At his first of three lectures at Boston University for the year, Nobel Peace Prize winner and BU professor Elie Wiesel last night compared modern conflicts to the biblical struggle faced by Abraham in deciding to sacrifice his son.
Nearly 1,700 people packed Metcalf Hall in the George Sherman Union to hear the Holocaust survivor share his thoughts with the community, as he has done for 32 years in one of BU’s most anticipated lecture series.
Wiesel discussed the Akedah – the tale in the Torah in which Abraham nearly sacrifices his son Isaac as God instructs him to.
“I love it. I always find new things to say, always,” Wiesel said in a brief interview after his lecture, “The Akedah Revisited: More Questions.”
The professor began with an explanation of the Akedah for audience members unfamiliar with the story.
“[The Akedah] is a tale of anguish and faith that never lets go,” Wiesel said. “Actually, it never let us go. . . . It is one of the most dramatic and meaningful episodes in history.”
Wiesel analyzed the story in a global social context as well as on a literal level. Juxtaposing modern issues with his lecture about the past, he questioned where God has been recently in tragedies around the world, such as the mass slaughter of civilians in Darfur.
“Is it God’s fault?” Wiesel said. “Are we his orphans or his victims?”
Wiesel also raised more direct questions regarding the Akedah, including whether Abraham had free will, and if Abraham was possibly testing God by almost agreeing to kill Isaac. He also suggested Abraham was being punished by God for loving only one of his two sons.
“Why did he give in when it came to his own flesh and blood?” Wiesel said.
Wiesel examined various texts and suggested that Isaac too may have been prepared to give his life to God, but he did not believe his own father would kill him.
Wiesel concluded that the Akedah is relevant to everyone’s lives, because Isaac was able to turn his suffering into prayer.
“This time death did not win,” he said. “The Jewish man has won against God.”
“Even after going to Hebrew school, I never asked the questions he asked about this passage,” said College of Arts and Science sophomore Sara Vernam. “He definitely brought me to a deeper understanding of the Akedah.”