Hasidism and Modern Man - Essay Example

This is the first time that he becomes angry at God and the first time he questions all his past beliefs of an all-mighty omnipresent God who acts in the interest of His Children.

The teachings by Moishe the Beadle are similar to Buber’s Hasidic teachings. Moishe teaches that there are a thousand and one ways that lead to the orchard of truth and each man has to find his way to get there (Wiesel, 2006). Buber shares the same views as he argues that all men can access God, but each through his way (Buber, 1958).

During his various experiences, Wiesel was once in a situation where they had to celebrate the Day of Atonement by fasting. Wiesel went against traditional beliefs of fasting both as a symbol of rebellion against God’s silence as well as a necessary means of keeping up strength in the face of adversity and torture. Buber explains that in Hasidism, one can serve through learning, prayer, fasting, or through eating (Buber, 1958). Accordingly, one should choose to depend on what they view as right and avoid imitating others.

On entering Auschwitz, Wiesel and his group of prisoners were greeted by a young pole with a Hasidic inclination. He argues that by driving despair and camaraderie, they will be able to overcome their hardship. Hasidism according to Buber shares a similar view as he argues that while the world is an irradiation of the Divine, it is described by independence of existence and striving and that man is to affirm the world and transform both him and the world at large to the image that God would approve.

The notable difference between Buber's and Wiesel's accounts is the latter’s conclusion that man and man alone is the master of the universe. Buber argues that a divine spark exists in all men and that it can either be perverted or liberated and re-joined with the Origin (God) (Buber, 1958).

I do not agree with Wiesel's conclusion that we live in a world without God and that man alone is the master of nature and the world. I however sympathize with his position and if I had gone through the same experiences, I would no doubt hold the same view. He lived in a life where children were thrown in flames, the family was nothing but unwanted baggage, the world held no beauty but only cruel and uncaring men, and prayers for a moment of safety were unanswered both by God and fellow man. Hoping to be saved by the divine would not only be heart-breaking but also cruel and would no doubt leave one unable to face endless torment.