Potente, bellissimo, terribile.

These three words succinctly capture the essence of something that is both powerful, beautiful, and yet可怕的. It is a description that intrigues and fascinates, leaving the reader eager to explore further.

Moreover, it is open to debate, which means that different people may have different interpretations and perspectives. This adds an element of excitement and intellectual stimulation to the piece.

Despite the potential for controversy, it is absolutely essential reading. It offers a unique and thought-provoking perspective that challenges our assumptions and forces us to think deeply about the subject matter.

In conclusion, this short but impactful description is a must-read for anyone who is interested in exploring the complex and multifaceted nature of power, beauty, and fear.

I’ve had the privilege of experiencing Wiesel’s brilliance time and time again. However, I’m cautious about leaving any sort of review here. Wiesel speaks from a place of experience that very few humans today can claim.

He chose to place his experience of suffering not in his own context but in that of a decaying, persecuted village in the 17th century. While this is an interesting approach, he spends an inordinate amount of time developing the characters’ wit and jovial bickering, and far too little time exploring the crucial theme of God’s justice.

When he finally does arrive at the topic of theodicy, his questions are extremely valid and worthy of serious consideration. “How could a good, just God remain as such after the brutal destructions of a war-torn world, stained in bloodlust?” This is a profound query that many have grappled with.

But the character Sam, who is supposed to be God’s defense attorney, fails to capture the true essence of God. He doesn’t convey the empathy, spirit, or righteousness of God. Instead, he simply portrays God as being on the side of the victims, ignoring the harsh realities of a heaven that seemingly permits such wickedness to occur.

Then, in a strange and unexpected twist at the end, we discover that Sam is actually Satan himself. This revelation completely undermines the defense that was just presented, leaving it flat, empty, and devoid of truth.

In essence, the conclusion leaves us with even more silence on God’s behalf and a poignant irony. We are left believing in God, yet uncertain of his true character, while still maintaining our Jewish identity. There is clearly much more that could have been explored.

While Wiesel does capture the diverse responses of Jewish people (and perhaps people in general) who are grappling with questions of theodicy, his final conclusion is somewhat unsatisfactory. The trial goes on, with God left to await his own trial, and the onus is placed on the audience. This leaves us with a profound sense of responsibility to actively fight against the terrors that still exist in the world today.

Am I disappointed? To some extent, yes. I had hoped for a more nuanced and well-thought-out reflection on Wiesel’s own suffering and the suffering of those around him. Instead, his answer is really just more questions, with humanity’s future as our only guide and no clear divine leading.

His call to action is valid, and it inspires me to fight harder against the forces of evil that still persist in our world. But I don’t want to do this simply for the sake of humanity’s longevity. Rather, I am motivated by a profound divine invitation to create good in a broken world.

La sua genesi: Nel regno della notte, io ho assistito a un processo davvero strano.

Tre rabbini eruditi e pii hanno deciso una sera d'inverno di giudicare Dio per il massacro dei suoi figli. Mi ricordo bene: ero lì e avevo voglia di piangere. Tuttavia, nessuno piangeva.

Allora... chiamare Dio alla sbarra per il male che accade è una tentazione comune a tutti, anche ai carnefici.

Un bambino, un ragazzo che ha vissuto l'orrore... e ha avuto il suo Dio e la sua anima assassinati...

"Mai dimenticherò quella notte, la prima notte nel campo, che ha trasformato la mia vita in una lunga notte e per sette volte sprangata.

Mai dimenticherò quel fumo.

Mai dimenticherò i piccoli volti dei bambini di cui ho visto i corpi trasformarsi in volute di fumo sotto un cielo muto.

Mai dimenticherò quelle fiamme che hanno bruciato per sempre la mia Fede.

Mai dimenticherò quel silenzio notturno che mi ha tolto per l'eternità il desiderio di vivere.

Mai dimenticherò quegli istanti che hanno assassinato il mio Dio e la mia anima, e i miei sogni, che hanno preso il volto del deserto.

Mai dimenticherò tutto ciò, anche se fossi condannato a vivere quanto Dio stesso. Mai." (Elie Wiesel, La Notte)

C'è un bassorilievo alla fine del percorso dello Yad Vashem di Gerusalemme, che raffigura il medico e pedagogista polacco Januz Korczak, morto a Treblinka nel 1942. Il volto triste, tristissimo, di un'amarezza senza fine che abbraccia i suoi figli morti, i bambini dell'orfanatrofio ebraico del Ghetto di Varsavia.

Ecco... Dio, per me, ha quel volto e quella mestizia, e quell'abbraccio, e una tenerezza infinita...

Letto una prima volta nel 1986 (gli avrei dato 4 stelline, anche allora). Non so dire altro.

