Blessed be God's name? Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled. Because He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves? Because he kept six crematoria working day and night, including Sabbath and the Holy Days? Because in His great might, He had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna, and so many other factories of death? How could I say to Him: Blessed be Thou, Almighty, Master of the Universe, who chose us among all nations to be tortured day and night, to watch as our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, end up in the furnaces? Praised be Thy Holy Name, for having chosen us to be slaughtered on Thine altar?
In "Night," Elie Wiesel grapples with the profound struggle of faith in the face of unimaginable suffering during the Holocaust. He questions the reason for blessing God, as he contemplates the horrific events that have led to the deaths of countless innocents, including children. Wiesel's internal conflict amplifies as he reflects on the existence of death camps like Auschwitz, where the machinery of genocide relentlessly operated, challenging the notion of a benevolent deity.
Wiesel's anguish culminates in a powerful rejection of traditional expressions of faith. He cannot reconcile the horrors he witnesses with the idea of praising an omnipotent God who allows such atrocities. His words express a deep sense of betrayal; how could one honor a divine presence that seemingly chose his people for suffering rather than salvation? This powerful narrative reveals the intense crisis of belief faced by those enduring such profound loss and anguish.
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
