SOMEWHERE A MASTER: HASIDIC PORTRAITS AND LEGENDS

The compassion of Reb Moshe-Leib, the vision of the Seer of Lublin, thewisdom of Reb Pinhas, the warmth of the Baal Shem Tov, the humor of RebNaphtali-to their followers these sages appeared as kings, judges, andprophets. They communicated joy and wonder and fervor to the men and womenwho came to them in the depths of despair. They brought love and compassionto the persecuted Jews of Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania. For Jewswho felt abandoned and forsaken by God, these Hasidic masters incarnated anirresistible call to help and salvation. The Rebbe combats sorrow withexuberance. He defeats resignation by exalting belief. He creates happinessso as not to yield to the sadness around him. He tells stories to escapethe temptations of irreducible silence. It is Elie Wiesels unique gift tomake the lives and tales of these great teachers as compelling now as theywere in a different time and place. In the tradition of Hasidism itself, heleaves others to struggle with questions of justice, mercy, and vengeance,providing us instead with eternal truths and unshakable faith.