Somewhere A Master

The compassion of Reb Moshe-Leib the vision of the Seer of
Lublin the wisdom of Reb Pinhas the warmth of the Ba’al
Shem Tov the humor of Reb Naphtali–to their followers
these sages appeared as kings judges and prophets. They
communicated joy and wonder and fervor to the men and
women who came to them in the depths of despair. They
brought love and compassion to the persecuted Jews of
Russia Ukraine Poland and Lithuania. For Jews who felt
abandoned and forsaken by God these Hasidic masters
incarnated an irresistible call to help and salvation. The
Rebbe combats sorrow with exuberance. He defeats
resignation by exalting belief. He creates happiness so as
not to yield to the sadness around him. He tells stories
to escape the temptations of irreducible silence. It is
Elie Wiesel’s unique gift to make the lives and tales of
these great teachers as compelling now as they were in a
different time and place. In the tradition of Hasidism
itself he leaves others to struggle with questions of
justice mercy and vengeance providing us instead with
eternal truths and unshakable faith