power of arts and ideas to enrich, enlighten and change lives, and the power of community to repair the world.
Learn More About 92NY
The 92NY Center for Culture & Arts, a historic cornerstone of New York’s cultural landscape, continues to define the city’s creative pulse. With its unmatched talks, world-class concerts, innovative dance, literary events, and dynamic arts education, it remains a vital force in global culture.
Discover the Center for Culture and Arts
In a world where community is more essential than ever, The 92nd Street Y has made it the cornerstone of its mission for 150 years. Today, our community stretches beyond borders, connecting individuals from every corner of the globe. We embrace people of all faiths, backgrounds, and beliefs, creating a vibrant, inclusive space where generations come together and bonds are formed.
Discover the Center for Community
The 92NY Bronfman Center for Jewish Life is dedicated to deepening Jewish identity through the pursuit of knowledge, the celebration of culture, and engagement with Israel. 
Discover the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life

92NY’s Goldman Center for Children and Family provides an exceptional array of programs designed to support children at every stage of their development. 

Discover the Goldman Center for Children & Family
The Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact invests in community builders who turn individual generosity into collective energy. By sharing ideas, nurturing leaders, and scaling what works, we help everyday changemakers forge stronger connections, illuminate new paths, and turn local sparks into bright, enduring beacons of positive social progress.
Discover the Belfer Center for Innovtion & Social Impact
Suggestions
    Top Events
    See All Events
    Top Classes
    See All Classes
    Top Pages
    See All Pages
    Support 92NY
    Support 92NY

    The Elie Wiesel Living Archive

    at The 92nd Street Y, New York. Supported by The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity

    In the Talmud: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi

    Overcoming Timidity and Other Obstacles to Profound Knowledge

    Nov 02, 1989

    Was he a mystic? Though nothing indicates his attraction to mysticism, the question hovers and returns. Meanwhile, we hear of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi’s extraordinary compassion, of his being an outstanding teacher, of his particular gifts as a storyteller, of his obsession with forgetting, of his being utterly repelled by vulgarity and obscenity, and of his timidity. Proficient in but not fully satisfied by halacha or aggada, possessed of miraculous powers, Rabbi Yehoshua did seem to move to mysticism—but only up to a point, to the brink. He who met Elijah regular at Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai’s cave would not enter the cave. He could or would not go to the end of a quest. Timidity should not leave one standing at the edge.

    Download the transcript

    Selected Quotes:
    “
    [I]t is forbidden for a man or a woman in mourning to study Torah: it is forbidden, it’s a law. And the reason is, the answer is: because when one is in mourning, one should not experience joy--and the study of Torah gives joy. (00:09:00)
    Elie Wiesel
    “
    What is Talmud? It has always been, to me, a melody, a memory, a bouquet of memories and stars--a symphony of voices that fill the universe. (00:10:00)
    Elie Wiesel
    “
    If we do not study, what will happen to Torah? The Torah needs us, just as we need her. (00:10:00)
    Elie Wiesel
    “
    For a Jew to neglect study means to forget his or her origins. (00:12:00)
    Elie Wiesel
    “
    Follow the reasoning of any master, and he will lead you to Jerusalem and its mysterious beauty; listen to any Talmudic tale, and it will show you your own place in it. (00:12:00)
    Elie Wiesel
    “
    Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi--a striking, colorful personality, extremely articulate, vocal, always in motion, always in action: no one could meet him or hear him and remain unaffected. (00:14:00)
    Elie Wiesel
    “
    He surpassed many of his peers with his wit and wisdom . . . It is said, also, that he penetrated the most secret and highest of spheres, reporting on the battles that Moses had to fight when he ascended into heaven to receive the law. (00:21:00)
    Elie Wiesel
    “
    On another occasion, he said, “If the nations of the world only knew how important the sanctuary in the temple is to them, too, they would do everything in their power to save it from destruction.” [00:30:00]
    Elie Wiesel
    “
    But the Temple was destroyed. And the Sanctuary was profaned. And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi kept on remembering our national catastrophe. And instead of fasting one day--on Tisha B’Av, on the ninth day of Av--he fasted the next day, too, because the fires were still burning. (00:30:00)
    Elie Wiesel
    “
    He was utterly repelled by vulgarity and obscenity. “One need never utter an obscene word,” he said. “Look at Scripture: even when it must describe something vulgar, the description is indirect, understated. (00:42:00)
    Elie Wiesel
    “
    If Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi so often emphasizes his distaste for slander in all its forms, it is because slander violates human rights from a distance. (00:44:00) •Elijah [the Prophet] was as close to Rabbi Yehoshua as anyone could get. They would meet on Mount Carmel, or on the road, or near the entrance to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s cave, and they would discuss endless questions related to study, and anything else. (00:52:00)
    Elie Wiesel
    “
    My last impression of our hero tonight is that one of his major problems was death. And that is why he needed and loved Elijah. Consciously or not, he wanted to learn from him how to bypass death. How to enter heaven alive. And that is also why he wanted to meet the Messiah. Because the Messiah is meant to vanquish death--forever. (01:14:00)
    Elie Wiesel
    Books:
    Subthemes:
    1) Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, Elijah the Prophet, and the Messiah
    2) Compassion for God and for the Jewish People
    3) Levi ben Sisi
    4) The Violence of the Third Century ce in the Ancient Mideast vs. a Cultural Revival in Israel
    5) Rabbi Joshua ben Lev and Rabbi Yehudah ha-Nasi
    6) Aphorisms
    7) Rabbi Joshua ben Levi and Ula ben Kushav
    8) Dreams and Visions
    9) The Miraculous Non-Death of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi
    10) Longfellow’s Poem: "The Legend of Rabbi Ben Levi"
    11) Vision of Heaven and Hell
    12) Peacemaker
    13) Rabbi Joshua ben Levi and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
    14) Obsession with Forgetting
    15) Rabbi Joshua ben Levi’s Meeting with the Angel of Death
    16) Halakha, Aggada, and Mysticism
    17) The Miracle Maker
    18) His Attempt to Defy Death
    Names:
    Key Words:
    Categories:
    Tags: