Friday, August 14, 2009

BOOK REVIEW: Elie Wiesel, Rashi, by Eric Lidji in the Jewish Chronicle. Excerpt:
“Rashi,” a new book by Elie Wiesel, sketches a portrait of the master that is neither definitive nor exhaustive, but that introduces him and his work to those who don’t know him, and offers some context to those steeped in his work, but not in his world.

The slim volume — less than 100 pages — is part of Nextbook’s Jewish Encounters series, which tasks contemporary Jewish authors with writing about iconic Jewish figures or overarching Jewish themes. Wiesel and Rashi fit: both are prolific French Jews of traditional background who embrace the entire Jewish community through their words.

Because few biographical details exist about Rashi, Wiesel instead relies on Rashi’s enormous body of work — which covers the entirety of the Tanakh and almost all of the Talmud — to show a leader seeking to reassure his community and future communities of Jews that the promises heralded in the Torah still held true, despite trying times.