SOULS ON FIRE

In Souls on Fire: Portraits and Legends of Hasidic Masters, Elie Wiesel reenters, like an impassioned pilgrim, the universe of Hasidism. “When I am asked about my Jewish affiliation, I define myself as a Hasid, ” writes the author. “Hasid I was, Hasid I remain.” Yet Souls on Fire is not a simple chronological history of Hasidism, nor is it a comprehensive book on its subject. Rather, Elie Wiesel has captured the essence of Hasidism through tales, legends, parables, sayings, and deeply personal reflections. His book is a testimony, not a study. Hasidism is revealed from within and not analyzed from the outside. “Listen attentively, ” Elie Wiesel’s grandfather told him, “and above all, remember that true tales are meant to be transmitted – to keep them to oneself is to betray them.” As a critic appearing on the front page of The New York Times Book Review has written, “The judgment has been offered before: Elie Wiesel is one of the great writers of this generation.” Wiesel does not merely tell us, but