A really engaging three act play from the famous author of "Night" has emerged. It is definitely a dark read that strongly reminds one of the biblical Job. The pacing of the play is great, keeping the readers on the edge of their seats throughout. The characters are also extremely interesting, each with their own unique personalities and backstories. The way they interact and develop throughout the play adds depth and complexity to the overall narrative. Overall, this play is not only enjoyable but also highly thought-provoking. It makes the readers reflect on various aspects of life, such as suffering, faith, and the human condition. It is a must-read for anyone who enjoys literature that challenges their mind and makes them think deeply about the world around them.

While reading the author's obituaries last weekend, I unexpectedly came across a play that I had never read before.

It is based on an actual "trial of G-d" that took place during Wiesel's imprisonment in Auschwitz. Wiesel shifted the time period to the 17th century in Poland during a series of pogroms.

In the small town of Shamgorod, it is Purim, a usually joyous holiday commemorating the prevention of a massacre of Jews by Queen Esther. Some Purimshpielers (Purim entertainers) stop at the town inn to see if they can stage a show for the local Jews. Sadly, the Jews in Shamgorod are nearly wiped out, murdered by pogromchiks.

The innkeeper, Berish, and his daughter, Hannah, are the only Jews alive. Hannah, once beautiful and lively, is now silent and traumatized by a gang rape that her father was forced to witness. Mendel wants nothing to do with the Purim joy and attempts to send the actors away, but they argue that they will put on a play holding G-d responsible for the Jews' misery.

The entire second act focuses on the fact that no one wants to defend G-d. G-d has turned his back too many times. Then a mysterious stranger named Sam appears. He says he will defend G-d, and the third act is the trial of the Highest Judge. Since G-d cannot defend himself, the attorneys try to call Hannah and the Christian maid, Maria, to the stand. They provide first-hand accounts of what they saw when blood flowed through the streets of their shtetl.

Throughout all this, the village priest offers shelter in his church, but it is a devil's bargain: to seek safety.

This is a powerful piece that poses a question many have asked: Where was G-d when the Jews were being murdered? It is a question that persists to this day and is not relevant only to Jews. It can also be said about many genocides in history. If G-d is divine and omnipotent, how does he allow the wholesale murder of good people, especially when it is done in the name of G-d?

The play is filled with Talmudic argument, question upon question. It raises real theological and ethical questions about why people kill in the name of religion and how people can hold onto their religion when they see evil flourishing.

Beresh's final statement echoes the words of Daniel Pearl, the young journalist who was murdered by terrorists. With his last breath, he proclaimed his Jewish identity. Beresh does the same. It is a statement that many people would echo because their loyalty to their Jewish identity is stronger than any Inquisition or mob. When the identity of the stranger is revealed, it raises another question: Does Satan (although Judaism does not have a sentient Satan figure, just the manifestation of evil) step in?

An afterword analyzes the play and could be used as a study guide or a discussion guide.

This is a play that demands to be performed, especially in this time in history when the manifestation of evil and the shadow of terrorism haunt every moment of our lives.

Troppo teatrale e troppo religioso per i miei gusti. Tuttavia, il personaggio Berish mi dà grande speranza. Questo perché è animato da un forte spirito libero. Egli possiede una sana propensione ad una "battaglia" per la libertà di pensiero e di azione. La sua determinazione è impressionante e sembra essere disposto a combattere contro qualsiasi ostacolo che si presenta sulla strada verso la libertà. Questo personaggio mi ha catturato l'attenzione perché rappresenta qualcosa di diverso, qualcosa di nuovo. È un esempio di come la libertà può essere perseguita e difesa, nonostante le difficoltà e gli ostacoli. Anche se il mio gusto personale non è particolarmente attratto dalle caratteristiche teatrali e religiose del personaggio, tuttavia, il suo spirito libero e la sua battaglia per la libertà mi hanno fatto riflettere sulle mie proprie convinzioni e sui valori che voglio difendere.

This play is a truly masterful exploration of a question that has plagued humanity for thousands of years.

Where was God during people's suffering? Set in 1649, after a pogrom has decimated the town of Shamgorod, leaving only one Jewish family, the innkeeper. Some Purim players arrive in town, hoping to provide entertainment. However, what the innkeeper demands is a Trial of God.

After extensive deliberation on who should or could play each role, the trial commences. The questions - where was God, why does God allow people to suffer, and can God intervene - remain unresolved, suspended in the air for the reader, for each of us to determine.

Reflecting Wiesel's personal experience of the Holocaust, this book is as relevant to the twentieth and now the twenty-first century as it was to the seventeenth century. Matthew Fox's afterword is truly brilliant. This is a book that will linger in the mind and haunt the soul.

