Loss Of Faith In Night By Elie Wiesel

It only takes faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains, but what does it take to move faith? At the onset of Elie Wiesel’s journey, he has a deep interest in the religion of his family and community which leads him to begin studying with a poor, foreign jew, Moishe the Beadle. Wiesel writes “And Moishe the beadle… spoke to me for hours on end about the Kabbalah’s revelations and its mysteries.” Curiosity, as well as tradition, fuel Wiesel's faith. Whilst living a life of happiness and comfort, Wiesel is able to devote himself to studying the Talmud and Kabbalah, implying that his faith is very strong. The question must be asked, however, is faith actually realized without trevail? The writer of Hebrews writes, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (11:1) Therefore, without hope...faith is inconceivable. Within the memoir, Night, Elie Wiesel, a young man portrayed as having a strong faith, once exposed to the horrific dehumanization and murder of millions of men, women, and innocent children throughout the Holocaust, ceases to have hope and loses faith in his

Forced into maturity, Elie’s innocence is ripped from him as he faces many difficult situations. Assigned to a warehouse of electrical materials, Elie and his father are forced into strenuous work and harshly beaten often. Physically Elie begins to become tired, and spiritually he questions his purpose and the meaning of life. Watching on as a young child is sent to the gallows a prisoner questions “For God’s sake, where is God?”, and as Elie answers internally “Where He is? This is where---hanging from this gallows…” It becomes clear that he completely denies, not the existance, but the justness of God. This is confirmed when it is written “ I was not denying his existence, but doubted His absolute justice. Elie’s personal experience lead to the further lessening of his