Yom Kippur in Auschwitz: 70 Years Ago
A Jew is required to fast on Yom Kippur, not eating or drinking; if fasting jeopardizes one’s health, it is one’s duty not to fast. Seventy years ago, the Jews of Auschwitz debated whether they should fast. Elie Wiesel: “We needed to show God that even here, locked in hell, we were capable of singing his praises.”
How was Elie feeling about God and religion on Rosh Hashanah?
“Praise be to Thy Holy Name for having chosen us to be slaughtered on Thy altar,” Elie believes. He used to repent for his sins at Rosh Hashanah, but now he no longer does, and his final rejection of God makes him feel terrible and powerful.
Why does Elie feel negative towards prayer at Rosh Hashanah?
What is Elie’s state of mind during the Rosh Hashanah prayer? He is angry and hopeless, questioning God, how could he let all of those terrible things happen? He felt lonely without man, mercy, love, or God, but he felt stronger than Him.
How did Elie feel about God on the eve of Rosh Hashanah?
While the others were praying, Elie felt strong and said he had stopped pleading because he couldn’t feel sorrow. He watched the prayer as if it were a stranger.
How does Elie show his rebellion against God?
Is Elie’s rebellion against God ironic? He eats on Yom Kippur, the day of fasting, even though he already fasts every day.
Did Elie Wiesel lose his foot?
Elie Wiesel did not lose his leg; instead, his foot became infected after walking for nearly 42 miles in the snow on his way to the Gleiwitz concentration camp.
Why does Elie lose his desire?
Elie loses his desire to live because he has lost all of his family members and does not want to see or experience any more inhuman suffering; he believes that it is easier to die and give up than to fight and try to survive.
What stares back at Elie at the end of the novel?
At the novel’s conclusion, Elie’s reflection in a mirror stares back at him, and he describes the image as a living corpse.
What is the importance of Rosh Hashanah and why is it a day unlike others?
Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world and marks the start of the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of introspection and repentance that culminates in the Yom Kippur holiday, also known as the Day of Atonement.
Why did Elie run so fast during selection?
When Elie is examined by the SS doctors, he is embarrassed because he is naked, and he wants to catch up with his father. He does not want to be selected, so he must appear healthy.
Why does Elie choose not to fast?
Elie does not fast on Yom Kippur because he not only wants to please his father, who forbade him from doing so, but also because he sees it as a form of rebellion against God. Those who once had faith in their beliefs and God’s power are beginning to lose faith.
Why does Elie choose not to fast on Yom Kippur?
Elie Wiesel tells his readers that he did not fast on Yom Kippur, in part because his father forbade him from fasting because he knew his son needed every morsel of food, but also because he did not fast as a u201csymbol of rebellion, of protest against Him.u201d (p.
Why does Buna suddenly have to evacuate?
The camp is evacuated in Chapter 5 of Night due to the approaching Red Army, and those who remained in the hospital are liberated by the Russians.
Why does Elie regard the weak starving prisoners as stronger than God?
Why does Elie consider the weak, starving inmates to be stronger than God? He believes they are stronger than God because they are able to live despite being starved and weak, and he loses faith in God, which causes him to lose the will to love.
Why did Elie persevere and not give in to death during the evacuation march?
Elie mentions that the presence of his father is the only thing that keeps him moving through the snow; Elie believes that he has no right to die and wonders what his father would do without him, so he continues to march alongside his father, witnessing several prisoners die along the way.
Why is the wooden floor of the block cleaned before they leave?
Why is the wooden floor of the block cleaned before the prisoners leave? The prisoners were told to keep it clean so the liberators wouldn’t think they were living in a pigsty.