Examples Of Loss Of Faith In Night By Elie Wiesel

Loss of Faith

In life our personalities, identities and our sheer existence are constantly changing, developing, and altering for worse or for the better. Some find peace, and others fall into pits of chaos. There are those who develop new identities and tear old ones down, some find God and others look for new answers as their faith deteriorates. Many things affect what happens to our identity, and our faith but out of all, experiencing trauma, and witnessing horrific events are life changing. Eliezer Weisel was one of those whose faith had altered after going through a traumatic event. The traumatic event in question was none other than the holocaust. Going through concentration camp to concentration camp, witnessing the deaths of hundreds,

During the holocaust Eliezer witnessed appalling sites, and experienced traumatic events, especially in the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Buchenwald, and Gleiwitz. Whilst dealing with that, he grappled with his deteriorating faith, and questioned God. The horrors witnessed by inmates at so many concentration camps, burnt an imprint on their vulnerable minds both young and old. They felt betrayed, and angry at their Protector. We see this when Eliezer and his fellow Jews for Sighet first arrive at Auschwitz. Their once imperishable faith begins to shatter after they witness flames lick the skies, flames that fed off of babies who had been thrown into fire. For the first time Eliezer “felt anger rising within [him]”(Wiesel 42) “Why should [he] sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?” ( Wiesel 42), Eliezer thought to himself. In this instance, and like we will see many times in the future, Eliezer feels betrayed, and let down. This is the first time he is witnessing something so horrid. Being shielded

In the memoir Eliezer talks about this exact thing. Rabbis, or priests, begin to lose faith in the God they had devoted their entire lives to, this affects not only them but everyone around, everyone who had once taken every word their teacher said to heart. During the days of selection, an especially tough time for the inmates, Eliezer met a rabbi from poland. This rabbi would pace back and forth mumbling to himself questions the Talmud, and one day as if falling upon revelation he says, “‘It’s the end. God is no longer with us.’”( Weisel 83) Many jews during the holocaust felt their faith was deteriorating, they challenged the ideas they had once followed blindly. This loss of faith was credited to the horrid acts they had witnessed. Even a Rabbi, someone you should be able to depend upon for any religious inquiry, challenges his faith. The thought process was similar throughout each Jews minds: “If a god so almighty and powerful can let something so horrid happen, why should they follow Him?” This deep feeling of betrayal, especially of those who had devoted their lives to Him and spreading His word, ripped their minds of peace as we can see from the Polish