Elie Wiesel begins his autobiographical narrative of his experiences in the extermination and labor camps established by Nazi Germany, Night, with a story of Moishe the Beadle, “the poorest of the poor of Sighet, the small Transylvanian town where Elie lived with his family. Moishe is the most popular man in this town for the principle reason that he “stayed out of people’s way.” It is Moishe, however, who takes it upon himself to instruct the young Elie in the more mystical components of Judaism, thereby earning his student’s gratitude and a measure of respect. At the opening of Wiesel’s book, the author describes Moishe the Beadle’s eccentric yet morose character:
“He spoke little. He sang, or rather he chanted, and the few snatches I caught here and there spoke of divine suffering, of the Shekhinah in Exile, where, according to Kabbalah, it awaits its redemption linked to that of man. I met him in 1941. I was almost thirteen and deeply observant. By day I studied Talmud and by night I would run to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple.”
“Shekhinah” is an ancient Jewish reference to God’s presence on Earth; to the Lord’s divine role in determining man’s destination. The “Shekhinah” is not God, but refers to God’s presence. That’s a pretty loose interpretation, but for purposes of discussion, it means a divine presence among the Jews of ancient history. The failure of the Jews to comply entirely with God’s commandments during the years of exile resulted in this presence disappearing or being removed from the First Temple.
The Old Testament, the original Aramaic and Hebrew Bible, is replete with instances of God punishing His people for their myriad transgressions—mainly their lack of faith that God’s covenant with them will come to pass. Wiesel tells the story of Moishe the Beadle because this eccentric individual’s dedication to ancient scripture is destroyed by his treatment at the hands of the Germans. Following his near-death experience—he survives a massacre of Jews after being shot in the leg by pretending to be dead—Moishe is no longer the committed devotee that he was prior to being captured.
As important to Wiesel’s narrative, Moishe will be the oft- and tragically-ignored voice of alarm regarding the fate that awaits the Jews of Sighet. Having witnessed for himself the horrors of the Holocaust, his warnings to his fellow Jews are nevertheless ignored by the unbelieving masses. As Wiesel describes the situation:
“As for Moishe, he wept and pleaded: ‘Jews, listen to me! That's all I ask of you. No money. No pity. Just listen to me!’ he kept shouting in synagogue, between the prayer at dusk and the evening prayer. Even I did not believe him. I often sat with him, after services, and listened to his tales, trying to understand his grief. But all I felt was pity."
Moishe’s warnings, like those of Moses and his most devoted followers, are not heeded, and many will die. As Elie will soon observe for himself, the destruction of European Jewry at the hands of the Germans and their allies across Eastern and Central Europe is akin to the destruction of the ancient Jewish Temples. Europe’s Jews were systematically exiled and targeted for extermination by the most technologically-advanced nation in that vast continent. By relating the story of Moishe the Beadle and by alluding to the Exile of Providence and the destruction of the Temple, Wiesel is drawing a connection from--is foreshadowing--the destruction of the Temple and the forced exodus of the Jews in ancient times to the modern day forced exile and destruction of modern Judaism at the hands of modern man.
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