Beautifully written and incredibly executed.

How do you put God on trial? It is an age-old question that Wiesel dares to ask. How do you address centuries of pain and faith and everything in between? He does it with such depth and authenticity. Even more so, how do you do it so simply and eloquently? Wiesel's words cut through the noise and touch the very core of our being.

I applaud and commend Elie Wiesel for his courage and his ability to capture the essence of the human experience.

I grew up with religion and now have a very complicated relationship with it. However, I don't think you need to have had those experiences to appreciate this writing. The themes of suffering, hope, and the search for meaning are universal and will resonate with anyone who takes the time to read.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a profound and thought-provoking read. It will make you question your beliefs and your understanding of the world around you.

A God of cocreation and coresponsibility has brought into being a species that is fated for cocreation and coresponsibility.

This kind of God is a God who is still eagerly awaiting for us humans to begin fulfilling our appropriate role in creation and redemption. It is a holy impatience.

Ours are indeed times that call for a holy impatience.

The Holocaust of the twentieth century, similar to the pogroms of the seventeenth, might potentially be just a precursor to the collective acts of evil that the human species is capable of committing in the twenty-first century. These could be acts of genocide and biocide on an even more massive scale.

If we do not make the much-needed spiritual leaps and bounds that our species has long overdue, future generations - if they exist - will be right in putting our God and gods on trial.

We must recognize the urgency of the situation and take immediate action to prevent such atrocities from occurring.

It is our responsibility as humans to work towards a better future and to play our part in the cocreation and redemption of the world.

Let us not disappoint the God of cocreation and coresponsibility who is waiting impatiently for us to do our part.

In 1945, a young Elie Wiesel, just a teenager, found himself a prisoner in Auschwitz along with his father. Wiesel asserts that he witnessed a trial carried out by three rabbis. They accused God of breaking His covenant with the Jewish people. Astonishingly, the rabbis found God guilty as charged.

After that, they left the barracks to go and pray. Sadly, none of the rabbis survived the horrors of the death camp, and neither did any of Wiesel's relatives.

Wiesel then wrote the play The Trial of God to bring to life the trial he had witnessed in Auschwitz. The play is set in a small medieval village in Europe during Purim. It takes place in an inn where, a year prior, a pogrom had wiped out the entire Jewish population except for one man and his daughter. Three traveling Jewish minstrels arrive at the inn and stage a mock trial for God. The innkeeper, whose wife, sons, and parents were brutally murdered, plays the prosecutor. And for the defense? None other than Satan himself.

However, Wiesel is not really a great playwright in my opinion. I had a tough time figuring out what the intended tone of the play was supposed to be. Was it ironic? Or perhaps comic-tragic? Given the extremely weighty topic, especially as it is based on a real event in a place that is as close to hell on earth as I can fathom, it seems to me that it should have been treated with a bit more seriousness. I do admit that the author might have been writing in a genre that I'm not familiar with. Maybe there is a tradition of Jewish comedic plays that I'm unaware of? Overall, though, the play failed to make a lasting impression on me.

Far more captivating is the PBS Masterpiece Theater re-telling of Wiesel's play, God on Trial. Set in a concentration camp, God on Trial is one of the most powerful pieces of film I have ever had the privilege to watch. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The screenplay has all the qualities that Wiesel's play lacks: it is serious, sober, thoughtful, and deeply challenging on every intellectual, spiritual, and ethical level. It truly makes one question one's faith! It is a remarkable discussion about God, evil, and suffering by a group of people who have firsthand experience of it all.

I'm glad that I finally read this play because now I can say with absolute certainty that the film was far superior. Do yourself a favor and see the movie. It will leave you completely awestruck. I saw it two years ago and it has remained in my thoughts ever since.

It is truly an arduous task to rate this book.

In fact, it is so hard that I have decided not to rate it at all.

On one hand, there were times when I felt a bit bored, and some of the characters managed to anger or annoy me.

However, on the other hand, I have a strong suspicion that this might have been the author's intention.

Furthermore, my edition of the book includes an essay at the end of the play.

This essay really enhanced my appreciation for the play, even though I cannot classify this as an "enjoyable" read in the traditional sense.

It made me look at the play from different perspectives and understand the deeper meanings and themes that might have otherwise escaped my notice.

Overall, this book is a complex and thought-provoking piece of work that challenges the reader's expectations and emotions.

The incident that occurred was truly astonishing. It was so unexpected and out of the ordinary that it left me completely flabbergasted. I don't even know where to begin to describe it.

Every detail of it was just mind-boggling. The way things unfolded was like something out of a wild dream.

I still can't wrap my head around it. It's one of those events that you'll remember for a lifetime.

And to top it all off, the end was crazy—that’s all I’m gonna say!